braced by the District under any of the above plans of partition. All
of the others will be in the State even under the restricted Plan “A”.
/ ECONOMY
Banking The combined resources of the banks is a good barometer
by which to judge the economy of a country, be it large or small.
Under date of June 30, 1953, we have the following figures
concerning the banks of Alaska.
Authorized total capital $2,420,400.00
Under all three proposed plans for partition it is broken down
as follows:
Within the proposed State $2,320,400.00
Within the proposed District 100,000.00
Total commercial deposits 135,106,789.30
Within the proposed State 133,660,660.48
Within the proposed District 1,446,128.82
Fisheries The total value of fish<$
pi’oducts since the purchase of
Alaska have aggregated approx
imately two billions of dollars.
Of this vast amount only a frac
tion of one per cent can be cred
ited to the area embraced with
in the district under Plan B or
C.
Agriculture There is absolutely
no commercial agriculture in
Alaska today except within the
proposed state under any of the
three plans. This includes the
dairy industry, which has grown
to considerable proportions in
the First, Third and Fourth Ju
dicial Divisions. The potato crop
of 1953 is said to have reached
a total value of a million dollars.
Minerals All four judicial divi
sions have shared in the pro
duction of minerals; the prin
cipal items having been gold
and copper. Gold, platinum, and
possibly tin, are the principal
economy of the Second Division
and probably would be the
main economy of the district
under any of the proposed plans.
Timber The national forests are
entirely within the area to be
the state under any plan. Most
of the district would be without
merchantable timber.
Fur The situation as regards fur
is almost identical with that of
the mineral wealth: divided,
but leaving it as one of the prin
cipal items in the economy of
the district.
Power Most of the proposed
plans for hydro-electic power
are confined to the area to be
come a state. Some are of con
siderable magnitude.
Roads All of the present Class A
roads are within the proposed
state. The breakdown of mile
age and class of road can easily
be secured from the Alaska
Road Commission or the terri
torial engineer, but vex*y little
will come into the district.
Railroads The White Pass & Yu
kon Railroad (Canadian) serves
in the First Division. The Alas
ka Railroad serves in the Third
and Fourth. There are no others.
Parks The national parks will be
within the state.
Petroleum The Navy Reserve
No. 4 is in the Arctic and would
be within the district but is not
subject to entry under any plan.
Renewed interest is now focused
upon oil drilling, but is confined
entirely to the area to be em
braced by the state.
Seal Fisheries The seal fisheries
are confined to the Pribilof Is
lands but are subject to inter
national treaty and could not
very well be administred by
either the state or district.
Cattle The cattle industry for
production of meat has been
confined to' Kodiak and vicinity,
and is not practical in the re
gions having less temperate
weather. The reindeer industry
is capable of producing large
>
quantities of meat and the tun
dras of the Second Division are
ideal for its development. It
could be an important item in
the economy of the district.
Press and Radio There are sev
enteen newspapers published in
the territory. The only one in
the Second Division is the Nome
Nugget, a tri-weekly publica
tion. There are several com
mercial radio broadcasting sta
tions in Alaska, but none in the
Second Division.
* * *
ARGUMENT
The original referendum on
statehood resulted in a majority
being in favor of it though both
the Second and Fourth Divisions
cast a negative vote. However, it
will be noted that the population
away from the centers of popula
tion were strongly opposed to the
idea.
Any plan for statehood must
grant assets to the state to permit
taxation for ,its support. Also, the
distribution of population must be
such as to permit and make possi
ble good administration, county
government, etc.
From the above statistical infor
mation it is obvious that part of
Alaska is now rightfully entitled
to become a state, but it is equally
true that the burden would be
great unless the federal govern
ment would retain responsibility
for a large segment of its popula
tion and undeveloped domain.
In any plan for statehood, par
tition should be given considera
tion and then, if partition is desir
able, the act creating the state
should provide that when, and if,
the district attained its growth it
would be annexed and made a
part of the State of Alaska, thus
avoiding the possibility of creat
ing two states.
A QUARTER-CENTURY OF
SERVICE TO AGRICULTURE—
NBC’s National Farm and Home
Hour, produced in cooperation with
the U.S. Department of Agricul
ture, is marking 25 years of con
tinuous broadcasting.
Presented every Saturday on the
NBC radio network by
ALLIS-CHALMERS,
builders of power
equipment for the
family farm, the pro
gram brings you farm
news and entertain
ment. Tune in your
NBC station for the
NATIONAL FARM
■ 'TT' HOME HOUR.
Shipping Leaders
Hit Government,
Labor for Troubles
SAN FRANCISCO, UP)—Govern
ment policies and maritime labor
were the principal targets of a
parade of West Coast shipping
leaders who testified Wednesday
before a special Senate subcom
mittee studying Pacific Coast mar
itime troubles.
Most of the witnesses bofore the
special subcommittee, chairmaned
by Sen. Charles E. Potter (R-Mich)
attributed troubles of West Coast
shipping either to government tax
policies, inequities in shipping
subsidies, lack of an adequate
government shipbuilding program
or to labor disputes and high
wages. But, both foreign and
governmental competition were
stressed as factors hindering the
industry.
D. E. Skinner of Seattle, vice
president of the Alaska Steamship
Company and one of the last wit
nesses of the day, testified that in
addition to many peculiar techni
cal and seasonal difficulties en
countered in serving the Alaska
trade, his 'company was being hurt
bv competition from “subsidized
airlines” plying into the northern
territory.
Skinner complained that al
though the government has some
140 ships of the types his com
pany needs badly, the Alaska
Steamship Company has been un
able to purchase any of them.
They are all tied up in the “moth
ball,” or surplus fleet, he said.
INFANT SURVIVES
RARE HEART AILMENT
THROUGH SURGERY
SEATTLE, t?)—A seven-month
old baby, victim of a rare heart
ailment, has survived an “impos
sible” operation and is on the road
to a normal, healthy life.
Dr. Robert A. Tidwell, director
of heart services for Children’s
Orthopedic Hospital, gave the de
tails Wednesday in the case of
Jerrold Cole, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Richard J. Cole of Seattle.
Jerrold, born last Feb. 21, had
a defect known as the infantile
type of coarctation of the aorta,
the large blood vessel carrying
blood from the heart to the body.
In this condition, a constriction
blocks the aorta, close to the heart,
so‘ that blood cannot flow through
normally.
Dr. Dean Crystal opened the
tiny chest and found the stricture
in the aorta had reduced the blood
vessel to the size of a pinpoint.
The surgeon cut out the blocked
portion and sewed both ends of
the severed vessel together.
We don’t know why it was suc
cessful,” Dr. Tidwell said, “but
the fact that it was means that
from now on babies with this con
dition will have a chance.”
Personal and Legal Size File
Folders on Sale at the Nugget.
Now Is The Time
to order “MASTERPIECE”
.
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with your name imprinted
POLAR CURIO SHOP
s
I
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FINAL NOTICE TO PAY
SCHOOL TAX FOR 1953
>
Sections 37-4-1 to 12, Alaska Compiled Laws,
Annotated 1949, make it mandatory for employ
ers to furnish lists of employees to the local School
Tax Collector before the first day of December,
and to withhold and pay the school tax for em
ployees over 21 and under 55.
Federal employees and other gainfully em
ployed persons whose tax is not being withheld
must pay the school tax before December 1st even
if no official demand notices were received.
All sums collected under the provisions of
this Act are being deposited in the “SCHOOL
FUND” for school purposes only. Failure or neg
lect to pay the school tax is a misdemeanor and
subject to arrest and a fine of not more than $100
or imprisonment of not more than 90 days.
With no exceptions, a penalty of $2.50 attaches
if not paid on or before December 1, 1953.
DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION
Territory of Alaska
Nome Branch
SPECIAL MEETING 1
PUBLIC WELCOME
Each Night October 23 - November 1 at 7:30 p.m.
REV. AND MRS. ROBERT SHEPPARD
Evangelist and Musician
+
SPECIAL MUSIC \
+
Rev. and Mrs. Sheppard come to us from Fairbanks where he is
pastor of the Church of the Nazarene. Rev. Sheppard formerly
held two pastorates in Chicago and is a Seminary graduate.