SEWARD’S
All-qWeatKec
SEAPORT
Is Alaska's
Greatest Asset
Vol. V, No. 79
SEWARI), ALASKA, TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 1949
Price 10 Cents
Cit) Out Of The Red,
Expect $5,000 Surplus
With the receipt of $9,000 due
from the Territory and with the
collection of all back taxes the
city could be in a position <to pay
all outstanding bills and have a
surplus of $5,000.
This was made known at the
meeting of the City Council on
Monday evening when a number
of bills were approved for payment
as soon as funds are available.
The City Attorney and other city
officials are taking steps to collect
all back taxes as soon as possible,
either by civil suit or by tax sales.
New Budget
As soon as the annual audit of
the city’s books is completed an
analysis of the years expenditures
will be made and a new budget
drawn up. In a discussion of the
budget and the necessity of cutting
expenses, one of the councilmen
suggested that the police force be
cut from three men to two.
No action on the police depart
ment was taken at that meeting,
however, and even the discussion
was to be continued till a later
date.
The mavor told the council that
the cost of street lighting was ex
pected to be reduced considerably
during the next year. A recheck on
garbage collection has shown that
the costs were lower than previ
ously believed and that the city
should even make a little profit
on the collection.
CITY OF SEWARD HAS
QUIET WEEKEND
City police made no arrests over
the weekend. Acting Commissioner
Anna B. Southard reported that
there were no cases before the
Commission’s Court, and there
were no recordings of property
transfers.
The hospital reported that there
were no births or deaths. Although
several ships are expected this
week, there were no ships in the
harbor this morning.
Chief of Police Clark said that a
prisoner had broken out of the jail
recently, the only thing new that
could happen is for some one to
break into the jail. Just as he made
the remark there was a thud on
the ceiling as a roller skater on
the floor above took a tumble.
“From the sound of that,” Clark
said, “someone may break into the
jail at any time—through the
floor.”
BAPTISM AT METHODIST
CHURCH SUNDAY
Sunday, April 10, is Palm Sunday
and there will be baptism of chil
dren and adults at the 11:00 serv
ice.
At 2:30 in the afternoon will be
the Messiah Choir practice. Final
rehearsal wall be Tuesday evening.
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Hatch of
Seward, spent the week-end in
Hope. They drove home in the
Chevrolet sedan they bought from
Edwin Brenner.
I
Territory Imposes Tax
On Punchboards
Effective April 1 j
Chapter 116 of the Session Laws j
of Alaska, 1949, is now law and
imposes a tax on punchboards
which becomes effective April 1, j
1949. The Act, however, must not
be construed in any way to legal
ize gambling.
Every person who desires to
maintain for use, or who permits
the use of, in any place or pre
mises occupied by him, a punch
board, shall first pay a tax as fol- ,
lows: *
$2.00 per each “board” of 2000
boles, or less, and
$4.00 per each 1000 holes or
fraction thereof, in each
“board” having an excess of
2000 holes.
[
Such tax shall be paid by pur
chasing stamps from the office of
(the Tax Commissioner, Box 2751,
Juneau, Alaska. Said stamps must
be affixed to each and every
punchboard prior to its being
placed in use, and the operator
thereof must endorse upon each
and every stamp the serial num
ber of the respective punchboard
placed in use. Transferring stamps
from one punchboard to another is
strictly prohibited.
Any person, firm or corporation
violating the provisions of this
Act shall be guilty of a misde
meanor, and upon conviction there
of, fined in any sum not exceed
ing $500.00.
It will be to thg advantage of
all punchboard operators to con
tact the Department of Taxation.
Box 2751, Juneau, Alaska,, before
placing any type or kind of punch
board in use.
HOPE NEWS
Word has been received that Ed
i Haun has married and will bring
| his new family back to Hope in
1 mid-April. He expects to build a
! home on his homesite east of
town.
! Doc Nearhouse's faithful model
T has been replaced by a beauti
ful maroon colored '49 Ford sedan.
I Under direction of Mrs. Pampell,
the women of Hope are making
good progress in the weekly
tooling classes.
Mr. and Mrs. Dennie. McCart
made the trip to Anchorage by
train, planning to return by plane
Friday.
Hope residents are happy to
have the radio phone, again in
operation. Doc Nearhouse is oper
ator, the radio being in his home.
The entire- population of Hope
turned out for the burial of old
timers, A1 Ferrin and Jimmy New
man. The day was beautiful. Ser
vices were conducted by Mrs. Carl
Clark, on request of friends.
Alaska Railroad To
Start Hirinq
About June 1
Anchorage—Heavy hiring on- the
Alaska Railroad will begin around
the first of June, the ARR Person
nel Department said here today.
Few vacancies exist now, and
most of the hiring is being done
merely for replacements.
Here are the types of jobs which
will soon become available:
Section crews must be filled up
for the summer’s extensive main
tenance work.
With work trains moving again,
there will be an increase in oper
ating forces and in the number of
enginemen.
Some additional help will be
needed in the mechanical depart
ment. Openings will be for skilled
trades.
With operation of the Yukon
riverboats again, the railroad must
hire dockmen for Nenana and
crews for the two boats.'
Bulldozer gangs will be increased
and new survey crews will be
formed.
In addition, there will be con
struction jobs with contractors do
ing work for the ARR from Port
age to Fairbanks.
Special Meeting Isaak
Walton League
Burt Atwood, special representa
tive for the I/.aak Walton League
to Alaska, will be in Seward this
week. There will be a special meet
ing of the Seward chapter of the
league in the basement of the
Episcopal Church Friday evening
at 7:15.
Burt Atwood, who is a brother of
the publisher Bob Atwood of the
Anchorage Times, is in Alaska on
a special four-week good will tour
for the~~league and comes directly
from the national headquarters in
Chicago. He was recently appoint
ed to the National Board of Direc
tors and is also president of the
Winnetka, Illinois, chapter of the
league.
METHODIST MEN PLAN
EASTER BREAKFAST
Leading the Easter schedule at
ttie Seward Memorial Church will
be a sunrise service at 7:00. An
Easter breakfast will be served
at 8:00 by the men of the church.
Bacon and eggs and sourdough hot
cakes lead the menu. Families are
invited to attend the sunrise serv
ice and the breakfast.
Sunday School' will be at 9:45
and Easter worship service at 11:00,
at which time there will be recep
tion of members into the church.
Masons, Eastern Star and Rain
bow Girls are to attend the 11:00
service as a group.
MESSIAH CHOIR CONCERT
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13
The Messiah Choir concert will
be held Wednesday, April 13 at
7:30 p.m. at the Seward Memorial
Church.
This entertainment is being put
on for the enjoyment of all who
care to attend and a cordial invi
tation is extended. There will be
no offering taken.
.i
School Contract Signed,
Complete Work By Oct,
Social Security Not
Popular With
The Old Timers
Five out of every seven people
eligible for Social Security pay
ments do not apply for this assist
ance.
The greatest difficulty encoun
tered by the United States Social
Security Administration is getting
people to ask for the payments
when they have become eligible.
Edward Paluska, who is in Sew
ard on business for this agency,
said Monday that most people who
finally apply for the benefits have
j already lost payments for a period
[of two months to two years.
A survey taken in one place
showed that five out of seven who
are eligible have not applied at all i
in that one place, and there are no
figures to show what the over-all
picture is in Alaska,
i While the Territorial payments
for old-age assistance are based on
need, the Social Security payments
j are made at the flat rate deter
1 mined by law.
1 There are 51 state and territorial
laws governing old-age assistance,
Paluska said, and while a few are 1
; rather stringent, practically re- I
. quiring a pauper's oath, most of •
them are about the same in effect.
| The one important point that
Paluska brought out, though, is
that many people fn the Territory
who are eligible have pot made
I application l'or the pension bene
fits. At Nome, he said, he found
; that 18 out of 22 eligible persons
had not made application until his
arrival.
i
Shipping News . . .
i Eight ships of the Alaska Steam
ship Company are either on the
way from Seattle or scheduled to
sail within the next two weeks, ac
cording to information from W. \V.
Sipprell, general agent for the
company at Seward.
These include two passenger
ships, the Baranof, due at Seward
April 7, and the Alaska, due at
Seward April 15.
| Both the Ring Splice and the
Coastal Monarch are expected to
arrive soon, but the date of arrival
is not known here.
The Chief Washakie is scheduled ,
to sail from Seattle on April 6, go
ing directly to Cordova, Valdez and
Seward, while the Flemish Knot
will sail on April 10 for ports in |
Southeastern and Southwestern i
Alaska, including Seward.
On April 12 the Coastal Ramblei |
will leave Seattle for Seward with
\ stops at Petersburg and Juneau.
The Terminal Knot will sail from
Seattle April 15, making various
ports before coming to Seward.
The SS Baranof, which arrives
Thursday, April 7, will remain in
port till 9 p.m. Friday.
Mayor Eugene Lanier ami Ray
James signet! the contract for the
five room addition to the Seward
School building at Monday night’s
council meeting.
The mayor had to receive auth
Diization from the council before
he could sign for the city. Ray
James signed for the James Con
struction Company, of which he is
president.
Actually tlie contract was signed
Find witnessed by the members of
the council as well as by the may
or. Each page of the contract was
sealed with the city seal and ini
tialed by members of the council.
Before the contract was signed,
specifications on plumbing instal
lation were discussed.
The city treasurer reported that
three local plumbers had been un
able to bid because they said the
specifications were not complete.
James said that standard plumb
ing fitting would be used. This sat
isfied the council members, al
though the city treasurer said there
are many types of plumbing mate
rials considered as standard.
Property Bond
The council also voted to accept
a property bond in lieu of a surety
bond for the performance of the
contract. James said that this
would save the city approximately
$400. The contract carried a penal
ty of $40 a day for each day it
takes to complete the work after
the time limit has run out.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
Night Letter
March 30. 1949
Mayor,
Seward, Alaska
At request of James Construction
Company wish to certify that two
school buildings constructed by
James in 1941 were completed in
most satisfactory manner. Eight,
years of use have shown buildings
were well constructed in accord
ance with plans and specifications.
(Signed)
JAMES C. RYAN,
Commissioner of Education
RED CROSS RECEIVES THANKS
FROM GREAT BRITAIN
A beautifully engraved document •
was receivefl this week by Mrs.
Kirkpatrick, chairman of Seward
Chapter American Red Cross, and
is on display at Red Cross Cam
paign Headquarters in the Palace
Cafe. The document reads:
“His Majesty’s Government in ,
the United Kingdom of Great Brit
ain and Northern Ireland most
warmly thank the members of the
Chapter of the American Red Cross
in Seward, Alaska, for the valuable
help which they have given to
wards the relief of suffering in the
United Kingdom caused by enemy
action during the war of 1939-1945.
"The people of the United King
dom will ever hold their generosity
in grateful memory.”
(Signed) HALIFAX,
Ambassador
CARNIVAL and BARN DANCE!
*
Saturday Evening, April 9 - Seward ivic Center
DANCING — GAMES — PRIZES For Benef^ Ainorican Red Cross