THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME. ALASKA
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
21.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
W. A. Boucher__- ..Owner-Publisher
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943. at the postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3. 1879.
Nome, Alaska, Friday, January 26, 1961
EPIDEMICS WIPED OUT POLIO FUNDS
Polio epidemics, striking the nation three years in
succession, have cost the National Foundation for In
fantile Paralysis more than $58,000,000 for patient-care
. alone and have left the organization with a bare treas
ury to face epidemic aid demands of this year.
Since the organization was created in 1938, it has
provided $94,000,00 for patient-care. Almost two-thirds
of this amount was spent in 1948, 1949 and 1950, when
more than 100,000 people in the United States and its
territories were stricken.
Approximately 54,000 men, women, and children af
flicted by polio needed some March of Dimes help dur
ing 1950, and 30,000 of these were patients from previ
ous years.
Nome was fortunate last year that this dread disease
did not strike here, but we must be ready in the event
that it might next year; so we urge everyone to turn out
for the benefit dance on Tuesday or contribute volun
tarily to the fund before that time.
COLLAPSE IN RUSSIA SEEN IF WAR DECLARED
(By a Staff Writer of The Christian Science Monitor)
If a declaration of war is now made, Russia would col
lapse internally within six months, according to Aram
Zelveian, recently returned from a year’s service as a
United Nations Refugee Organization official in Stutt
gart, Germany.
Mr. Zelveian, a director of the United Council on
World Affars, spoke at the Hotel Manger in Boston, re
cently before 75 labor leaders at a meeting of the Cen
tral Labor Union of Massachusetts.
One of the outstanding phases of Mr. Zelveian’s sur
vey made in various refugee camps in Germany—par
ticularly in the camp over which he charge of some
1,800 Russian civilians and prisoners of war, was the
following conviction: “That such internal strife exists
between the Politburo and the military in Russia today
that if war were to be declared, Russia would collapse'
internally within six months, these people told me.” ■
Mr. Zelveian continued that the Russian people en
masse would, with open arms, receive Americans as lib-:
erators. “Of course, without arms and ammunition the |
people, although united in this hope, are helpless to act. j
But they would welcome a war of liberation,” he said.
Mr. Zelveian reported that some of the Russian pris-.
oners of war said that the reason they fought against I
CONVERSION PLAN
Gruening Message
Sees No Need For
Additional Taxes
(Continued from Page One)
otherwise as the legislature sees
fit, which will enable anyone in
terested to secure at any time, a
complete financial picture of the
Territory’s business.
“No office has that responsibil
ity now, either for securing this
information err making it avail
able. There is no adequate ac
counting system for the Territory.
The treasurer’s office, as was
shown not long ago, has hereto
fore been without adequate audit
ing supervision or check upern it
by any other Territorial agency.”
The Governor recommending
cutting responsibilities of the
board of administration while la
beling it a “tough board” for
freezing funds.
“While the board held the dike
against heavy pressures,” he said,
“I feel in principle it is wrong for
six officials in the executive
branch to be obliged to exercise,
tli rough control of purse, what is
properly a Legislative function.”
The Governor sounded an opti
mistic financial note. He said half
a dozen factors make it difficult
to determine closely what the next
biennium’s income will be but
“we have largely recovered from
financial ills that plagued us for
four years.”
“The fact that we have drawn
even with our obligations,” he
went on to say, “gives great prom
ise that our existing, moderate tax
structure will meet our immediate
needs for long deferred school
buildings, for educational require
ments, for community hospital
aid and public health services,
necessarily curtailed may now, I
believe, be adequately provided
from current income.”
Gruening described a balanced
budget as “essential to the contin
uing growth and development of
Alaska,” and said it will be a
“further demonstration of our
own conviction we are fully cap
able of self-government.”
In contrast to previous mess
ages, the self-government phrase
was one of three minor references
to statehood. The Governor said
elsewhere in his message that
while improvements' have been
made in federal controls “only
statehood will cure some of the
long standing abuses.”
i Gruening advocated continued
development efforts by the Terri-,
tory to diversify and expand the
economy.
He said there are rosy prospects
for the Territory getting exten
sive new school lands from feder
al agencies, and added that even
tually a land agency will be need
ed, but it is possibly not yet justi
fied. One job a land agency could
handle, the Governor said, would
be selecting land to which it is en
titled in lieu of lands missing
from old federal grants. He said
there is a possibility federal agen
cies might grant a quarter of a
Lifting Hie Lid
At Juneau
(Continued from Page One)
Will 'be all right.”
Sen. Steve McCufcchepn (D.-An
chorage) said:
“I believe the recommendations
toward revising government func
tions should ibe seriously studied.
The need is there. The temper <*f
the message was the least contro
versial I ever heard him make,
which may well point to an har
monious session.”
“From the standpoint of being
acceptable to both parties, the
message seemed the best ever,”
Rep. William Egan CD .-Valdez)
commented.
Engebreth, new Senate leader,
said:
“He recommended a number of
very obvious improvements in
Territorial government, some of
which he has recommended in
previous messages. His suggestion
fhe governor be removed from
rn^ny boards should find wide ap
proval.”
The Engebreth election as pres
ident of the Senate came after
Sen. William Beltz (D.-Haycock)
refrained from balloting.
Todav he. explained his decisive
abstention to the Associated Press:
“I took the action on my own
because I thought the deadlock
should be ended and so the Senate
could be organized and go offi
cially to the joint session to re
ceive the Governor’s message.
“Engebreth was very fair as
president in 1949. He was the only
Republican I would be willing to
support. I wouldn’t cross the
party line io vote for him, but ab
staining assured an end to the
deadlock.”
Engebreth was elected presi
dent of the Senate by an 8-7 mar
gin over Sen. Frank Barr <D.
Fairbanks).
The House memorial passed
yesterday cited reports 4he Skag
million acres along the Alaska
Highway and -the Tok Cutoff.
Citing the patchwork 'boom
growth of Alaska cities, with the
multiplicity of ensuing problems,
the Governor declared:
“Consideration should be given
to enabling legislation authorizing
creation of greater community
area planning and zoning boards,
with a provision for joint partici
pation by both city and suburban
are-’s.”
The message devoted more
space to civil defense than to any
other subject — eight of its 54
pages. The Governor said he had
asked the federal civilian admin
istration to establish Alaska as
a separate civil defense region be
cause of its unique position “on
the front line.”
Gruening said 28 communities
are proceeding with defense plans
but Territorial action is needed.
“We fervently hope the emer
gency may not arise but it would
be folly not fully to anticipate the
possibility and not to take every
proper precaution,” he said.
.. t
Germany was because they found the Germans were
more brutal in Russia than were the Communists.
U. $. POPULATION CONTINUES TO GROW
According to Census Bureau estimates, there were
3,704,000 births in the United States during 1950. This
was an excess of 1,243,000 over deaths recorded. .
The figure means that the United States had, accord
ing to the estimate, 152,340,000 people as 1951 got un
derway. It disproves the theory expressed by the ex
perts some years ago, that the population of this nation
was fast becoming static and that the United States
could not expect continued growth of population.
Yugoslav Aid Bill
Will Help West
Economy
The signing of -the Yugoslavia
Aid Bill toy President Truman will
have significant meaning to tooth
, the Pacific Coast agricultural
economy and the many port and
hartoor industries which will han
dle the 600,000 tons of foodstuffs
involved. This was the conclusion
| of the Pacific American Steam
ship Association in a research
study issued recently.
This most recent authorization
for relief to drought-stricken Yu
goslavia PASSA said, calls for the
expenditure of $38,000,000 for the
shipment of some 355,000 tons Of
flour, beans, barley, oats, com, k
rice, peas, sugar, lard, dried milk,
dried eggs, canned meats and
seeds,—all of which are produced
in considerable quantity on the
Pacific Coast. Already underway
since November 1 has been a
stop-gap relief program costing
$31,400,000 and involving 248,000
tons of foodstuffs which has been *
financed from existing funds in
the Economic Cooperation Admin
istration, the Mutual Defense As
sistance Program, and the Export
Import Bank. Several shipments
from this coast made under this
earlier stop-gap program, are al
ready on the high seas, or have
reached their destination.
In recognition of the vital im
portance of American flag vessel
participating in these cargoes, the
Aid bill provides for 50% carri
age by U. S. lfag vessels. At pres
ent more than half of the sailings
from this coast to the Mediterran
ean are American flag vessels.
way development was being de
ferred in favor of the Kitimat pro
ject in northern British Columbia.
I urged Congress and defense of
ficials to re-examine the situation
immediately “to the end that this
large development take place on
American soil.”
It said that Skagway, where
the Yukon River water would be
brought through gigantic tunnels,
would be more feasible and acces
sible than Kitimat.
Three House measures were in
troduced while the Senate was
getting organized.
A bill by Rep. Glen Franklin
(D.-Boundary) proposes a four
man legislative investigation com
mittee to function throughout the*
biennium. The group would have
broad powers to investigate all
Territorial offices and agencies;
to press action to remove officials
for improper conduct and to sub
poena witnesses.
A bill by Rep. Jack Conright
(D.-Anchorage) provides for the
transfer of the agriculture com
missioner’s office from Fairbanks
to Palmer.
A memorial by Rep. C. Chester
Carlson (D.-Cordova) urged fed*
eral approval of a $3,000,000 road
link for Cordova with the Rich
ardson Highway.
The Katzen jammer Kids
H !*