Daily Sitka Sentinel
I
fl^ne-Ownd Newspaper
and The ARROWHEAD PRESS
Member of The Associated Press
10c a Copy
VOLUME XVII
Wednesday, December 28, 1955
NUMBER 12
Councii-SPU board meet to
discuss power need survey
SPU will seek data
•n feasibility
purvey of power
After an hour’s discussion
between the SPU board of con
trol and the city council last
niight, an agreement was reach
ed whereby the SiPU would
seek to contact an engineering
firm concerning the making of
a “feasibility survey” of the
electric power needs of Sitka
and the bed. method of meeting
these needs.
In addition to mayor Eanl
Shennett and SPU president
Lin Thielke, couneilmen Wm.
W. Knight. Geohge Eliason,
Frank Calvin, Cecil McClain
and Neill Andersen, and SPU
members Don IMcGraw, William
Sarvela, Charles M. Peterson
and Pete Haugen, all took part
in the discussion.
Before the meeting with the
SPU board, council heard Me
Clain report the need for lights
on the outside finger of the
AiNB (float (ifor which arrange
ments had (been made to sup
ply) and the need for a tele
phone at this float. If the ci'.y
will -build housing for the phone
McClain stated, it was (believed
Sitka Telephone would install
an instrument alt or near the
entrance to the dodk.
City attorney Warren Christ
ianson reported that alt 2 p. m.
Wednesday the case of Indian
River Enterprises vs. City of
Sitkia for collection of delin
quent sales tax would be heard.
Letters had been dispatched to
local radio stations informing I
V eotchcombing
^ Surely a change from yes
terday morning. And watch
your step for it’s mighty slip
pery trying to walk and as for
driving take your time for fit
requires some weeks to get the
parts that are banged up in an
accident. J—1~
• We are wondering if Sitka
is going to project the teeth of
its children?
• In two weeks we will know
who is going to bid for the
pulp mill tiniber and in less
-than a month who has bought
it and will build the mill.
v -1-1
• That IR bureau man tho
ught he was kidding but many
of us have to scratch around to
find enough money to pay our
pittance to the government so
the bureaucrats can sipend it
in foreign countries being big
shots.
• Those who drive cars must
remember that the fellow walk
ing gets mad and welt when
the cars spray water all over
him. So mad in fact that it’s
dangerous to stop.
them that they were expected
to collect sales itax on all ad
vertising revenue.
Council voted to accept the
second addition of the Barnaof
school with certain reserva
tions asked by the school board;
approved the application of
the Veterans of Foreign Wars
for a club liquor license; re
fused to extend the closing
hours for the Moose Club or
any club on New Year’s Eve;
voted the city employees a bon
us given ;hem by the mayor at
Christmas; expressed approval
of fluoridation in principal and
requested more information
from the Public Health Service
The council will meet in codi
fication session next Tuesday.
Mounting tension
in Formosa as Reds
shell Quemoy Is.
TAIPEI (JP) A heavy Chinese j
Red shelling of Quemoy and
six days oif air raid alarms in
the Ma.sus today underscored j
mounting tension in Formosa
strait.
The defense ministry said j
Red artillery this morning sent;
500 shells crashing on Quemoy
and Little Querpoy across the
strait from Formosa.
The ministry asserted that
answering fire silenced the Red
batteries in the port of Amoy
and tijg nearby island of Ta
teng. It said Red shells destroy
ed 38 homes and wounded 3 ci
vilians.
The ministry said the shell- j
ing of Quemoy was the second j
in two days, the Reds having |
fired 1‘72 shells at the island j
Tuesday.
Official reports said the Na- j
tionalids strengthened their
air and naval parols in the Mat
sus, 100 miles northwest of
Formosa because of rising dan
ger of a Red invasion.
N. California
faces huge clean-up
after floods
I SAN FRANCISCO (IP) North
ern California faced the hercu
lean Itask of cleaning up after j
the worst (floods in its history!
today as threats of further
danger diminished before the
first generally fair weather in
two weeks.
Bui: ‘the rising toll of known
deaths was up to 34 today, and
no one could say how many
more bodies might be found.
Estimates of those missing and
possibly dead ranged from 19
to 36 or more.
Heroic work of army, navy,
air force and coast guard men
| who manned boats, trucks, am
phiibians, helicopters and pla
nes cult the loss of life by hun
dreds as they worked constant
(continued on page four)
ANNOUNCE CHRISTNAS
LIGHTING WINNERS
Conway Insurance Agency
and Ed Schultz took first hon
ors in the business and resid
ential categories of the annual
Christmas lighting contest, spon
sored locally by the Sitka Pub
lie Utilities and the Rotary
Club of Sitka.
Olher winners in the busin
ess division were Sitka Bazaar,
second, and Brownie’s Shoe
Shop, third. In the residential
category Sheldon Jackson Jun
ior College took second and
Dormand McGraw, third.
Prizes are given on the basis
of $15 for first, $1'0 for second
and $5 for third.
Honorable mention was given
the Coast Guard cutter Sorrell
Rotary club committee in
charge included Roy Evenson,
David Ramsay, H. J. Hodgins
and Clyde Halger.
Artist stricken
NEW YORK A/P) Ham Fisher,
creator of the popular comic
strip hero, Joe Palooka, was
found dead last night in a fri
end’s studio. Nearby were two
notes indicating suicide, police
reported.
Fisher, 54, wThose full name
was Hammand Edward Fisher,
wrote in the note of failing
eyesight and a diabetic condi
tion. He said that he had swal
lowed some pills.
Starvation among Natives
exaggerated, says Wm Olsen
12 villages being
aided by ANS
welfare funds
ANCHORAGE (/P) Reports
of starvation conditions in na
tive villages are a gross exag
geration, according to a state
ment: issued Tuesday by the
chief of the Alaska Native Ser
vice.
William H. Olsen, director,
said that the welfare depart
ment of his agency is spending
$60,000 a month throughout
Alaska, of which $28,558 goes
to 12 villages where distress
has followed the poor fishing
season last summer.
Ten of the villages are im
southeast Alaska and are draw
ing $23,935 each month. The
other two are Nome and Ty
onek where an additional $4,
623 in relief is being distribu
ted each month.
“It is true that the villages
were hard-hit by the low in
come from the last fishing sea
son, but there is nothing to
subsequent reports of starva
I .
Alaska employment still in a
transition stage - is report
Possibly to that
of greater future
stability
by Frank W. V'aille
WASHINGTON (IP) “Alas
kan employment is still in a
sTajge of transition — possibly
to greater future stability.”
That cautious prediction is
the conclusion reached by
George W. Rogers, economist
in the office of Alaska’s Gov.
B. Frank Heintzleman, in an
article on Alaska’s economy
and its labor force.
The article is one of five on
various phases of the terri
tory’s labor picture contained
in the 'December issue of
Monthly Labor 'Review, pub
lished by the department of
labor. The issue is devoted to
labor conditions in Alaska,. Ha
v/aii and Puerto Rico.
Other contributors and the
subject matter of their articles
include Joseph T. Flakne, for
mer director of the Alaska di
vision, office of territories,
and now urogram director of
the Arctic Institute, on “The
U. S. Government as an Em
ployer;” H. L. Clark, supervis
or of reports and analysis, Al
aska employment security com
mission on “Wages and Work
ing Conditions;” Leonard E.
Evans, territorial representa
tive of labor department in
Alaska. “Labor Law and its
Administration,” and Edwin
! M. Fitch, special representa
tive of the general manager.
Alaska Railroad, on “The Char
acter of Industrial Relations.”
The overall tenor of the ar
ticles is best summed up in
; the magazine’s prefatory nol e
which describes Alaska as “An
Arctic and sub-Arctic region,
underpopulated and underde
veloped.”
! “Much of its indust rial enter
I prise is absentee owned and
I its stable unionism operated
from the states. Goverment
workers constitute a large frac
tion of the work force. Wages
and prices are high, and there
is considerable seasonal impor
tation Of workers, especially
in the construction field.”
Rogers backs ujp his forecast
of possible great er stability for
Alaskan employment by cit
ing a recent prediction by the
bureau of empdoyiment secur
ity that “by 1962, although av
erage employment in construc
tion will drop by about 4,400
from 1954 levels, the antici
ipated establishment of six
new forest products facilities
in southeastern Alaska will
generate almost 9,200 new
jobs.”
This forecast envisions an
increase in employment in for
est products mills of about 1,
100: in logging, of 2,030: and
in various supporting indus
tries by 6.030.
Rogers describes Alaska’s
economic basis as “narrow,
highly seasonal and reigionally
(continued on page three)
tion conditions,” Olsen said.
“It is probable that some ad
ditional villages will be get
ting more relief next spring
but the Alaska Native Service
is not tolerating starvation
conditions anyrwhere.”
The director said the $60,
000 monthly payments have
now been aulgimented by $25,
000 allocated by President Eis
enhower to the federal civil
defense administration for em
ergency reilief, making the pos
sibility of starvation even
more remote than his reports
indicate. t
Olsen also added that he
has heard reports that food sup
plies sent to the native village
of Tyonek by volunteer groups
are being stored and are ndt
needed at all.
Two infants perish
in trailer fire
FAIRBANKS (JP) The two
children of an air force couple
died in a house-trailer yester
day when an oil stove exploded
while their parents were next
door.
Killed in the fire which quick
ly enveloped the trailer at
Ladd air force base were Karen
Margaret Smith, 8 months,
i and her brother, Donald, 18
months.
The parents, A. C. and Mrs.
Donald Smith, were at a neigh
|bors loOkinlg through a catalog
I for clothing for Karen when
' the fire broke ouii. Flames kept
them from re-entering the trail
er.
Mrs. Smith was hospitalized
from shock. The Smiths were
(continued on oage four)
An easy tax form?
PROVIDENCE, R. I. UP) Rus
sell G .Barrington, commission
er of Ini ernal Ievenue, says
new income tax forms are in
the mails.
He told a testimonial dinner
in his honor last night that “we
think they are more under
standable than any we have
produced in recent years.”
However, he said his office
doesn’t claim they are the ulti
mate in simplicity. The moslt
simplified form, he suggested
jokingly, would consist of the
following four lines:
1. How much money did you
make last year?
2. How much did you spend?
3. How much do you have
left?
4. Mail it to the Internal Re
venue Service.
Marine forecast from Wed
nesday to Thursday.
Outside wtalters Dixon En
trance to Yakutat south to
southeast winds 10 to 20 mph.
Mostly rain tonight mixed
with snow.