THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday. Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska •
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER . .Editors
*1.50 PER MONTH S16.00 A YEAR
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943. at the postoffice
at Nome. Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Wednesday, April 21, 1948. t
ALASKAN DEFENSES
Georg Nelson Meyers, of the Daily News Miner
staff, has written a series of articles on the state of
the defenses in Interior Alaska which are remerk
able for their revelations.
The articles were based on information given a
group of newspaper, magazine and radio corres
pondents from the United States who recently com
pleted a tour of Alaskan military installations under
Air Forces auspices.
The conclusions of the group, as reported in the
Daily News-Miner, should be required reading for
cabinet officers, members of Congress and United
States citizens generally.
Briefly, they may be stated as follows: „
1— A polar attack tomorrow would find Alaska,
insufficiently prepared to defend the continental
rim of the United States.
2— A minimum expenditure of 62 million dol
lars would be necessary to begin to prepare vital
bases in the heart of the Yukon Sector to withstand
surprise blows by a trans-arctic foe using long
range bombers or guided missiles.
3— All forms of communication links between
Alaska and the United States need immediate bol
stering.
4— Eielson Field, which has been described
in newsparer stories published in the United States
as a major Arctic outpost capable of accommodat
ing the giant B-36 bomber, actually is a mere care
taking establishment. Its projected hangars are still
in the blueprint stage. It has but two airplanes as
signed permanently—a pair of C-47 transports.
The 62 million dollar figure, given by Brigadier
General Frank F. Everest, Yukon Sector command
er as the lowest possible amount needed to "in
sure" the Interior bases, would not go for direct mil
itary expenditures, Air Force leaders emphasized.
It is the sum deemed necessary for such purposes
as rehabilitation of the Alaska Railroad, construc
tion of an eight inch pipeline from tidewater and
re-engineering and resurfacing the Alaska High
way road network.
The expanding and strengthening of the bases
to a wartime level necessarily would follow these
initial steps to develop dependable communica
tion links.
Eielson field has cost American taxpayers 15
million dollars to date. Col. Jerome B. McCauley,
the commandant, told the visiting newsmen. Two
years and another 100 millions might complete the
job, he said. The extent to which the project has
been allowed to fall behind schedule should be
plain to all.
The commanders of the various installations
warned repeatedly that time is the important factor.
Alaska has a short building season. Delay now
-could have serious consequences.
The campaign to stop the spread of Communism
has become a part of the national policy. In the
last two years, the nation has had aid to Greece
and Turkey; emergency aid for France, Italy and
other European countries, and finally the multi-bil
lion dollar Marshall Plan to finance the post-war
reconstruction of Western Europe.
The sums needed for Alaskan defenses are small
compared with the foreign expenditures thus far ap
proved by Congress. Surely such stories as those
published in the Daily News-Miner (and other news
papers) describing the condition of Alaskan de
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fenses, must spur Congress to action.
A further delay in equipping American forces to
defend American soil would be inexcusable.
Daily News-Miner)
CAN PRICES GO DOWN WHILE WAGES GO UP?
/
The announcement of the United Electrical Radio
and Machine Workers (CIO) that it will seek a third
round of wage increases from such giant compan
ies as General Electric and Westinghouse may be
of more siginficance than a quick glance would
indicate.
The electrical manufacturing industry has now
reached the point where—barring labor difficulties
—it is preparing to prove the theory that to bring
down prices is to increase production. By dint of
a remarkable production record since the end of
the war, the electric industry has caught up to a
large extent with the backlog of demand for ap
pliances which grew up during the war.
The pipe lines by which goods move from manu
facturer to wholesaler and on to retailer and con
sumer are beginning to fill up. The rubber tire in
dustry has had considerable success catching up
withwith its backlog of demand but the automob
ile, construction and many other industries still
have definite feelings that their pipe lines lead
only to bottomless wells.
Shortages of electrical appliances began easing
some months ago. The radio supply situation illus
trates what has been happening. In the first eleven
months of 1947, nearly 16 million radios were pro
duced in this country. Approximately 33 million
have been made since the end of the war.
A radio price war is in the making. The industry
is talking about meeting competition by using op
erating. economies and the development of better
manufacturing technics.
Competition in the domestic market will be more
acute since foreign demand is expected to slack
off because of dollar shortage.
General Electric and one of its principal subsid
iaries already have announced substantial price
cuts on a wide variety of electrical appliances. Now
comes the news of the pay increases demand by
the electrical workers.*
Whether pay increases, if granted, will be large
enough to upset price reduction plans remains to
be seen. Whether price reductions in the important
electrical manufacturing field might spread to al
liel industries and start a more or less general
downward trend cannot be answered until the
wage picture becomes clearer.
At the moment the electrical industry is caught
between a combination of inflationary and defla
tionary pressures. The outcome may indicate what
is to be expected as other industries fill up their
pipe lines too. (Denver Post)
<>P1 ortunities In
Higher Education
For Alaska Natives
Nurses, stenographers, dentists,
teachers, accountants and many
other professional and highly skil
j led workers are need d th orgh
I out the coiini 'y. Tner-' is a p-r
; ticular ueed for these services in
I Alaska. Alaska Native young men
land women are urged to,take ad
vantage of the opportunities for
higher education which are av
ailable to them th’->.t"d the Al
aska Native Service and the Un
ited States Indian Service. The
‘raining available should enable
many of the Native young men
and women to enter these well
paid occupations where so many
opportunities exist. *
Applicants should be one-fourth
or more Native blood and be
tween the ages of 14 and 21. In
rare instances particularly well
qualified applicants over the age
of 21 will be considered.
Applicants who are high school
graduates can apply at once for
college loons. If there is no Alas
ka Native Service representative
in their community they should
write to the General Superintend
ent. Alaska Native Service, at
Juneau, Alaska, for application
forms. Special examinations and
physical examinations are given
to determine the applicant’s final
eligibility to receive a loan.
Students who are not high
school graduates should see the
nearest Alaska Native Service
teacher or write to the general
Superintendent requesting admis
sion to the Alaska Native Service
boarding school at White Mount
ain or Mt. Edgecumbe, Alaska.
The White Mountain school serves
the Norton Sound, Seward Pen
insula, Kotzebue Sound and Arc
tic areas. Admission to this school
is also made from the Lower Yu
kon and Bethel vicinities. Appli
cations for admission to the Mt.
Edgecumbe vocational school near
Sitka. Alaska, are accepted from
any part of the Territory. How
ever, if a student is just entering
h;gh school and lives in the area
nearest the White Mountain school
he is usually asked to complete
the first two years of his high
school course at White Mountain.
Students are admitted to White
Mountain and Mt. Edgecumbe vo
cational schools who have com
pleted the highest elementary
school grade offered in their vil
lage, have passed a satisfactory
physical examination which in
cludes a chest x-ray and who are
recommended by their local teach
er, minister of other person. Mt.
Edgecumbe offers- in addition to
vocational training, academic sub
jects and courses of a caliber and
range to meet the entrance re
quirements of leading colleges and
universities of the United States.
Students who have finished
high school and are granted a
loan to attend college usually re
ceive loans from $150 to $300 per
! school year. They are expected
to attend college or university of
I recognized standing. The loan is
available to them only so long
as their work meets satisfactory
standard. The loans extend from
! one to four years, depending upon
the type of course which a stud
ent is following. Students are ex
pected to provide their own trans
portation from their home to the
college. The loan fund can apply
on tuition, books, supplies, board
and room and other necessary
expenses of attending college..
Students are expected to start