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 $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, Friday, February 10, 1950 _
FEBRUARY ANNIVERSARIES j
There are many anniversaries connected with the his
tory of nations and the United States has reached an age
that entitles it observe some memorable occasions. The
month of February contains its share. We call attention
to a few and the reader can participate in something
like a quiz test in connection with them.
(1) A far-reaching tax measure, affecting the entire
States, was made possible on Feb. 3, 1913.
(2) Two important treaties were signed in 1922, one
on Feb. 1st about naval matters and the other a long
festering Far Eastern question. Five nations signed the
first and nine powers the second.
(3) A special corporation, greatly affecting the boys
of the United States, came into being on Feb. 8, 1910.
(4) Representatives of six states met in Montgom
ery, Alabama, for the founding of a new nation on Feb.
4, 1861.
(5) Unexplained violence, affecting an American!
naval vessel, ocurred on Feb. 15th, 1898, killing 252
men.
The answers may not be very hard to give but, after
casual identification, how much do you know about the
events listed? Anyway, here are the answers: (1) Wyo
ming became the thirty-sixth state to ratify the income
tax amendment: (2) Washington Naval Treaty and
Nine-Power Pact to Protect China; (3) Boy Scouts of
America incorporated; (4) First meeting of Confederate
Congress: (5) Battleship Maine blown up in Havana
harbor.
_ I
LIFE INSURANCE COMPANIES DODGE TAXES
“As a result of a quirk in the present law, life insur-j
ance companies have unintentionally been relieved of
income taxes since 1946.”
The above sentence is a quotation taken from the j
message of the President of the United States to Con
gress, discussing the tax policy of the nation. The Presi
dent points out that neither the companies nor their
policy-holders have paid taxes on more than $1,500,
000,000 of investment income per year.
While the Government has always, in its tax laws,
given favorable treatment to the income received by
individuals from life insurance policies and has made
a special provision for the taxation of life insurance
companies, it was never intended that these companies,
which own assets worth about $60,000,000,000, should
be exempt from taxation.
RUSSIANS “TOO RELIGIOUS?”
After twenty-five years of anti-religious teaching,
Soviet leaders apparently find the people of that coun
try too religious.
A popular monthly on the developments in the physi
cal sciences, “Science and Life,” recently exhorted its
Russian leaders to renew their warfare on religion, as
serting that too many Russians, including young people,
continue to be churchgoers.
An article of this kind is a tacit admission that the
communist government has been unable to divorce the
Russian people from their faith. This is not surprising,
because, over a period of many years, visitors to Russia
have been inclined to agree with the French Ambassa
dor, who, during the regime of the last Czar, recorded
in his diary that the Russian people were “more religi
ous than its church.”
THE WISDOM OF HONEST ABE
“You cannot bring about prosperity by discour
aging thrift.”
“You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening
the strong.”
“You cannot help mankind by tearing down big
‘Spruce Knot’ New
Shaktoolik Boat
In the spring of 1940, the native
village of Shaktoolik decided to
build a tug boat for themselves
since they already have a barge
but no tug. The said “this outfit
could be used to haul in our year
ly supplies from other seaports
and still it could be used for other
purposes. *
The natives cut their logs from
spruce timbers and hewed them
by hand and hauled them by dog
sicds to their village. That first
year the material was cut and
seasoned while the keel was laid
to its foundations. Last year the
project started again with the aim
to use it in hauling their supplier.
The thrifty Eskimos finished their
boat and hauled their supplies,
and got satisfaction of their ac
complishment.
The'boat is propelled by Chrys
ler Marine 72 HP. which was
enough power to tow a barge. One
thing was lacking when winter
set in on them, the boat needed a
name. So a contest of naming it
was started. Five names were
picked by the contest judges and
from these names one nanie was
voted by the village people.
The boat was named “Spruce
Knot.” The winner of the contest
was Lawrence Kayoukluk, who
was one of the boat builders and
took quite an interest in building
it. He said when asked why he
selected such a name, “Because
the boat is built of spruce timbers
from behind our village.”
The “Spruce Knot” will be ex
pected to operate this Year and
will be seeking cargo from all
ports on Norton Sound.
Three Killed In
Montana C-54 Crash
GREAT FALLS, Mont. {A3)—An
air force C-54 transport plane
from Great Falls air base crashed
into a mountain about 40 miles
southeast of here last night, kill
ing its three crewmen.
Lt. Birney Burke, base infor
mation officer, said the four-en
gine plane hit less than 100 feet
below the crest of the 7,640 moun
tain, five miles north of Raynes
ford.
“It hit with such terrific force
that parts of the wreckage were
thrown over the other side of the
mountain/* Burke said.
The victims’ burned bodies
were found in the fire-blackened
j wreckage by a rescue party about
[ 1 a.m.
Burke said Gus Loberg, a
rancher at the foot of the moun
tain, was the first to see and hear
the crash.
Loberg told air force officers he
heard the plane overhead about
j8:10 a.m. A minute Or so later he
heard the crash. It was so terrific
| it rattled the windows in his
; home.
The project of building the boat
I was financed by the Shaktoolik
Native Store which is managed
by Simon Bekoalok.
SCHOOL NEWS
FOURTH GRADE
The Fourth Grade now' has 43
pupils on its roll.
The last six-week period ten
pupils had perfect attendance,
men.”
“You cannot help the wage earner by pulling
down the wage payer.”
“You cannot further the brotherhood of man by
encouraging class hatred.”
“You cannot help the poor by destroying the
rich.”
“You cannot establish sound security on bor
rowed money.”
“You cannot keep out of trouble by spending
more than you earn.”
“You cannot build character and courage by tak
ing away man’s initiative and independence.”
“You cannot help men permanently by doing for
them what they could and should do for them
selves.”
—A. Lincoln
THE MAN AND HIS WORDS _
It has long been a grave
question whether any
government, not too
strong for the liberties
of its people, can be
strong enough to
maintain its existence
in great emergencies;
namely: Virginia Doyle, Gretchen
Fricke, Ruth Glavinovich, Chris
tine Hudert, Charlene Hudgins,
Marie Tate, Thomas Drake,
Charles Johnson, Peter Madsen,
and Melvin Tate.
The class recently completed a
reading unit on “Famous People
of Other Times.” They greatly
enjoyed these stories of outstand
ing leaders and appreviated their
unselfishness, their loyalty, their
efforts to contribute to the happi
ness of others.
The art class was busy this
week making valentines. They
made both humorous and pdp-Up
valentines as well as fancy hearts.
SEVENTH GRADE
j The Severtth Grade has been
kept very busy lately.
In science We are 'studying all
types Of pests. There are many
kinds of pests and it is very inter
esting.
In our arithmetic (which is
taught by Mr. Almquist from 3:00
to 4:00>, we are 'working with per
cents, and I really mean Working!
We are also making a thorough
study of our very near neighbor,
Mexico. We have just finished the
Central American republics, be
ing Costa Rica, Guatemala, Hon
duras, Nicaragua, Panama, and
Salvador.
In English we are studying pro
nouns and their many uses. At
present we are studying direct
and indirect objects.
HIGH SCHOOL
Tomorrow, Feb. 11th, is the
birthday of America’s greatest in
ventor, Thomas A. Edison. He
was bom in 1847 and a few years
later his teachers thought he war
stupid because he asked so many
questions. At ten years of age, he
was performing chemical experi
ments in the cellar of his home.
Five years later he was printing a
weekly paper in the baggage room
of a moving train. During spare
moments, he was performing ex
periments. On one occasion, the
phosphorus ignited and a. fire
broke out in the baggage room.
An angry trainman threw the
printing press, chemicals and
young Edison all out of the bag
gage car.
In 1869, he invented the slock
ticker. The phonograph was in
vented by Edison in 1877. One of
his greatest contributions was the
incandescent electric light bulb
in 1879. The motion picture ma
chine was also one of his inven
tions. He died in 1931.
Six ambitious High School stu
dents arose early Tuesday morn
ing to observe the planets and
stars. Those who came at seven
o’clock and in order of arrival,
were: Alice Miller, Vernon Olson,
Peter Kowchee, Wilfred Boucher,
Frank Sheldon and Alfred Sahlin.
Three planets were observed,
namely: Mars, Saturn and Venus.
The stars observed were Spica,
Arcturus, Vega, Capella and Po
laris. They are all planning to
chart the movements of Mars.
The world history students have
completed a chapter on the United
States with special emphasis on
Jeffersonian democracy, Jackson
ian democracy, expansion of terri
tory, immigration, protective tar
iff and territories.
Biology students have been
studying about the human body.
Some of the topics included the
skin, sweat glands, hair, and nails.
More color has been .added to
our cheering section because a
special made banner with the
high school colors of blue and
white now adorns the assembly.
We also received two cheerlead
ers’ letters.
Mars has only about two-thirds
as much oxygen as is found above
Mt. Everett.