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 S16.00 A YEAR
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER.Editor*
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoffice at
Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3. 1879.
Wednesday, July 17, 1946
NOME HARBOR HEARING
THE U.S. ARMY ENGINEERS office in Seattle has
announced their full schedule of public hearings
in the major Alaskan cities for harbor and navigation
improvements.
At each hearing, Army Engineers seek detailed in
formation regarding the character and amount of re
sources, industry and business of the areas tributary
to the harbor; extent of past and present waterborne
commerce; list of vessels with draft and tonnage of
each now using the harbor; and adequacy of existing
terminal facilities to handle present and prospective
waterborne commerce.
Local interests also are requested to describe in de
tail improvements they desire and to give evidence of
their necessity; to enumerate benefits that would be
realized by the general public as well as by local
groups; and the type of local financial cooperation the
federal government may expect.
Local financial assistance may include donations of
rights-of-way and easements necessary for any con
struction; assumption of maintenance costs by local
interests; or cash contributions toward first cost and
yearly maintenance.
Although oral statements will be accepted by the
Engineers as a matter of information, it is necessary,
the Engineers urge, for the accuracy of the record, that
all important facts and arguments be submitted in
writing, either at the hearing in Nome, 2:00 p.m. Aug
ust 9, or mailed previously to the Seattle District En
gineer, 1400 Textile Tower, Seattle.
Information obtained at the hearing will be includ
ed in Army Engineer reports to be submitted to the
Chief of Engineers, Washington, D. C., and to Congress.
It will behoove us, the citizens of Nome, to gather
all the necessary data to be presented to the Army En
gineers, at the hearing in Nome early next month.
Nome Harbor is Seward Peninsula’s most vital asset,
without it we would have greater losses and more ex
pense in the handling of merchandise and equipment
to the mining industry of the area. This would make
present mining impossible.
Our harbor must be improved. Let’s have the ne
cessary information ready, and be willing to give a
.hand to the project.
NO.'
AUTHORITY NEEDE]
GEN. THOMAS M. ROBINS, retired deputy chief of
the army’s corps of engineers, was on firm ground
an his recent attack on pending legislation for the
creation of a Columbia Valley Authority.
As he pointed out, existing laws are entirely ade
quate for the full development of the Columbia River
basin, and there is no need for the despotic form of
bureaucracy which could be set up under the pro
posed bill.
General Robins got at the root of the whole ques
tion when he declared that federal power development
should be governed by law rather than by boards
which are given blanket authority without provisions
for proper check by Congress.
It is obvious, therefore, that we should be loath
to discard the present agencies in charge of Columbia
River power development, as they are directly respon
sible to Congress for everything they do. And these
agencies—the Department of the Interior, the Bon
neville Power Administration and the Army Engineers
—have demonstrated their ability to function efficient
DO THEY PRAY IN VAIN?
—' T --
(Contributed to the Emergency Food Collection by Floyd Murray—
Journal. Beaumont Texas).
i *' "* 1
! ly and at the same time afford the people’s sover
eign rights ample protection.
It is interesting to note that the forces most insis
tent in their demand for a CVA are the same ones
which led the campaign against the private ownership
of power companies.
Their stand is scarcely consistent. Directors of
a private power company, accountable to thousands of
small stockholders, are actually far more likely to pro
tect public interests than a three-man board which
is given dictatorial authority without any semblance
of checks and balances.
Water power is the State’s greatest single natural
resource and its development should not be jeopard
ized by socialistic experiments.
Congress can find no valid excuse for surrender
ing its control over this vital work.
(Seattle Post Intelligencer)
WORD FROM THE WISE
REAR ADM. RANDALL JACOBS, retiring comman
dant of the 13th Naval District, struck a popular
! note when he recommended the selection of all Naval
| Academy candidates from the ranks on a competitive
basis.
It was especially significant that this plan should
be advanced by the man who was chief of the navy’s
buerau of personnel throughout the greatest period
of naval expansion in the nation’s history. His ex
periences in this capacity put him in a position to speak
with unquestionable authority.
There is no reason why the same plan should not
be adopted by the army in choosing men for appoint
ment to West Point.
This would be directly in line with the policies
followed by all great corporations. Potential cor
porate executives do not owe their opportunities to pol
itical influence. They start at the bottom and win
their promotions step by step on the basis of personal
achievements.
If such a system were adopted by the armed for
ces it would certainly induce a higher class of men to
enlist.
And it would put an end to all the controversy a
bout the so-called “caste-system” in the army and navy.
There can’t be any castes in an organization in which
every member is assured of absolute equality of oppor
tunity.
(Seattle Post Intelligencer)
Washington *
News Letter
Air Routes To Alaska
I
The Civil Aeronautics
recommendations h a v ing
to do with service from the
States to Alaska and also
| throughAlaska to the Ord
ent are understood to have
been returned from the
i White House to the CAB for
| further study. Since it had
I been expected some time
ago that the White House
decision would be made al
most at once, those favoring
granting a certificate to an
Alaskan line look upon the
; recent action as a hopeful
| sign. As has been true ever
since this case went before*
! the CAB for initial hearing
there are many rumors in
I the Capital as to what may
eventually occur, but no
hard facts. A high official
source has informed Dele
gate Bartlett a final deci
sion may be expected with-#
| in the next two or three
! weeks.
Electricity For Anchorage
Preparation of the lease
which will enable Anchor
! age to obtain electric power
from the plant of the S S
! SACKETT’S HARBOR js
now in the final stages in
] the Department of the In
1 terior. The SACKETT’S
HARBOR, a tanker, broke
in two March 1 last. The
stern was towed to Adak
and the bow section was
sunk by the Navy so it^
would not be a menace to
, navigation.
Municipal authorities at
Anchorage learned that the
stern section was intact
with a steam turbine gen
erating plant of 6,000-hp
and contacted Delegate
Bartlett to ascertain if
there would be any pos
sibility of obtaining use of
the plant. The Maritime
Commission after investi-*
gatrion deaiaxed the ship
surplus and it was trans
ferred to the Department
of the Interior which in
turn arranged what is re^
garded as a highly satis
factory lease for the city
of Anchorage. A War Ship
ping Administration tug
was sent to Adak to tow
the SAsCKETT’S HARBOR
to Anchorage.
Mail Service
Mail service by steam- <
ship to western Alaska, ^
suspended during the war, ’
will be resumed October
first next. Service will be
restored to the ports for