*»A SEWARD’S
All-cWeatKec
SEAPORT
Is Alaska’s
Greatest Asset
Seward Seaport Record
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD, ALASKA
Territorial Library
1-94
Vol. VI, No. 54
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, JAN. 6, 1950
Price 10 Cents
“Teach Children Religion”
Asks American Legion
The American Legion in Alas
ka has designated January and
February as “Teach Children
Religion” months and Is spon
soring an active program in each
of the 19 American Legion posts
located in the Territory of Alas
ka.
Perry S. McLain, Commander
of The American Legion in Alas
ka, is announcing this unusual
program from the department
commander’s office in Anchor
age, emphasizing that “it is a
program without any partisan
or denominational connections,
and can be supported with equal
enthusiasm by Protestants, Cath
olics and Jews.”
The picture appearing in this
paper is a reproduction of a 14
by 22 inch multi-color card
which Legionnaires will place
on prominent display through
out Alaska in places of business
desiring same, in schools and in
places of worship.
Commander McLain described
the purpose of this program as
being to awaken all citizens, re
gardless of their station in life,
and without relation to their re
ligious affiliations, to the need
for “moral and spiritual con
sciousness on the part of our
children, who are the citizens of
tomorrow, and who will either
fill important positions of lead
ership in our church, home, busi
ness and government or else fall
by the wayside, based upon the
opportunities we afford them to
understand their spiritual and
(Turn to Page 3)
Basketball . . .
TRIDAY, JAN. 6 - School Gym
7:15—GAA Reds vs. Blues
8:00—DeHorns vs. Boosters
9:00—Sea Hawks vs. Nobby
Club
High Winds Pile Snow
High in City Streets
High winds and drifting snow
brought grief to the street de
partment, garbage collection,
power and telephone lines, and
to John Doe of Seward during
the past two days.
The business section of town
was partly cleared when the
wind started on Wednesday aft
ernoon. It reached a velocity of
39 to 40 miles with gusts of over
50 mph. Coming as it did after
a heavy fall of snow, the drifts
promptly undid much of the
work just completed.
North - south streets were
blown almost clean, but the
east-west streets drifted heavily,
so that motoring was hazardous
for a few hours Thursday night.
Wind deflectors atop chim
neys, garbage cans and trash
flew through the air, and more
than one person jumped out of
bed into a snowdrift that had
found its way through loose
window panes and under doors.
Ships could not dock, and
many children were unable to
get themselves to school. By Fri- j
day noon the wind had abated!
somewhat and things rapildy re- i
turned to normal.
TERRITORIAL FUND SHORT
$221,000 END OF DECEMBER
The Territory's General Fund j
was short S221.645.14 to meet j
its obligations at the end of!
December, according to a state-j
merit issued Tuesday by Treas-1
urer Henry Roden.
On December 31, 1949. after
the closing of the books, the
sum of $430,184.22 was on
hand. Against this amount, the
Auditor's office held unpaid
vouchers totaling S701.829.86, j
leaving the Territory short
S221.645.14
'Round V 'Bonf Town . . .
—The Roving Reporter—
On Wednesday night, Jan. 18,
1950, the Seward Community
Chorus will again begin rehears
als for the annual Holy Week
presentation of George Handel's
oratorio “The Messiah.” The re
hearsals will take place at the
Seward Memorial Church at 8
p.m. Miss Shirley Calnan will
again act as the musical director.
Ken Porter, who has been
visiting in St. Louis. Mo., for
the last two weeks, arrived
home last Monday.
,
Our apologies to “Scrappy”
Southard for calling him ‘ her”
in our last issue. It was just a
misprint and we are sorry.
Miss Murrell had a long dis
tance call from Mrs. Knight,
who now lives in Orofino, Idaho.
Mrs. Knight asked to be re
membered to her friends in
Seward.
Val Tutiakoff has been in the
hospital nursing a broken ankle.
He was one of the players on
the DeHorn basketball team
and they are glad to learn he
is up and about now.
%
Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Weber
are back home after vacationing
in the States for the last six
weeks. They stated they had a
good visit with each of their
mothers and their son who is
attending. the University of
Washington.
$
Due to the wind and drifting
snow the planes were unable
to operate the last few days.
This storm extended all the way
to Kenai and also to Hope.
The John Cropper was unable
to dock Wednesday nite on ac
count of the strong north wind
blowing. Nautical men tell us j
that single propeller ships have |
difficulty docking in very strong i
off-shore wind because they1
must come in under power and
if the wind suddenly subsides
there is danger of the ship
crashing and damaging the
dock.
* f
At last report the doctor has
good hopes that Oliver Lind
burg regain use of his |
shoulder and achieve a complete |
recovery. A speedy recovery, i
Lindy.
There was a dinner party at
the Joe Hughes’. Mr. and Mrs. I
Adkins, the Bill Yonkers and
Charlie Lynn enjoyed their hos
pitality.
&
Ralph Bomar's marriage to
Maud Annette Huber will take
place today.—Details later.
Mr. John Haapala, engineer
for the Bureau of Public Roads,
is scheduled to return from the
States within a few days.
V£
Wilma Myers, a student of
Colorado Women’s College in
Denver, writes her folks that
she is enjoying college life. She
asked them to say “Hello” to
everyone for her and said she
was so thrilled .with all the
Christmas mail she received. I
She spent the holidays with her
grandparents in Grand Junction, j
The members of the Eastern!
Star are having a pot luck din- j
ner next Monday night, Jan. 9,1
6:30 p.m. at the Masonic Hall. I
84-Year-Old Hope
Resident Dies
In Seward Hospital
Sam Gatos, resident of Hope,
Alaska, died in Seward General
Hospital January 4, at the age!
of 84.
His only survivor is a sister, j
Mrs. Belle Foskctt of Belling
ham Washington. She visited
with him in Hope last summer
and sends word that she will
be unable to attend the funeral
this week. He is to be buried
in Hope Saturday or Sunday.
Gates was born in Ogden,
Washington in 1866. It is not
known when he came to Alaska,
but miners’ records of Sunrise
and Hope in 1896, and of Sew
ard from 1906 bear occasional
references to his name. He lived
in Hope for more than 20 years.
F.H.A. HEARING TONIGHT j
IN COUNCIL ROOM
All Sewardites interested in j
FHA housing assitance, own
ers or prospective builders,
are invited to meet with Mr.
Clinton C. Staples and Mr.
Roy L. Swanson, FHA repre
sentatives from Juneau.
The meeting will be at 8
o'clock this evening (Friday),
in the City Council room,
where members of the City
Council will discuss the hous
ing situation with the visitors.
Owen Harvey Jailed
On Two Counts
Owen T. Harvey was sen
tenced on two counts Thursday
in Commissioner s Court, total
ing six months in Federal jail.
Harvey was charged by Sew
ard Electric System with by
passing the meter and using
power Without paying for it in
the Taylor-Kawabe house on
Fourth Avenue which he rented
recently.
The second complaint, which
was signed by Marshall Irvin
Metcalf, was on illegal cohabita
tion with Emma Milgrock, who
was, accodring to Harvey, his
housekeeper.
Harvey denied the second
charge, claiming that he “did
not know it was against the law
to have a housekeeper.” The
woman, however, confessed to
having immoral relations with
Harvey, and he was found guilty.
A sentence of three months in
jail for each charge was im
posed by U S. Deputy Commis
sioner Bonnie Southard.
ALASKA HEALTH DEPT.
ASKS ASSISTANCE
The Alaska Department of
Health has taken another step
forward in the care of children.
This is the new program for
chronic diseases of children, in
cluding rheumatic heart disease.
On November 21, a seven-bed
unit was opened in St. Ann's
Hospital at Juneau, for the diag
nosis and care of chronic diseases
in children (up to the age of 21).
At present, there are five chil
dren hospitalized, two from Ju
neau and three from Palmer.
Part of the goal of the Alaska
Department of Health is to de
termine the incidence of rheu
matic and congenital heart dis
ease in Alaska and other chronic
conditions such as epilepsy,
chronic nephritis, diabetes, etc.
A great deal of help is needed
with these children in the way
of personal service to them;
clothing and recreational mate
rial are necessary; transporta
tion to and from the hospital
must be furnished; volunteer
help for occupational direction
is needed.
This hew unit at St. Ann’s hos
pital is an extension of the
Crippled Children’s program
on a special fund and, as such
is entitled to assistance from the !
ACCA. It is a wonderful new i
program which should have the;
full support of all our members. |
Increased Business in 1859 for
Alaskans Says Bevel. Board
Adequate Lighting in
School By March 31
A contract between Thorwald
Osbo and the City Council for
the relighting of the high school
building was signed Tuesday
night and work will begin as
soon as material arrives. The
completion date was set for
Mar. 31, 1950.
Since the new building has
been occupied, the comparison
in the lighting proved the old
building so obviously inade
quate, that immediate steps
were taken by the School Board
and City Council to remedy the
situation.
Of three bids submitted upon
the call for bids, T. Osbo, of
Osbo’s Electrical Supply, was
the lowest. The bids were all
made upon specifications call
ing for the same number and
kind of fluorescent fixtures as
those specified by Manley and
Mayer, architects for the new
school building. Classrooms and
halls are to have new lights.
Additional wall outlets were
also included in the specifica
tions. _
Local Man Injured in
Highway Accident
Oliver F. Lindburg sustained
a broken shoulder, two broken
ribs and head injuries when the
gasoline truck he was driving
overturned at about Mile 1(5 on
the Seward-Hope Highway Ik.-.,
day. Jan. 3.
Lindburg was driving a load
of gasoline to the camp at Milo
52. when he met a pickup truck
driven by Ray McCann of
Cooper Landing. McCann was
accompanied by Harry McGee.
Lindburg pulled to the right of
the road to pass the McCann
truck. 11 is wheel sank into the
soft shoulder, and after proceed
ing a few feet, he was unable
to pull out. The truck slid down
the embankment, turning over
McCann and McGee extricated
Lindburg from the wreck and
brought him in to Seward Gen
eral Hospital where he received
treatment for his injuries.
Mr. Lindburg will be in the
hospital for at least another
week before returning to his
home to complete recovery.
VETS HOUSING PROJECT
RENAMED
As of January 1. 1950, the Vet
erans Housing Project w a s
turned over to the City of Sew
ard as sole owner. There was
some delay in the transaction,
owing to the fact that four of
the lots in the project were
owned by the Federal govern
ment. These lots were purchased
by the city at the cost of $515.00,
which cleared the way for the
transfer of the entire project,
which was completed as of Jan.
1.
In regular meeting, Jan. 3, the
City Council renamed the area,
which will be known as the Sew
ard Housing Area. Management
will remain the same until some
future date.
4TH SERIES BASKETBALL
OPENED WEDNESDAY
The first local City League
basketball games of 1950 were
played Wednesday evening at
the school gymnasium. Series IV
started with close first-half
games between all contenders,
the Nobby Club and the Sea
Hawks just overshadowing op
ponents. In both second halves,
winners widened leads. Improve
ment in individual playing and
team play is noticeable for all
teams and players of the league.
Box Scores
(Turn to Page 4>
| Alaskans can look forward in
I the New Year to substantial in
creases in almost all lines of en
deavor, it is indicated by a year
end review by the Alaska Devel
opment Board of business and
industrial activities throughout
the Territory during 1949.
Efforts looking toward the
establishment of large basic in
dustry, well advanced in 1949,
should bring their first tangible
.results in 1950, the Development
Board predicted.
Several of the nation’s major
manufacturing concerns turned
their attention to Alaska in the
past year and are studying plans
to install in the Territory en
tirely new industrial lines in
cluding electrochemical, electro
metallurgical and similar type
plants, pulp mills, bulk cement
facilities and other enterprises
utilizing iron ore and marble.
Industries utilizing three of
Alaska’s natural resources —
mineral, forestry and fishery
products — were estimated to
have produced almost $130,000,
000 in new wealth during 1949.
While that figure is slightly un
der the value of production for
1948. a larger percentage of the
wealth produced went to resi
dent Alaskans.
The value of the 1949 salmon
pack, for example, was estimat
ed at about $i5,000,000 under
! the 1948 mark of S96,000,000,
[ although the total Alaska pack
was up 400,000 odd cases, the
Southeast Alaska pack recording
a 95 per cent increase. These
I figures reflect substantial in
' creases in the number of resi
1 dent Alaskans employed as can
i nery workers and other phases
of the industry, as well as great
er returns for Alaska fishermen.
Timber production for the
year was estimated at S5,000.000,
the annual cut amounting to
more than 52.000.000 f.b.m. This
; represents a reduction of about
5.000.000 f.b m. under the pre
vious year, despite the fact that
about the same number of mills
—55— were in operation. Non
j operation of the Juneau mill,
] which formerly cut about 30.
! 000.000 f.b.m. anually, explains
in part the reduction in produc
tion.
While all information regard
ing the value of Alaska's min
eral production during the year
was not available, the Alaska
Development Board estimated
that it would approximate last
year's total of about $15,000,000.
While it is known that gold pro
duction dropped almost 81,000,
' 000 in value, it is believed in
| creases in production of non
| metallic minerals and others
j would compensate for that
amount.
I With approximately 67,000
! persons visiting the Territory
during the summer of 1949, new
| highs were recorded in the tour
; ist industry. Total expenditures,
l including transportation, were
! estimated at more than $25,000,
000. Further increases in sum
mer travel to Alaska for 1950
are anticipated.
! Important step's toward allevi
! ating Alaska’s critical housing
shortage were taken at the
year’s end with the announce
ment that more than $20,000,000
in new housing had either been
approved or pending by FHA.
As an evidence of business ac
tivity, the Bureau of Internal
Revenue reported that corpora
tion and profits taxes collected
in Alaska during fiscal 1949
totalled $1,473,655.05, an 18.2
per cent increase over fiscal
1948. Individual income taxes
collected in the Territory, al
though showing a 4.8 per cent
drop, amounted to $14,206,488.
40. Percentage-wise, the decrease
was greater in 45 states in the
(Turn to Pago 4)