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.
A SWITCH
)
PROUD OF OUR STATE...
HPOMORROW, January 3rd, President Eisenhower
-i- takes the final step in changing Alaska from a
Territory to a State, when he signs the proclamation
making Alaska the 49th State.
Historically speaking, Nome is the town in Alaska
which started the agitation for Statehood back in
1912, when the people of Alaska first demanded repre
sentation in Congress, and their rights as American
citizens.
Since that time, Alaskans have never stopped
their campaign to have their own star on Old Glory,
and become the Golden Star State of the Union.
It is fitting and proper that first, second and third
generation Alaskans take time tomorrow for a formal
recognition of the achievement of their efforts in the
ceremony planned to take place in the new Federal
Court Room.
Alaska enters the union proudly, not only as the
largest state, but as the only state without an outstand
ing debt, according to figures compiled at the end
of 1957.
From this day, Alaskans have voting representa
tion in Congress, voting privileges for the leaders of
the nation, equality with their fellow Americans in the
other forty-eight States.
It is a solemn moment in the history of the Terri
tory, as the President of the United States proclaims
Alaska the newest State of the Union.
Conservatives fear the possibility of increased
taxation, liberals prophesy fantastic growth and surge
of industrial development.
Come what may, Alaskans will take it in their
stride, and meet the problems as they arise, and always
prove outstanding in progress and development.
We’re proud to be part of the 49th State of the
United States of America, and to have shared in
making that long-cherished dream a reality.
ALINE, OKLAHOMA, CHRONOSCOPE: “The Soviet
Government supplies MiG’s to the Chinese Reds to
shoot up Quemoy Island and they think it the proper
thing to do. The U. S. supplies the Chinese National
ists with sidewinders that hunt out and destroy the
MiG’s. Now that’s‘a helluva thing to do, say the Reds.
You just can’t please the Commies.”
Northern Area Leaders Support NWA
C of C In 3-District Admin. Objections
In support of the Northwestern
Alaska Chamber of Commerce
resolution sent to Governor Egan'
iast week objecting to the pro
posal under consideration which
would partition the State of Alas
ka into three districts, the follow
ing letter was received by Mr.
Robert Atwood, Chairman, State
hood Committee, from John T.
Curtis, newly-elected representa
tive from District 21 of Kotzebue.
Mr. Curtis writes:
“I have discussed with a num
ber of people the proposal of the
Public Administration Service to
consolidate the entire northern
portion of Alaska under an ad
ministrative central office in the
interior, and find a general resis
tance to this suggestion.
“As a legislative representative
of northern coastal Alaska I am
protesting this arrangement which
I am confident would have poor
results for the people I represent,
giving them little chance to feel
they are part of the government
of the new State.
“We have large areas of ntwe j
population with problems separ
ate and different from those of
j other minority groups of Alaska
| and I believe these problems can
I be given proper emphasis and
handling only through close con
tact and direct administration.
This is particularly important in
the handling of welfare, unem
ployment, law enforcement, liquor
control, health programs and re
lated problems.
“It is particularly important the
Eskimo people have a close re
lationship with the new State gov
ernment. Only by direct contact
can individual Eskimos he made
aware of their new responsibili
ties under the State government.
This is true of all native peoples
of Alaska.’’
Also received by Mr. Atwood,
from William T. McIntyre, S.J.,
President of the Arctic Circle
Chamber of Commerce in Kotze
bue, is the following:
“We are protesting the cen
tralization of the administrative
offices in interior Alaska for the
Northwestern section, of which
we are part, as proposed by Pub
lic Administration Service. The
problems of Northwestern Alaska
are entirely different than those
of the Interior. A situation not
generally recognized by those not
familiar with the far north. We
believe the establishment of State
Administration offices in interior
Alaska can only act to our dis
advantage. We must have direct
contact with some administrative
representatives in the area itself
to insure* proper emphasis on
problems peculiar to our area.
Problems Are Multiplied
“For instance, labor problems of
this coastal region are multiplied
and much valuable time is lost
under the present set up of hav
ing to make all labor contacts in
the Interior. We consider it of the
utmost importance that an Alaska
Employment Service be estab
lished in northwestern Alaska be
cause of the increasing number
of native peoples who are desir
ous of entering the labor markets.'
This certainly presents a unique
problem.
“One of the biggest Second Di
vision expenditures of tax monies
is that for Welfare which would
be much better administered
where there can be direct con
tact and closer supervision.
Liquor Control
“Much discussion has been held
in regard to liquor control und^-r
the State. This is a matter of pai»
ticular interest to us as our imme
diate area includes numerous na
tive villages without local law en
forcement of any kind. We rec
ommend consideration of appoint
ment of special investigators un
der the direct supervision of an
Alaska Liquor Board to police
liquor traffic instead of placing
this additional burden on the
Alaska State Police. At the present
time there is no Alaska police in
the whole Second Division.
•
“The State of Washington for a
time had. their State Police per
form the duties of liquor control
but it was not satisfactory They
now have special investigators who
are effective in the work of liquor
control. We cannot over emphasize
the urgency of proper control for
the great portion of the new State
which will continue to be without
permanently stationed local law
enforcement agents.
“Those are only some of the
problems faced by us; there are
many others. What of other law
enforcement needs? Are transpor
Nome-U-Wash
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tation costs to become top heavy
by requiring all participants in
legal precedures to journey to and
from Fairbanks or Anchorage?
“We have been and are an iso
lated area with little direct con
tact with governing units. With
no administrative units whatever
in the areas and abolition of
Boards preventing local participa
tion in administration of the new
State the residents of northwestern
Alaska will feel even more iso
lated and disassociated from the
government of the State of Alas
ka. We want to be active partici
pants in developments and this
will be denied to us under the
proposal of placing control of
northwestern Alaska in the in
terior.”
BRING YOUR
WATCH
to the
Nome Drug Store
for
EXPERT REPAIRS
j 25,906 Visited McKinley
! National Park in 19'8
Visitors to Mount McKinley Na
| tional Park totaled 25,906 during
i the 1958 travel season, as com
i pared to 10,662 in 1957, the pre
vious high mark. This upsurge of
j travel is due to the recent com
! pletion of the Denali Highway,
, first opened to the public on Aug
j ust 6, 1957.
In commenting on the past
year’s travel season, Superinten
dent Duane D. Jacobs noted that
visitors came in their automobiles
from every state in the Union ex
cept West Virginia and Wyoming,
Alaskans comprised 52 percent of
the total visitation, the balance
coming from other states and for
eign countries.
The McKinley Park Hotel was
host to many of these automobile
visitors as well as those arriving
via the Alaska Railroad. Others
enjoyed the several campgrounds
provided by the National Park
Service for their use and conven
ience. Organized groups of mili
tary personsel and Boy Scouts
also made good use of the camp
grounds.
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