THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
$1.50 PER MONTH SI 6.00 A YEAR
W. A. and EMILY 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 25, 1946
WE SHARE OUR BREAD
(Rocky Mountain News)
We Americans must eat less and waste less to prevent
mass starvation abroad.
That is the reason for President Truman’s nine-point
food conservation order. It is a legitimate reason.
There will be some Americans who object, and a few
who sabotage. But most will respond gladly, because
Americans always have been the kind of people who
share their bread with the hungry.
The president is not exaggerating when he says:
“More people face starvation and even actual death for
want of food today than in any war year, and perhaps
more than in all the war years combined.”
That is not surprising. It is the inevitable price of the
destruction and dislocations of military combat that the
full effect of food shortage is felt in the early post-war
period.
'
Under the new program, Americans will be incon
venienced, but they will not suffer. There will be less
alcoholic drink. For white bread there will be gray.
Meat and dairy products will be less plentiful.
But we shall still be eating our fill, compared withj
the English, who have just been put on a meager ration,!
and the Europeans to whom a loaf of bread is a luxury.
—
THE RETORT COURTEOUS !
(By LYTLE HULL) ;
So many of those Americans who have lived abroad—
especially in England—during the war, and who come
over here for business or other reasons, manage to say j
the wrong thing at just precisely the right time.
In a recent conversation a visiting expatriate Ameri
can lady made a remark—and repeated it several times
—that “you don’t know over here that there’s a war
going on!” There was an Englishman present whose
time has been about equally divided between this coun-1
try and his own for the last five years. Everyone took i
the remark passively for the first two times; but at the
repetition, just as tempers were about to replace good
manners, the Englishman interrupted the ex-Ameri
can’s flow of gibberish by remarking—“Mrs. Snooks,
there are about 10,000,000 American mothers whose
12,000,000 children are serving in the armed forces of
the United States. That is a far larger number than the
British Eimpire has been able to muster. These mothers
and their husbands, and their other children, at least
suspect that there is a war going on!
“Dont misunderstand me, Mrs. Snooks—I am not
belittling the efforts of my country and the British Em
pire. There are only 75,000,000 to 80,000,000 members
of the Empire whom we can count on in this sort of
emergency. The others are the peoples of parts of India,
Africa, etc., whom no one could expect to have the same
interest as have the British, the Canadians, South Afri
cans, Australians, New Zealanders and a few others.
America, on the other hand has 135,000,000 souls who
are directly involved in the event of war. We have done
our full share — and more; and has America — God
knows!
“It doesn't signify anything because Americans com
plain at every opportunity. They would be miserable
unless they could do that. If the butter looks a bit pale
they want to fire every member of the OPA. If they
have to forego meat for one meal on Thursday they be
lieve the President is personally trying to starve them
to death. But when the real blow strikes, you funny
people take it—and shut your mouths. If it ‘changes
your stride' it isn't observable; Maybe—when you are
OETtHO OMR BREAD OVER TEE WATER_
m
WHO* %
***** \|
alone in the bosom of your family—but certainly not
otherwise.
“Perhaps, Mrs. Snooks, you have been away so long
that you are out of touch with the spirit of the Ameri
can people. You think because they haven’t had bombs
land upon them, and have not had to puB in their belts
as much as have those abroad, and don’t complain about
things which have occurred—that ‘they don’t know
there’s a war going on.’ Well, Mrs. Snooks, I can only
suggest—in the vernacular of your erstwhile country—
that you ‘guess again’—and maybe study a few statis
tics.”
JOBS WITHOUT WORKERS i
(New York Times)
During the war average hourly earnings and average
weekly savings advanced substantially in many indus- •
tries. One result has been the inability of lower-wage
industries to secure the number of workers they now
require to expand output of civilian goods.
This is evident in such industries as textiles, which
traditionally have had a lower wage structure than the
large mass-production industries. Production in those!
areas of economy is being held back because of an in
adequate supply of labor. It is true that price problems
and other difficulties have been important, but there i
seems to be general agreement that the inadequate
manpower supply is the basic factor accounting for the
failure of the expected flow of supplies to materialize.
Thus at a time when the volume of unemployment is
rising moderately, many industries continue to find'
themselves unable to obtain the number of workers;
they require. The easy answer, of course, is to suggest
that these industries should raise wages sufficiently to j
attract the workers they required. But the fact is that |
wage increases of this magnitude would have to be re
flected in sharply higher prices. This, in turn, would
mean higher living costs. The result would be a reduc
tion in the real income of many people.
By GEORGES BENSON
Nilknt of Harding ColUga
Ssarey. Arkansas
r i
A SERMON
America has three big F’s. They
stand for farm, factory and fin
ance. They cover the nation and
make it what it is. You may be
neither a farmer, a factory work
er nor a financier but, if not, you
are probably so dependent on one
of the three groups that you are
one with it, in though and aim.
There are exceptions, but the big
F’s tie in all of us but a small
minority.
In the matter of stability, the
three F’s are as dependent on each
other as the legs of a stool. If one
goes down, they all topple.. Neith
er of these big groups of people
can enjoy prosperity long unless
the others likewise prosper. And
here is a wonder of all time: Why
are these three classes suspicious
of each other? Why do they so
consistcnly work against each
other?
Farmers' Markets
When is the agricultural indus
try prosperous? The answer is
plain to any observing farmer: ^
Farmers have a quick market for
all they produce, at good prices,
only when factory workers are
very largely employed at good
wages. Laborers constitute a big
class and they work hard. When
they have good jobs they eat well,
cover their tables with the best
of what farmers sell.
Here is where the preaching
starts: Since farm prosperity de
pends on good wages at factories,
it is in every farmer’s interest to
work for the healthy welfare ol
labor. Why then does the poliitcai^
Farm Bloc concern itself so avidly
with class legislation instead of
working for the things that always
helps the farmer—namely, labor’s
sound advancement?
Workmen's Pay
This is definitely a Christian
teaching. The illustrious Paul,
who wrote most of the New Testa
ment, said “Do not take account
of your own interests, but the in
terests of others as well.” More
over the rule is not confined to {
the farm for its application. It is
just as righteous and just as prac
tical for the use of working men
who want to improve their living
standards. Thus*.
When do laborers enjoy steady
work at high wages? Every think
ing workers knows the answer.
Labor prospers when men of
wealth put out their money, ex
panding old businesses and build
ing new ones. Of course it is for
their own gain but it pays the
workers. Mystery: Why don’t la
bor’s leaders do their best to make
investments attractive? Suchstrat- 4
egy would pay rich and dircet re
turns. It is the only way to higher
and higher wages.
And Profits Too
Returns to employers respond
to the same rule. Factory owners
sell 80 per cent of all they make
to laborers and farmers. These
men wear good clothes, drive
good cars and modernize their
homes when they can afford it.
Any financier, able to see which
side of his bread is buttered, knows "
where profits come from. They
come from prosperous, buying
farmers and happy, well paid
workers.
If the three big F’s would look
out for one another; if employers
never exploited labor; if farmers
did not envy capitalists; if work
ers never used intimidation, pros
perity would certainly follow. It
would be for us all. The code that
Jesus upheld in the Sermon on the
Mount 2,000 years ago is still good.
Communism, envy, greed and vio
lence can’t live in the climate
! with applied Christianity. _