TIIE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
E P. BOUCHER . Managing Editor
CLINTON GRAY . Production Manager
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Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943 at the
postoffice at Nome. Alaska, under Act of March 3. 1879
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THE RIGHT TO TAKE A CHANCE
“Americans take chances because of an incentive
to win. Not always a money reward, as our European
friends so often misinterpret it. The sheer joy of win
ning, of making a dream come true, accounts for many
a speculation.”
Thus writes W. Alton Jones, board chairman of
Cities Service in New Year’s editorial in the magazine
Service. Babe Ruth, he reminds us, struck out 1,330
times in a career that made him immortal as the “Swat
King” of baseball—with a record of 714 home-runs.
The homer total is remembered, not the strike-outs.
And only a man who tried his best for a four-bagger
every time at bat could have rolled up such a score.
“Winning by discovering the secret hiding places
of Nature is a Yankee specialty,” says Mr. Jor°s. “The
wildcatters of minerals, of oil and gas, of fishing and
hunting are of that breed. They are the grandchildren
of risk-takers who moved the little colonies of men
and women westward from Jamestown and Plymouth
Rock.
“When the Government announced its gold policy
in 1934 . . . 100,000 men and women on the West
Coast borrowed pans and grub-stakes and started hunt
ing. Less than three in a hundred were successful.
“Wildcatters in oil and gas, blood-brothers to the
gold prospectors—migratory, famed in song and story
as rugged, two-fisted Americans — sink thousands of
holes each year. Eight out of nine are dry—failures.
Only an occasional gusher, but the dream of it keeps
the light afire in the eyes of the oil and gas wildcatter.
“It would be a national calamity,” he says, “if
current proposals, which would put oil and gas pros
pectors under bureaucratic controls, were carried out.”
Mr. Jones urges “all Americans who recognize that
playing to win is one of our most important resources”
to take a good look at any proposals to restrict their
operations. In endorsing this view, we can only add that
Americans should be equally alert to any legislative
curtailment of our fighting chance to get up in the
world in any field of endeavor.
Polio is a BIGGER Job Now!
On Jan. 3, the annual March of Dimes will start its
drive for polio-fighting funds. While the year just ending
has witnessed giant strides against this crippling disease,
victory is not yet won.
The trial vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas E. Salk was
given last spring to 440,000 children. Now an evaluation
of its effectiveness in preventing polio paralysis is being
made at the University of Michigan. Health records of
1,830,000 children in the first three grades of 14,000 schools
in the 217 trial areas are being studied.
Bui up lo now we rannot know whether the vac
cine protected against paralytic polio, and we will not
know until spring. Meanwhile, the fight must go
steadily on.
Even if the vaccine is effective, polio still will strike in
the years just ahead. It takes time for a preventive to
become widely used. We must expect tens of thousands
of men, women and children to be stricken and to need
March of Dimes aid. That help must be available to them.
The fight against polio is being carried out on
four fronts—polio prevention, patient aid, scientific
research and professional education. This makes it
a much bigger job now. Great advances have been
made in the past few years but the four-front attack
must continue till final victory.
The March of Dimes needs our whole-hearted support
right now to do a bigger job for all of us. Dig deep during
this January drive. It’s YOUR fight.
Red China can’t get that seat until it has a
better standing.
By the time the average politician is ready to
lead, the people are several miles ahead.
GRAND OPENING
i
yto v'
U.S. Fighters Turn Back
Three Unidentified Planes
Near Korean Frontier
TOKYO, —U.S. fighters “in
tercepted” three mystery planes
over allied territory near the
northwest Korean front last night
but the intruders turned back be
fore there was any shooting, a
Far East Air Forces spokesman
said today.
Detection of the three propellor
driven planes on allied radar
screens touched off a 52-minute
alert in Seoul.
The Air Force spokesman said
the three plane' were unidentified
but added: “It’s a cinch they
weren't ours.”
Will Ask New Congress
Inquire Into Low Morale
Of Federal Employes
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., UPi—Rep.
Edward P. Boiand tD-Mass) said
today he would ask the incoming
Congress to set up a permanent
subcommittee to inquire into the
“low morale” of federal employes
due to agency shifts and trans
fers by Republican department
heads.
“I have conferred with the next
House majority leader, Rep. Mc
Cormick <D-Mass> and he has as
sured me of his support of the
measure,” said Boland.
Boland said also he is asking
Sen. Monroney <D-Okla» to broad
en his proposed probe of Repub
lican patronage moves to include
the “breakdown of morale” among
federal employes in Civil Service.
Teachers Accuse Ike
Of Stalling Federal
Aid To Schools
CHICAGO, U!)— The president
of the American Federation of
Teachers <AFT» said today the
Eisenhower administration is fol
lowing a policy of “study, stall,
and stand pat” against federal aid
to schools.
Carl J. Megel of Chicago, told
the federation’s executive council
he hopes “the new Democratic
controlled Congress would bring
federal aid to a new showdown.”
Megel said AFT will press for
enactment of federal aid bills for
school construction, teachers’ sal
aries, scholarships, child health
and welfare services and combat
ting illiteracy.
Another signpost along the road
to maturity is when the answers
; to all your problems can’t be
i found in the back of a textbook.
V'
Prof Says U.S. Attitude
Toward Brains Is They’re
Okay But Not Interesting
BERKELEY, Calif., UP) — The
United States must “make think
ing popular,” a university presi
dent declared today. Too many
Americans take the attitude that
having brains is okay but “not
very interesting,” said Dr. Lee A.
Dubridge, head of the California
Institute of Technology.
That is one main reason why
not enough students are becom
ing scientists, at a time when
more scientists and engineers are
badly needed, he said.
The challenge is “to make
thinking popular, to elevate re
spect for the thoughtful men, the
scholars, the intellectual.” One ef
fect would- be to induce more stu
dents to take up scientific careers,
Dr. Dubridge told the American
Assn, for the Advancement of
Science.
Coldest Dec. 28 In History
Recorded In Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES, UP) — Folks
here shivered Tuesday morning
with good reason — it was the
coldest Dec. 28. on record in Los
Angeles.
The mercury at 5:20 a.m. drop
ped to 36 degrees — 2 degrees
colder than the previous record
set in 1893.
It was the coldest morning in
nearly three years—or since Jan.
3, 1952, when 36 also was re
corded.
Friendly Dog
Helps Polio Victim
To Learn To Walk
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa, (^Pl—
Suzie made Gene walk.
Suzie is a big friendly Labrador
dog. Gene is a three year old lad
who was stricken with polio when
he was seven months old.
Gene spent two weeks in an
epidemic - crowded hospital ward
after being stricken with the
dread disease and then was sent
home to convalesce. But he never
seemed to be able to try walking
again until November of 1953
when he met Suzie.
In that month, his father’s
grandmother died and Gene was
sent to a friend's home during
the funeral. The friend owned
Suzie.
Gene took a long look at Suzie.
Then he crawled to the dog. He
grasped its fur and pulled him
self up. Suzie, dad D. I. Walker
related today, stood still for a
time, then began walking slowly.
Gene kept pace faltering, always
tightly grasping Suzie.
It was from that day, the Walk
ers say, that Gene began his re
covery. Suzie was taken to the
Walker home and now Gene is
able to walk, with Suzie assisting
much of the time, without more
than a limp and with no leg
braces.
Park Service Invites Bids
For The Operation Of
Mt. McKinley Park Hotel
WASHINGTON, l/PI —The Na
tional Park Service today invited
bids for operation of,the govern
ment’s McKinley Park Hotel and
related visitor vicilities in Alas
ka’s Mt. McKinley National Park.
The service advised prospective
bidders first to inspect the pro
perties and determine the scope
and problems of the operation.
The Interior Dept, announced
last summer it had found it neces
sary to terminate operation of the
hotel and concessions by McKin
ley Park Services, Inc., because
of failure “to conduct its opera
tions satisfactorily.”
The hotel has 54 rooms with
bath and 34 without baths, all
furnished, a dining room and a
cocktail lounge. Other govern
ment-owned facilities include an
equipped dormitory for employes,
a laundry, a power plant, trans
portation and other heavy equip
ment, and a 3,000-foot airfield
near the hotel.
Fine Job Printing at The Nugget
APPEARING ONLY ' SHOWTIME
NEW YEAR'S EVE 10:30 & 12:30
V
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Follow the sign that points to those
Wacky Zing Zang Zanies
THE FABULOUS COMEDY TEAM OF
Jerry Ross and Roland Jordan
APPEARING
AT THE
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SHOWTIME APPEARING ONLY
10:30 & 12:30 NEW YEAR'S EVE