THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednsday, Friday,
By The Nome Publishing Company, Nome, Alaska ,
Telephone Main 114 P. O. Box 518
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MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
Still Stalingrad
Certainly Hitler has been forced to change his esti
mate of the value of Stalingrad several times now
since his armies first began the attack.
A speedy victory would have meant a quick rout of
the Red Army and heavy casualties for the Soviets
because a retreating army’s losses are usually high. A'
speedy victory also would have meant utilization of
the huge industrial city for the Nazi war machine. A
speedy victory would have meant ready-made winter
barracks for more Nazis.
A vicory in a few weeks would have wrought swift
exploitation of the Caucasus and a rapid reinforce
ment of Nazi defenses in the west.
Today, probably the only value a German victory
could bring would be the morale value on the home
front. Hitler told the German people that Stalingrad
would fall.
His boast would have been made good.
Now the issue of Stalingrad seems to be which army
will emerge from battle in shape to attack. Hitler’s
forces have had their strength sapped considerably.;
And the drain on the Soviet troops has been huge.
But already German losses have been great enough
to seriously handicap the German war effort to come.'
And in addition, it now seems highly probable that
the Germans will not be able to set up a strong defen
sive line in Russia before winter takes over. Hitler’s
forces may \ . ry wi il be facing another disastrous and
demoralizing winter retreat, with the Russians hound
ing them all the way.
Along with these losses of German fighting men
Hitler must also face the hazardous task of keeping
in line the non-German slave-workers who now must
carry on Germany’s home front production.
The significance of this great battle, viewed in the
light of the tremendous losses by both sides, now is
not in the capture or holding of the city. No mere in
dustrial city is worth the price paid in men by both
sides so far for either holding it or taking it.
Thus, the question of who will “win” is not going
to be answered by who holds the city when the smoke '
clears away. The Germans may very well end up with
Stalingrad in their hands—and at the same time, find
that they are so weak that their capacity to wage war
is more reduced than their enemy’s.
The Nazi octopus-swastika may strangle the Russian
bear, and then wriggle off and die from its battle |
wounds.—Juneau Daily Empire.
Japan Maneuver**
Japan’s campaign in Alaska seems to be headed
speedily toward a disappointing climax, and the at
tempt at occupation has been a costly one for the
enemy.
Outside of the several attacks on Dutch Harbor, the
Japs accomplished little by sending their men and
equipment to these lonesome outposts. And the ones
that, were there have taken a beating.
Pilots of our Alaskan forces knocked down 22 Japs
for each American pilot lost. Sinkings of Jap ships,
are up in the thirties. Raids on Kiska, strongest of the
invasion bases, wiped out the lives of probably several
thousand of the enemy. Five hundred were killed or
wounded in one raid.
So far, however, dispatches from the Alaska Defense
Command tell us that not a single American soldier in
Alaska has had contact with the enemy as far as
ground forces go.
It could be that our aerial thrusts at the Jap base
at Kiska have been responsible for the Jap withdraw
als in the Aleutians. But the fact that the enemy ab
andoned Attu and Agattu Islands, at which hardly a
blow had been struck, seems significant.
Until the Japs are completely driven from the Aleu- ,
turns, off Kiska Island, the menace is not cleared. Not
until American troops hold these westward outposts
will the threat disappear. As long as the Japs hold
Kiska, they can occupy and abandon Attu and Agattu '
at will.
Taken with news of Jap withdrawals in other Pac- 1
itic battle zones, the partial desertion of Aleutian bases i
fits in.
The Japs aren t calling quits to anything. They are j
preparing to make some new thrust and it will be a :
huge one. The preparations are calling back Jap troops j
from all invasion fronts.
Somewhere, and soon, the enemy in the Pacific is !
going to strike with force.
They may hit at any one of a number of places — in |
the Solomons or against Australia, India, Siberia, Mid j
way, Alaska. Our strategists are considering the pos- ,
s oilitu'K. They have the tough job of considering !
w S enemy will strike next and making prepar- j
fitroiio i.y mod Inui.—Juneau Daily Empire.
Fairbanks Faces
The full force of a liquor
drought was beginning to be felt
in Fairbangs, with another liq
1 nor store putting up a “closed"
1 sign and with prospects that any
whooping it up on New Year’s
Eve will be done on water plus
imagination.
The war’s curtailment of cargo
> space ihas made it virtually im
possible for more liquor or beer
to come to Alaska. One leading
wholesaler said that he has re
ceived no shipment in Fairbanks
since August 20th, and then it
was only a delayed arrival of
beer, which had been shipped in
July.
Fairbanks was not alone. Oth
er Alaskan cities were feeling
the effects of the same “prohib
ition." Anchorage, which receiv
ed two charter-boat shipments.
| s reported to be almost “dry.”
Taverns Buy Stock
The closing in Fairbanks was
partly due to liquor stores run
ning out of stocks, ant partly to
taverns buying up bottled goods
wherever they can find them—in
hopes of staving off the parched
days ahead.
Thelma Gregorv of the Graehl
Circle Bar, bought out the entire
stock of Lavery’s Quality Liquor
store—with the result this shop
had a “closed” sign today.
Steve Boinich, of the Tavern
Bar, had previously bought out
the stock of Tom Foster’s Seven
Eleven Liquor Store. Bo.nieh’s
own Tavern Liquor Store has
been closed for some time, the
liquor being saved for the bar.
Others which have been closed
for several days, when their
stocks ran out, are the Star Li
quor Store and Palace Liquor
Store.
Rest Run Low
The rest of the city's stores of
this type were selling their last
reserves and were not expected
to be opn for more than a couple
of weeks. It was doubtful, too.
if the city's bars would last out
this year, with perhaps one or
two exceptions which have la d
up big stores.
There was no stampede yet to
the liquor stores, but many citi
zens were beginning to lay up
a supply. One group of 10 sol
diers. tw'o nights ago, bought
$490 worth of liquor at a local
store for their club.
The drought had iths inception
last July when Governor Ernest
Gruemng, Delegate to Congr •
Anhtony J. Dimond and seme A!
ask.an Chambers of Commerce
began charging that liquor was
com ng to Alaska in large quan
tities which prevented essentials
like food from arriving.
Government Moves I*i
T ien the Navy, th War Ship
End Of Liquor
ping Administration and the Cus
toms moved against the liquor
traffic. The Navy ordered that
not more than 10 percent of any
ship’s cargo leaving Seattle
• could consist of “non-essentials.”
The WSA instructed steamship
companie not to load one case
of liquor or beer as long as
there was any other cargo avail
able—and for the past 2 months,
there has been plenty of such
other cargo waiting shipment to
Alaska.
| On top of this, the Customs
declined to give clearance to any
ship with liquor on its manifest
unless the ship provided a “full
' and clear” detailed manifest.
' This would require holding the
ships sailing up for two or three
days.
Delay is Refused
And the WSA declined to al
low any such delays in shipping
to Alaska. The Alaska Steamship
Company, accordingly, joined in
the embargo on liquor ship
1 ments.
"As a result,” one wholesaler
j said, “there is no way now for
1 liquor to reach Alaska —unless
the situation is changed.”
One distributor chartered a
: sailing vessel which brought
1,000 cases of liquor as far as
j Juneau, from there it was trans
j shipped to Seward for consump
' tion in that city and Anchorage.
There was also a schooner which
carried 200 cases to Seward.
But this mehod was abandon
; ed when the Navy pointed out
that if such special vessels could
carry liquor to Alaska, they
j were needed more for other car
; go.
One Boat Reaches Nome
There was also a vessel which
reached Nome with liq.uor before
the embargo was clamped dowm.
There were some public of
ficials who expressed fear that
bootlegging might result from
the drought. But others pointed
out that such raw materials as
copper and sugar might be even
harded to secure than liquor.
So far, the local liquor busi
ness ape pars today to be facing
its fate philosophically, but ex
pressed the hope that business
men would convince the govern
ment that liquor shipments
should be renewed.
As one wholesaler said, “We
will do whatever the war effort
d mand'. After all. we stil! have
a big grocery business.”
________
New :» the time to ioott ovei
u; too pr nt;n< n ‘cep ft»i iht .
pr.ng and sutimie: Th> Nug
k. Office will be glad to consult
with you as to your wants and j
r same
lulmonton Route
ox.
Secty. Stimson
WASHINGTON, Oct. 19—Sec
retary of War Henry L. Stimson
disapproved in a letter he made
public to the proposed $50,000,
000 second International High
way between Seattle and Fair
banks by way of Hazelton, B. C.
He took sharp exception to “mis
leading, inaccurate statements”
in House Resolution No. 7284, au
thorizing the thoroughfare. Dele
gate Anthony J. Dimond, sponsor
of the measure, made public
Stimson’s letter.
Stimson wrote to Representa
tive Wilburn Cartwright, Demo
crat of Oklahoma, chairman of
the House Public Roads com
mittee.
Stimson said that the War De
partment could not approve of
the road route via Hazelton from
Seattle to Fairbanks as the Army
now was completing a pilot road
to Fairbanks along the Edmon
ton, Canada, route which had
been chosen by military officers.
Stimson said that misleading
statements were contained in the
preamble of the bill, which, he
asserted, was drawn to give the
impression that the Edmonton
oad, now being built, was a prim
itive road.
Stimson added:
“This is not true. The road via
Edmonton, when completed, will
be a graded, gravelled highway,
suitable for many purposes.
“Meanwhile the pilot road via
Edmonton makes possible that
traffic wiii begin moving soon to
Fairbanks.
"Large numbers of contractors
will undertake construction of
the permanent road via Edmon
on at many points simultaneous
ly. These contractor operations
already have begun.”
Alaska Road
Is To Open
Next Month
LONDON. Oct. — Canadian
High Commissioner MacDo-nald
said in London that the Alaska,
highway will be ready for traffic
next month.
American estimates previously
had set December as the earliest
date for opening the 1500 mile
highway to traffic. The road ex
tends from Edmonton, Alberta,
to Fairbanks, Alaska, across the |
Canadian Rockies.
Newspaper advertising
vtll develop new busines
for yon
r~
COMPARE THIS VALUE
WITH OTHER
WELL KNOWN BRANDS
An especially good buy
when you consider this:
I. W. HARPER is such su
perb whiskey because, in
making it, cost is no object.
a2~ss*
THE GOLD
Ihfc CjULD KENTUCKY I
MEDAL s,"*«oht iouMo* I
whiskey I
WHISKEY
I. W. HARPER
91 4 Proof • lerntieim Distilling Co., Louisville, Ky
NEW BILL ON INSANE
PERSONS OF ALASKA
WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 —The
President has signed a bill for
the care of insane residents of
Alaska in hospitals and private m
homes where such a practice is
practical.
Under the supervision of the
Interior Department the expense
of treating and boarding patients
will be borne by the Govern
ment unless the individual or
his family is able to pay the
expense.
The bill amends the acts of
1909 and 1926.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 —The
Senate Appropriations Commit
tee has approvf'd and recom
mended an appropriation for an
additional $1,500,0X1 for the care
of insane in Alaska. Included in
supplemental national defense
appropriations, the bill has been
sent to the Senate for action.
POWER IN 1 HE MAKIN C—Work is being pressed on the Shasta dam and power plant on the Sacramento river in California
'4 nc uaiti. estimated to cost i.OtfU.ovo, is being built for flood control, irrigation and power, ft towers 560 feet. *
f