THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 613
*1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
W. A. and EMIJ.Y BOUCHER.Editors
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943, at the postoffice at
Nome. Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Monday, March 18, 1946
RUSSIA’S POPULATION
(Cincinnati Enquirer)
A recent radio speaker, among the world’s foremost
experts on population trends, predicted that by 1970—
less than 25 years ahead—Russia would have 250,000,
000 inhabitants. With such tremendous manpower
added to her already gigantic reserves of natural re
sources, the Soviet will be in position to dominate Eur
ope as well as Asia. Such is the probability, the speaker
declared, whether it appeals to us or not.
The conclusions were reached after a lifetime de
voted to the science of world populations, and after a
study of the tremendous background of factual infor
mation on the subject. Since today’s students have at
their disposal a fairly accurate record of racial popula
tion fluctuations reaching back over thousands of years,
it is possible now to predict with accuracy what tomor
row’s fluctuations will be. There is every reason to be
lieve that the prediction of Russia’s growing power is
basically correct.
Population, of course, is not the single determining
factor in the power of any nation. Many other things
enter—education and adaptability, natural resources,
geographical location. In 25 years Russia has made
amazing progress in general education. There is no in
dication that this progress will be retarded. In fact,
there are signs that it will continue at an accelerated
pace. In natural resources the Soviet far exceeds any
land in either Europe or Asia. While location may work
against her in some regards, it seems probable that she
—even now—is planning to improve some of her geo
graphical shortcomings, notably her lack of open-water
ports. This she can do either by treaty or by annexa
tion.
Population growth at this time would contribute im
measurably to Soviet power. At the beginning of World
War II her 8,000,000 square miles supported some 162,- j
000,000 persons. Should she gain upward of 100,000,000
in the coming 25 years, the increase alone would give
Russia more men of military age than had Germany and
France combined at the outbreak of hostilities.
Russia still is less than 40 years away from her “dark
ages.” She is only entering the period when, history
tells us, great population increases will be seen. These
studies should give Aunerica ample notice that the Sov
iet soon is likely to hold the same position in the East
ern Hemisphere that the United States now exercises in
hers. These two, of all the world’s nations, seemed des
tined to rank 1 and 2 during the generations immedi
ately ahead.
SENSE OF DUTY
(Denver Monitor)
One of the groups most severely hit by the epidemic
of strikes is the American, farmer.
While the men in factories are continuing to prevent
the farmer from getting the tools he needs—the trac
tors, the automobiles, the machines and the electrical
gadgets—he somehow manages to continue to supply
them with ample food.
But we wonder what would happen if the overworked
farmer decided to rebel? Suppost the farmers of our
country were unionized (as John L. Lewis once hoped
to have them) and decided they would cut off the na
tion’s food supply until they received higher pay or
better prices for their produce.
Such a condition would be disastrous, but fortunately
the farmers have too much of a sense of responsibility
to attempt such a thing. The nation needs food—and
they know it is their duty to keep the food supply-line
operating without interruption.
0;JE MOKE EPBiMS
ONE MAN’S OPINION
(By Walter Kiernan)
New York City is inviting William S. White to
town to do a sequel to “They Were Expendable” with a
cast of 7 million trained victims. . . . Mike Quill said if
the city tried to run its subways in a strike it might
cause 5,000 deaths. The prospect was so horrible, Quill
planned to go ahead with the strike. . . . The alternative
was no strike—and that also was a horrible thought to
Quill. . . . There is a jail and fine penalty for smoking
in the subway, but Quill isn’t going to get away with
anything. The moment he forgets to sweep his sidewalk
or curb his dog—they’ve got him! . . . Old Bill Green
says the Case bill would return this country to slavery.
It might even wipe out labor’s gains as quickly as three
months of idleness have wiped out G. M. workers’ bank
accounts. . . . The optimist in the picture is Paul Porter,
the new boss of OPA. “We can control inflation,” he
says. This was the same thought that occurred to the
fellows who cracked the atom. . .. Now they’ve changed
into their running shoes.
THE NEW SOURDOUGH
(By Gene Lindberg)
’Nother fool cheechako, buzzin’ like a bee,
Rippin’ up a feller's peace an’ privacy!
Thousand-miles-f: om-nowhere, to that flying tub,
Isn’t any farther than th’ country club!
Sure, I know, that’s progress. But I recollect
When up here we treated distance with respect.
Gettin’ north by dog team, portage an’ canoe
Took a week for every hour that feller flew.
First, we welcomed pilots who could fly th’ bush
Where no man could paddle, an’ no dog could mush.
Brought us beans an’ bacon; powder by th’ keg.
Got us out, come fever or a busted leg.
Now, th’ greenhorns do it. If they want to fish,
All they gotta do is flop down with a swish.
Heave a line and start in catchin’ ’em galore
Sittin’ in their planes an’ never touchin’ shore!
If they want to prospect for Alaska gold
They don’t fight mosquitoes an’ the arctic cold.
They just fly around to spot a likely claim.
Yep, these northern wilds are gettin’ mighty tame!
_ _ I
ILOOXTNV
I AHEAD
[« GEORGE 1 BENSON
■ Surt+AtUmm
BEQUEST
One of the 5,000 United States
Marines who died on Iwo Jima
was Ben Toland, 24, of Concord,
N. H.. a Yale junior and an honor
student. When another officer was
wounded in battle, Lieut. Toland
voluntarily, took command of his
platoon, stormed the ridge and
gained the objective before he
himself was killed. Toland’s es
tate, less than $4,000, was divided
by his will as follows:
,
Per Cent
Benevolence . 5
His church . 5
i His college .10
: His prep school .20
! The A. F. of L.10
The C. I. 0.10
The N. A. M.20
The U. S. Congress.20
Good Will Message
The will was not a document of
| profound legal verbiage; just a
hand-writen note from a military
~ an going to battle quite aware
that lighters don’t always return
from such missions. It was no
hastily devised instrument. Every
j detail shows scholarly thought.
The author knew he might be giv
j ing his life for America’s future,
and tossed-in his possessions as
part of the offering.
Not even a cynical critic of the
liberty Ben Toland understood
and appreciated could detect a
tone of bitterness in his harmoni
j ous bequests. He met death on
February 21 and it is reasonably
certain that the will was written
at Christmas, far beyond the hor
izon of merriment but in a spirit
of “Good will toward men.” In
that holiday gift-list rings a clear
note of victory and hope.
To Save Americanism
As if it were his life’s last tithe,
five percent wnet to church, ancl
to
five to a Christmas charity, ‘‘The^
100 Neediest Cases,” sponsored by
the New' York Times. Toland
knew the worth of learning and
paid a tribute to two schools that
were peculiarly his own, Yale
University and St. Paul’s of Con
cord. The will’s other four bene
ficiaries sound a chord of pure
patriotism.
Not every service man who
paid his life for victory in World
War II posssesed this young man’s
grasp of public affairs, but they
all wanted the same thing. They
wanted to see America the land of
opporutnity once more. The lieu
tenant’s will expressed all this
hope and more, for Toland knew
how to save America’s freedom:
through peace between labor and
management.
Paying to Be Heard
This sober young man laid 60
per cent of his earthly holdings
on the altar of industrial peace.
I His mother yet lived. No doubt
he had personal friends who need
; ed funds. Just the same, his larg
est single hope beyond his own
life-span was to retain the Ameri
can system of free faith, free
| speech, free enterprise, popular
ballot unrestricted opporutnity
, and equality under the law.
i With 20 per cent he asked Con
gress to heed the plea of many
martyrs for laws in the interest of
all, not just for pressure groups.
Another 20 per cent calls aloud to
the National Association of Manu
facturers, a group of small em
ployers suchM as fill more than
two-thirds of America’s pay en
velopes. Another fifth begs a hear
ing by the two biggest labor
j groups, destined to play an im
| portant role in America’s future.
FARMING ON THE FLY
| LAFAYETTE, Ind., (/P) — Five
i Indiana farmers and two farm
women, attending a three-day ag
• ricultural conference at Purdue
| University, hurried to the Purdue
airport each evening and flew
their own planes home in time to
do the chores.