THE NOME NUGGET
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W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER Editor*
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943. at the postol'fice at
Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1379.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1946
EASTER TIME
“In the beginning God created the Heaven and the
earth.” Gen. 1:1. We further read from the scriptures,
“For by Him were all things created, that are in Heav
en, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether
they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or pow
ers; all things were created by Him, and for Him.”
As we draw near to Easter Sunday let us realize the
blessings God has created for our enjoyment—fresh
air in abundance, food of all kinds, clothing and homes
without number. He has also given us a perfect world
to live in.
The troubles on this earth have been with human be
ings fighting with one another and against God. God in
his tender mercy looked down and worked his sovereign
will for you and me. “For God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16.
There is life, pardon for iniquity, and freedom from
sin, for all who will look to the risen Christ. At this
Easter time may we all have the following scripture as
our prayer and meditation: “Let the words of my
mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in
thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” Ps.
19:14.
Rev. L. Hudgins.
FOOD CONFUSION
(By Parker La Moore in Rocky Mountain News)
BERLIN, March 24.—Officials in charge of military
government in the American zone of occupied Germany
are reu-faced today because thye’ve had to confess in
ability to make good their part of a rationing agree
ment they induced Germans to accept last fall.
It is a serious matter, for as result of the failure to
carry out our part of the deal, some people, perhaps
many, may die of malnutrition.
1 his is how it all happened: In beptember our offi
cials advised German authorities in their zone that the
1200-calory ration then maintained was inadequate.
German authorities insisted they were doing the best
they could with the limited resources at hand.
But they accepted the U. S. proposal that the ration
be raised to a 1550-level when we promised to make up
the difference. Our proposal had been approved in
Washington and was presented here in good faith.
Then something went wrong at top levels and we
were unable to make delivery. The Germans have eaten
up food stocks in anticipation of additional supplies
from the United States, and as a result the ration is be
ing cut back to 1200 calories—with the prospect that
it must be cut to 900 soon.
Reduced to eating terms, a 1200 calory-ration means
one small meal a day, measured in terms of an average
meal eaten three times a day in the United States. It
would be equivalent in food value to six 5-cent choco
late bars.
Here it means a daily ration of four and a half thin
slices of bread, three small potatoes, less than two
ounces of meat, a half-ounce each of fats and sugar and
one cup of coffee substitute. In addition, there is a cup
of tea every second day.
These figures are for the No. 2 ration, second best
of five ration categories. It is the one allowed ttuilding
trade workers, white-collar employees and most per
sons in professional classifications.
No one studying the problem here is disposed to be
critical of officials in charge of the military govern
ment. They survived the situation, made their recom
IT MUST K PCIICIOUS
T\ruv6^ 'i
mendations to Washington and were given the go
ahead. Since then they have kept the War Department
advised of the day-to-day status, supplemented in the
last few’ w'eeks by urgent appeals for action.
The fault seems to be lack of co-ordination between
the War and Agriculture Departments. There is urgent
need for grain, particularly wheat, and the buying sea
son was permitted to pass without stocking up.
Admittedly, the situation wras aggravated by late and
unexpectedly large demands from Japan and the fam
ine in India. It was further complicated by failure of
the French to do any planning in their zone and by in
ability of the British to buy enough foodstuffs to meet
their needs.
Even now officials here insist there is enough grain
in elevators in the American wheat belt to avert catas
trophe, provided it can be moved to the seaboard and
started in this direction.
Actual starvation can be prevented by prompt action,
but it must be prompt and it must be adequate. How
ever, while action is demanded now to salvage what we
can out of a bad situation, it is also apparent that divi
sion of Germany into four airtight political and econo
mic compartments is basically unsound and that this
fundamental error must be rectified if German econo
my is ever to be righted.
By MARY LEE COUNCIL
Secretary to E. L. (Bob) Bartlett, Delegate to Congress from Alaska
OPERATION OF OCEAN-GOING'
VESSELS BY ALASKA R.R.
No attempt will be made during
the weeks ahead to obtain Con
gressional approval of the bill au
thorizing The Alaska Railroad to
operate ocean-going vessels, ac
cording to a statement issued to
day by Delegate Bartlett.
“It is probable that the Mari
time Commissoin hearing having
to do with Alaska rates will be
resumed in the near future, and
until they are concluded, no fur
ther action will be taken regard
ing the bill,” the Delegate said.
“The bill has been reported favor
ably out of the House Territories
Committee by unanimous vote,
but objection was made on the
floor of the House to consideration
of the bill on the Consent Calen
dar. Therefore, a ruling will have
to obtained from the Rules Com
mittee before there is further con
sideration of the measure. Objec
tion to its passage has been made
both within and without Alaska.
The objections from the States
came from Seattle and Tacoma,
and they, like those in Alaska,
stressed opposition to government
in business.
“While that objection certainly
is debatable, the hard fact in this
case is that government operation
offered a possible solution to the
most pressing problem before us
today and, in my judgment, the
alternative suggestions that have
been made fail by a wide margin
to provide a solution,” Delegate
Bartlett continued. “It is interest
ing to note that some of those
most violently opposed to govern
ment intervention because of i
tevlerence with business we
clamoring not long since for go
ernment subsidies in the constru
tion of sh*ps tor the Alaska traa
O** course, such subsidies wou
have meant taking money out <
the pockets of the taxpayers (
the nation for the benefit of Ala:
ka, and that is just what Th
Alaska Railroad bill would hav
done, and justifiably so, 1 believi
m furthering the development c
Alaska.”
CANNED SALMON
Out of every net hundred
pounds of Alaska salmon packet
in 1946, 33 pounds must be solt
or delivered to government agen
cies, according to war food distri
bution regulations of the Depart
ment of Agriculture. The remain
ing 67 pounds may be sold or de
livered to persons other than gov
ernment agencies.
Tiie regulations set aside 45'
of the net 1946 pack of canned t.sh
in the continental United States,
such as sardines, Atlantic mack
erel and Pacific mackerel, for
sale or delivery to government
agencies.
REPORT ON
ALASKA ROADS
Protesting that the recent inter
im report of the House Roads
Committee on roads in Alaska has
done “irreparable harm” to the
Alaska Road Commission, Dele
gate Bartlett has submited his pre
liminary views on the report to
the chairman of the committee to
be followed by an address <k
greater length on the subject.
In part, the Roads Committee
' report stated, “It would be incor
rect to say that the committee was
impressed favorably with the
manner in which the Alaska Road
Commission handles its assign
ment for maintenance and ne^.
construction, A careful survey or
work being done by the Alaska
Road Commission in maintaining,
repairing and engaging in new
construction work on the Richard
son Highway in Alaska between
Valdez and Gulkana, especially in
the vicinity of Keystone Canyon^
left the committee with the im
pression that the government is
not receiving adequate value for
funds appropriated by the Con
gress for work to be done under
the supervision of the Alaska
Road Commission in Alaska. . . .
your committee will incorporate in
this report a recommendation tj|at
the Territory of Alaska be includ
ed in the provisions of the present
Federal-Aid Highway Act so that
the Territory may benefit from
the provisions of that legislation
and the government may rece&e
more value from its highway in
vestments in Alaska under the
proven management of the Public
Roads Administration.”
Stating that he believes the al
legations against the Alaska Road
Commission are “entirely without
merit,” Delegate Bartlett inform
ed Chairman Robinson he intends
at an early date to answer them
: in detail. Delegate Bartlett safj
further, “Likewise, I consider it
i necessary to note here that al
! though I am a member of the
Committee on Roads I was not
i given an opportunity to read the |
I report prior to its publication nor
was I consulted about the alleged
errors of the Alaska Road Com
mission.
“We in Alaska—and I think tb^.
statement would include an over
whelming majority of all the peo
ple in the Territory—considered,
and consider, the Alaska Road
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