THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
Telephone Main 125 $1.50 PER MONTH
P.O. Box 618 $16.00 A YEAR
E. P. BOUCHER ... Managing Editor
CLINTON GRAY . Production Manager
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the
post office at Nome, Alaska, under Act of March 3, 1879.
Subscribers not receiving their paper by 5:30 p.m. call
Main 125 for special delivery. After 5:30 call Black 102.
People WILL Read!
- VJ17E ARE ENCOURAGED to believe that the
▼ » printed word is here to stay — despite radio,
T-V, the movies or sky-writing. In addition to the
fact that the nation’s newspapers have more circula
tion than ever before, a new book, “Of Lasting In
terest,” provides further confirmation.
In this volume, James Playsted Wood, newspaper
man and college professor, tells the story of De Witt
Wallace and Lila Acheson Wallace and the most fabu
lous publishing operation of our time, The Reader’s
Digest. Mr. Wood relates how, in the course of 35
years, this brain-child of the Wallaces has gathered
unto itself the remarkable devoted attention of more
than 12 million American subscribers, has proliferated
into 30 editions in 13 languages with a total of 21 mil
lion global subscribers and an estimated 79 million
readers.
Additionally, as the author points out, there is the
non-profit September-through-May Educational Edi
tion for high school students. There are Braille edi
tions for the blind in English, Japanese, Swedish,
Spanish and German, and then there are transcrip
tions of each issue — paid for by the gifts of Digest
readers and employes. Unsold newsstand copies are
distributed to prisons, veterans’ and service hospitals,
youth centers and homes for the aged and needy.
The facts require that a story that began in a base
ment under a Greenwish Village nightclub, moved to
the suburban garage and pony-shed of a New York
public relations man, thence outgrew the rentable,
eatable, parkable facilities of the town of Pleasant
ville, N. Y., and established its own many-times ex
panded plant on an 80-acre tract in the countryside
beyond, must be somewhat in the Horatio Alger tra
dition.
But that fillip of denoument that every work of
art, fact or fiction, must have, is here, too. From 1922
until 1955, its devotees and critics alike were con
vinced that the sensational success of Reader’s Digest
was largely based on its emancipation from advertis
ing. But when the momentuous decision to accept
advertising was made, the publishers were not only
swamped with far more orders than they could fill,
but still more readers bought more copies — and at a
higher price.
“The simple fact seems to be,” observes Mr.
Wood, “that most Americans like advertising. . . .
“They read it as news. They are conscious of adver
tising and look to it for excitement and novelty. . . .
Often the advertising provides as much information
and entertainment as some of the news stories, and
always it is an accurate running commentary on
day-to-day life.”
GRASSROOTS OPINION
FULTON, MISSISSIPPI TMES: “You have heard it
said that churches and newspapers rise and fall to
gether. !In every land bent under a tyrant’s yoke,
two things stand out: (1) a controlled press and (2)
an intimidated church. You may put it down for a
truism that there cannot long be a free church in a
nation which has a slave press. By the same token,
a free press will not endure alongside an imprisoned
church.
“The two are thus dependent on each other and
complementary to each other. The press maintains
freedom of the mind and the churoh preserves freedom
of the spirit. Both are necessary. Take one away and
the other is sorely distressed.”
'
Alaska Land Board Decides Its Policy
Regarding Oil & Gas Tidelands Leases
Union Bookkeeper
Testifies Beck
Repaid Loans
TACOMA, Wash., UR — Former
Teamsters union president Dave
Beck sent the Joint Council 28
Building Association a check for
$200,000 in repayment of a loan
that never appeared on the union
books, an ex-bookkeeper for the
Teamsters testified Friday.
Donald McDonald told a feder
al court jury hearing the $240,000
income tax evasion case against
Beck that he received the check
in August, 1954.
Assistant >U. S. Attorney John
Obenour introduced into evidence
an accord and satisfaction agree
ment in which Beck acknowledged
a $200,000 debt to the union. The
agreement was made in July,
1954.
McDonald said he-received a
note from Beck a few months la
ter in which the labor leader said
he owed an additional $50,000.
This, too, was paid, McDonald.
said.
The former bookkeeper has I
been questioned on the stand for •
two days as to whether any of
the different accounts he handled
for the Teamsters showed any
loans to Beck. Each time he has
answered no.
While government attorneys1
have been attempting to prove I
that Beck’s income in 1950-55 was
not reflected by his tax returns,
the defense has contended his in
creased income came from bor
rowed money and as such was not
taxable.
Invigorated Iceberg —
ATLANTIC CITY, N. J, UR —
The Rev. Dr. David M. Cory went
for a dip Friday.
The ground was cool after a
four-inch snowfall, and the air
was brisk — 73 above.
The Presbyterian clergyman,
who is 55, stayed in the 40-degree
surf long enough to get wet. Then
he wrapped himself in towels and
coats.
“It was very invigorating,” he
said.
The Rev. Dr. Cory, who lives
in Staten Island, N. Y., is presi
dent of the Iceberg Athletic Club
of Coney Island.
NOME SANITARY
SERVICE
Phone Main 1
P.O. Box 558
. ANCHORAGE, UP) — The Alas
ka Land Board Friday had ten
tatively decided on a policy that
would place all salt water tide
lands in a competitive bidding
status for oli and gas leases.
In a reply to a query near the
conclusion of an executive ses
sion, Land Board Chairman Phil
Holdsworth said the board prob
ably would adopt the following
policies:
1. Place all tidelands —-. or “salt
water bottoms” — up for competi
tive leasing.
2. Conform with the federal
regulations that limit companies or
individuals to leases on 100,000
acres and options on 200,000 acres,
the same regulations that apply
to federal leasing.
3. Non-competitive bidding
would 'be in effect on all areas
not classified as known petroleum
structures.
Holdsworth said terms of the
Alaska Lafid Act of 1957 spells out
that leasing regulations should
conform with the federal act as
much as possible. The limitations
of 100,000 acres under lease and
200.000 acres under option is open
to special development agree
ments with the Land Board.
" Land Board’s policy action was
taken after an all-day hearing
Thursday in which major oil
companies presented conflicting
recommendations.
Proposals voiced by companies
urged extending the acreage limi
tations from 100,000 acres to 1,
500.000 acres. Some firms recom
mended that all limitations be
lifted.
The Land Board’s decision on
policy would require competitive
leases only on the Gubi Field,
which is a proven oil and gas field
at this time.
Fine Job Printing At The Nugget.
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Proprietors
G.O.P. Platform:
To Work For
Hawaii Statehood
HONOLULU, UP — Republicans
of 12 western states and Hawaii
asserted at their closing confer
ence Friday night that Democrats
stalled Statehood for the Terri
tory at the last session of Con
gress.
The conference adopted Hawaii
statehood as its only platform
plank and invited the Democrats
to help bring it about. The plat
form committee said it would rec
ommend a platform covering in
terests of the west at the 1959'
conference, whih probably will be
in a California city.
A call for the GOP to begin now
recruiting its most capable and ar
ticulate candidates was issued by
the key speaker, Secretary of In
terior Fred A. Seaton.
“For the Republicans to run and
win — not just run — we must
have good candidates — men such
as Arizona’s Senator Barry Gold
water, re-elected by 36,000 votes;
Nebraska’s Senator Roman Hrus
ka, re-elected by 47,000; Oregon’s
36-year-old Mark Hatfield, who
defeated a one-term Oemocratic
governor by 60,000 votes;
Pennsylvania’s Republican Sena
tor-elect Hugh Scott, winner by
117,000 votes, and Nelson Rocke
feller, who swamped New York’s
Governor Averell Harriman by
more than a half million votes.”
“There are others, of course,”
he added, “but these will suffice
for illustration.” t
Seaton, who denied at a news
conference a report that he in
tended to resign as Secretary of
the Interior, said he is sick of
talk that the party is hopelessly
split, and added:
“A split party is luxury only
Democrats can occasionally af
ford. We Republicans can’t afford
it at all.”
Restoration Of Land
In The Sitka Area
| The Governor’s Office today an
| nounced that Assistant Secretary
of .the Interior Rogert Erst has
signed a public land order partial
ly revoking Public Land Order
No. 842 of June 19, 1932.
The revocation order will per
mit Alaska to select approximate
ly 1,073 acres near Sitka in con
nection with its mental health
program. An additional 22. acres,
comprising the Halibut Point Rec
reation Area, is being rewith
drawn for recreational purposes.
This tract will be conveyed to
Alaska at a later date under the
provisions of the Act of May 4,
1956.
In the event the Territory fails
to make its selection, the lands
will be made available for other
purposes in accordance with the
public land laws.
Among other things, the original
1952 order withdrew for classifi
cation purposes, public land in
the Sitka are from settlement,
location, sale and entry.
WHY WORRY?
CALL US
and RELAX!