THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
S1.S0 PER MONTH S16.00 A YEAR
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER . Editors
Entered as second class matter Octooer 14. 1943, at the postoffice at
Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3. 1379.
Monday, August 5, 1946
SECRETARY KRUG S VISIT
THE VISIT OF SECRETARY KRUG to Alaska this
month is a most important event in the new era
for greater Territorial development.
Cooperation should be the key-note for all discus
sions held with the Secretary on matters regarding
any and all problems for economic development. If
we sit back and allow the Secretary of the Interior to
"‘fly’ through our Territory without his being informed
of the needs and desires of the population, we shall
in the event of unsatisfactory reports of the tour, and
in all future actions of the Department, we shall have)
none to blame but ourselves. We, the people of the
Territory are the source of information which the Sec
retary is desirous of tapping, the information he needs!
in order to ‘run’ the territory over which is ‘boss,’ and
for which he wishes to make the most progress in his
jurisdiction. He has the future of Alaska at heart.
Although, in the past, we have offered some con
constructive criticism of the Interior Department op
erations regarding Alaska, there has been altogether
too much ‘just plain criticism.’
It is time we should take a hand in our government
and make it a helping hand, with helpful suggestions.
If we are to be ruled from Washington, let’s get
in a few plugs for ourselves while there is a chance.
The Secretary of the Interior Department has let it be
known throughout the Territory that he is out to get
the opinions of all the various units, organizations and
individuals, who can, if they only will, help Alaska by
telling Secretary Krug, and his party of Department
heads, just what is wrong with the administration of
Alaskan policy, or what to do in the case of a remedy..
Krug, himself, has suggested that Alaskans make
known their wishes as to how they would like the De
partment to to act with reference to the economic sit
uation for future Alaska. It seems that in that light!
there is something right at hand we can do. When
Krug arrives in Nome for the public meetings, we can
express our opinions freely, either with the Secretary
himself, or to any of the Department heads who accom
pany him on the tour.
The date set for the meetings in Nome is August
14th in the afternoon. Nine days are left to us before
that time in which to prepare any and all data which we
wish to present for the bettering of conditions over
which the Interior Department has control, and that is
most everything.
If the intentions of the Secretary are honorable,
and we have every reason to believe they are, we can
do much to help in the advancement of the Territory
within the next few years, through cooperation with
his wishes for Alaskan ideas of what they think is
right and just policy for the Department to follow.
Alaskans have had much to complain about in past
efforts of the Office to “abuse” rather than help the
Territory’s economic development.
Now, the Secretary has asked Alaskans to tell him
how to run the business. In other words we are in
the chair, temporarily, to lend a guiding hand to those
who will have to live here when we are gone. Is that
going to be too much effort on our part? Are we
going to muff our chance, perhaps our only chance, to
have a say in what kind of development the Depart
ment will set into motion?
The time to bo something about it is now! You,
can help your children, more than in any other way,i
NOT VERY CLEVER. THESE CHINESE_
' J*7
by giving your views on the question of just what
you wish the Department to do, to stop doing, or to
correct.
There will be a few possibly, who will say, “There’s
no sense in it. What good can come of it? or It is just
another way for the bureaucrats to find out how far
they can safely go.” These we hope will not endan
ger the true purpose of the Secretary’s visit.
We can safely say that the Secretary is meeting us
better than half way on the question. Let’s show him
we can speak for ourselves. Let’s prove to him that
contrary to the many reports of Congressional Commit
tees who have “studied Alaska” particularly from a
misguided opinions, that Alaska was a land of ‘nobodies.’ S
That Alaska was not ready to rule herself. That A1-;
askans had no ideas of what they wanted.
The Secretary’s Office plans to coordinate the ideas
from all sections of the Territory into a workable blue
print for development of the country’s economies as Al
askans wish it to be.
In this challenge, the Secretary is giving a true
interpretation of the theory of public office, that of be
ing a public servant.
If you have a “brain child” an idea or plan for the
good of the Territory, it is not only a privilege and a
right, but a duty to make them known to Secretary
Krug. He needs the support of every Alaskan.
RADAR PHONE:
NO POLES AND NO WIRES
A METHOD OF TELEPHONING based on the prin
ciple of radar was tested successfully recently in
a series of conversations between the suburb of Mont
morency and Paris, according to the New York Herald
Tribune.
Its inventor say the method will not only do away
with all poles, wires and underground cables for land
transmission, but will also supplant the wireless tele
phone as now known.
Transmission is produced by the micro-wave pulses
of radar, and the inventors, who perfected the method
in secret during the German occupation of France,
say their equipment is sufficiently advanced to send
and receive 150 miles.
The recent test wast between stations only six
miles apart, but listeners, including Postmaster General
Jean Le Tourneau, said transmission was clearer than
by ordinary telephone.
Plans are under way to set up installations at in
creasingly greater distances. One test that is planned
for the near future will be between Corsica and South
ern France.
HARBOR IMPROVEMT
HEARINGS IN ALASKA
To enable residents of
eight Alaskan areas to pre
sent opinions on harbor im
provements they desire the
federal government to con
struct, Col. L. H. Hewitt,
District Engineer. Seattle
District U. S. Army Eng
ineers, left by plane last
Thursday, August 1, to con
duct eight public hearings
in the Territory.
Col. Hewitt called pub
lic meetings to discuss nav
igation improvements tor
Cordova, Friday at 9 a.m.;
Valdez, Friday at 2:30 p.m.;
Kodiak, Monday, (today)
9 a.m. Naknek, to discuss
navigation improvements
on the Upper Kvichak Riv*^
er, 9 a.m., Tuesday; Sel
dovia, 8 a.m. Wednesday;
Homer, 12:30 p.m., Wed
nesday; Anchorage, 1:30 p.
m., Thursday, Aug 8; and
Nome, 1:30 p.m.. Friday,
August 9.
Accompanying Col. Hev^
itt to Alaska are George
Kurttila, engineer in
charge of river and harbor
investigations; O. C. Falk
enbury, Acting Chief, Op
erations Division; and Mar
ion W. DeSollar, hearing
recorder, all of the Seattle
Engineering District head
quarters. *
Repeating the invitation
of previously issued pub
lic notices to all interested
persons or groups to attend
or be represented at the
respective hearings, Col.
Hewitt said, information
obtained will be included *
in reports to the Chief of
Engineers, Washington, D.
C., and to Congress.
“Local views are impor
tant as the basis of engin
eering studies for the best
long-range harbor improve
ment plans,” he pointed out
pointed out. “We hope lo
cal interests will have their
cases well prepared regard
ing improvements desired, i
Federal construction of
navigation improvements
depends upon prime bene
fits helping navigation in
general, rather than a spe
cific group. Ample local
testimony will aid in ex
pediting our reports.”
Col. Hewitt added that
oral testimony would be
accepted at all hearings
but requested that import
ant facts and arguments al
so be submitted in writing.
This is Col. Hewitt’s first
Alaskan visit since becom
ing Seattle District Engin
eer July 2, the 26th Corp
of Engineer officer to hold