youths xvn
Sitka Sentinel
and The ARROWHEAD PRESS *
Member of The Associated Preaa
Monday, December 19, 1955
10c a Copy
~ NUMBER T
Prominent, long-time local
businessman dies Saturday
Thomas Tilson dead
after gunshot
wound at store
Saturday afternoon the num
erous friends of Thomas Tilson
were shocked and saddened to
hear o£ his death, at 2:25 p. m.
of a gunshot wound. He was
in the back room of his store,
Tilson & Sons, where he had
gone to clean a rifle.
A coroner’s jury — composed
of Frank Guertin, Russell Clith
ero, Clarence Rands, Ben For
bes, Charles Rolbitch and dell
Bird — was convened and, af
ter inspecting the premises, ad
journed until Tuesday when
complete medical evidence will
be presented.
Ait the time of his death Mr.
Tilson was taking inventory of
the merchandise oif his store,
which He had leased effective
the first of the year.
Mr. Tilson was iborn July 11,
189® *t Bjaram, Norway. He
eeene to Sitka in Nov. 21, 1904
at Oh* ege of 12 years, with his j
parents IMr. and Mrs. Thomas
Tilson, Sr.
He attended local schools
and Whitworth College at Ta
coma. Then he returned to
Sitka and worked for W. P.
Mills. (Later he and James Ro
feartts purchased from Mr.
Mills the Sitka Mercantile Co.
which they operated as a part
nership. Mr. Robarts sold his
interest to Mr. liilson wnen ne
moved to California. a number
of years algo.
-For many years Mr. Tilson
owned and operated uhe Sitka
Mercantile Go., then in the
mid-40’s opened Tilson & Sons
and closed the old store which
was in the space now occupied
by Triune Servie Co.
He was a charter member o-f
the Sitka lod|ge, Loyal Order
of Moose at (the time of its
formation an 1913. On Feb. 2,
1912, he wed Mable McGraw
of Siflca. He served as mayor
of Sitka from 1939 to 1941,
was a member oif the city coun
oil and later of the Sitka Pub
lic -Utilities board of control.
Active in fraternal affairs,
Mf. Tilson was past governor
and had served as secretary of
tile Sitka -Moose Lodge; a char
ter member of Sitka Elks
lodge; • member of Mt. Ver
atovi* lodge, F & A M and Ma
sonic bodies; and a pad presi
dent of the Sitka Rotary Club.
During ibis youth he was
one of • he outstanding mem
V Mtcfieombing
|H MEMORY OF
Tm Tilson
Wit* was the first
person the
V«atehcemer knew
|p Sitka and who
wos always looking
fa* the best interests
«f Sitka and vicinnty
| bars of city baseball teams for
I many years.
Surviving are his wife, Ma
ble iMcGraw Tilson; a sister,
Lena Freeland; two sons,
Lloyd of Ketchikan and Frank
of Sii.ikla, and three grandchil
dren, Diane, Arlene and Rose
mary.
Funeral services will be
held at 2 p. m. al. the Luther
an Church followed by inter
ment in fhe .family plot in the
Moose cemetery, with the Loy
al Order of Moose officiating.
The family has requested no
flowers be sent but that those
who wish to do so make contri
butions in his memory to the
Sitka Community Hospital.
(Pallbearers are Harold
Schaefer. Leslie Yaw, Charles
Kidd, Jack Gough, John Do
Tenc and Charles M. Peterson.
Local business firms will be
closed during the hours of the
services tomorrow.
For years Mr. Tilson,
through his interest and activ
ity in civic and fraternal af
fairs, was well ksown by all
local residents. He was respect;
ed for his ability, charity to
those in need and willingness
to concern himself with the
problems of his community
and its residents. He will long
be remembered as one of i'.he
key men who contributed
much to Sitka.
Kefauver will fight
Stevenson for New
Hampshire ballots
by The Associated Press
Sen. Estes Kefauver, whose
1952 campaign for the Demo
cratic presidential nomination
got its biggest early booa„ in
New Hampshire, wants to 'bat
tle -with Adlan Stevenson for
that sta.e’s support in 1956.
There was no immediate
word from iStevenson but one
of has supporters, John Rogers j
Penn, said he would seek elec-1
tion as a New Hampshire con
vention delegate pledged to
Stevenson whether or not the
I 1952 nominee enters the con
i test.
j KeXauver announced yester
day ihe is entering the New
Hampshire primary and ex
pressed hope “the snow and
ice will not deter” Stevenson.
Stronger hints came from
friends of Sen. William F.
Knowiland (R-Cailif) meantime
that the senate minority lead
er might not wait for announce
ment of President Eisenhow
er’s poli'ticail plans to enter
some primaries of his own.
i The friends said Knowland
is convinced Eisenhower will
not run, and reported the Cal
iifornia senator has sent direct
ly to Eisenhower his contention
that other GOP aspirants can
not afford to wait until mid
February or later to get their
names on primary ballots.
The New York Times reports
in a dispatch from James Res
ton in Washington that well
informed opinion in both par
ties is shifting to the view that
the president will seek an
other term.
i (continued on page four)
Propose senators
get one-third of
governor's salary
toy Florence Douthit
FAIRBANKS Each legis
lator wfho serves the future
state of Alaska will toe paid an
annual sailary equal ito one
third Of the governor’s salary
,i!f a proposal of the constitu
tional convention’s legislative
committee (is written into the
.constitution being drafted here
The convenion is in recess
.now (but the pay (plan is ex
pected to ibe the subject: of
heated debate when the 55 del
ega-tes reassemble Jan. 4.
The committee, headed by
Steve McCutcheon of Anchor
age. explains its reasoning lihis
,way;
“Most states have not paid
legislators respectable salaries
and the citizens have often
been disappointed when their
legislators were not respect
able either. Good salaries will
not automatically produce
.good legislators; rather, they’
.make their selection harder;
poor salaries on the other hand
fend tjo produce two types Of
legislators — those who have
private means and who are,
ponsequently, likely to be up
per class in their attitude, and j
those who are on the payroll!
of an od.su.de interest and who |
are sent to the legislature to
vote as that interest desires.” j
Other cammiittl.ee recommen
dations include:
The senate of the Alaska *
.legislature will contain not {
more than 20 members and the
house not more than 40. Sena
tors will (be at least 25 years
old, three year residents of Al
aska and one-year residents of
their districts. House members
needed to be only 21 years old.!
^The same resident require-1
ments apply as to the senate. I
The comma.tee also propos
es that the legislature convene
each year, with no limit on
the length of session.
The convention’s executive i
committee also has proposals
expected to furnish long hours i
0. debate.
One probably controversial,
recommendation is the require
memt for secretary of state.
The committee would re
quire that a governor be no: |
less than 30 years old and an
Alaskan ifor seven years. His
term would be four years and
he would have to step down
after the second term for at
least Hour years.
The secretary of slate, un
der the committee plan, would
have the same qualifications.
In addition, he would be link
ed on the ballot to the govern
or.
The recommendation reads:
“. |'he electors, in cast
ing their vote Ifor governor,
; shall also be deemed to be oast
| ing their vote for the candi
{date for secretary of state,
; shown on the ballot as running
| jointly with the resipeotive
| candidate Ifor (governor.”
Sfcronlg feelings on the sub
ject were expressed during a
recent public hearing. Some
felt the secretary o(f state
should be an appointive offic
ial; others felt he should (be an
elective officer, but no: tied on
the same ticket with the gov
emor.
Befores ending the eonven
(continued on page three)
Alaska's finest pulp mill site,
visiting technician claims
Detailed designs
will follow award
of timber sale
“If our company is the suc
cessful bidder at IJhe January
25 timber sale, we will begin
the detailed designing off the
pulp mill,” said Takuj'i Ohsh
the detailed designing of the
Japanese-owned Alaska Lum
ber & Pulp Co. at a Chamber
of Commerce dinner Saturday
evening.
‘,It will require between six
and 10 monl.'hs for thi-s,” he ex
plained. “In the spring or sum
mer of 1057 actual construction
will get underway. We want to
begin construction as soon as
possible.”
Mr. Ghshima and the other
pulp and timber experts in his
party were guests at a dinner
attended by fifty persons on
Saturday eveninjg.
T. Katayama, Chief df the
technical mission, said: “The
Sawmill Credk area is suffi
ciently large and, wilih a little
dredlginlg. should provide a won
derful mill site. Also the wharf
site is very deep and we should
have so diiilficulty in bringing
in large steamers. Blue Lake
has sufficient water to pro
vide electricity for the mill site
“In my opinion, Uhis would
probably ibe the 'best mill site
in all Southeast Alaska. As we
are a technical mission, we
cannot make definite policies
asd statements. We will take
our repofU back to Japan and
no doubt in the near future
you will be hearing from of
ficial sources.
“One of my reasons for
thinking this is the best area
is that the timber is located
very close I Jo the mill site; also
the area is ideal for a large
construction of this nature.
We are doing everything with
in our power to start construc
tion of l.'his fprojeet at the ear
Arctic cold belt
heads toward
east coast states
by The Associated Press
The season’s worst blast. of
Arctic cold spread across the
midwest today and headed to
ward the eastern seaboard.
The mercury nose dived to
-45 degrees at Bemidji, and
Biig Falls, Minn., coldest of (.he
season. Bismarck, N. D., had
-30, Minneapolis-St. John shiv
ered in 120 cold, a record low
If or the date.
Chicago had a low of 2 a
bove, coldest of the season,
with a forecast of 5 below for
Tuesday night.
The U. S. weather bureau in
Washington issued cold wave
warnings for It he Ohio Valley,
West Virginia, most Of Penn
sylvania, and New York state.
The sub-zero cold now over
much of the midwest was ex
pected to intensify in the next
24 hours 'and ibelow zero I temp
eratures were in prospect for
much of Ohia, West Virginia,
(continued on page two)
liest possible time,” 'he con
cluded.
All oif the guests expressed
appreciation for the hospitality
and kindness shown them dur
ing their (visit.
Seeing Sitka and the site on
which the Alaska Lumber &
(Pulp Co. sleeks to build a pulp
(mill for the first time, are the
members of the fve-man teoh
In'ioal timber mission which ar
rived here Friday aflJemoon.
In the 'group, headed by Ta
huji Ohshima, executive direc
tor of the firm, and accompan
ied iby Jom Kyono. interpreter,
tare: T. Katayama, vice presi
dent oif the Tokoku Pulp Co.
and chief of the technicail mis
sion; S. Fukuyama, managing
director, Honshu Paper Co.; Y.
Arisawa, Kokoku Rayon and
iPulp Co. oif which he is a dir
led.or and chief of research; T.
Okamura, director of the San
yo Pulp Co. and T. Kawajiri,
consultant of Alaska Pulp Co.
This technical team has been
expected to visit Sitka and the
(continued on page four)
Sesurity council
seat to be settled
by lottery Tuesday
UNITED NATIONS (TP) U. N.
diplomats were generally Agr
eed today the deadlock over a
securitp council seat will be set
tled tomorrow by a lottery plan.
This is the .last issue holdinig
up adjournment of the 1955 gen
eral assembly. Thirty-five (bal
lots have been taken in the mar
al hon contest betwees Yugosla
via and the Philippines.
The lottery plan failed Fri
day in its first test when Yugo
slavia fell six votes short of the
number needed (for election.
Yugoslavia delegation had won
a draw. A genl lemen’s agree
ment called (for the draw winner
to serve the first year of the
term. The loser would then be
elected as a replacement
Wihile some delegates await
ed ins ructions from home, both
sponsors and opponents of the
lottery plan said it would go
through when the assembly re
sumes voting.
A Soviet source said his dele
gation still felt ‘he plan was
highly irregular and a violation
of the U. N. charter, (but he con
ceded that it wouM be approv
ed.
The assembly was in recess
today for further privai e talks
Marine forecast from Monday
to Tuesday.
WHOLE GALE WARNING
A very strong pressure grad
ient will continue ito cause
winds of 55 to 70 mph with
very stronig gusts north of Jun
earu.
Outside waters Dixon En
trance to Yakut at north to north
east winds 35 to 50 mph with
very stronig gusts today decreas
ing to 30 to 40 mfph with str
ong gusts tonight.
Fair weather with tempera -
i tures below freezing.