THE NOME MJGGET
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MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
Alaska—A Threat To Whom?
The test of wether the United States has come to
an appreciation of the job before it may lie in what
is going on in Alaska.
Just what is going on here, we really don’t know,
and that’s as it should be. But it is clear that there
can be two approaches of what is going on.
Are we still thinking in terms of the “defense of
Alaska” as we thought of the “defense of the Philip- j
pines” and the “defense of Hawaii?” Or are we think-1
ing in terms of Alaska as a “jumping off place” for an:
attack on the heart of Japan?
Alaska was never any menace to Tokyo in the days'
before the war, and there is no excuse for any pretense
that it was. Up to 1939, Alaska was totally undefend-*
ed. The lonely few hundreds of infantrymen who garri- !
soned that vast land were no threat to anybody. Tokyo.
can never claim that the United States had done in :
Alaska what Nippon had been doing for 20 years in
the mandated islands in the South Pacific, which she
promised not to fortify and then fortified secretly.:
Not only was Alaska no threat to anybody; it was to-;
tally undefended.
Japan has chosen war. Sudden and undeclared war
without a shadow of a cause. Very well. Now Alaska;
is something else again.
Alaska can be a threat to North America. Should
the Japs succeed in the South Pacific, they might well
turn to the North Pacific, and try to secure this foot
hold on North America within ready bombing distance'
of the United States’ west coast. Up against this we!
are preparing to defend Alaska and ourselves. That i
may be assumed.
Defend Alaska? Certainly. But that is not enough.:
We may hope that present preparations going up here
are aimed at carrying war to Japan, which is the way,
it will be won in the end.—Cordova Times.
Post War World
Two patterns of the post-war world are now before
the people of the United States.
The Nazis have made it clear, through their treat
ment of the people of occupied areas, that the Ger
mans, if they win, will be the dominant race in Eu
rope, with other peoples subservient.
This distinction will be most painful in the econom
ic sphere, with other peoples restricted to activity to
provide Germany with cheap raw materials and an
outlet for manufactured goods.
The recent economic pact, signed by representatives
of the United States and Great Britain, is a prelim
inary statement of the basis upon which a “just and
enduring peace” must rest in order to secure “order
under law” for themselves and “all other countries of
like mind.”
The basis of the pact is the Atlantic Charter, but,
behind this, the purpose of the agreement is to arrange
a mutually profitable settlement of the indebtedness
incurred by the British under the lease-lend act, pass
ed by Congress on March 11, 1941.
When the President and Prime Minister Churchill
enunciated objective in their Joint Declaration of Aug.
12. 1941. the two nations agreed:
In Article 4, to endeavor “to further the enjoyment
by all States, great and small, victor or vanished, of
access, on equal terms, to the trade and to the raw
materials of the world which arc needed for their ec
onomic prosperity.”
Article 5, of the Atlantic Charter, expressed the
joint desire of the two nations for the “fullest collab
oration between all nations in the economic field with
the object of securing, for all, improved labor stand
ards, economic adjustment and social security.”
The new agreement moves forward along these lin
es, after acknowledging the “cooperative undertak- j
ing” against aggression, our aid to the British and'
their aid, as may be possible, to us. Thereafter, the!
British agree not to dispose of lease-lend material,
without our permission, and to return, after the war,
material remaining as requested by this country.
Getting to the “final determination” of payment to
us for this aid the governments agree that “the terms
and conditions” shall be such as not to burden com- i
moree between the two countries, but to promote mu
tually advantageous economic relations between them
to the betterment of world-wide economic relations.”
The chief objection to the school of experience is
that it thinks up a new course every time you graduate.
Many persons are willing enough to go to work, but
balk at working after they get there
Details Given of Agreement
o
As To International Road
By MARY LEE COUNCIL
Secretary to Delegate Dimond
WASHINGTON, March 25 — As is well known by
this time, on February 26, 1942. the Permanent Joint
Board on Defense, United States and Canada, approv
ed the construction of a highway between the United
States and Alaska along the route that follows the
general line of airports in Canada, Fort St. John, Fort
Nelson, Watson Lake, Whitehorse, into Alaska by way
of Big Delta and so into Fairbanks. On March i8 the
State Department, in its press release made public an
exchange of notes between Hon. Pierrepont Moffat, |
American Minister to Canada, and the Right. Hon. W.
L. Mackenzie King, Prime Minsiter of Canada, setting j
forth the detailed arrangements for the construction of,
a military highway to Alaska.
Details of Arrangement
The details agreed upon between the two follow:
1. The United States is prepared to:
(a) . Carry out the necessary surveys for which pre-,
liminary arrangements already have been made, and;
construct a pioneer road by the use of United States;
Engineer troops for surveys and initial construction;
(b) Arrange for the highway’s completion under
contracts made by the U. S. Public Roads Administra
tion and awarded with a view to insuring the execu
tion of all contracts in the shortest possible time with
out regard to whether the contractors are Canadian j
or American;
(c) Maintain the highway until the termination of:
the present war and for six months thereafter unless j
the government of Canada prefers to assume respon- '
sibilitv at an earlier date for the maintenance of so!
much of it as lies in Canada;
Part of Canadian System
I
(d) Agree that at the conclusion of the war that
part of the highway which lies in Canada shall become
in all respects an integral part of the Canadian high
way system, subject to the understanding that there
shall at no time be imposed any discriminatory condi
tions in relation to the use of the road as between
Canadian and United States civilian traffic.
2. The Canadian government agrees to; (a) Acquire
rights-of-way for the road in Canada (including the
settlement of all local claims in this connection), -the
title to remain in the Crown in the right of Canada
or of the Province of British Columbia as appears
more convenient;
(b) Waive import duties, transit or similar charges
on shipments originating in the United States and to
be transported over the highway to Alaska, or orig
inating in Alaska and to be transported over the high
way to the United States;
Import Duties Waived
(c) Waive import duties, sales taxes, license fees or
similar charges on all equipment and supplies to be
used in the construction or maintenance of the road
by the United States and on personal effects of the
construction personnel;
(d) Remit income tax on the income of persons (in
cluding corporations) resident in the United States -
who are employed on the construction or maintenance!
of the highway;
(e) Take the necessary steps to facilitate the admis
sion into Canada of such United States citizens as may,
be employed on the construction or maintenance of the j
highway, it being understood that the United States;
will undertake to repatriate at its expense any such j
persons if the contractors fail to do so;
(f) Permit those in charge of the construction of
the road to obtain timber, gravel and rock where,
such occurs on Crown land in the neighborhood of the
right-of-way, providing that the timber required shall
be cut in accordance with the directions of the appro-;
priate department of the government of the province j
in which it is located, or, in the case of Dominion lands
in accordance with the directions of the appropriate
department of the Canadian government.
To Work Out Details
The Canadian government agrees to the suggestion
that the practical details of the arrangement be work
ed out by direct contact between the appropriate gov
ernmental agencies subject, when desirable, to con
firmation by subsequent exchange of notes.
In addition to the information contained in the
press release from the States Department, the Canad
ian legation in Washington gave out another press re
lease under date of March 15 concerning the Alaska ;
Highway. This release contained a statement which j
was completely astounding to all here who have been !
advocating the construction of the highway for many
years. That statement is as follows:
“Until February 13, 1942, neither government had
indicated to the other either officially or otherwise any
considered views as to the desirability of constructing
a highway to Alaska.”
I--———
PIONEER LINE
Bases At
»
NOME : FAIRBANKS
PASSENGER INSURANCE CARRIED
FREIGHT — EXPRESS — MAIL
WIEN ALASKA AIRLINES.
Eskimos of Barrow In War Effort
What’s good for the geese in Manhattan is good for
the ganders ’way up at Barrow.
Which is simply an unpoetic way of expressing that
the Eskimo population on the most northerly shores
of Uncle Sam’s domain are in this war as deep as the
chief air raid warden in Times Square.
Three residents of the village 325 miles north of.
Arctic Circle were in Fairbanks recently, two of them
watching life in Fairbanks from a dentist’s chair, the
third recuperating from a rendezvous he kept with a
surgeon’s scalpel.
Which, again, tells a story in itself—there is neither
dentist nor doctor in Barrow’s 24-bed Office of Indian
Affairs hospital. s
Democracy Defined
The Barrow visitors were Mrs. Howard Burkher,
instructor in the Office of Indian Affairs school; Miss
Clara Kaufman, hospital nurse; and Corporal James
Truly, U. S. Signal Corps radio operator. Corpora!
Truly is recovering from an appendectomy at the Ladd
Field hospital.
Perhaps more than any previous experience under
the wing of the big eagle in Washington, this war and
Selective Service have defined democracy for her Es
kimo neighbors, in the opinion of Mrs. Burkher.
Conscription has taught the Eskimos that they may
march on even terms in the same ranks with their
white foster-cousins. Pearl Harbor proved that, as
civilians, they are entitled, and anxious, to rub shoul
ders with their fair-skinned compatriots in the pro
tection of their own bleak, barren—but their own'—
front yard.
Wartime Precautions
Since December 7, Mrs. Burkher said, nightly black
outs have been effective in the Eskimo community.
Twenty-four-hour volunteer guard has been maintain
ed, with each shift, whites among the greater num
ber of natives, standing a six-hour turn at distributed
intervals. To make the plan clearer for the Eskimos
a large peg-board was constructed. Each peg repre
sents a volunteer guard. Each hole symbolizes an as
signed post. When an Eskimo leaves the village, tem
porarily, for a hunting foray on the tundra back coun
try, he pulls his peg. Upon his return the peg is cram
med back in the hole.
Civilian Defense Staff
Sergeant Stanley Morgan, the man behind the dit
dahs of the Alaska Communications System at Barrow
the past 13 years, is chief of Civilian Defense in his
village. His lieutenants are Douglas Johnson, U. S.
Reindeer Service, and Delwyn Rasmussen, government
weather man, instructors of the rifle unit; Howard
Burker, principal of Barrow five-teacher school, chief
air raid warden; the Reverend Fred George Klere
koper, Presbyterian missionary, fire chief; and Mildred
Keaton, hardy, dogmushing “angel of the Arctic,” first
aid chairman.
NENANA ICE POOL
WELL ORGANIZED
1
The Nenana Ice Pool organiza
tion has started functioning in
prepaartion for the great annual
spring event. Tickets can be had i
at the Nome Drug Store, Polar !
Bar, the Navada saloon and at
Jack Solomon’s.
Rules governing the 1942 Ice
Pool contest are:
Nenana Ice Pool closes April 4,
1942, midrtight.
No refunds for rejected tickets.
No silent partners will be re
cognized as winners.
Key ticket—Name of combina
tion signed on front of ticket,
placing as many names us con
venient on back; making your
combination list as follows:
Key ticket Serial No.
Name of Combination
Names
ICE MOVED AT NENANA
1917— April 30 . 11:30 A.M
1918— May 11 .9:33 A.M
1919— May 3 ..2:33 P.M
1920— May 11 .10:46 A.M.
1921— May 11 .6:42 A.M
1922— May 12 .1:20 P.M.
1923— May 9 . 2:00 P.M.
1924— May 11 .3:10 P.M.
1925— May 7 .6:32 P.M.
1926— April 26 4:03 P.M.
1927— May 13 .5:42 A.M.
1928— May 6 .4:25 P.M.
1929— May 5 .3:41 P.M.
1930— May 8 .7:03 P.M
1931— May 10 . 9:23 A.M.
1932— May 1 .10:15 A.M.
1933— May 8 .7:30 P.M.
1934— April 30 ..2:07 P.M.
1935— May 15 ..1:32 P.M.
1936— April 30 12:58 P.M.
1937— May 12 . 8:04 P.M.
1938— May 6 ..8:14 P.M
1939— April 29 .1:26 P.M.
1940— April 20 .3:27 P.M.
1941— May 3 .......1:50 A.M