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 $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.
..
Monday, July 19, 1948
NOME AGAIN INDEBTED TO ARMY
I
^GAIN. NOME is indebted to the the personnel of |
Marks Air Force Base for their fine co-operation
during these past months when Nome has been
without a hospital. During this time all civilian
patients have been cared for at the Marks Air Force
Base Hospital.
Without this co-operation on the part of the of
ficers and men of Marks Air Force Base, the many
conveniences and necessities for the care of the
sick and injured could not have been had, and vital
equipment for their care would have been lacking.
We again extend the sincere appreciation from
the people of Nome for the Army's splendid assist
ance during this critical period.
A POWER FOR GOOD
(Post-Intelligencer)
•JpHE WAR VETERANS' organizations of the country,
which have always exercised a considerable
and very proper political influence in the country,
have a great opportunity and a greater obligation
to continue to do so.
Such a power in such competent and deserving
and trustworthy hands can be a power for great
good in the country, and as a matter of fact it is al-1
ready accomplishing much that is good.
Illustrative of this fact is the statement of na
tional policy and purpose emerging from the recent j
annual national encampment of the Veterans of
Foreign Wars, an organization in which more than
two million war veterans with overseas service now
maintain actiive membership. I
Among the resolutions adopted by the encamp
ment was an uncompromising demand for immed
iate enactment of federal legislation establishing
a permanent system of universal military training.
Federal legislation to outlaw the Communist
Party in the United States was another demand of
the organization.
Advocacy of American air supremacy, as an in
tegral and indispensable instrument of national de
fense and security, was still another.
All of these are vital matters of national policy
and necessity, which have been earnestly and ur
gently supported in the recent session of congress
and in all sessions of congress since the war, but
which have failed of adoption because of the pat
riotic and moral delinquency of congressional lead
ership.
/
The last session of congress, for example, dis
cussed the issue of universal military training from
I WHET A DIFFERENCE A FEW YEARS WAKE
IWUM1
**.*um*
TtAMfeS
January until June and an overwhelming majority
of the members of both houses of congress favored
adoption of the program—as did the vast majority
of the American people.
But these majorities found themselves impotent
because their vacillating leaders prevented a deci
sive vote on the ifesue in either house of congress.
In the same session, when the house of repre
sentative approved legislation for at least partial
control of the menacing Communist conspiracy ag
ainst the government and people of the United
States the senate buried it in a committee pigeon
hole.
While there was laudable and substantial pro
vision for the current needs and future expansion of
military aviation in legislation completed by the
session, neither the nation's authorities on aeronau
tics nor the American people delude • themselves
that we have attained or even approached the goal
of supremacy and invulnerability in the air which
is necessary to give us assurance of winning and
perhaps preventing future wars.
If the veterans' organizations of the country can
provide the leadership, in congress and among the
people, which will supply the vital legislative and
security needs of America, they will surely wield a
great power for the good of the country.
The first occasion for this leadership will arise
when the universal military training program iis
taken up again in congress, and Mr. Omar B. Ket
chum, national legislative director of the Veterans
of Foreign Wars, offers this encouragement con
cerning the mattter:
"Universal military training today is closer
to enactment than at any time in history.
"t am confident it will pass overwhelmingly
in the next congress."
Likely, Mr. John Thomas Taylor, the counterpart
of Mr. Ketchum in the American Legion, gives this
pledge in behalf of his organization:
"Universal obligation means universal mili
tary training, nothing less."
It is a fortunate and gratifying thing that the
millions of Americans who fought for their country
are so vigilantly continuing in the service, of theii
country, for the perpetuation of its peace and wel
fare.
Benson Tells Of
Alaska Wage Scale
Far Below Costs
WASHINGTON, — (A») —Labor
Commissioner Henry A. Benson
of Alaska says that wages have
failed to keep up with 'soaring
living costs in the Territory and
this is hampering efforts to build
up a stable working force.
Such a working force is es
sential, he told reporters, to make
Alaska self-sufficient in food pro
duction and other industries in
the event the Territory is needed
as a base in any futture emer
gency.
Benson told reporters “the pre
liminary information we have in
dicates the cost of living in most
of the Territory is 60 per cent
higher than in the United States.
A Republican elected to a four
year term in the Alaskan Terri
torial government in 1946, Ben
son has been conferring with
officials of the Bureau of Labor
Statistics seeking to have a new
cost of living survey made in
Alaska.
He said funds for such a sur- ,
vey would have to be authorized
by Congress.
For a decade now the federal
government has paid its employ
es in Alaska 25 per cent differ
ential to cover higher living costs.
This is “inadequate” Benson said.
Price for food, clothing and other
necessary living items have gone
up a great deal more in Alaska
than in the United States, he said,
because of the “boom popula
tion” caused by defense building
projects and the fact that supplies
must be imported into the Terri
tory in quantity and stored for
long periods.
Benson said that due to the
high living costs many workers
abandon the Territory for jobs
in the States and there is a con
siderable job turnover.
Gen. Hershey Is <
Appointed Director
Of Selective S’vice
WASHINGTON, — (/Pi —Pres
ident Truman Saturday appointed
Maj. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey dir
ector of selective service.
He will supervise the registra
tion of youths between 19 and
26 under the new peacetime draft
act.
General Hershey was head of
Selective Service during the last
war. He has since been head of the
Office of Selective Serice records
in the Army department.
The White House said the Pres
ident will issue early this week an
executive order dealing with regis
tration.
Many details are yet tto be an- 1
nounced, including the order in
which the youths will be called.
The two women had never been
outside England, but both were re
I counting their “experiences”
abroad. ^
“And Asia. Ah, wonderful Asia!
Never shall I forget India, Japan,
and, most of all China, with its
colour and romance. And the pa-4
godas; did you see them when you
were there?”
“Did I see them? My dear, I
had dinner with them ”