April 28 1048 — Seward, Alaska
THE SEWARD POLARIS
Peninsula-Chain News
Medicated to the Building
of the “Kenai Empire”
Independent
I'nited Press Service
Publ shed Semi-weekly
by
H. \Vr. and N. M Hunt
Seward, \l.i-ka
iption Pate $8 00 nor war
M. iy persons fail to realize the
. nio' a' of work and thought
which aaes into tire administra
tion ei the city's affairs.
S’ -iiH,! any half dozen persons
■ cl * -'ll 10 spend from one to
two .'ears administering the af
irs of a corporation with assets
vain".l sell over a quarter of a
million dollars and do it for noth
in : with only the one thought in
need that, they will try to “break
• ” •" ark you, we said just
ERF,AN EVEN and or show a
* e'-y small profit and DO IT FOR
NOTHING, you have an idea
w!wt faces this city council. This
last council elected must make
up a deficit of $20,159.84 which
has boon shunted in varying a
moimts from previous bodies civ
ic, up to the present group.
Upon the budget and the abili
ty of the council to stay wihin
ils set figures will hinge the ac
tion of the bank to help them
over ttie rough spots and emer
gencies which wii! arise.
Wo saw Monday nigh.t a group
of men intensely interested in
a thankless task of raising cash
to clear the cit> and place it a
mong the 1st of Alaska’s cities of
free itself from debt and place
it a) tile head of Ibis list a'mong
1 he successful business adminis
I rations of cities in the Torritor
It is a worthy goal and til''
work involved is enough to try
the metal o! a successful exeeu
live of a million dollar corpora
I i' n.
They did not want to raise the
millage on the ileal Tax, hut the
quest ion was whether it should
he done by raising the millage
to 15 mills from tin1 existing 12
n ills or to make it a 2 per cent
Sales Tax.
Councilman Sefrovich. who is
very much interested in the civic
welfare, proposed that the millage
be raised lo 15 and the 1 per
cent tax on sales be put into ef
fect. Councilman Miller was of
the opinion that the Sales Tax
money should be used tor schools
only and made the motion that
this money he “earmarked" ex
clusively for school use. There
was no dissenting vote on either
mot ion.
The writer had believed that
one year of a 2 per cent Sales
Tax would put the city over the
top and eliminate the necessity,
at the same time, of raising the
• \ Huge but six men elected by
the citizens of Seward thought
differently. So be it. Wo are for
it.
The action of the council in os
I T.lisping a budget and the in
cli ation lo make a firm stand to
-1.iv well withn the fiigures will
go f..r with taxpayers in roliev
t; : any tension in their minds re
garding the 2 mill rttisc in Retd
i-.'opetly whidi wtis agreed to bo
a Iisol lit ely necessary.
It is sincerely hoped that the
good work of the council will not
stop with tito mere idea of rais
ing the necessary monies to take
care of the budget but that they
v ill consider all tingles of ferret
ing out the personal property not
yet declared and that merchants
who are said to pay a 10 or 20
dollar license for doing a certain
amount of business will be asked
to pay the license for the bona
fide amount done. The matter of
a peddler's license should also be
cheeked for the protection of
these same merchants. Transients
should also pay a tax on the per
sonal property they have when
they obtain emlpoyment. in the
city whether the work is seasonal
or not.
There are many angles to the
ituation and most of them will
lie within the scope of the man
who si chosen to serve as assess
or. lie should he empowered by
the eil> to inspect the premises
wit li the view of making a con
cise estimate on the tax to be as
sessed.
Hi;'- actions will go far toward
determining whether the taxpay
ers next year will pay more or
h s taxes and whether he is
worth his hire this year.
This is one year, we hope when
we live in figures of actuality
and not in hope or promises; and
from the appearance of the work
of the City Council so far, we
may expect rigid economy—- no
spending unless justified, and an
administration of affairs which
will let business get into its
stride and be ready for the many
good opportunities which come
Seward's way.
We are well satisfied and we
hope taxpayers receive the ver
dicts of their city council in the
spirit in which they move to the
problems which confront them—
the spirit of unity with the ever
>p4A6e*ty&i Senvice— down and ups
Travel during the wartime period was not pleasant we know. It was often dis
agreeable. Service was poor; sailings were irregular. These are things you do not like
and everyone tries to avoid. Alaskans began to avoid steamer travel. No wonder . . .
the pleasant experiences formerly enjoyed w'ere no longer part of the ocean trip.
We saw the deterioration in service as it approached. Conditions grew steadily
worse. We knew the reasons and we thought we knew the answers, but were power
less to take corrective action in our reduced status as mere agents for the Government.
The war was on. We were told that other considerations could wait, and they did.
It was not until the beginning of the interim operation last June that manage
ment and policy-making were returned to the hands of the company. A sudden return
to the high type prewar service was not possible. Practices that develop over five or
six years are not changed overnight. But we set our sights high and went to work.
With the best service, the finest food and the maximum in consideration as our
goals, we have been working quietly but consistently for many months now. At
the beginning going was slow, but as time went on signs of little improvements here
and little improvements there began to appear. Morale aboard ship brightened. The
character of service toned up. Passengers began to talk about the fine food; they
praised the excellent service.
It now appears that we arc really getting results. Every week more and more
Ala skans say kind words about the courtesy of our ship personnel, the quality of the
food and the attention they receive on our steamers. Once again we feel our passenger
service is on its way to becoming the Alaskan’s choice. We are deeply gratified and
will continue to do our utmost to make travel on our vessels the best.
Sincerely,
F. A. ZFUSLER
Executive Ass't to tin President
ALASKA STEAMSHIP COMPANY
*
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Serving All Alaska ☆ ☆ ☆ * #
o
present thought that what is done
is for the most good for t he most
people.
* * *
VOTERS GO TO
POLLS
Voters cast their votes Tuesday
April 2?i, 1948, on a ballot which
is certainly a new departure from
the old Primary or Australian
style ballot, ft is almost as good
as a Russian ballot. (1 said bal
lot no! Ballet, t in that it does
away with Party and also the ne
cessity for a general election
later in the year.
You registered 20 days or more
ago and gave your party and to
day you got. a “pinto ballot” or
shall we call it a “mulophant”
ballot, to vote on, but you had
to give your party again.
Those who wanted to could say
“no party.”
This looks as if the “whole
deal” was hatched in Juneau by
the last Legislature but if we are
mistaken we certainly would likc
lo know what was hatched, what,
for. who by and what sort of a
hybrid takes office after a bal
lot like the one we just had.
Hi-WavN PWS
Courtesy of Mrs. Harold Maxwell
A
The Highway Gals met Thurs
day afternoon at Boo Witherup’s
home and had our usual good
time. Boo served rolls that were
so feathery light they almost flo
ated off the plates, a spring-time
salad and her out-of-this-worlrl
cherry cake and coffee, and did
we love it! Those present were
Imogene Steinberger, Sylvia West,
Linda Faulkner, Ruby Steele.An
netta Gillespie. Creo Ives. Bobbie
Douglas. Mrs. Bird, Edith Doug
glas and myself. Our next meet
ing will be on Thursday after
noon. May 6th. with Mrs. Bird as
hostess in the Lyle Douglas
home.
Mr. and Mrs. Manny Semft re
turned last Friday after an eight
months’ trip outside. Along with
them on the trip were Mrs.
Semft s father. Jacob Lint, and
Bill Sleeman. Among other plac
es they visited were Michigan
and Mexico, where they saw a
bull fight of which they took pic
tures. Altogether, they travelled
26,000 miles. They are- very glad
to be back. Mrs. Semft said she
guessed they have been in Alas
ka too long—twenty-one years—
to like it in the states. They are
bringing back wih them five hun
dred New Hampshire baby chicks
a greenhouse and a small garden
tractor and are all set to really
go to work around their place.
Carol and A1 Axtel have moved
into their new little home on the
highway and I know how they
must be loving it.
There is still a lot of horrid old
snow in our clearing, although it
has melted ol'f the paths and
away from the houses. The cold
wind sweeps down from ol'f the
glacier, and our house is colder
now than it was all winter. This
morning I hauled out a wool
shirt I had recently put away for
the summer, and gratefully put
it on. B-r-r-r! (However, the wind
is still nowhere near as bad as it
is in Seward.)
Fidele McCracken was out re
cently to have lunch with me and
to spend the afternoon walking
around the place and talking over
life in Alaska..
Last win1 ■ Raj hung some
rabbit skins out by the brush
pile. The o,her w.orivng Annetta
beheld something white m vim;
over to' ground and investigated.
She found a little squir: «l lag
ging and pulling one of the skins
ver the • :
a tree, IS b; . [EAI Y
mg to have a warm nest! Even
the birds carry off pop. wjs,,s cf
i he .'hite fur. Lhere are so many
different birds out here that. :t;
ntj ignorance, I can’t even begin
tifJ ‘ ■ Is,
.iavs, etc. There is one red bird
'hat is extraordinarily beautiful
-ashin : against tile blue nod
green. All day long wo hear the
songs and bird cries and it is
the most cheerful music in the
world.
For some time now at night we
have been hearing the owls wry
near and loud.They hoot back
and forth in the eeriest duets. It
is an indescribable experience to
stand and listen to their tonely
calls issuing out from the black,
silent forest. What dark, unfath
omable secrets do they share
with this strange land?
•
cok' inn pKiviiMr- rut. pola.kis