THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday a»d 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
Emily Boucher .Local Editor
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at ‘he postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Nome, Alaska, Monday, November 29, 1948
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
(The Alaska Weekly)
Our old friend, John Emel, who has been in Alaska
since way back when came through with an idea this
week which might sound just like a sourdough’s dream
but is worthy of consideration.
Just by way of preface to John’s though let us remem
ber what has been done for other frontier countries in
the building of railroads, the land grants and the liberal
homsteading acts which have helped to build them.
Alaska has had plenty of discrimination. Most of it ad
verse—so why not a little discrimination now on the
right side of the ledger? Anyhow, here is John Emel’s
letter . . . and if you folks in Alaska think it is worth
while, let’s pick it up and boost it along:
“There has been a great deal of publicity given recent
ly to the idea that Alaska should have a larger popula
tion for security reasons. I am in accord with this idea
not only for security purposes, but also because I think
Alaska is a great country and deserves more people.
“Our former administration hacf experimented with
spending large sums of money to colonize a part of
Alaska, but for any large scale population increase
throughout the Territory this method would not be prac
tical, in my estimation.
“A good way to realize a major influx of immigration
to Alaska would be to offer a sufficient monetary in
ducement to bona fide residents of the Territory by a
five year moratorium on federal income taxes.
“This would cost our Federal government less than
$16,000,000 per year, based on the Federal Income Tax
collected in Alaska in 1947, while the moratorium would
be in effect, but it would result in a mass movement of
ambitious people going North. Also the Federal govern
ment would gain by an increase in take of taxes after
£he moratorium was lifted.
“The old problem of absentee ownership in the Terri
tory would be partially solved because all Outside
owned concerns now doing business there would either
• have to compete with locally owned concerns having a
financial advantage or move to Alaska and become resi
dents themselves. Whether they be single proprietor
ships, partnerships, or corporations, all of the owners
should have to become residents to be eligible.
“Increased earnings of Alaska residents and new cap
ital would result in a multitude of new enterprises being
started, and they would have time to get a firm foothold
before taxes were reinstated.
“The employee also would find it to his advantage to
live in Alaska because in most cases the difference in
not taking Federal income taxes out of his wages would
more than pay for the present higher cost of living in
the Territory.
“There would have to be some sort of registry system
whereby the authorities could check the veracity of the
resident’s claim, but that could easily be done by setting
up checking stations at main exodus and entry points.
“I have tried to talk a number of my friends out here
into going North but none of them seem to think they
can do as well up there as they can out here. If they had
a tax advantage up there I’m suretheywouldn’thesitate
to go. This is just an idea I’m passing along to you be
cause I’m interested and would like to see Alaska grow.”
Sincerely yours,
JOHN T. EMEL, Marshall, Alaska
WOULD AMERICA COLLAPSE—George S. Benson
Some wag once said that if we should suddenly do
away with all advertising in the United States, our civil
ization would immediately collapse. This statement con
4a':*. i.iTi c a ' r. at ftrsl apparent. There are
HOLD IT f
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those who refuse to see the importance of advertising
tains more truth than is at first apparent. There are
those who have singled out this phase of trade and in
dustry for strong criticism.
Civilization today would collapse if it were hot bol
stered up by American advertising. Today the rest of the
world depends upon American production. Yet, too few
people recognize that this nation’s great productive ca
pacity could not have been built up without advertising.
Again, there are too few people who correctly see adver
tising as the bulwark of American economic freedom.
Advertising is the golden key that has unlocked the door
to plenty for us all.
Our world-renowned standards of living were achiev
ed because we found out how to produce in volume:
bath-tubs, cars, radios, clothing, food. We learned how
to make wise use of the human resources of work and
brain-power. We learned to harness water-power, steam,
oil, gas, and alll the others. We created machinery to do
most of our hard work. We learned the value of tools. In
brief, we have made our factories hum.
But is that all? By no means. The Socialist schemers
have failed to evaluate their old slogan, “production for
use,” in the light of America’s vast economy. Not only
did we learn to produce, we have learned to use. Ameri
cans are the world’s greatest producers, and also the
world’s greatest users. Only 7 per cent of the world’s
population, we own 73()\ of the world’s automobiles,
37S of the railroads, 50% of the telephones.
There’s more to it than just production. Ask any man
ufacturer. and he’ll tell you that the heart of his outfit
is his sales force. The fellows who distribute goods rep
resent the other half of our great mass production sys
; tern. Your high production is fine, but it would do no
I good unless goods ar eplaced in the hands of consumers.
Continued high output lowers the price. Get the picture?
Selling and distribution simply could not do the job
without advertising. Advertising not only sells goods, it
always helps measurably to lower prices and to increase
quality. When electric refrigerators were first sold only
a few thousand were made, and it took $600 or more to
buy one. But during fifteenyears of advertising million
were sold, the price came down to a fourth of the orig
inal price, and the quality was improved greatly.
Socialists and Communists have had some success in
attacking this part of American economic life. A fow
years ago a survey of 5,000 consumers found that 72%
believed advertising increased consumer costs. High
school teachers, 82%. 12%, of 3,174 college students con
sidered advertising an economic waste.
It’s high time we woke up to the economic facts-of-life!
Good and wise advertising is a vital part of free competi
tive enterprise. Naturally, advertising would be unne
cessary in a dictatorship. The dictator could simply tell
people what to eat, wear, and erijoy. He would also tel1
them what they could not have. Under a system that
permits no advertising, we would have two choice?; ?
lower r.tandnrd of 'Vn'T oT ~ ^
Boy Scout
Court Of Honor
Memorable Event
_ t
The Pioneer Hall was filled :<>
capacity last Friday evening o
witness the impressive Boy Sco, :
Court of Honor.
The ceremony opened with *
musical prelude by Girl Sco;.:
Juanita Fagerstrom followed ty
the entry of Girl Scouts Troop 1
and Boy Scouts Troop 666.
After the entry of the colors t: e
pledge of allegiance was given ty
the audience and “America” was
sung.
An explanation of the Court i f
Honor was given by Assistance
Scout Master Don Sheriff, after
which the Court of Honor was
called to order by Chairman of the
Board John Hudert.
Investure of Tenderfoots was
made by Col. H. L. Burkhalter be
fore the lighted candles, symbolic
of Scouting.
Presentation of badges followed
for First find Second Class Scouts,
as well as various merit badges.
Outstanding among the boys re
ceiving merit badges was Glen
Mazen who received six merit
bdages as well as being made the
first Star Scout of Troop 666.
John Hudert called upon S. Da
vid Mazen, father of Glen Mazen,
to have the honor of pinning on
his son’s awards.
A special award was then pre
sented to Christie Waldheim for
her kind services given so grac
iously last summer at Scout camp.
Col. H. L. Burkhalter gave the
boys a brief address on the import
ance of Scouting and what it
should mean to them all through
heir lives. He pointed out that if
the principles of scouting were fol
lowed today by the leaders of this
world of ours there could not be
any more wars.
Scoutmaster S/Sgt. Perry Pew
addressed the audience and ex
pressed appreciation to the outgo
ing board who had been very co
operative. They were John Hudert,
Bert Bell, Stanley Morgan, Wil
fred Boucher, and Carl Glavino
vich.
He then named the new Boy
Scout Board which is composed of
the following members: John Mc
Xees, Donald Lyle, Henry Mille",
Frank B.ngham and Gordon Of
borne.
Scoutmaster Pew introdu c e d
Robert Dunbar as mascot of Troop
066 and had Luther Dunbar, father
of Robert, place a Scout scarf
around his neck.
Chairman Hudert expressed ap
preciation to Sgt. Pew for the fine
work he is doing with the troop in
he short time he has worked with
hem.
The Girl Scouts with their leader
Mrs. Stodmaier sang their Scout
=ong.
Pictures were taken during the
• _
ceremony by Donald Lutes and
Herb Shaw, representatives of the
Dayton News.
YOUTH STEALS
TEN COMMANDMENTS
SEATTLE, (/P) —A 17-year-old
boy yesterday confessed he had
stolen the Ten Commandments
Arrested here for taking two top
oats, the boy also admitted thelt
of filmstrips for a projector from
the First Baptist Church at An
chorage.
The strips were slides of the^
Ten Commandments.
The boy told detective C. L.
|
Harriott he hid the slides then
made a return to his cache. The
T~n Commandments were gone, he
iii. w.'» ia i tr >,>rjo.i.