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. 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, November 19, 1945
WHY MUST WE HAVE A VICTORY LOAN?
1. To pay the bill for munitions and material already
delivered and used. 2. To pay the cost of guarding Ger
many and Japan. 3. To pay for the care of our wounded
and disabled. 4. To pay off and provide benefits for
eight million or more veterans to be discharged by next
July. 5. To keep the lid on price inflation.—The Victory
Loan Drive opened October 29 and extends through
December 8, 1945. Its eleven billion dollar quota in
cludes a four billion dollar goal for individual Ameri
cans. A lot of money!
IMPATIENT WORKERS
(Cincinnati Enquirer)
In many industries workers have been accustomed to
relatively high weekly wages, because of the longer
hours worked in war industries. They resent the lower
ing of their take-home pay as a normal working week is
resumed, and are demanding large increases in hourly
pay rates to offset the shortened work week. This atti
tude is understandable in those cases where daily pay
scales were frozen throughout the war—while living
costs have risen.
This is not the whole story, of course. In many indus
tries there have been considerable increases in hourly
wage rates, or changes in classification of workers
which had the effect of wage increases. There is no jus
tification for new wage demands at present among the
workers who have enjoyed such wage increases during
the war.
Even in those industries where there is a sound case
for wage increases—and there are such—this is not the
time for strikes to enforce union demands. Our survival
of the postwar crisis without a costly maladjustment de
pends on a swift resumption of production, especially in
durable consumer goods and the building industry.
If we are to avert a ruinous inflation, we must have
a prompt and large flow of goods to consumers. And if
we are to absorb the millions made temporarily unem
ployed by the closing of war industries, obviously we
must hasten the reconversion of our key industries—in
this case, automobiles, household appliances and build
ing construction.
Wage demands which it might be feasible and desir
able to meet in three or six months can be a national
danger at present, before goods in volume have reached
consumer channels to absorb accumulated purchasing
power. Impatience among workers thus becomes a rea,
menace to our national economy. For this the blame
must be placed on the leaders of labor. After all, it is
they who should be able to understand the folly of wide
spread large wage increases before the gigantic task of
reconversion gets well started, and before consumer
goods in adequate quantity are available to eliminate
the inflation danger.
CURB THE HIGH COST OF GOVERNMENT
(The Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
A new generation is learning for the first time that
federal taxes can be reduced as well as advanced.
The incentives and inspirations behind the American
system will be heightened by Congressional action in
slashing nearly 6 billion dollars from the peak wartime
tax schedules.
But the action of the legislative body will prove shal
low indeed if it does not validate the spirit of the action
by drastic economies in the expenditures of govern
ment.
Tax reduction will prove an economic mockery if it i?
merely translated into continuing federal deficits.
After the prolonged and hideous era of red ink gov
ernmental financing, the objective should be to take ad
vantage of the economies of a peaceful era to bring the
federal budget into balance promptly.
Such a policy will hearten the people as a symbol of
national solvency.
Popular accounts of the current tax reduction pro
: gram will create a false popular impression.
For example, it was reported that the conference
committee in Congress relieves corporations of 3 billion,
136 million dolars of taxes and individuals of 2 billion,
644 million dollars.
Such a half truth plays into the hands of the dcma
1 gogues.
The fundamental reality is that individual citizens
bear 100 per cent of the tax burden.
Some taxes, such as the personal income tax, are paid
directly to the government by individuals.
On the other hand, some taxes ,such as the corporate
income tax. are paid indirectly by individuals in the
cost of goods.
ihe corporations, as sellers oi mercnanaise, collect
from customers in the price of goods all elements of
business cost, including the cost of supporting the gov
ernment through taxation.
Thus, if the bookkeeping entries are completed, it be
! comes apparent that the corporations collect tax funds
from their customers, and redistribute them to the agen
cies of government.
Thus, individuals participate in the benefits of the
entire reduction of the tax load.
The corporations are mere clearing houses or go-be
tweens.
Unless the mechanics of our economic system are
clearly understood, the people are subject to exploita
tion by political adventures with an ax to grind.
For too many years, spendthrift politicians have pull
ed the wool over the eyes of the people by creating the
illusion that they were soaking only the corporations
and the rich.
__ __OH tap
m
%««K
r ^XTATG
S WEAD
n C- 3RGE S. BENSON
N President—Harding College
^ Searcy. Ark a neat
FAIR PLAY
Unequal advantages in any kind
of contest spoil the sport for most
Americans. A sense of fairness is
deeply rooted in our people. Some
time a champion athlete is not a
popular favorite because the fans
suspect some mysterious advan
tage that makes him invincible.
Actually exposing crookedness :
a professional team is all it takes
to bankrupt the club, because fair
ness is cardinal.
iciic uiy all forms of com*'
tition take on the features of
game in this country; business an 1
politics are no exception. It has
been said that “All’s fair in love
and war,” but it might be said
another way: When emotions
overcome reason, people forget to
be fair. The contestant who gets
all worked-up regrets it becau
his public turns against him if 1
is unfair.
Popular Decision
The public has taken a hand c
casionally in the bout betwe
those heavy-weight contestan
Capital and Labor. Until very i
cently, labor was the ponular fn
orite, and the choice was sai
The laborer has been “the man
the bottom” in many lands 1
countless years and sympathy 1
I the underdog is a human tri
i But this generation of Americc
j has seen the tables turn,
j Labor in the United States
not the underdog — far from
Every mature person, who 1
given the subject any thought
all, knows that Capital is
match for Labor in this conn
now. Labor has a club that m;
agement can’t use, the slri
What is even more, manager™
has no weapon that will appro
mately match it in force and v
lence, and has no defense from
Times Are Changed
There was a time when an e
ployer could fire a compet
workman for voting wrong,
straw-boss once could dismis*
j female subordinate for resent
| his overtures. Intelligent pers
i were let out for expressing g
eral discontent over long hoi
low wages and unwholesome s
roundings. It was disgraceful
was also a long time ago. It ^
not fair. The public resented
and stopped it.
People still remember tt
days. Nobody cares much nov
employers have to hire whom
union says hire, pay what
union says pay and blow the w
tie by the union official’s wa
But there is something that
public does care about, nan
strikes. When a home own
family shivers in a cold house
want of fuel he is anxious to 1
he finds out why.
( Unfairness Shows
' Tn finding out why, people
f'ovrr Labor’s unequal advant
Tohn Q Public might not fn
rn a strike over wages or ho
but he gets plenty huffy di
w:thout necessities while sc
body retaliates a grievance —
while men sit idle, trying to f
a point that might better be
tied peaceably, with both s
working and business going o
usual.
Strikes are violent and un
nnd the public dislikes them,
-tructive as arson, they hurt n
neople instead of one. I am a
’ong friend of Labor, and I
ict that strikes will be outk
by popular indignation. The i
aut and the blacklist were so
’ wed. Peaceful ways to settl
’ustrial disputes exist now.
less they are used voluntarily
can look for the public to c
some compulsory method.
\GED ESKIMO WOMAN
MES HERE
Mrs. Billy Komonaseak, r<
1 to be the oldest woman
'ome, died at her home or
"ndspit over the week end.
e is unknown, but she rer
''red many things which har
d long before the white p
’ime to Nome and could tell
r the whalers in the 80’s,
usband died two years ago.
is survived by several daug
!ving in Nome and sons ir
Army. Funeral arrangements
ot been announced.