THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday. Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 61»
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
W. A. Boucher .Owner-Publisher
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943. at the postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Nome, Alaska, Monday, June 27, 1949
LET S STAY HEALTHY
(By George Peek)
In recent weeks I have had much to say about the
Administration's proposed plant of Compulsory Health
Insurance, which I choose to call by its proper name,
“Socialized Medicine.” Noone can have any doubt that
I am bitterly opposed to the plan; that I see in this pro
posal a deliberate attempt to regiment American citi
zenry.
Every nation that has embarked on such a scheme of
providing so-called “Free Medicine” to its subject (that
is just what citizens become under it) has sooner or
later discovered that it costs a great deal more than es
timated, that national health has deteriorated, not im
proved; and that the progress of medical science and
research have virtually been halted in their tracks.
Undoubtedly, the worst featured of Socialized Medi
cine is that it discourages the right kind of young men
and women from undertaking the long and arduous
training necessary to equip themselves to practice med
icine and surgery. The net result is that inevitably un
der Socialized Medicine, the blight of mediocrity and
even downright incompetence come to permeate the
ranks of government physicians.
It took a young chap who runs the elevator in the
apartment house where I live, to further impress me
with the utter futility of Socialized Medicine. This
young fellow is working his way through one of our
medical schools, and his elevator job is a means toward
that end. The other evening as he was taking me to my]
floor, he surprised me by asking, “What do you think j
of this Compulsory Health Insurance?”
Instead of answering his question, I turned it right
back at him by asking him what he thought of it.
“Well,” he said, “All I hope is that it is so badly de
feated in Congress that no one will be foolish enough
to ever suggest such a thing again.”
“Why?” I shot at him.
“Do you think I would have ever entertained the idea
of studying to be a doctor had I thought I would be
forced to work for the government; that I would not be
free to practice my profession according to my own
ideas and to go as far in it as my ability and application
would carry me?” he replied.
And then he continued, “Do you think I would have
taken the job of running this elevator eight hours a
day, spending many more hours in class and in study
each day for the past several years, just to get a Civil
Service job? From the time I was a very young boy I
have had the ambition to be a doctor, and to be a good
one, so that I can serve well my fellow men. Sure, I
want to make a decent living after I get my degree and
serve my internship, but I have no hope of ever accum
ulating any great amount of material wealth.”
By this time we had long since reached by floor and
some other tenant was impatiently pushing the buzzer.
My young friend had to go on about his business, but
this elevator boy and physician in, the making had said
enough to further convince me that we must not have;
Socialized Medicine of Compulsory Health Insurance,
call it what you like, in this free America of ours. Noth
ing must be done, legislatively or otherwise, that will
deter young men, as exemplified by this elevator boy,
from being willing to undergo the travail of the long
grind of preparing themselves to enter the high calling
of the medical profession.
Let your United States Senators and Congressmen
know that it is your wish, in fact, your demand that
they vote “NO” on Compulsory Health Insurance so as
to insure continuation of competent reinforcements to,
and replacements in our medical ranks. Today the U. S.
A. is the healthiest nation on God’s green footstool. Let’s
stay that way.
PREVIEW or SUMMER
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^ COM<S*E$5
I
THE JUDGE TO LAUGH LAST
(Hugo S. Sims)
The trial of eleven Communist leaders continues in
New York City, with Judge Harold R. Medina, of the
Federal Court, having a hard time to control the irre
sponsible utterances of the defendants and their law
yers.
Recently, the judge, after having denied a motion for
a mistrial, commented that he “never heard a judge be
ing baited and insulted as I have been.“ He spoke the
solemn truth as a casual reading of the news accounts
of the trial clearly indicates.
The judge has leaned over backward, apparently, in
an attempt to give full leeway to the defense of those
accused of plotting to overthrow the government of the
United States by force. He has put up with situations
and insults which, in an ordinary trial, would land
somebody in jail for contempt of court.
Mr. Medina, however, will have his inning later on.
We would not be surprised if he is not keeping an accu
rate record of the behavior of the defendants and their
attorneys. When the trial is over, we feel sure that some
of them will serve time for their contempt of the court.
The long-suffering jurist will have his inning but will
not have acted precipitately or in a manner to jeopar
dize the constitutional rights of the defendants by tak
ing vigorous action which might influence the jury.
STRATEGY IN COAL MINING
The strategy of John L. Lewis, in calling his miners
from the pits for a week to stabilize employment, is ex
plained by the 65,164,000 tons of coal above ground on
May 1. This is enough for fifty-two days. Normally, the
above-ground supply is around 50,000,000 tons.
It is interesting to note that while Mr. Lewis is con
demned in what one might term capitalistic circles for
his decision to pare down coal stocks, his purpose is
generally recognized as a scheme to cut down the coal
piles in order to strengthen the economic bargaining
position of his union. Production in the mines is out of
balance and some miners are working full-time while
others are out of work. The mine owners, having an ex
tra twenty-two days’ coal supply on the ground, are
bargaining with more spirit this year than usual. In
fact, observers report that the operators show more
confidence in their wage talks than they have for years.
Nor do all of the industry’s spokesmen seem irritated
by the Lewis decision to stop soft coal production. In
fact, some coal operators admit that the increasing
backlog of coal makes a stoppage welcome because some
of the coal mines have run out of customers.
Production is ouf of balance but this not only affects
the miners but the sale of coal to consumers. In other
words, a large surplus above ground weakens the min
ers’ bargaining position but it also weakens the sales
price of coal.
Bureau Suggests
Veterans Take Up
Reindeer Industry
• Continued from Page One)
ownership has been limited to na
tives, village associations have
managed the dwindling herds.
“Community ownership resulted
in a lack of interest in the herds
in many villages,” the bureau’s
report said.
“Reindeer were considered by
many natives as an immediate
source of food, with little or no
thought being given to building up
herds for local marketing and ex
port.
Large areas in the north are
likely to find their best utiliza
tion by reindeer. In many areas,
reindeer are needed now for food
and clothing.
“It is entirely possible that vet
erans trained in animal husban
dry and familiar with cattle rais
ing would be interested in rein
deer production, contributing ma
terially to the profitable develop
ment of the industry.
“Through proper sales promo
tion a substantial export market
could be established for reindeer
meat as a specialty product.”
The report suggested that Alas
ka take a tip from Washington
State, which has developed a $2,
000,000-a-yeur industry in gather
ing, processing and shipping wild
huckleberry branches, and also
ships common sword fronds to
florists throughout the United
States.
“Infinite varieties of lichens,
mosses, sedges, edible berry-pro
ducing shrubs, willows and drawf
ed birches, horsetails, tall grasses
and others of potential export
value are found in Alaska," it
said.
“Aircraft now fly flowers to
Alaska. They can as well carry
decorative materials, native flow
ers and small fruits to southern
markets.
“The peat industry is also open
for development. Alaska has enor
mous deposits of peat. Alaska
peat could be packed into bales
for export.”
The report recommended that
:he reclamation bureau be allow
ed t.> develop experimental farms
in Alaska to work on problems of
fertilizers and irrigation methods
suitable to the climate.
It said that to produce in Alas
ka the 17,992,000 pounds of milk,
meat, potatoes and eggs imported
into the Territory in 1947 would
require production of 40,000 head
of dairy and beef cattle, 3,500
sows and gilts, 175,900 hens and
135,000 acres of crop land — 10
times the present crop acreage.
The repart has recommended an
“action program” of possible re
clamation projects which, the bur
eau said, would provide at least
135,000 acres of new farm land.
It said G. W. Gasser, Alaska’s
commissioner of agriculture, has
estimated there are in the Terri
tory about 17,000,000 acres “phys
ically and climatically suitable
for crops or for grassland.”
This potential agricultural acre
age, by areas: Kenai Peninsula,
5,882,880 acres; Tanana Valley,
4,000,000; Copper River basin, 3,
392,000; Forty-Mile, 1,667,500; Yu
kon Valley, 457,000; Kuskokwim
Valley, 450,000; Kodiak Island,
451,840; Matanuska Valley, 195,
600; Healy-Lignite, 143,360; Sus
tina Valley, 96,000; Dunbar, 64,
000; Koyukuk Valley, 64.000; Gus
tavus (Strawberry Point*, 40,000;
Haines, 2,000; Yakutat, 1,280; Un
alakleet, 1,000.