THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
Telephone Main 125 $1.50 PER MONTH
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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. cal]
Main 125 for special delivery. After 5:30 call Black 102.
___ SOMEONE iS FALLING
Rape of The 49th
From the Wrangel Sentinel
By LEW WILLIAMS
This is the year of the transition
period, from Territory to> State.
This is the year of the “hand in
the till.” This is the year of the
water hauler, carrying it on both
shoulders. This is the year of the
spenders. This is the year of get
ting it while there is still some
left. This is the year the taxpayer
trembles. This is the year which
appears headed for history as the
rape of the 49th.
Before the first state legislature
in Juneau are these measures, to
mention a few, the big ones
haven’t come up yet:
To appropriate $92,295 to cover
operating expenses of the legis
lature authorized in SB29.
To appropriate $21,000 to cover
legislative council study of the ju
dicial system.
To appropriate $94,545 to cover
legislative expenses of SB 29.
To appropriate $23,107 for pur
chase of duplicating machinery
for legislature and legislative
council.
To appropriate $8,751 for alter
ations, desks and chairs, in legis
lative chambers.
To appropriate $222,520 for pay
ment of salary and per diem and
allowances of legislature, at $3,000
per year plus $40 per day.
To set salaries of Governor at
$24,000 and Secretary of State at
$17,500 per year.
To appropriate $400,000 in defi
ciency funds to cover school bus
transportation costs.
To appropriate $173,000 for a
deficiency in the Department of
Finance.
To appropriate $1,500 for defi
ciency needs of the real estate
commission.
To apropriate $69,453 in emer
gency funds to Governor’s office.
This totals a mere $1,053,126
and this is only a beginning, much
of it routine. This does not include
the proposed setting up of judi
ciary with salaries ranging from
$25,000 for judges to $27,500 for
the chief justice. This does not in
clude the creation of 15 depart
ment heads with staffs of appro
priate salaries probably ranging
from $15,000 up. Nor does it in
clude $40 per day for their ex
penses while away from their
headquarters which naturally
enough they should be allowed in
view of the precedent set- by the
legislators of paying themselves
a similar sum.
This does not include the real
major apprbpriations which are
necessary to establish a mental
hospital, to maintain an adequate
road program and expand it
through matching funds to obtain
federal aid, to maintain a modern
and adequate school system, to
give proper attention to health
and welfare programs and carry
on other functions essential to a
sound state government.
No, unfortunately, the appropri
ations to date are of the “get it
now” variety; “let essentials
wait”; “somebody will pay for
them” attitude.
This is the sort of approach
which brings, for example, from
the state of Michigan the news
that the Governor of that state
had to ask taxpayers to pay their
taxes in advance so that the state
could meet its obligations. It is the
sort of thinking which brings
from the state of Washington
rumblings over how to make up a
deficit now reported at $44
' million.
This is the year of the toad.
This is the year he suggests the
word statesmanship to the men in
Juneau.
What, we asked in amazement,
is that?
“It’s what they don’t seem to
have in the legislature,” said he,
“if you know what I mean, the
ability of showing wisdom in
' treating or directing public af
fairs.” There’s been some rare ex
ceptions such as some sound ad
vice by Acting Governor Hugh
Wade on projecting the income
before setting up the outgo and a
good solid vote by Jim Nolan —
against duplicating machines and
other frills.”
Paused a moment before slip
ping into his pool through the
j hole in the ice.
“Might be getting over my
j depth,” quoth he, “but it’s safer
i down here in this ravishing year
of ’59.”
mwwiMVi
News-Letter
By Mary Lee Council
(Secretary to Slen. E. L. Bartlett)
SCHOOL PAYMENTS
Three payments totalling $175,
280 were approved last week for
Kodiak, Nome and Fairbanks
schools, according to information
given to Sen. Bartlett by Com
missioner Derthick of the Office
of Education.
The money has been made
available under the terms of the
law which provides financial
assistance for schools in federal
ly-affected areas for supplement
ing maintenance and operation
costs. One of the three payments
approved last week would go to
j the Kodiak Independent School
District in the amount of $31,981,
the second in the amount of
! $132,632 has been earmarked for
, the Fairbanks Independent School
District, and the third, $10,717,
will go to the Nome Public School.
FREE MARKET FOR GOLD
The administration, speaking
: through the Treasury Depart
ment, has reaffirmed its opposi
j tion to the free marketing of gold
I or an increase in the price of gold
in reporting on Sen. Bartlett’s
bill to create a free market in
the United States for newly
mined domestic gold and for im
ported gold and to allow the ex
portation of such gold without
restriction.
According to the Treasury the
free marketing bill would “in
volve a second, unofficial price
for gold which would fluctuate at
variance from the official price
depending upon the demand for a
relatively small amount of new
gold production.
“Our goals of economic stabil
ity and sound money require a
continuation of our policy of
maintaining the price of gold at
$35 per ounce. Accordingly, the
Treasury Department is apposed
to the enactment of legislation
which would have the effect of
creating variable prices for gold
in terms of the dollar in domestic
and foreign markets. We believe
that the adoption of any such pro
posal would tend to undermine
confidence in the currency and
thus would be a step away from
the sound monetary policy.”
As of Dec. 31, 1958, the gov
ernment was holding gold in the
total amount of $20,534,298,622,
the major portion of about $12M>
billion being at Fort Knox with
the rest divided among the mints
at Denver, Philadelphia and San
Francisco and the New York
Assay Office. During the 1957
calendar year, gold in the value
of $62,776,000 was mined in the
States, including $7,541,345 in Al
aska, and the preliminary 1958
estimates place the total produc
tion at $60,772,320 with the Al
aska portion totalling an esti
mated $7,525,000.
—
There are now 7,589,183 Boy
Scouts and leaders in 67 nations
around the -world.
GLUE POT
Soda Fountain
CIGARS, CIGARETS
TOBACCO
CANDY
FRESH ICE CREAM
EVERY DAY
Legislature Lauded By Convalescing
Alaska Governor, for ‘Doing Good Job’
JUNEAU, UP) — Legislators had
a message from convalescing Gov
ernor William A. Egan Thursday
saying he believes they are “doing
a good job.” There’s apparently no
prospect he will return here for
two months or more.
The message was relayed by
Governor Egan’s assistant, Burke
Riley, after he accompanied Egan
and Mrs. Egan as they left a
Seattle hospital Wednesday. The
Governor will now begin six
weeks’ convalescence before an
other planned operation for re
moval of a gallstone.
He was alert but still appar
ently very weak following his
severe abdominal operation five
weeks ago.
Riley declined to comment on
possible appointments that might
be made by acting Governor
Hugh Wade or later by Egan. But
he did say Egan and Wade were
Gruening Speaks At
Function for Winners of
Democracy Scribe Contest
WASHINGTON, UP) — Although
outnumbered by girls 26-24, boys
made a clean sweep Wednesday
of the top honors in the annual
Voice of Democracy broadcast
script writing contest.
The Nq. 1 award of $1,500 went
to a Georgia boy, James W. Ra
chels Jr. of Columbus.
The awards were presented at
a luncheon at which Sen. Ernest
Gruening told the teen-agers that
Americans can insure their Demo
cratic heritage by voting and keep
ing informed on political issues.
maintaining close liaison on gen
eral policy and future appoint
ments.
At a news conference at Seattle,
Egan expressed thanks for the
thousands of letters and telegrams
he said he had received and called
the surgeons who had relieved his
intestinal block “the right hand
of God, as far as I am concerned.”
He also said he believed that
acting Governor Wade was “func
tioning in a way that should
please all Alaskans.”
Meanwhile, Sen. John Cog
hill of Nenana, Republican minor
ity leader in the upper branch,
introduced a bill that he said
would allow Governor Egan to re
ceive a salary for the time since
he took office January 3.
The measure would remove the
Governor and Secretary of State
from provisions of state personnel
laws. Without such action, Cog
hill said, Egan could not qualify
for any pay because he has been
hospitalized since the day of his
inauguration.
5
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