THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
Telephone: Main 125 P.O. Box 618
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E. P. BOUCHER . Managing Editor
CLINTON GRAY ... Production Manager
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the
postoffice at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
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ON RETURNING TO GOLD
(Wall Street Journal!
Senator Butler, Republican of Nebraska, is doubt
less wise to propose an inquiry into the feasibility of
an early return to a gold-convertible currency instead
of advocating the step itself. The group of economic
experts which will carry out a “privately financed”
study of the subject is expected to work at it for about
a year. By the time the unofficial commission reports
. we should know a good deal more (than we do now
about certain matters related to convertibility, such
as budget balance.
As reported, Senator Butler’s study group will
“determine if we have an adequate gold supply” to
return to our former gold standard and permit the
metal to circulate. We know of no way in which any
group of persons, no matter how expert, can determine
in advance of trial what quantity of gold wfll be “ade
quate” for the purpose. The very meaning of the ad
jective “expert” is “taught by experience.”
In all probability, Senator Butler’s commission
will recount the country’s experience when it returned
to “specie payments” in the 1870s. We hope it does
so, for that experiment and its outcome are instructive
for today, even if not positively conclusive. We be
lieve convertibility would greatly facilitate the job
of restoring the United States to a sound currency and
diminish the risk of any future return to printing press
money.
In any case, the work of a committee of inquiry
can usefully direct public attention to the nature of
our money enlightening us all on the functions of a
gold monetary stock and the dangers lurking in an
inconvertible currency. A course of popular education
on the subject is perhaps as necessary now as it was
in the 1870s to pave the road to a more reliable mone
tary system than the one we have.
COLUMBUS (Ohio) STATE JOURNAL (Rep.) says: —
Government price control is at an end. Our nation
has been returned to a free economy. We are going
to try to stand on our own feet again. It is a challenge,
buit one that certainly should be accepted with full
realization of all its implications. It would be a sorry
day, indeed, if our country should discover that it can
not get along any longer with a free economy. . . .
Delegate Bartlett and Claude Pepper .
Defend Non-Sked Airlines Before
Senate Small Business Committee
Ike Asks Congress
For $5,828,000,000
In new Foreign Aid
WASHINGTON, UP)—The Eisen
hower administration asked Con
gress Tuesday for $5,828,000,000
in new foreign aid as a necessary
defense for America itself against
“the Soviet threat.”
President Eisenhower made the
main plea in a special message to
the lawmakers.
“The basic purpose of this pro
gram is simply the long-term sec
urity of the United States living
in the shadow of the Soviet
threat,” the Presidential message
said.
He noted that the bulk of the
money — approximately $5,250,
000,000 — is set up for military
weapons and direct support “to
the defense efforts of our friends
and allies.” He called that division
“a measure of the peril in which
free nations continue to live.”
“The blunt, sober truth is that
we cannot afford to relax our de
fenses until we have seen clear,
unmistakable evidence of genu
inely peaceful purpose on the part
of the Soviet Union,” Eisenhower
said.
Secretary of State Dulles, lead
ing off before the congressional
committees, made virtually the
same argument in different words
and told the Congress members
that if there is any error in the
total figures the mistake has been
in setting them too1 low.
While the request is $1,772,
000,000 less than former President
Truman made in his farewell bud
get for the year starting July 1, it
still is higher than many Congress
members seem willing to go.
Jet Fighters Bomb Ice
Jams in Alaska Rivers
ANCHORAGE, (£)—Ice jams in
two Alaska rivers were shattered
by bombs from jet fighters last
week-end, and a third ice-choked
river far to the west was reported
menacing the village of Aniak.
Flood waters backed up by ice
in the Susitna River north of here
washed out sections of railway
roadbed near Curry where pas
sengers on a train from Fairbanks
were stranded for two days and
nights.
F-82 fighter-bombers from Ladd
Air Force Base, Fairbanks, blast
ed the ice pack loose with three
runs in which they dropped
bombs and fired salvos of rockets.
The river level was raised more
than 10 feet by one jam more
than a mile in length.
Ladd Field planes also smashed
an ice jam Saturday on the Tan
ana River near Fairbanks.
Nearly 500 air miles west of
here, a 10-mile-long ice jam was
reported bottling up the Kuskok
wim River near Aniak.
NOTICE
Written applications shall be re
ceived at the City Clerk's office
until 5 P.M.. MONDAY. MAY 11.
1953, for the following positions at
Chief of Fire Dept.$400 a mo.
Chief of Police Dept. ..* 500 a mo.
Utility Man . 575 a mo.
Nome Common Council
By Carrie M. McLain,
City Clerk
Publish Apr. 29, May 6 and 8, 1953
>: WASHINGTON, UP) — Former
Democratic Senator Claude Pep
per of. Florida said Monday the
Civil Aeronautics Board is regu
lating the nation’s small airlines
out of business.
Pepper appeared before mem
bers of Congress for the first time
since his defeat in 1950, as counsel
for the Aircoach Transport Asso
ciation. He represented the or
ganization of non-scheduled air-^
lines before the Senate Small Bus
iness Subcommittee.
Pepper said airlines are being
forced to stop flying because of
too frequent and too regular op
erations. “In other words, these
pioneers of the air coach business
es are being put obt of business
by the CAB because they are be
coming successful,” Pepper said.
Alaska’s representative in Con
gress, Delegate Bartlett, called the
committee’s attention to a March
26 memorial of the territorial leg
islature asking the CAB to re
frain from revoking permits of
non-scheduled airlines pending
completion of board studies now
under way.
Bartlett said the importance of
aviation to Alaska cannot be over
emphasized.
He said there is a likelihood
Alaska may soon be without reg
ular passenger service by water
and may have to depend, for pas
senger travel, exclusively upon
the airlines.
“We need more of all kinds of
transportation in Alaska,” Bart
lett said.
Howard J. Hunt, secretary-treas
urer of Air Transport Associates
<ATA), said his company recently
was forced out of business “be
cause we were serving Alaska too
well—that was our trouble.”
The CAB ordered the non-sched
to cease operations because it had
operated between Seattle and An
chorage-Fairbanks too frequently
and regularly.
Hunt said ATA was the last
non-scheduled airline flying be
tween the Pacific Northwest and
Alaska.
Because of the competition,
Hunt said, air freight rates to Al
aska on perishables and fresh
milk had been reduced from 68
cents to 15 cents a pound.
“With this competition out of
the picture, the 68 cents a pound
rate will soon be back and the
cost of perishable foods and fresh
milk will once again be outside
the pocketbooks of Alaskans,”
Hunt said.
“The action of the CAB is an
other step in the campaign to put
Alaska on ice for another decade
or two. The spoils now go to the
boys with the best pipeline into
the federal treasury, the boys who
get the subsidy.”
An elaborate system of pumps
keeps New Orleans from being
flooded when it rains.
U.N. Command Accuses
Communists of “Smoke
Screen” in Truce Talks
PANMUNJOM, UP) — The U.N.
Command Tuesday accused the
Communists of throwing up a
smoke screen in the Korean truce
talks and said Red stalling “casts
serious doubts on their sincerity.”
Lt. Gen. William K. Harrison
insisted the Allies could not agree
to Red demands that 48,000 pris
oners who have spurned Commu
nism be shipped to a neutral
Asian custodian.
“Many would destroy them
selves rather than submit to re
moval from Korea,” the senior
Allied delegate said.
The most Red truce delegates
would say was trfat Allied nomin
ation of Pakistan as a neutral
caretaker was “worth welcoming.”
They also insisted that both sides
first work out the functions of
the neutral before deciding on the
nation itself.
Jets Dive-Bomb Power Plant
Almost At The Yalu River
SEOUL, UP)—U.S. Thunder jets
swept almost to the Yalu River
boundary of North Korea today
and dive - bombed at least 17
major buildings at the abandoned
Kangge dam.
Sabre jet fighters flew escort
for the 36 Thunder jets in one of
the war’s deepest fighter-bomber
penetration of North Korea. The
Air Force made no mention of
opposition from Communist MIG
jets based just across the Yalu in
Manchuria.
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