THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome. Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. o. Box 618
v
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943. at the postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Nome, Alaska, Monday, September 13, 1948
STALIN S INDIGESTION
(Rocky Mountain News)
The feud within Stalin’s empire is entering a new and
more destructive phase.
During the two months since the Cominform chal
lenged the independence of Dictator Tito of Yugoslavia,
both sides have managed to keep the conflict on a party
level, while maintaining the appearance of friendly gov
ernmental relations. But the hot note which the Bel
grade foreign minister sent to Romania sets the puppet
governments directly against each other.
The difference between the Communist parties and
the governments they control is only a fiction. Never
theless, it always has served Stalin most usefully. Other
wise, he could not have functioned in the Jekyll-Hvde
role as head of the Soviet state and as head of the Com
munist Party; in one case bound by treaties of non-in
terference in the internal affairs of other nations, and in
the other case conducting a world revolution to over
throw those same nations.
An absurdity, to be sure, but one which other nations
are still swallowing for Stalin’s benefit.
The Red rebel, Tito, however, is getting fed uo with
it. Not yet to the point of challenging Stalin directly, but
enough to tackle the Kremlin’s pet puppet of Romania, t
The fiction that the satellite dictators were acting as
members of the Cominform rather than as governmental
heads, when they indicted him, was useful to him only
so long as there was some chance of patching up the
feud. Now that such efforts have failed, Tito accuses the
Romanian government, itself, of trying to overthrow
his government.
Under ordinary circumstances, this would result in a
break in diplomatic relations, followed probably by war.
That may not be the outcome in this case. Neither can
afford war now. Both have much to lose and little to gain.
But even political and economic conflict within the
Red colonial empire at this time could be disastrous for
those involved. Tito cannot long survive the boycott and
blockade StaliQ is organizing around him—unless he
modifies his dictatorship and seeks support from the
Western powers.
On the other hand, as long as Tito keeps up the fight,
his example stirs nationalist fires throughout Eastern
Europe—the same nationalism of Poles, Czechs, Slo
vaks, Magyars and others which kaisers, emperors and
czars could not kill, which Hitler could not control, and
which Stalin fears.
AMERICANS CAN LEARN MUCH FROM INDIA
(By Laurel Keynan)
Recently I attended a banquet celebrating the first
anniversary of India’s independence. My regret is that
city and state officials, tradespeople and representatives
of religious organizations were not there to catch the
spirit of enthusiasm expressed by a people newly freed.
We, as Americans, have already forgotten what free
dom really means. We talk about it, go to war to fight for
it, but we forget that freedom is an individual thing.
That is something which these Indians, attending our
colleges here, can help us realize again. In the many
fine talks given it was obvious that India relizes her
responsibilities in freedom. First, there is the need for
literacy. (We think we have a teaching shortage here
but we do little about it besides complain). They go
about it in a practical manner, making a year’s teaching
experience a requisite to receiving a college degree.
Their average rainfall is forty-two inches a year but
the water has not been conserved. They are planning
the largest dam in the world besides other projects
which will harness this water. They have one doctor for
A NfcW ENDURANCE REC
It
VAl'C* AT
T*iS TOP rv
Levee }jss
Weu,
WATTAVA
KNOW f
v
8,000 people, yet they are not discouraged by the tre
mendous problems which confront them. To look upon
the faces of these young Indians as I did-the other night,
is to know what patriotism really is. Each one seems to
feel that he alone is responsible for India taking her
place as an equal power, if not as a leader, among na
tions of tomorrow. There was no evidence among them
of our common indifference—“it’s too big for one per
son” or “let someone else do it, it’s not my affair.” Each
Indian student, studying engineering, medicine, social
science or art, is first of all an Indian patriot
We should feel a strong kinship with India. We won
our freedom from the some nation. Both of us have had
civil wars. (We even have a caste system—ask any dark
skinned Indian here who has been refused entrance to
our theaters or swimming pools because he was mis
taken for our own Negro. He will tell you their problem
with the untouchables is no greater than in our practic
ing the democracy we talk about).
It was pointed out at the banquet that “India stands
today where we did 150 years ago.” However, I believe
India has opportunity to make greater progress than we
have in our 150 years of freedom because she has a heri
tage which we, as a nation, did not have. We “borrowed”
our culture from other nations. India has a central back
ground; probably the oldest culture of any nation today.
When our ancestors in Europe were living in caves,
India had dovelor-d^b°r science. art, government and
religion to states, which in some instances, surpass those
of our today. F or instance, Kapila, several centuries be
fore Christ, reported the distance between the earth and
the star Betelgeuse and gave with startling accuracy the
dimensions, specific gravity, etc., of it. It was not until
‘ 1920 that our astronomers perfected instruments of
measurement so that Kapila’s report was confirmed!
There Sanskrit is the mother of our languages. It may
well be that India will be the country of the future, for
no other people have such strong religious devotion and!
no civilization can stand long that is not held together
by spiritual ideals. It is that devotion to an ideal which
has carried her to this new freedom. No other nation has
won freedom by the Christian principle of non-violence.
India needs our modern machinery but let us remem
ber that we need to re-learn that spirit of patriotism and
devotion to an ideal which is so well expressed by these
young Indian people among us.
Both Communism and capitalism were assailed by an
advisory section of the World Council of Churches at
Amsterdam. “The Christian church rejects the ideolo
gies of both Communism and capitalism,” its report said,
“and should seek to draw men away from the false as
sumption that these are the only alternatives.” These
churchmen seem to have overlooked several things. Cap
italism never has tried to set itself up as a substitute for
religion as Communism has. And capitalism has pro
| tected freedom of religioA while Communism aims at the
I destruction of all churches.—Bruce Gustin. z
Parcel Post Zoning
(By Mary Lee Council)
Postmaster General Donaldson ^
has signed an order establishing
parcel post zones within Alaska
which will eliminate a financial
burden imposed upon Alaskans
for many years.
The system, effective September
15, represents the result of numer
ous conferences between Delegate
Bartlett and Post Office Depart
ment officials. Delegate Bartlett
has long urged such a system and
in his representations has been
joined by other government offi
cials and interested Alaskans. As \
far back as 1923 the Territorial
legislature memorialized Congress
and the Postmaster General to es
tablish a parcel post zoning sys
tem for the Territory, but not un
til this year has the department
performed the necessary computa
tions, instructions and directions. *
The regular fourth-class parcel
post rates in force in the continen
tal United States will be applied
for shipment of parcel post pack
ages within the Territory. Here
tofore, anyone shipping a package
for example,' from Anchorage to
Fairbanks, was obliged to pay a
charges based on the eighth zone
rate at the same cost of a package#
shipped from Key West, Florida, to
Point Barrow; therefore, a 10
pound package cost $1.17, and un
der the ne wrate will cost only 28
cents between these two Alaska
points. The Territory has been di
vided into units of area and zone
keys established. Using Anchorage
still as an example, Anchorage,
East Anchorage and Chugiak are
combined into one zone key. Any
point from that zone key up o 150
miles away will be in the, 1-2 7. me,
150 to 300 miles in zone 3. 3(H) to
600 miles in zone 4, 600 to 1000
miles in zone 5. 1000 to 1400 miles
in zone 6, 1400 to 1800 miles in
zone 7 and over 1800 miles in zone
A
8, and parcel post rates charged
accordingly.
Air parcel post service recently
established by Congress will also
apply to parcels transporte 1 by air
from one post office to another
within Alaska. Sealed or unsealed
packages weighing more than 8
ounces and not more than 70
pounds and more than 100 linches
in length and girth combined may
be handled at the new air parcel
post rates. Rates are by the zones
within Alaska as described for sur
face parcel post. They start at 55
cents for the first pound and 4
cents for each additional pound in
zones 1 and 2 and run up to 80
cents for teh first pound and 65
cents for each extra pound in zone
8.
Shipments by parcel post from
the continental United States
any point in the Territory will con
tinue to be charged at 8th zone
rates. Third Class Postmaster Gen
eralr Lawler, under whom the sys
tem will be administered, has as
sured Delegate Bartlett that pack
ages will continue to be sent with
in Alaska by air at surface parcel
post rates to destinations not sup
plied by surface transportation.
All postmasters in Alaska are
receiving full instructions shortly
from the department on handling
parcel post under the new zoning
system.
NEW YORK,</P) — Mrs. H. W.
Peterson of Billings, Mont., a na
tional deputy commander of the
American cancer society is due to
arrive in Juneau, tomorrow to dis
cuss with health leaders an attack 1
on cancer in Alaska. She will go
on to Anchorage about Sept. 20
and Fairbanks about Sept. 24.