SEWARD’S
All-cWeatkec
SEAPORT
Is Alaska’s
Greatest Asset
Territorial Library
Seward Seaport Record
Vol. V, NO. 86
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 1949
Price 10 Cents
Local Delegate Now At
Congressional Hearing
Ross B. Mann is representing the
City of Seward at a Congressional
hearing on public works for Alaska
this week.
Delegate E. L. Bartlett requested
that Mann remain in Washington
for the purpose, since there are rep
resentatives from a number of
other Alaska cities present for the
hearing.
Mayor Eugene Lanier dispatched
a telegram to Mann on Wednesday
auhorizing him to represent Sew
ard at the committee hearings.
Earlier this month three Alaska
mayors, Z. J. Lodssac of Anchor
age, Ira Rothwell of Cordova, and
Ray Kohler of Fairbanks, appeared
at a hearing to testify in favor of
the program of public works for
Alaska such as schools, hospitals,
sewers, wharves, roads, libraries,
and firehouses.
Projects Considered
One project which Seward is con
sidering at the moment is the re
habilitation and extension of the
sewer system at a cost of $45,000
Another project is an increase in
the capacity of the Seward Electric
System which would run to a total
of about $50,000.
The present public works legisla
tion is the point number two of a
ten point pre-election program
sponsored by President Truman.
The first was the $15,000,000 hous
ing program recently approved.
High on the list, of course, is the
question of statehood for the Ter
ritory.
City Insurance Costs
Upped $2,000
The City Council at Monday eve
ning’s meeting took measures to
increase insurance on public prop
erty to fair market value. Where
the cost was about $3,000 last year
the cost for the coming year will
be about $5,000.
The increase was made in ac
cordance with a demand of the
bonding company which has taken
up the bond issue for the erection
of the addition to the public school
The present school building has
been apprais<% at $165,000; and the
Civic Center at $33,000. The old
fire hall carried a value of $1,000.
The new fire hall had not yet been
insured until this week.
Bids by three local insurance
agents were identical. This was ex
plained by the fact that insurance
rates are set equally for equal
risks, and the local agents have no
control over them. It was agreed
that each of the three agents would
receive a like proportion of the
business.
UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
TO BE HONORED
Dr. Charles E. Bunnell, president
of the University of Alaska, will
complete 27 years of service to that
institution and to the cause of
higher education in the northland.
On that date he will become Pres
ident Emeritus of the University.
A committee has been formed to
arrange a program honoring Dr.
Bunnell and an impressive cere
mony is being planned for July 1
on the campus. In keeping with Dr.
Bunnell’s standing in educational
circles and his stature in the Terri
tory, high-ranking officials and
distinguished persons are being
invited to the ceremony.
The committee on arrangements
consists of Wm. A. O’Neill, Board
of Regents; Dean W. E. Duckering,
faculty; Maurice E. Butler, Alumni
president; Olavi V. Kukkola, An
chorage; .Alvin Polet, secretary and
Herb Hilscher, chairman.
Mr. and Mrs. Rudy Raschka of
Seward became the parents of a
six pound, three ouncfe son, Francis
John, at 8:00 a.m., April 28 at the
Seward General Hospital.
Leading Lady . . .
Miss Patsy Woods
Miss Patsy Woods will play the
leading role of Rose Smith in the
junior class play “Meet Me in St.
Louis," to be given at 8 p.m. Fri
day and Saturday at the high
school auditorium.
I
Miss Woods, who took over the
leading part when Wilma Myers
became ill this week, performed
with extraordinary talent at a
' matinee given Thursday afternoon.
“Meet Me in St. Louis” is a de*
| lightful comedy about four attrac
tive sisters, their boyfriends and
.family. It has been deseiibed as a
| comedy as fresh as a breeze and as
I sparkling as sunshine.
Women’s Club Elects
Officers for Year
1 Mrs. Mildred Kirkpatrick was
elected president of the Seward
i Woman's Club last Tuesday when
the club held its annual elections
at a business meeting.
Miss Frances Clark was elected
vice-president, Miss Helen Case
was chosen to be secretary and
Mrs. Guy Kearns the treasurer.
' Mrs. Tom Bie was elected custo
dian.
A spring luncheon honoring re
! tiring officers and installing new
ones will be held early in May.
Members may bring guests to the
luncheon.
At the Tuesday evening meeting
Mrs. George Green gave a reading
, which was greatly enjoyed by all
! present. Mrs. Harold Cainpen and
i Mrs. H. Horton spoke on Alaskan
j gardens and gave much useful in
i formation for amateur gardeners
on annuals and perennials as well
as vegetables which thrive in this
locality.
' Miss Ruth Leichliter engaged
j the members in several guessing
i games and prizes were won by
1 Mrs. Green and Mrs. Campen.
Refreshments were served by the
I hostesses, Misses Lillian Watson
| and Ruth Leichliter and Mrs.
i Norman Wengert.
jw.S.C.S. PLANS MOTHER AND
DAUGHTER BANQUET
A Mother-Daughter banquet will
be held by the Woman’s Society
of Christian Service of the Meth
odist Church Friday evening, May
6 at 6:30 p.m., Mrs. Cliff Whipple,
president of the Society anhounced
recently.
The ladies of the Society under
the leadership of Mrs. Tom Howell
will serve the banquet.
All ladies and their daughters of
the community are invited to the
affair. However, a limit of 150 per
sons has been set as no more than
that number can be accommodated.
Tickets will -be on sale by girls of
the Sunday School classes. Those
ladies without daughters may
“adopt” a daughter for the night.
Mayor Proclaims
Clean-Up Month
For City of Seward
A PROCLAMATION
EVERY adult and child of Sewaid
can enlist in the drive to clean-up
our City, Mayor Eugene N. Lanier
stated today in issuing his procla
mation officially designating May
1st to May 31st, 1949, as Clean-up
Month.
DURING the past winter months
the City has been strewn with
papers and rubbish by the winds,
The snows melting has uncovered
trash of all kinds leaving our City
in need of a Spring Clean-up. With
warm weather coming on this be
comes immediately necessary to
avoid a health hazard. Therefore
the following proclamation:
“WHEREAS, trash and rubbish
litter our alleys, streets and vacant
lots and constitue a major health
hazard; and
I
I
WHEREAS, the general debris
scattered around our City is un
sightly to the public view; and
WHEREAS, it is SPRING;
THEREFORE, I, Mayor of the
City of Seward, Alaska, do offi
cially designate the period from
May 1st to May 31st, 1949 as
CLEAN-UP MONTH in the City
of Seward, Alaska, and do urge the
residents of Sew'ard to support the
Clean-up Drive.”
EUGENE N. LANIER,
Mayor of Seward
Kenai Road Closed
To General Traffic
Ralph Soberg, of the Alaska
Road Commission, reported that
the road to Kenai remains closed to
the public, and that it will probably
be two weeks before it will be
opened.
Soberg said that, due to the un
usually heavy snowfall during the
past winter, a great deal of water
has collected. In some places small
lakes have formed which are five
or six hundred feet wide.
Ordinarily, he said, the water
drains downward through the un
derlying gravel, but the late thaw
this year has prevented it from
draining from the low places.
In order to overcome this diffi
culty in the future the roadbed will
be raised above the water level in
the low spots.
J For this purpose a 37-ton rock
! crusher was being loaded on a
b,yge belonging to Jack Anderson
! on which it will be carried from
Seward to Kenai. The barge was
due to leave for Kenai Friday
; morning.
Shipping News . . .
The passenger ship SS Alaska
was due to dock at Seward at 3:30
Friday afternoon.
The Abigail Adams and Flemish
Knot, both freighters, are at the
Seward dock now, having srrived
Wednesday morning.
The Ring Splice left Seattle April
26 and is expected at Seward about
May 4. Other sailings scheduled
are the freighter Harold Whitehead
for May 2, the Harold Whitehead
on May 3, the Palisano about April
29, and the Lucidor on May 6. The
Lucidor will have military cargo
for other ports but will also call at
Seward to discharge commercial
automobiles.
The Coastwise Line's freighter
James T. Cannon, is due to sail
from Portland for Seward April 30.
F. E. Kerby, of the Veteran’s
Administration office in Anchor
age, was in town this week and
expected to leave for Anchorage
Friday afternoon. Kerby’s work in
cludes educational programs for
veterans.
Mrs. N. Crumrine and Josephine
Crumrine were expected to arrive
at Seward Friday afternoon on the
SS Alaska. Miss Crumrine is the
famous Alaska artist. The fine dog
piQtures which appear on the
menus of the Alaska Steamship
Company’s passenger ships are her
work.
Larger Populace Brings
Serious Local Problems
College Queen . . .
Lila Thorsen
Word was received here Thurs
day that Lila Thorsen, daughter of
Mrs. Andrew Novak of Seward, was
elected queen of the annual mili
tary ball Saturday, April 23, at the
University of Alaska. She was pre
sented with a crown of white iris
and a bouquet of red roses.
As queen of the ball Miss Thor
sen wore a yellow evening gown
and a corsage of yellow roses. The
gymnasium was beautifully dec
orated for the dance and music was
furnished by an excellent orchestra.
Besides the honor of presiding
over the military ball as queen,
Miss Thorsen now is possessor of
the official title of Honorary Cap
tain of the Reserve Officers Train
ing Corps of the University.
Last year another Seward girl,
Miss Audrey Woods, now Mrs. Gil
bert Anthony, reigned over the
military ball as queen.
Inter-Port Rate on Cars
i Given By ASC
I
I The Alaska Steamship Company
is extending the coverage of its
special Alaska interport rates on
private automobiles of line pas
! sengers, Admiral F. A. Zeusler,
executive assistant to the presi
dent of the company, announced.
“For years we have encouraged j
automobile travel by citizens of i
Cordova and Seward through fav- j
orable automobile rates between '
these points and Yaldez, the Rich- j
ardson Highway gateway to the
Interior of Alaska and the Alaska
Highway network,” Admiral Zeus
ler stated.
With the maintenance of the
Haines Cut-Off of the Alaska High
way, Southeastern Alaska residents
have shown an increased interest
in seeing the scenic inland areas j
accessible through that portal. This .
trend has been furthered by the I
present extensive highway devel
opment and improvement program
and the recent availability of auto
mobiles.
Scenic tours
Now for the first time the new
Alaska Steamship Company auto
mobile rates bring a tour of / the
vast inland region of the Territory
within easy reach of all. The new
rates apply between the ports of
Ketohikan, Wrangell, Petersburg,
Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, and Haines
in Southeastern Alaska and be
tween these ports and Valdez in J
Southeastern Alaska. They will
thereby travel into the interior by
either Haines or Valdez and return
via the alternate port.*
In addition the new rates will
make it inexpensive for passengers j
to take their automobiles along on ’
internort trips in Southeastern
Alaska.
While Housing is Seward’s great
est need at the moment, Mayor
Eugene Lanier stated Friday morn
ing that any great increase will
place an overwhelming strain on
public utilities.
Interior Secretary J. A. Krug ear
lier this week made the statement
that the population of the Territory
could increase 500 per cent in the
coming three years. This would
mean that the Public Works pro
gram would have to be rushed and
all agencies wpuld have to be en
larged.
Housing program
The housing authority, in a tele
gram to Mayor Lanier, stated that
it would be necessary for the hous
ing program to go into full swing
immediately if anything at all is to
be accomplished this season.
The $15,000,000 appropriation for
the Alaska housing program was
approved a short time ago, but so
far no money has been made avail
able. Both the Seward City Council
and Chamber of Commerce are
writing to Delegate Bartlett urging
him to use his efforts to speed up
the program.
Public works
If the population of the Terri
tory should multiply by five and
Seward should increase in propor
tion, this city would be totally lost
with its present utilities set-up.
Power, water, sewers and schools
w’ould be inadequate to say the
least. To provide adequate utilities
for a city of such size would take
an immediate outlay of $5,000,000.
As it is now, Seward needs
$50,000 to increase its power plant
and $40,000 for sewers. The addi
tion to the school called for a
$125,000 bond issue and Seward has
only increased its population
three-fold in the past 10 years.
Epidemic of Mumps
Hits Seward
Public Health Nurse. Lapreal
Bie, said Thursday that the number
of cases of mumps in Seward had
reached epidemic proportions.
In two nays 27 cases had been re
ported to her office, but manv of
the cases under the care of doctors
had not been reported to her of
fice, she believed.
Incubation period for mumps is
26 days. During this time the dis
ease may be communicated to
other persons, although the in
fected person does not show any
symptoms.
For this reason it does little or
no good to isolate known cases of
mumps. But while there is no quar
antine, it is a good idea to keep
the person away from others.
A number of cases of mumps
among adults have been reported,
and usually, the effects of the dis
ease are more pronounced in
adults.
appoint new assistant
for veterans office
Mr. Edward T. Brehm has been
assigned to duty in the Regional
Office of the Territorial Commis
sioner of Veterans’ Affairs in An
chorage, it was announced this
week from Juneau by Floyd Guer
tin, commissioner.
Mr. Brehm is to assist the local
Regional Director, Robert Speegle,
in the handling of requests for
benefits under the Alaska World
War II Veterans’ Act from veterans
throughout the. Third Division.
The appropriation of additional
funds for the Veterans’ Revolving
Fund by the recent legislature, un
der a bill introduced in the House
by Rep. Jack Conright of Anchor
age, has resulted in an increased
volume of requests for bonuses and
loans. Since February, $198,000 has
been paid to veterans in Alaska in
the form of bonuses, and loans in
the amount of $200,000 are being
currently processed. '