THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
Telephone 443-2381 $150 PER MONTH
P.O. Box CIO $16.00 A YEAR
E. P. BOUCHER . Managing Editor
CLINTON GRAY . Production Manager
Entered at second class matter October 14, 1943, at the
post office at Nome, Alaska, under Act of March 3, 187i.
EITHER ONE CAN BE LETHAL
'■T
Alaska, Frontier Lodestone
'The Daily Alaska Empire)
THERE'S A MYSTERY ABOUT ALASKA that’s hard to put in words.
Just about everybody in the United States daydreams of coming
to Alaska, often of living in Alaska, but most people aren’t very skillful
at putting into words just why they do this. The problem of expressing
the interest in Alaska or the love of Alaska isn’t easily solved even by
those who live here.
We had the pleasure of having a long talk with a visiting Italian
journalist, Girolamo Modesti, U.S. and U.N. correspondent for large
circulation newspapers at Florence and Bologna, and of accompanying
him to a number of interviews with Alaskans as well as on a tour of
the Juneau area. He is now enroute to other parts of the state and will
be going as far as Kotzebue, perhaps a little farther. He was greatly
pleased with what he saw, the quiet and the scenic beauty, but he often
asked the question of people living here, “Why did you come to Alaska
to live?”
Why indeed, did you come to Alaska? It was probably a combination
of circumstances and desires, of course, but what desire was predomi
nant, what characteristic of Alaska was the key? At this point, the
answers of most of those who have adopted Alaska as their home
become vague and mystic. They are here, usually, not simply because
they obtained a position here, not because they enjoy the climate, often
not even because of the wonderful hunting and fishing or the scenery,
but because they "like” or “love” Alaska. Why do we “love” Alaska?
Upon analysis there seems to be two reasons, each of which is hard
to pin down. Alaskans usually love this great state because it’s vast and
beautiful and wild. It corresponds—and is perhaps the only place left
which fully corresponds—to the long-time dream of Americans, even
the dream of those who came to America from Europe, the dream of
going out into the tremendous, unspoiled wilderness to make a home,
a fortune, a place for themselves where they can be of importance
to themselves and maybe to others. Americans, though often uncon
sciously now, usually long for the frontier, the place where almost
everything is yet to be done, the land that is virgin. The feeling is, to
a large extent, spiritual. Countless Alaskans who might never have
thought of putting it in these words, “love” Alaska because it remains
largely “as God made it.”
The two reasons, thus, are <1) the emotional appreciation of the
wild, natural vastness of Alaska, and (2) the opportunity to make a
place for yourself in Alaska’s “frontier” life, building on a basic
foundation to a position of influence greater than in other societies,
whether influence on that society as a whole, or control of your own
way of life individually. If this explanation isn’t clear, it’s at least as
clear as any of dozens of attempts we’ve heard to explain the liking
for Alaska by those who have come to live here.
We could go on, of course, to read beneath the words of those
who have tried to explain. In a sense, most Alaskans are refugees
from over-population in the other states or from the fear of over
population to come. Many of them are extraordinarily fond of the
“outdoor life,” whether hunting, fishing, hiking, nature study, boating,
sightseeing, or what-not. Many settle in Alaska for ‘‘peace and quiet,
for time to meditate, while many others settle here to get in on the
“ground floor” financially through land ownership or through launch
ing a business, the value of which is almost certain to increase as
Alaska develops further, with more commerce and more population.
But still, behind these rationalizations, surges the mystic feeling.
Sometimes not being entirely understandable, the feeling loses its con
trol, and Alaskans think they might wish to go to warmer, sunnier
and easier climates. They take a trip “outside” or they move “outside”
to stay, but very, very often, when they are away, absence “makes
the heart grow fonder,” and they start looking for an opportunity to
return to Alaska where, somehow, their hearts sing, and living, though
in some ways difficult, fills them with satisfaction.
Alaska is a magnet that pulls on the depths of a person’s emotions,
and though he may not understand why or how, Alaska keeps chal
lenging and calling until he comes, or until he admits to himself that
he hasn’t the boldness and the strength to meet Alaska’s challenge.
Soviets and Red
Chinese Take a
Temporary Reeess
MOSCOW U* — Soviet and
Chinese delegations to the Moscow
Peking reconciliation conference
recessed their meeting without ex
planation Tuesday. Informed quar
ters said the suspension was only
temporary and that there was no
rupture.
Communist Chinese negotiators
had failed to show up for the day’s
session after the Soviet Union fired
new charges at Red China and
warned of “dangerous conse
quences.” They spent their day
working at the Chinese embassy.
One source said the Chinese in
the initial talks had again pro
posed a world conference of Com
munist parties to settle the dis
pute, but advocated a voting pro
cedure on a population basis which
would give China the dominating
voice. The Soviet reaction could
be surmised as totally negative.
The interruption in the ideo
logical talks between the two Com
munist giants came as Belgian
Foreign Minister Paul-Henri
Spaak, returning from a meeting
with Premier Khrushchev, pre
dicted Soviet relations with the
West will improve.
The Soviet Communist party
Central Committee earlier accused
the Chinese of deliberately aggra
vating Soviet-Chinese relations at
a time when the two countries are
discussing ideological differences.
The Soviet blast came shortly
after Khrushchev snubbed the Mos
cow meeting with the Chinese and
conferred in Kiev with Spaak on
easing cold war tensions. The
Chinese militantly oppose Khrush
chev’s peaceful co-existence policy,
underlined by his meeting with
j Spaak.
Project 64-1-2 Leads
To a Dog Fight
WASHINGTON — Project
64-1-2 led to a dog fight in the
House but when it was finished
only President Kennedy’s signa
ture was needed to supply the
Atomic Energy Commission’s dogs
with kennels.
The fracas broke out on the floor
Monday as a $216 million authori
zation bill for the AEC came up
for a vote.
Rep. Jack Westland, (R-Wn.),
fired the opening salvo by pro
posing an amendment to eliminate
$500,000 sought for the project —
“additional animal quarters, Love
lace Founda tion, Albuquerque,
N.M.”
Westland said the money would
build kennels for 600 dogs for
experiments in which the animals
inhale radioactive material. He got
help from Rep. H. R. Gross, (R
Iowa), who said, “I don’t under
stand why they don’t use cats, it
costs less to house them.”
The AEC hopes the experiments
will tell scientists more about the
effect of radioactive materials on
humans. The House said go ahead,
defeating Westland’s amendment
46 to 20 and sending the bill to
the President.
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Guests of the Day
At Chamber Luncheon
Recognized as guests of the day
on Monday were Mr. and Mrs. Dan
Auld of Kerrville. Tex., who were
invited to the Chamber of Com
merce meeting. Mr. Auld is on his
23rd trip to the north and has
many fine specimens and trophies
to prove it. He has wondered why
reindeer are not herded with water
collies like those used in Texas,
as one dog “can do the herding
work of ten Eskimos in the summer
time.”
Other guest of the Chamber
meeting were Mrs. Helen Sumner,
from the National Council on
Crime and Delinquency, who held
a series of hearings here on Mon
day; Martin Underwood, Commis
sioner of Public Safety; Harriet
Mueller, new physio-therapist for
the MMM Hospital; Rev. Eugene
Morrell, new pastor of the Church
of the Nazarene; Chip Swanson,
radio engineer for KICY.
Sen. Lester Bronson reported on
a trip to the Serpentine Springs
stating that they are wonderfully
hot and the Chamber members
ought to charter a plane and take
advantage of what the springs
have to offer. Bronson also had
made a survey of the unemployed
which showed 65 people not work
ing, who are receiving ESC at
this time and that he had an ap
plication for REA funds as soon
as more persons are added to the
list.
President Frank Couch report
ed on the dinner given in honor
of the visiting Navy officials over
the 4th of July holdiay and dis
played the USS Savage plaque
which was presented to the Cham
ber for the courtesy shown the
ship and its crew while in this
port.
Judge Hugh Gilbert was wel
comed home and when queried,
stated definitely that there would
be a replacement here for him
within a few months, after his
appointment to the bench in the
3rd Division was announced.
Will Turn to Red China
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (tfl —
Small Asian nations fearing India
and watching the West build up the
Indian army will be forced to turn
to Communist China for refuge,
President Mohammed Ayub Khan
of Pakistan says.
Ayub Khan told a civic recep
tion Monday that India has de
signs against smaller nations. He
said the West failed to realize “the
realities of the situation, when it
agreed to strengthen India against
Chinese aggression.
Fine Job Printing at the Nugget j
Alexander
utomotive
DIAL 2532
Houston & Betty Alexander
Disaster Year for
Red Salmon Run
JUNEAU — Barring some
thing abnormal, a disaster year for
the rich Bristol Bay red salmon
fishery appeared in the making
Tuesday.
A total return of 15 million fish,
including those caught on the high
seas bv Japanese fishermen, had
been forecast for the bay this
year.
Through Saturday, however, the
total catch by American fishermen
in Bristol Bay and the total es
capement of Bristol Bay reds was
pegged at a mere 3.8 million fish,
including a catch of 1.7 million
fish and an escapement of 2.1
million.
The total return of Bristol Bay
reds was approximately 12 million
fish a year ago, including the
Japanese high seas catch.
Fish and Game Commissioner
Walter Kirkness said that while
the United States had been ad
vised of the total high seas salmon
catch by the Japanese this year, it
was not known how many of these
fish were Bristol Bay reds.
The peak of the Bristol Bay red
run almost invariably comes be
tween July 4 and July 8, but,
with fishing generally slow
throughout the season on the bay,
Kirkness commented:
To tell the truth, we don’t know
whether the peak of the run is
over or whether something ab
normal has happened which might
still give up a substantial run, even
at this late date.”
Explaining his reference to an
abnormal happening. Kirkness said
there were indications Bristol Bay
reds might have migrated farther
west than usual this year.
If this is actually what happened,
the reds could be delayed in their
spawing runs to Bristol Bay river
systems.
“All we can do it wait and see
what happens,” Kirkness said.
IN THE ROUGH . . .
DETROIT i>P> — Bonnie Brook
Golf Club duffers are disturbed
by a man who doffs his duds.
The man has been seen running
nude along the fairways six or
eight times this year.
Police and groundkeepers have
chased him. But, he always escaped
in the rough.
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