Vol. 5, No. 28
SEWARD, ALASKA, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1948
Price 10 Cents
:
Cold Storage_
Firm Gets Big
Export Order
Tons of fish, stacked high like
$;ove wood and frozen; twice as
hard, stand in the cold rooms of
the Seward Fish and Cold Storage
Company. Salmon, cod, and hali
but, whole and in steaks, await
shipment to all parts of the coun
try.
One single customer has placed
an order for a half-million pounds
cf halibut steaks with the local
company for the coming year. A
single shipment of 25,000 pounds is
now being packaged for delivery.
The packages were specially de
signed for the company by a com
mercial artist in Seattle. The name
cf the city of Seward is prominent
ly displayed on each package, so
the city will become widely recog
nized as the source of fine fish.
Besides the halibut steaks, the
company processes smoked salmon,
smoked and kippered cod, and the
hard smoked salmon called Beleek
or squaw candy.
One Anchorage market bought
two and a half tons of the squaw
candy alone. Because of moisture
loss, it takes six tons of fish to fill
an order for that much squaw
candy.
The smoked fish, as well as the
frozen, is put up in attractive
packages with celophane windows.
There is even a small snack pack
age suitable for serving in bars
and lunchrooms.
The Seward Fish and Cold Stor
age Company is operated by a
partnership of four men, William
Pege. Tom Reily, F. R. Burns, and
r red S. Wilmans. Pege formerly
operated a cannery at Kenai. Reilv,
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Housing Project
Improves Facilities
Winterizing work has been pro
gressing rapidly at the Veterans
Housing Project, according to man
ager P. J. Fails. Storm entrances:
have been built on the buildings.!
and they have been made winter
tight. Water pipes have been
boxed in to prevent freezing.
Painting and maintenance work
is being carried out according to
program. General appearance of
the area has been improved con
siderably by the grading job done
this week.
At present there are 37 families
housed at the project. In spite of
the accommodations of the project
and many other new dwelling
units erected in Seward during the
past 18 months there is no surplus
of housing in the town.
As manager of the project Mr.
Fails has the job of collecting rent,
overseeing general maintenance,
and screening the many applica
tions to see that veterans and their
families are admitted in proper or
der of preference.
VET'S REPRESENTATIVE
HERE OCTOBER 11
Ken Kenny, a representative of
the Veterans Administration, will
be at Seward on October 11 and
12.
Kenny will be available for in
terviews at the Ne\y Seward Hotel
on those days between the hours
of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., to assist vet
erans in applying for benefits pro
vided by the Federal law and ad
ministered by the Veterans Admin
istration.
Seward Dock Workers Shy
At Relief as Strike Goes On
With the maritime strike begin
ning this second month, few local
longshoremen have seen fit to
make application for unemploy
ment compensation.
Application blanks have been
available in Seward for some time.
Some of the men have made appli
cation and are receiving their pay
ments. Since neither of the local
unions is on strike, the men are
eligible for compensation.
Men who can pick up a bit of
work now and then are still mak
ing more money than the payments
would cover. Besides, Alaskans are
generally independent people.
Police Back Plan
P^r Junior Patrol
By School Boys
Officer Turnbull announced that
the Seward Police Department
stands ready to cooperate with the
Parent-Teachers Association in or
ganizing a boy traffic force for pro
tection of school children.
He expressed the hope that the
Volunteer Firemen would be suc
cessful in bringing the rollerskat
ing rink into operation.
Many people have told Mr. Turn
bull that nothing can be done with
the children of Seward. But he
cited the 4-H Club of Seward as an
example of youth achievement
combined with parent guidance.
If tliese same people were to say
that nothing could be done with
the parents of Seward, thev would
be nearer the truth.
School Health Exams
Monday and Tuesday
The school health examinations
will he given this'coming Monday
and Tuesday mornings, October 11
and 12, at the school by Drs. Shel
ton and Sellers and the Public
Health Nurse, Mrs. Bie. Assisting
are six mothers from the Parent
Teachers Association. Mrs. Gerwer,
Mrs. Norton, Mrs. Rose, Mrs. Jones,
Mrs. Dangler and Mrs. Davis, who
re cooperating with the health
taff to aid them in expediting the
examinations. The mothers have
expressed their willingness to serve
.joth mornings so that a new crew
will not have to be broken in on
Tuesday.
Public school health examina
tions are compulsory and complete
records are kept for each child
from beginner through high school.
The record system entails a great
deal of clerical work as the records
are used in compilation of Terri
total health statistics.
BOARD URGES BREAKDOWN
OF CONTRACTS IN ALASKA
Breaking down of Federal engin
eering and construction contracts
in Alaska to a size which would
permit resident architectural, en
gineering and construction firms to
handle them has been urged upon
Federal construction agencies by
the Alaska Development Board.
The board points out in a resolu
tion adopted at a recent meeting
that the size of contracts adver- j
tised for bidding has, in many '
cases,* been so great that only a
few construction firms with large
resources have been in a posi'ion
to bid on them.
The board recommends thrt con
tract terms be so drawn as to en
able the resident Alaska firms to
have a chance at them on an equal
basis.
Lt. Keidser left for Wbittier on
the Thursday morning train. The
trip was for official government
business, and will be only a couple
f days duration. j
Thief Takes $325
In Raid on Local
Lesion Club
Burglars broke into the Legion
Club on Fifth Avenue in the early
hours of Thursday morning and
made off with $325 in cash.
Entrance was effected by smash
ing a pane in a window to the rear
of the club house and releasing
the catch. An examination of the
premises showed that they made
their entrance through the front
door.
Police were notified of the crime
at 7:40 a.m. Thursday. Clyde Smith
who is employed at the club, had
discovered the burglary just a few
minutes prior to that time.
A check of the premises revealed
that cash from the sale of Fire
men's Dance tickets had been un
touched. as well as a large bundle
tri—the tickets. Several hundred
dollars worth of silver were over
looked also.
Police were not very hopeful of
finding finger prints, although it
did not look like a professional job.
The supposition is that the crime
was committed by a person in a
peat hurry, since the safe was not
touched, and not a single bottle of
liquor was taken.
It is believed that a person with
some knowledge of the club was
involved because of the manner of
entrance and exit. However, if the
person had been well acquainted
with die set-up, he would have
found more loot. No other damage
was reported.
Police have been working on the
case since Thursday morning, but
are not prepared to reveal what
leads they have picked up.
TWO MEN INJURED
IN HIGHWAY ACCIDENT
A slight mishap on the new
highway at Mile 58 brought two
Seward men into town for medi
cal attention when the engine of a
heavily loaded truck of lumber
stalled on a steep grade and the
truck rolled back down the hill
for fifty feet and overturned down
ten foot embankment. Ted Bris
ow and “Dusty” Womach were
atop the load and when it became
evident the truck was going over
Bristow was able to jump receiv
ing slight injury and bruises fo his
hip but Womach landed under the
load and his arm was broken. The
two men in the cab of the truck
were unhurt:
EADS BROTHERS
BUY SCHOOL BUS
Eads Brothers Garage reported
having purchased the school bus
from Harold . Maxwell Friday
morning. The school bus contract
also changed hands in the trans
action, they reported. The brothers
stated that their garage was
equipped to maintain and operate
the bus on an economical basis.
Next Tuesday’s Election Held
Vital to Continued Prosperity
of Seward Seaport Area
Railroad Barge
Due in Seward
Next Monday
The Alaska Railroad office at
the Seward Dock has received a
telegram to the effect that a barge
wili dock here October 11. It will
carry cargo for Munler-Phillips,
who have the contract to build
bridges on the Seward-Anchorage
Highway.
Tiie arrival date of October 11
is tentative, of course, but the
barge is now on its way. It was
not known whether the vessel car
| ried cargo other than construction
| materials.
Seward-Kenai C of C
Dinner To Be Sunday
Sunday. October 10. at 2 o’clock
n the afternoon businessmen of
lie Seward and Kenai Chambers
• i Commerce will sit down together
' a dinner and joint meeting at
.lcnlon's Lodge.
At press time, it was reported
hat about twentv -five Seward
businessmen h a d already made
eservations. Tickets are selling at
hsee.dollars each.
Henton’s Lodge at Mile $7 is the
halfway mark on the road between
the two towns. It is an ideal spot
jCr an outing, and the meeting
presents an opportunity for people
of ti e two towns to become ac
quainted.
Wind Wrecks
Eads' Plane
A freak wind picked up the Eads
float plane, anchored on Bear
Lake, and tossed it up on the
ramp, wrecking it completely ear
ly Thursday morning.
Both wings and floats were
smashed, the propeller was broken
and the fuselage broken at the
cabin, folding the tail over the
nose.
No great wind was reported in
town, but residents in the vicinity
of Bear Lake reported that the
velocity of the wind there was
terrific. ^
The lines that held the Piper Cub
at anchorage were more than
strong enough for ordinary weath
er, but in the gale they were torn
to pieces.
Damage was reported to be at
least a thousand dollars, with the
possibility that the loss is com
plete.
MONTHLY IMMUNIZATION
CLINIC THURSDAY, OCT. 14
The Monthly Immunization Clinic
will be held Thursday, October 14,
2 p.m. to 3 p.m., at the Public
Health Nurse's office in the Medi
cal Building. Parents are urged to
check their children’s immuniza
tion records to determine whether
booster shots for diphtheria and
whooping cough are due. Smallpox
vaccinations should be repeated
every five years. Infants should
start the immunization series at
the age of six months.
Captain Slagle left Wednesday
afternoon with a hunting party
to hunt Brownies in the Kenai
River area.
People of Seward:
Seward is facing the most criti
cal period in its history. Therefore,
it behooves every citizen of voting
age in and around this community
to go to the polls next Tuesday
and cast his ballot.
Aside from the business of po
litical selection of representatives,
there aie a number of reasons why
a large vote will be to the advan
tage of the city. It is the common
belief of a large part of the Terri
tory that Seward is a very small
and insignificant town with a pop
ulation of around one thousand, it
was even reported so during the
past summer by the Anchorage
Times. The Fairbanks Chamber of
Commerce, • under the impression
that the place is so small it is not
worth bothering with, went on rec
ord September 2. advocating the
closing of the railroad to Seward
and opening Whittier as a commer
cial port, saying that "Seward
should not stand in the way of the
rest of the Territory.”
Such a statement could not have
'■been made had the people of Fair
banks known that they had a siz
able city to contend with, whose
importance to them had to be
acknowledged. When other cities
have been made to realize th^r
their own economy depends largely
upon the size and prosperity of
Seward and surrounding communi
ties their attitude will change and
the old cut-throat policies will be
considerably minimized.
What better and more forceful
way to prove that point, prove to
the Territory and to Washington,
that an Alaskan city of 2500 peo
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Reductions In Air
Express Rates
Rcent reduction in Air Express
rates, especially applying from
Seattle to Anchorage, Alaska, -was
announced by local Railway Ex
press agent, Don Wilson, today.
The air rate per pound, or frac
tion thereof, is now 45 cents per
pound, with a minimum charge of
SI.50 per shipment. After weight
of shipment has reached 50 pounds,
the rate drops to 36 cents per
pound for each additional pound.
On shipments originating beyond
Seattle, regular stateside charge is
made, in addition to the above, de
pending on weight and distance.
Minimum charge on shipments of
this nature is $1.95.*Free insurance
in either case is allowed up to
$50.00. “Beyond” shipments can
move in regular rail express service
to Seattle, and be converted to air
service there if desired.
Air express reductions have also
been made for traffic moving from
the eastern markets through the
gateway cities of Minneapolis and
St. Paul.
Regular rail express rates will
apply from Anchorage to Seward.
ALTAR SOCIETY
PLANS PARTY
The Altar Society of Sacred
Heart Catholic Church will give a
card party at the church on
Wednesday, October 20. Refresh
ments will be served.
Mrs. Roth and JIrs. Born will # be
hostesses. i
Patronize Home Industry