~ SEWARD’S
All-^Weather
SEAPORT
Is Alaska s
Greatest; Asset
Vol. V, No. 101
SEWARD, ALASKA, TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 1949
Price 10 Cents
Oil Company
Officers Make
Local Visit
The City of Seward was honored
Tuesday, June 21, by a visit from
six officials of the Standard Oil
Company of California. The group
is making a tour of tire Territory
via airplane and expects to spend
about seven days in the Northland.
Immediately after the trip here
from Anchorage the gentlemen of
Standard had lunch with several
local residents at the Chop Suey
House.
Included in the group were Mr.
T. S. Peterson, president of the
company; Mr. Paul Piggott, mem
of the board of directors; Mr. Hill
yer Brown, vice-president and di
rector; Mr. E. J. McClanahan, vice
president; Mr. E. S. Stretton, dis
trict manager; and Mr. L. M.
Hagen, assistant district manager.
The luncheon was emceed by W.
C. Erwin and the visitors were wel
comed to Seward by George V.
Green of the Jesse Lee Home.
Mr. McClanahan disclosed the
fact that he is tiie man who many
years ago approached "Bill” Er
win with the proposition to take
charge of Standard's affairs at
Seward. At Mr. McCianahan’s sug
gestion the visitors bought up a
considerable block of Marathon
Queen tickets and turned the
chances over to the Mr. Green so
if one of the tickets is a winner the
Home stands to benefit.
Accorded a special introduction
was Andy Novak, who has done
business with Standard for many
years.
President Peterson gave a short
talk, starting with the early days
when the Standard Oil Company
first did business in the Territory,
handling only candles and kero
sene, and carrying on to the pres
ent time, with Standards efficient
and economical distribution of any
petroleum product that could be
desired. Mr. Peterson very sincerely
complimented Alaskans for the job
of development that has been ac
complished in the North.
Mr. and Mrs. F. S. Bryant, vice
fTurn to Page 3)
IU. of A. Prexy and
Family To Arrive
Here June 23
Fairbanks—Dr. Terris Moore, new
president of the University of
Alaska, sailed from Seattle June
18, aboard the SS Aleutian and is
expected to arrive in Seward on
June 23.
With him will be Mrs. Moore,
their fifteen year old daughter,
Katrina and their eight-year-old
son, Henry.
Congressman Speaker
Congressman Henry M. Jackson
of the State of Washington has
accepted an invitation to be guest
speaker at the President Emeritus
ceremony to honor retiring pres
ident Dr. Charles E. Bunnell.
Mr. Jackson, representative from
Washington’s second district, is
making his third trip to the Terri
tory. The first two trips he made
as a member of the House Mer
chant Marine committee.
V.F.W. Auxilary Head
Visits Seward
Helen Murphy, National Presi
dent of tiie Ladies Auxiliary to the
Veterans of Foreign Wars, and
Florence Stark, oldest living past
president, were guests at a ban
quet given in their honor June 17,
after which there was a meeting
called by Mrs. Murphy to review
records and instruct the members.
The two officers arrived on the
SS Baranof and were met by a re
ception committee of President
Lillian Ferguson, Senior Vice
President Genevieve Chaney, and
past president Elda H. Bland.
Flowers were presented to the
visitors.
Mrs. Murphy is one of the few
women privileged to light the
flame in the Arc de Triomph in
Paris. Tens of thousands of people
watched the ceremony last spring.
She also inspected our cemeteries
overseas. She reported that Euro
peans are still without soap and
other equally important items.
Last Friday the visitors were
entertained with a luncheon at the
Seward Sanatorium and were es
corted through the institution by
Mrs. Peter Gutekunst, the admin
istrator, and Dr. Mariseh. The doc
tor gave a talk on new methods of
treatment, and Mrs. Gutekunst
spoke on the purpose of th,e sana
torium.
No milk will be poured in this little boy’s cup if the United
Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF),
threatened by a lack of funds, is forced to halt its operations.
UNICEF, now feeding supplementary meals to 5.000.000, lias
scarcely enough money to finish out its planned program far
this year. But the hungry children will still be with us then.
$100,000 Paid
Out By City
In Past year
The annual audit as of March 31,
1949, was accepted by the City
Council at Monday’s meeting. Fig
ures showed that the city had a
total revenue of $100,820.11. Cur
rent expenses amounted to $70,888
.35, and additions to fixed assets
were $5,090.12. In addition bonds
to the amount of $3,500 were re
tired and debts amounting to
$20,000.
Actually the city spent $20,000
less than it received, since the
$20,000 was used to pay off debts
inherited from the prior adminis
tration. This was made possible
through the two per cent sales tax.
which will not be in effect after
October of this year.
Police Highest
Police department costs, includ
ing $13,813 for salaries, was the
largest figure in the report with
a figure of S18.027. The street de
partment ran second with expendi
tures of $15,093. The city clerk’s
office cost the tax payers $7,240
and citizens-paid $5,755 for their
street lighting.
Garbage collection, including
£924 for truck rental, ran to $7,442.
The department took in $6,265 and
is now doing more than making
its expenses. The U.S.O. building,
now called the Civic Center, cost
$892.
Fire Department
Fire protection cost $5,069 for
the year, while administrative ex
penses and public services cost
the people the sum of $11,376. This
lumps together such services as
j city attorney, assessor, auditing,
law suits and like items.
The audit is available at the city
hall for the inspection of any who
are interested and a copy will be
i posted. It includes breakdowns of
several accounts. Those represented
are the General Fund, Education
and Public Health Fund, general
fixed assets, general bonded debt,
Marine Ways fund, and Small Boat
Harbor fund. The Seward Electric
System is not included in the audit
except for the fact that the city
jiaid its light bills.
CONSTRUCTION MAN
DIES SUDDENLY
Jack I.ijtle. locally Known as a
carpenter and construction man,
passed away suddenly at 9:10 Tues
day morning after a brief illness.
Little had been employed on the
Seward-Anchorage highway pro
ject and was brought to Seward
General Hospital at 8:30 Tuesday
morning. Little came to Seward
over a year ago and was recently
married.' ,
Mrs. Edna Blair of Spokane ar
rived on the Aleutian to spend the
summer with her son and family,
the Tommy Blairs. Mrs. Blair says
that she would enjoy the scenery
better if we had a little sunshine.
We hope that the weather will be
come more obliging soon for our
benefit as well as the pleasure of
our visitors.
Shipping News . . .
The freighter Coastal Monarch
is now discharging cargo at the
Seward dock. On June 28 the Sailor
Snlice is due here and the Harold
Whitehead departed from Seward
Sunday. Three Alaska Steamship
freighters are scheduled to sail
from Seattle before the end of the
month, and the John Cropper of
the Coastwise Line is scheduled to
sail from Portland June 23.
The passenger ship SS Aleutian
is due here June 23.
Salmon Canning
Season Is Off
To Slow Start
Tlic salmon canning industry has
gotten off to a very slow start this
i season according to figures re
] leased by Marvin Viale of the Rcs
j urrection Bay Company here in his
j weekly report to the Fish and
j Wildlife Service at Cordova.
By Saturday, June 18. only 38
; cases of red salmon had been
| packed, which represents about 400
' salmon. According to fishermen
I the salmon are mostly out in the
deep water but should be moving
in soon.
The figures Viale gave did not
1 include salmon packed by O. L.
Gilbert, who is both fishing and
I canning.
Study Fire Effect
On Kenai Lands
Juneau—Dr. H. J. Lutz, Professor
of Silviculture and Soils at the
Yale University School of Forestry,
arrived in Juneau last week to col
laborate with the Alaska Forest
Research Center staff during this
j summer. He was scheduled to fly
! to Anchorage Monday to begin a
study of the damaging effects ,of
fire on the forest and other vege
! tation of interior Alaska. He was
to be accompanied by Ray Taylor,
Forester in charge of the Alaska
' Forest Research Center. They ex
pect to consult with R. R. Robin
| son, Regional Forester of the Bu
; reau of Land Management,
i The first summer’s work wilf be
1 concentrated in the Susitna drain
1 age and burned areas of the Kenai
j Peninsula. The project may be con
tinued for several summers. Its
i aim is to determine the damaging
1 effect of fire not only on timber
; growth but on lesser vegetation
and soils which have a far-reaching
1 efect on siltatipn of streams, on
' habitats and food of game animals,
! fur bearers, fish and other wild
' life.
Dr. Lutz is no stranger to Alaska,
l He worked as a Junior Forester
| on both the Tongass and Chugach
National Forests during 1024. 192.3
and 192G. He has since become a
recognized authority on forest soils
and plant ecology. He is the author
i of many technical articles and
| bulletins and recently authored a
' college text book on forest soils,
i
| New Assayer for
Nome District
The appointment of Daniel A.
Jones to the position of assayer
and field engineer in charge of the
laboratory and branch office of the
Territorial Department of Mines, at
Nome, Alaska, was announced re
cently by B. D. Stewart, Commis
sioner of Mines.
Following a visit-of several days
in Juneau, where he conferred with
Department of Mines officials, and
a week of field work in the Ketchi
kan area in company with Howard
Fowler, associate mining engineer,
Mr. Jones proceeded to Fairbanks
on June 7th en route to Nome.
He will reopen the public assay
office and field station of the Ter
ritorial Department of Mines, which
has been closed since the end of
the war period.
Mr. Jones, who is a graduate in
mining engineering from the Uni
versity of Alaska, and a veteran of
World War II, is married and has
one child. Mr. Jones was to join
his family at Nome, where he was
born and raised, and where they
will reestablish their home.
J>aek Erwin, who has been at
tending a Stateside college, re
turned to Seward Tuesday with two
friends who will spend the summer
here. Jack is the son of Mr. and
Mrs. W. C. Erwin.
Auto Licenses
Tossed Out in
Budget Tussle
The city fathers Monday night
fought, a no-decision bout with the
annual budget, but the newly or
dained city auto license tax was a
casualty of the battle. Autos are
off the license list and back on
! personl property assessment list.
Under a suspension of rules the
: license was wiped off the books
as hurriedly as it had been put
on less than two months ago. In
casting about for money to fill out
| the estimated budget for the com
I ing year, the council found that
! it would raise about $6,000 on auto
; license fees, whereas last year it
; had raised about $16,000 by per
' sonal taxes on cars.
Sellers Takes a Walk
I
| The number and value in new
cars has increased to the point
where $20,000 could be raised by
the personal tax. Aside from the
difference in the amount of money
to be raised, members of the coun
cil said they’d had a lot of pres
sure put on them by individual
taxpayers. The change, however,
would bring equal repercussions
from the opposite direction, they
said.
1 Dr. Sellers, who had been argu
ing against the sudden change,
walked out of the council chamber
before the vote was taken. Sellers
said on Tuesday morning that he
was- opposed to charging a sales
tax and a property tax on the same
piece of property.
Mayor's Suggestion
While the budget was under dis
1 cussion, Mayor Lanier made the
suggestion that all eit£ equipment
such as trucks and graders should
all be brought into one city owned
garage which could be located be
hind the housing area. In this man
ner the city could have its own
repair department for all equip
ment as well as its own gasoline
pumps.
It was also suggested that the
Volunteer Fire Department might
i incorporate for the purpose of
i issuing bonds on the new fire sta
tion, which could then include the
offices of the city clerk and police
; department.
I The meeting was adjourned at
i midnight and another meeting set
! for Wednesday evening, at which
1 time the city fathers hope to fit
la budget tp the income. Since the
I sales tax will be discontinued by
j next October, the council will not
I have as much money to work with
as they did last year.
W. S. C. S. TO MEET THURSDAY .
The Woman’s Society of Chris
tian Service will meet at the home
of Mrs. I. L. Metcalf Thursday
evening, June 23. Installation of
the new officers for the coming
year will be the main event of
the evening.' All women interested
are cordially invited to attend.
Tide and Sun
AT SEWARD
High Today Low
8:57 a.m. 6.1 2:46 a.m. 0.1
8:41 p.m. 8.9 2:23 p.m. 1.8
High Wednesday Low
10:03 a.m. 6.5 3:34 a.m. -0.9
9:21 p.m. 9.4 3:14 p.m. 2.0
High Thursday Low
10:50 a.m. 6.9 4:18 a.m. -1.9
10:02 p.m. 9.9 4:00 a.m. 2.0
High Friday Low
11:36 a.m. 7.4 4:58 a.m. 2.8
10:43 a.m. 10.4 4:42 p.m. 1.8
June 21
June 22
June 23
June 24
Sunrise
2:35 a.m.
2:36 a.m.
2:36 a.m.
2:36 a.m.
Sunset
9:28 p.m.
2:28 p.m.
2:28 p.m.
2:28 p.m.
Just Twelve More Days till the Big Celebration
IF YOU ARE GOING TO ENTER A FLOAT IN THE PARADE, BE SURE TO REGISTER AT GIL’S COCKTIAL LOUNGE