THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME. ALASKA
Telephone: Main 125
$1 SO PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
V 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, Wednesday, January 25, 1950_
$1,834 PER AMERICAN
Debts of state and local governments have gone up
in the last year, according to the Census Bureau, which
reports that they reached an all-time high of $20,875,
000,000 last June 30th.
This looks like a large amount but it is nothing com
pared with $252,000,000,000 that the federal govern
ment owes. The total, $273,645,000,000, amounts to
$1,834 for every man, woman and child in the country.
While the debt seems enormous, the carrying charge
at two per cent interest per year amounts to about $37
for every American. After all, this is not a: bad price to
pay for the benefits the people of this country enjoy
from free government.
SENATE PAYROLLS TO BE MADE PUBLIC
The decision of officials of the U. S. Senate to release
information as to those employed by senators and the
amount of their compensation is wise. Such information
has been available about house members but for some
reason the senators kept secret the facts about those on
their office staffs.
The lack of information about the senators is not new.
It has been reported before but without producing
action. Since the public, after all, pays the salaries of
those who work for congressmen, it is proper for the in
formation to be public. Moreover, in view of the recent
conviction of rep. Thomas for receiving kickbacks from
his employes, it makes the public a bit suspicious and
adds weight to the reasons that urged full publicity.
“HOME RULE” FOR SCOTLAND?
A number of Scotsmen, according to reports from
Glasgow, are anxious to establish complete home rule,
with an absence of control by the parliament in London
and the bureaus of the British government.
The sentiment comes to light with the signing of a pet
ition by more than half a million citizens of Scotland.
While everybody in this country suspects that petitions
are carelessly signed, it seems that the Scots are serious
and that while they want an independent parliament,
they wish to be loyal to the Crown and to govern them
selves within the framework of the United Kingdom.
In brief, the Scots are asserting the ancient right of
secession. In this country, the matter was settled on the
field of arms and every state in the union knows that it
must continue subservient to the federal government
regardless of what happens or what its inhabitants
might think in the future.
The United States has long championed the right of
peoples all over the world to self-determination. A few
days ago, a prompt recognition was given to the repub
lic of Indonesia, where the natives asserted their right
to independence from the Netherlands.
WE SHOULD BUY
The close relationship and sincere friendship that
have existed between Canada and the United States
have been a matter of pride to the people of both coun
' tries.
For this reason, it is important that the people of
the United States understand that Canada, like other
countries, is experiencing some difficulty in securing
dollar credits. In fact, prime minister Louis St. Laurent
points out that there is a billion-dollar balance in favor
of the United States between the value of Canadian im
ports from the United States and Canadian exports to
this country.
It should be thoroughly understood by all residents
of the United States that the only “permanent” solution
Excise Taxes
May Be Cut
(Continued from Page One)
would:
1. Increase federal revenue by
$1,000,000,000 by higher taxes on
corporations with annual profits
over $50,000 and by larger estate
and gift taxes; and
2. Reduce many wartime ex
cise rates—but only to the extent
that the revenue loss is recov
ered by plugging existing tax law
loopholes.
He recommended no increase in
individual income taxes.
Shortly after the president’s
message was read in the house
and senate, the house appropria
tions committee disclosed that the
treasury department has added
the third major point in the ad
ministration’s tax program: a
crackdown on tax dodgers of the
middle-income brackets who do
not report all their taxable in
come.
Reaction to Mr. Truman’s tax
ideas was sharp.
It indicated:
1. The tax bill congress finally
whips together may slash excises
well beyond Mr. Truman’s recom
mendations—possibly as much as
$1,000,000,000 to $1,500,000,000.
The president said he couldn’t
sign any bill reducing excises un
less it provided for replacing the
lost revenue.
2. A concerted dnve will be
made to plug the tax loopholes by
which the president said many
groups found legal ways to “es
j cape their fair ^hare of taxation.”
; 3. The senate may not approve
this year a bill containing the
Sj .000,000,000 increase in taxes
Jon In-gt corpoations. estates and
gifts, that Mr. Truman wants.
Some increases may be passed by
the house, but a top democrat raid
informally he does not believe the
senate will accept them.
4. Congress probably will ioin
the administration in a drive
against tax dodgers, giving the
internal revenue bureau about
! 3,000 additional agents to check
on personal income st ■ : merits.
Early Statehood
Vote Assured
(Continued from Page Ofie>
promise if the house permits me to |
do so.”
Reps. Crawford <R-Mich.>, Eng
ell (R-Ore.), Jackson (D-Wash.*,
D’Ewart <R-Mont.>, Murdock (D
Ariz.), Fulton (R-Pa.), and Mans
field (D-Mont.) supported the ac
tion to bring up the Alaska bill.
The resolution on the Hawaiian
statehood bill was debated only
a few minutes and was approved
by voice vote.
Farrington related that six
house committees have investiga
ted the question of Hawaii state
hood over the past 10 years and
all reached the conclusion that the
territory meets all the require
ments for admission to the union.
“We have the population, we
have the wealth, and we have the
ability to manage our own af
fairs,” he said.
He urged, too, tnat statenooa
for Hawaii is in the “national in
terest in view of the situation
developing in the far east.”
Supporters of the Hawaii meas
ure included reps. Crawford, Ful
ton, Mansfield and Javits (R-N.Y.).
Delegate Bartlett said today he
expects that majority leader Mc
Cormack (D-Mass.) “will set the
bills up for action at an early
date.”
“Alaska’s chances for statehood
are far brighter than ever be
fore,” Bartlett told a reporter. “I
believe the move yesterday was
above board. Chairman Peterson
(P Fla.) of the house public lands
committee, delegate Farrington of
Hawaii and rnvself wi l see Mc
Cormack soon and ask when he
plans to program debate on the
bills.”
The 25 members who voted
against making the Alaska state
hood bill the unfinished business
of the houso. were:
Abernathy (D - Miss.>; Coltner
1D-Miss.>; Coudert (R-N.Y.>; Cox
fD-Ga.); Golden <R-Kv.>; Hale <R
Mc.); Hand (R-N.J.); Hoffman (R
Mich.i; Huber (D-Ga.); Poage <P
Tex.»; Rankin <D-Miss.*; Richards
of this problem, as the Canadian Prime Minister asserts,
is a willingness on the part of the United States to ac
cept from Canada an equivalent to what we sell to tfie
Canadians. Only in this way can the commerce repres
ent a mutual swapping of goods which will be beneficial
to both countries.
I
I — -
AND BOTH FROM THE SAME LITTER i
jUr?
u\ ..
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
HOLDS NOON LUNCHEON
(Continued from Page One)
being prepared to all tourist or
ganizations, transportation com
panies and hotels throughout A1
aska. The committee showed the
new letterhead which has been
made up by the Nugget for them.
The slogan adopted by the tour
ist committee is ‘‘The top of the
world invites you in winter and
s p r i n g—Dog Teams, Reindeer,
Aurora Borealis, Native Lore,
Skating and Skiing; in summer
and fall—Arctic Grandeur, Scenic
Sun, Scenes of a Storehouse of
Beauty, Nature Delights, Midnight
Riches Unfolding.”
It was reported that an effort
would be made this week to have
the Fair Board meet and set the
date for the 11th annual Fair.
Ted Duffield, housing chair
man, reported progress with his
program.
The committee on the Marks
Air Force Base problem submitted
several outside papers with ac
counts of the publicity given on
the subject, showing the support
given by other parts of Alaska as
well as stateside leaders.
The action of the board on the
matter protesting native reserva
tions was presented by George
Sundberg of the Alaska Develop
ment board at the field meeting
at Ketchikan.
(D-S.C.>; Shafer (R-Mich.); Short
(R-Mo.);, Smith (R-Kas.); Smith
(D-Va.); Taber (R-N.Y.); Vursel
(R-Ill.); Whitten <D-Miss.>; Wil
liams <D-Miss.>; and Winstead (D
Miss.).
Bartlett told the house that the
same arguments that were used to
oppose statehood for Alaska were
used 100 years ago to oppose
statehood for California. He said
Alaska has served an 80-year ap
prenticeship and was entitled to
become a state. He said that under
territorial law citizens of Alaska
were not granted the same privi
leges extended to citizens in the
United States and that they were
just as much entitled to all privi
leges of citizenship as any other.
He said the territory wag ready
for statehood, that the people had
voted two to one for statehood and
were ready to assume the addi
tional expense of it.
Rep. Miller, California demo
crat, agreed with Bartlett that the
same arguments used to oppose
Alaska statehood were used to op
pose California statehood.
Bartlett said that Alaska had
approximately 110,000 population
which he said was more than that
of many of the states when they
were granted statehood.
Gov. Ernest Gruening of Alaska
said he is “extremely gratified'*
that the house has finally agreed
to vote on the Alaska statehood
bill.
He told a reporter that, until
yesterday’s decision, there was no
assurance of action on the state
hood measure at this session of
congress.
He said he does not regard as
serious the dispute yesterday on
whether the FEPC bill should
have been considered ahead of the
Alaska bill.
“I can hardly imagine that the
situation will be used against Al
aska,” he said. “I assume that the
FEPC bill will be considered on
its merits in duo course.”
Between 1890 and 1940 the
number of American families in
creased 175 per cent but the popu
lation increased only 110 per
cent