SEWARD’S
All-^Weatkec
SEAPORT
Is Alaska’s
Greatest. Asset
Seward SeaportGKecord
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD, ALASKA
Territorial Library 4-lf
Vol. VI, No. 76
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, March 24, 1950
Price 10 Cents
Sterling Hiway
Closed For
Spring Thaw
Highway patrolman George
Puckett announced March 23
that the Road Commission has
closed the Kenai road from
Henton’s Lodge to Kenai and
Homer to all traffic between
the hours of 10:00 a.m. until
12 midnight.
Traveling through the day
time hours causes great damage
to a new road during the spring
breakup. Anyone found using
this road will be arrested.
Kasilof-Homer
The uncompleted section of
the Sterling Highway between
Kasilof and Homer is in very
bad condition owing to the
spring thaw. Mr. Puckett warns
all residents that only trucks
and jeeps can get through, and
that in no case should a passen
ger car attempt the road without
the assistance of a truck or jeep.
Danger to the undercarriage of
an automobile is a definite cer
tainty.
A public announcement will
be made when the road again
becomes passable, and the open
ing of the Henton-Kenai section
will also be announced. Until
that time there will be no travel
over this highway under pain
of arrest.
'Round 'N' 'Bout
Town .. .
The Second Avenue Birthday
Club honored Mrs. Barton Stan
ton and Mrs. Paul Lee Thurs
day afternoon. Mrs. Oscar Wats
jold and Mrs. Jensen were co
hostesses.
The W.S.C.S. of the Wheaton
Methodist Church in Illinois
heard of the Roberta Smith Me
morial Organ in the Methodist
Church here. They and some of
the Wheaton friends very gen
erously contributed S75 toward
the fund. The Methodists in Sew
ard are very grateful to Mrs.
Nell Schnoeckcr for telling the
Illinois ladies of the need for
additional donations to the organ
fund.
Ross Miller is in town from
Hope. He came in to pick up a
shipment of baby chicks.
%
The Longshoremen had a par
ty at Local 39 hall last Tuesday
evening. There were movies and
lots of refreshments. i
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Davis
and Mr. and Mrs. Ted Bristow
went clam digging at Clam
Gulch last week end. They stay
ed overnight at Cooper Landing
and started out at 4:00 a.m..
while the roads were frozen.
Jim Dunmire and Jim O'Brien
went with them.
They all dug so many clams
it took them all day Tuesday
to clean them, but Tuesday
night they really had a big clam
feed.
%
Mrs. Delbert Robbins reports
she has a pansy blooming in her
yard. The Iceland poppies are
coming up, also.
5#
Mrs. Calvin Brosius is leav
ing on the Baranof for Juneau
where she will attend the Re
publican convention.
Mr. Leo Douglas plans to at
tend the Democratic convention
in Anchorage.
*
For your Easter ensemble, a
fiand-carved leather purse made
>y Mrs. Lymon Graves. Only a
imited number. On display at
he Blue Shop. adv.8
Local Democrats
Make Resolutions
At Caucus March 75
In response to a call issued j
by Mrs. Margaret Webb, chair
man of the Democratic Commit
tee for the Seward precinct, a
number of local democrats at
tended the meeting held at the
Liberty Theatre March 15.
After appointing Mrs. Clar
ence Larsen as secretary, the
nomination and election of 14
delegates to attend the Demo
cratic Third Division conven- i
tion in Anchorage, March 23 to
25, was the first business of the1
caucus.
The following Democrats were
elected to attend the conven
tion:
Mrs. Margaret Webb, D. C.
Brownell, Mrs. EJla Amend, Mr.
Harold Campen, John Rosness,
Mrs. Martine Johansen, Mrs.
Margaret Lechner, Don Wilson,
Mrs. Pearl Milroy, Mrs. Mae
Metcalf, Mrs. Alice Lorang, Mrs.
Sigrid Stearns, Mrs. Kathryn
Ling, and Mrs. Wilma Estes.
The following resolutions
were passed unanimously: 1
Resolution endorsing President
Harry S. Truman and his ad
ministration, Governor Gruen
ing, Delegate Bartlett and the
U. S. Marshall and his depu
ties of the Titird Division.
2. A resolution that Congress
be petitioned to make available
sufficient funds immediately to
construct one or more hydro
electric systems on the Kenai
Peninsula.
3. Resolution petitioning the
U. S. Forestry Service and the
Alaska Road Commission to
widen and straighten the Sew
ard-Hope highway between Sew
ard and Mile 58 and the Seward
Cooper Landing highway be
tween Mile 38 and Mile 58.
4. A resolution to petition the
Secretary of the Interior to au
thorize expenditure of funds for
the immediate rehabilitation of
the Seward-Portage end of the
Alaska Railroad.
5. A resolution that the in
junction by the CAB forbidding
Gentry Shuster doing business
as the Safeway Airways operat
ing out of Seward from engag
ing in airplane transportation
of passengers between Seward
and Anchorage be dismissed.
There being no further bus:-!
ness the meeting was adjourned.
AGRICULTURAL REPORT
READY FOR i
DISTRIBUTION
Copies of the Report on Ex
ploratory Investigations of Agri
cultural Problems of Alaska,
Miscellaneous Publication No.
700 of the Agricultural Research
Administration, United States
Department of Agriculture, are
now ready for distribution from
Agricultural Extension Offices
in Fairbanks, College, Palmer
and Anchorage.
I he 1947 Department of Agri
culture Appropriation Act pro
vided an appropriation to the
ARA for special exploratory in
vistigations of Alaska to deter
mine the basic problems under
lying potential agricultural de
velopment in appropriate areas
of Alaska as a guide to the de
velopment of future agricultur
al research in the region.
Many Alaskan farmers will
remember the task force of De
partment of Agriculture techni
cians who, in the summer of
1946, conducted the exploratory
investigations for the ARA and
who prepared this report. .
Miscellaneous Publication No.
700 of the Agricultural Research
Administration is the 185 page
report of this group. Its findings,
outlined in five chapters: Prob
lems and recommendations for
research — General statement,
Soils of Alaska, General forage
and range problems and possi
bilities in Alaska, Horticulture
in Alaska, and Livestock Prob
lems in Alaska, should be of |
vital interest to all Alaskans.
Half-way Mark
Reached For
College Fund
W. W. Sipprell, president of
the Chamber of Commerce, re
ports for the University Fund
that to date it stands at $585.00
cash, and $220.00 in pledges. The
goal is $1500, leaving $595 still
to be collected.
The eollectinon work is being
done entirely by volunteers who
are anxious to do everything
possible to present Seward as
the best and most logical loca
tion for the college site. Tne
committee asks that if anyone
feels slighted because he has noi
been approached, he will vol
unteer ins contribution, no mat
ter how small, to some member
of the committee. Either to Mr.
Sipprell, W. C. Erwin, or at the
office of this newspaper.
Checks should be made pay
able to The University Fund.
The date of the final decision
by the Board of Education is
April 17, in Cleveland, Ohio..
Rev. Paul Irwin, as our repre
sentative, should leave town by
April 10 as the very latest date
possible, in order to get in some
preliminary discussion before
the general meeting.
"If having a college in town
for the benefit of Seward chil
dren means anything to the
townspeople at all, it should be
worth a few dollars to try for
it,” is the concensus of opinion
among persons approached so
far. h
Committee on Youth
Plans Radio Program
Seven members of the Seward
Committee of the President's
Commission on Children and
Youth met Wednesday evening
to discuss progress in the re
search reports and to plan fur-'
ther work.
It was decided to invite a;
representative member from I
each of the civic organizations;
in the city to plan a radio pro-;
gram and discuss publicly the
advisability of a swimming pool
in Seward. The meeting is set
for next week in the Commis-'
gioner’s Office.
Four Ships in Port
Over Week End
After the slack winter at the
Seward docks, hearts were glad
today to see two ships tie up
in a bright and cloudless dawn
at the City Dock, and one at
Standard Oil. By night there
will be another waiting to be
unloaded.
The SS Baranof docked this
morning at about 7:30, shortly
after the SS John Cropper had
tied up. The SS Nadina is due
at 6:00 p.m.
LUTHERAN LADIES BEGIN
BAKE PROGRAM
Ladies of the Lutheran
Church are inaugurating a j
monthly bake sale tomorrow, I
Saturday, March 25, to begin i
at 1:00 o’clock in McMullen's)
store. A similar sale will be held ■
every month, on the last Satur
day if possible.
Besides cake and pie, the la-1
dies are offering hot dishes, do
nuts, salads, and fancy breads.
Mrs. Oscar Dahl left Thurs
day noon for a short visit to the
States. She is flying to Los An
geles to visit Irene Holden and
other fViends in California, then
stop on her way back in Canada
to visit her mother. It has been
nearly eleven years since Mrs.
Dahl has been out of the Terri
tory. i
Republicans Urge
Registration For
April Election
The Seward Republican Club
appointed a committee to urge
the registration of all local vot
ers regardless of party affilia
tions, at the regular March meet
ing held in the Lutheran hall
Wednesday night.
“The voie is the ihing,” said
President Marvin Viale. “Even
census figures do not mean much
to Washington, or to the Terri
torial offices, if we cannot prove
that Seward has a sizeable list
of voters we will never get any
where on appropriations or im
provements for the town. We
must get out the vote.”
There is no permanent regis
tration in Alaska. Every voter
must register every year. Pri
mary election is to be held April
25, for the selection of the Ter
ritorial Legislature.
Every man and woman who
has lived in the Territory for
a period of one year, who is a
citizen of the United States, and
who has lived in Seward or the
voting precinct for a period of
30 days is eligible to vote.
To vote, you must register.
The books are open at the City
Hall. Register, before you forget'
The Club voted to send a
check for $5.00 as contribution
to the University Fund. This is
to be in addition to individual
contributions.
Anchorage Bowlers
Due For tournament
This week end promises lo
offer some good entertainment
for all bowling fans. Approxi
mately fifty Anchorage bo-.-. ler
will arrive in Seward this vcek
end. George Keller, manager o‘
the Aleutian Lanes, will arrive
on the train tonight with several
other bowlers. Saturday a spe
cial train is leaving Anchorage
with thirty bowlers and wives
and husbands, and will arrive
here about 3:30 p m.
There will be tournament
bowling both Saturday and Sun
day which will be well worth
seeing. Games will start at 1:00
p.m.
Sunday night after the tour
nament there will be a buffet
lunch held at the Elks Club in
honor of the Anchorage teams.
R. K. Peden and Miss Alice
Hussey, physiotherapist at the
Seward Sanatorium, will be
married this evening by U. S.
Commissioner, Mrs. Bonnie
Southard at her home. Mrs. Gil
bert Nelson is holding a recep
tion for a few intimate friends
of the couple after the wedding.
R Assures
Fast Handling
Of Freight
Assurance that all freight for
Alaska Railroad points can be
expeditiously handled, c a m e
from top railroad officials Thurs
day following the heaviest Jan
uary and February civilian
freight movements on record.
An appeal for shippers to take
advantage of the normally slack
January and February months,
in view of an anticipated spring
shipping boom, evidently met
with success, according to a rail
road spokesman.
The Alaska Railroad moved
29.099 tons of civilian freight
in January and 27,770 tons in
February for a total of 56,875
tons during the two months.
These figures represent 25 per
cent increase over the previous
high January and February of
1948 when 45.307 tons of freight
were handled for civilian enter
prises.
| ‘ The cooperation of Alaskan
| shippers has considerably alle
j viated the pressure in shipping
| circles expected as the result
of large scale construction pro
grams in the territory,” the
spokesman said.
At present there is no back
log of freight on the Seward
dock. The addition of a half
dozen diesel engines, and other
: rolling stock, during the wunter
assures railroad shippers of
speedy service in the spring and
summer months.
While figures are incomplete
; for March, indications are that
I another sizeable shipping month
I is in the making, according to
the railroad.
University Fund
dinner Apr!! 1st
The W o m e n's Society for
Christian Service announce a
dinner in the dining room of the
Methodist Church from 6:00 to
8:00 o’clock Saturday evening,
April 1.
A charge is being made of
S2.00 per plate, the proceeds to
go to the University Fund. This
gives everybody a chance to do
his bit toward getting the liberal
arts college for Seward, and to
enjoy a good meal at the same
time.
Mrs. Troy Bogard entertained
at pinochle last Tuesday eve
ning.
World Plant Catalogue in the Making
m ■ ■■I I- n m i i ■ - i u ni 'VMVJifutt-MhiMiriu ,.AVA. .■.•XV.Y.;.y.v. .'.v*,®
Plant breeders now can learn about any variety of wheat or rice
through the World Catalogue of Genetic Stocks, developed by the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (TAG), at
Washington. The Catalogue, set up to aid breeders develop new va
rieties of plants, consists of information stored on punched cards,
from which data can he furnished to growers. Here FAO stalf mem
bers inspect machine which handles the cards of the Catalogue.