THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 6id
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
W. A. Boucher ...Owner-Publisher
Emily Boucher .Local Editor
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoffice
et Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Nome, Alaska, Wednesday, March 16, 1949
THE ADVENT OF SPRING
"V
On March 20, at “five forty-nine p.m., Eastern Stand
ard Time, occurs the vernal euinox, which ushers in
Spring and gives us the equinox, when day and night
will be equal throughout the world. I
Believe it or not, in Nome,, on the 17th day of March,
St. Patrick’s Day, the sun shines a full twelve hours.
This is three days ahead of the world’s vernal equinox.
Thursday, Nome’s first Spring day is St. Patrick’s Day.
The four seasons of the year occur because the earth’s
axis is tilted away fro ma perpendicular to the earth’s
orbit. !
Only on the day of the vernal equinox and the autum
nal equinox does the axis of the earth stand at right an
gles to the direction of the sun. In June, it is tilted more
than twenyt-three degrees toward the sun and in De
cember, it tilts the same way from the sun. This varia
tion from the perpendicular accounts for the different
length of time the sun shines on the hemispheres.
U. S. COMMUNISTS FOR THE SOVIET
The top leaders of the communist party in the United
States have followed the example of the communistic
leaders in France, Italy, Germany and Great Britain in
declaring that they will oppose “an unjust, aggressive,
imperialist war” on the part of the United States.
The communists say that if, despite efforts at peace,
“Wall Street should succeed in plunging the world into
war,” they would regard it as an “undemocratic and an
anti-socialist war, destructive of the deepest interest of
the American people and all humanity” and that they
would, therefore, cooperate with “all democratic forces
to defeat the predatory war aims of American imperial
ism and bring such a war to a speedy conclusion on the
basis of a democratic peace.”
The communist declaration means, of course, that the
leaders would regard any war between the United
States and Russia as a war of aggression and imperial
ism on the part of this country. Naturlally, the leaders
would determine for themselves whether yWall Street”
had plunged the world into the war and it requires no
son of a prophet to know what their conclusions would
be in this respect. They say that they base their opposi
tion on the example of Lincoln who, “while a Congress
man, opposed the unjust, annexationist Mexican War
and demanded its termination.”
The declaration of the communist leaders is not very
important because, in the event of war, the chances are
rather slim that any considerable portion of the popula
tion of this country would follow the program they an
nounce. There was a time, before the World Wars, when
Socialists in the European countries boasted of their
solidarity on an international basis and firmly declared
that the Socialists would not take part in an imperial
istic war. Nevertheless, when the. fighting began, the
Socialists of the countries involved did not live up tc
their pre-war boasts and most of them served in the
armies of their respective nations.
LEAVING OUT ITALY AND SPAIN
Apparently, most of the details of the proposed North
Atlantic Defense Pact have been agreed upon by the na
tions directly affected, but discussion continues on the
question of inviting Italy into the security association.
To include Italy would extend the operation of the
pact into the Mediterranean area. Besides, it is extreme
ly difficult to discover any possible strengthening of
the pact through the association of the Italians. Under
the treaty of peace, the Italians are prohibited from
maintaining more than a skeleton force of arms and the
inclusion of Italv would merely add to the responsibil
THE MASTER
„ i'*. .‘VjfHs
ities of the Atlantic group.
Much the same question arises in connection with re
cent discussions as to Spain. While the Spaniards come
within the scope oil an Atlantic power, one doubts that
inclusion of Spain would add to the over-all strength of
the North Atlantic group. The present regime in Spain
is definitely anti-democratic, according to American
standards, and there is nothing in recent history to indi
cate that the military power of Spain is of consequence.
The argument advanced by some military experts for
the inclusion of Spain and Italy relates almost exclu
sively to the possibility of acquiring valuable bases fo~
military operations. The argument is that if we do not
acquire the bases, the next enemy of the nation might
use them. Obviously, this is true, but, until the Span
iards and Italians are strong enough to protect their
own soil and thus assure the safety of the bases, they
will be open to the first belligerent which has the power
to take them. Moreover, in the case of both countries
there is little likelihood that they will join hands with
the communists unless revolution overtakes tile re
gimes now in power.
COST OF MAILING TO MOVE UP
The Postoffice Department is being operated at a loss
close to $500,000,000 a year and, consequently, Postmas
ter Dnna1H<;on thinks that rates oh certain tvpes
of mail should be boosted to take up some of the deficit.
Officials note that it costs the service something like
$150,000,000 to handle official Government and Con
gressional mail, together with airline subsidies and
other costs that the department says should not be
charged to the postal service. Consequently, the new
rates are proposed to take up part of the deficit but not
to impose the extra $100,000,000 on users of the mails.
We doubt if anybody can make a plausible argumen4
against some increase in the charges for handling mni1
matter. This is particularly applicable to newspapers
advertising matter and parcel post. The Government
should not be expected to carry this class of mail at a
considerable loss.
The House postoffice committee plans to begin hear- j
ings on the measure and chairman Tom Murrav. of Ten
sessee, says that any bill approved “must be fair and
reasonable” and should not be “too prohibitive or bur
densome or so drastic as to hurt business or work am*
undup hardships.” He says everybody will haveachance
fo tecMfv b^^e tho r'nrnovM*''^ ^nd romm°reial users of
the mails will be given a chance to be heard..
It requires no gift of prophecy to advise Mr. Murray I
the postmaster-general and other members of the com
mittee that practically every user of the mails, whose
costs will be increased by the proposed changes, will
promptly testify that business will be ruined if the pro
posed increases go into effect. This is the standard cry
of business, regardless of what comes up for considera
tion. Our business leaders are great orators when it
comes to proclaiming contributions they have made to
the nation but they become quivering cowards when con
fronted with anything like an increase in expenses.
LIFTING THE LID
AT JUNEAU
<Contined from Page One)
lishment of an Alaska public
^hipping authority with powers to
set the Territory up in the ship
ping business.
It also sidetracked proposals for
referendums on the Territory en
tering the wholesale liquor busi
ness and bond the Territory for
school construction.
The liquor-control measure had
an up-and-down fate during the
’•'ng evening. Democratic Senator
Howard Lyng’s bill to boost liquor
enforcement officers’ salaries to
c4r>0 monthly under the treasurer
to reactivate that branch failed on
an eight-eight Senate vote.
In the House, before passage of
Me^utcheon’s liquor-enforcement
bill, a measure, introduced by
Dp-m jrat Clarence Keating to es
tablish a department’s attorney
general with expanded law-en
forcement division, was defeated
11-12.
The eight who voted against the
House-approved bill for the a'tor
nev general’s liquor enforcement
division were Reps. Angerman.
Franklin. Gundersen, Jensen, No
lan, and Rydeen, Democrats: and
Barnes and Miscovich, Republi
opr)?
The S%nn'e passed two aeronau
tics bills introduced by Democrat
F~nnk Bam.
0~e approved 13-4, enables the
Territory to accent federal funds
for motiving airfields.
The other, parsed 15-1, with
only bush o lot William Munz dis
se cting, establishes rigid flying re
strictions and specifies that safety
equipment such as mosquito nets
and snowshoes must be canned by
o’a",'s at various seasons.
The House passed unanimously
a $50,000 appropriation for buying
and remodeling a S.tka apartment
house for the Pioneer Women’s
Home, but rejected, 10-14. Demo
cm* r%. <Red> Carlson’s bill to pro
v de the men’s p'eneer home resi
dents with $5 a month spending
*
House concurrence in . a minor
Senate amendment sent to the
g >vernor the tobacco tax bill
which levies 3 cents a pack on
ciga-ettes.
The Senate approved, by an 11
!o 5 vo'.e, a bill to compel openly
advertised political convent:ons.
The measure was aimed at the
party authority of Albert White.
Juneau Republican party general
counsel. It was introduced by five
Republicans, one of whom, Sen. E.
B. Collins of the Fourth Division,
charged that the party faced the
problem of “Czar control.”
Four Democrats, Sens. Ed An
derson, Frank Barr, Walter Hunt
ley and Howard Lyng, and one
Republican, Sen. Anita Garnick*
voted against the bill.
The Senate tabled without de
bate a bill sponsored by Munz,
proposing election of a comptrol
ler to assume the governor’s du
ties.
Among the late afternoon mea
sures gaining House approval was
one sponsored by Rep. Warren A*
Taylor prohibinting cruelty to ani
mals.
Wednesday, March 16. 1946
JUNEAU, (>P) — In the surpris
ingly short time of an hour and a
half the House adopted the record
$12,500,000 general appropriations
bill yesterday. The vote was 17-6.
Its quick passage means the
legislature may finish its work by
the March 24 scheduled adjourn
ment date without the necessity of
an extra session.
The only major change was the