J*
SEWARD’S
All-cWeatKer
SEAPORT
Is Alaska’s
Greatest Asset
Territorial Library 4-50
Seward Seaport Record
N
Vol. VI, No. 11
SEWARD, ALASKA, TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 1949
Price 10 Cents
Cut In Military
Budget Has No
Effect Locally
While a number of Alaska cities
will be bard hit by the action of
the Congressional Armed Services
Committee in cutting off $137 mil
lion previously allocated for con
p.iBA\as 'mjseiv ui >[.;oa\ uoiprujs
does not expect to feel any serious
let clown.
This is the general opinion of
most Seward businessmen, who
hold that this city has one of the
most stable payrolls in the Terri
tory. This port city had been com
pletely overlooked when the allot
ments for such construction work
were made. Therefore no loss will
be felt.
Sudden Decision
The decision to chop off the $66.
480,700 for Navy construction, $25.
164.000 Army, $7,663,212 ACS, and
$38,430,800 for the Air Force was
announced suddenly by Chairman
of the Armed Services Committee
Carl Vinson, and no explanation
has been made to this date.
Transportation
The consensus of opinion in i
Seward seems to be that Seward is
quite fortunate in having been
overlooked so many times when
government appropriations w ere
handed out. since because of their
lack, the city had to form its own
natural economy.
Some businessmen, however, fear
that Seward will be swamped with
unemployed coming here from
other towns. A few businessmen
feel that there may he some reduc
tion in the arnount of freight com
ing through this port, but that it
will not be a crippling loss.
RAINBOW GIRLS TO HOLD
BAXE SALE
The advisory board of The Order
of Rainbow for Girls announces
a bake sale Saturday, August 13.
to be 'held in McMullens Store.
The sale will begin at 11:00 a.m.
but tickets on a cake donated by
Mrs. Dick Myers will be sold before
that time. This cake will be on dis
play at McMullen’s on Friday.
The purpose of the bake sale is
to start a fund to send a delegate
from the Seward Assembly to
Spokane for Grand Assembly next
June.
All "mothers of Rainbow Girls
'are asked to donate for this sale.
Baked goods of all kinds and
salads are requested. Donations
will be picked up on a call to Mrs.
Del Robbins at Madison 116.
Voters May Register
Once Each Year,
Council Decrees
From now on, voters may regis
ter at the City Hall at any time
during the year that the city clerk's
office is open except on election
day and the two days prior to an
election.
It will not be necessary to regis
ter for each election during the
year, a regulation which has made
it difficult for voters to cast their
votes at times.
The new rule was put in effect
through a resolution passed Mon
day evening by the City Council
and is an ammendment to Ordi
nance No. 180. which governs elec
tion procedure. In the past some
people have been denied the priv
ilege of voting because they forgot
to register.
Hospital Roof Job
C ccs To Culver son
The City Council at Monday eve
ning's special meeting awarded the
contract for the new roof on the
Seward General Hospital to A. J.
Culverson. Culverson’s bid was for
the sum of $2,045.76. about $245
more than the council had esti
mated.
The council had been trying for
more than a year to raise money
enough to repair or replace the
present roof, which has been leak
ing in a number of different places
even though attempts had been
made to get it repaired. *
Shipping News . . .
The passenger ship SS Alaska
was expected to arrive at Seward
about 3:30 Tuesday afternoon and
it is expected to sail at about 7:00
Wednesday morning.
The Square Knot has been dis
charging cargo here for several
days and the Flemish Knot ar
rived Monday night. The SS Vic
toria is due to arrive here about
Saturday, August 13. The Diamond
Cement is now scheduled to leave
Seattle on August 15.
COLLEGE PRESIDENT
VISITS IN SEWARD
Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Yaw of Sitka
and Rev. and Mrs. Booth of Juneau
were overnight visitors in Seward
and guests at the Jesse Lee Home
last Friday. Mr. Yaw is president
of the Sheldon Jackson Junior Col
lege at Sitka, and Rev. Booth is
pastor of the Presbyterian Church
in Juneau.
The Blue Shop announces that
Mrs. Miriam Painter has been
(elected to full paid up membership
in the Savings Club and is receiv
ing a Blue Shop suit this week.
Studying W orld Bank at First Hand
in three years the International Bank for Reconstruction amt
Development, one of U.N.’s Specialized Agencies, has received
hundreds of visitors, but few have shown more interest in the
Bank's operations than a group of 32 students from eleven countries
which recently visited the Bank. Here with Bank’s President Eugene
1:. Black, are (left to right) Suzanne Vauchez of France; .iicina
llrazdilova of Czechoslovakia; and Auvo Kemppinen of Finland.
'Ih'.y studied in the U. S. on American Field Service scholarships.*.
Longshoremen
Plan Dance
For Labor Day|
The two Seward locals of the i
Longshoremen’s Union have joined
I
forces to sponsor a Labor Day j
dance. Profits derived from the
affair will be donated toward the j
construction of the new fire hall. ,
While a number of men from !
both unions are on the committees, j
Del Zentmire of the shipslde union j
and Bill O'Brien of the dockside j
union are working to coordinate 1
their efforts.
Children's Party
The dance will be held at the 1
Civic Center, beginning at 8:00 in
the evening. Labor Day falls on 1
Monday, Sept. 5, and on that after- i
noon there will be a party for j
children at the Civic Center, also j
•sponsored by the two longshore '
unions.
Between the hours of 2 to 4
there will be free roller skating
and at 4 the youngsters will be in
vited to the basement where ice
cream, hot dogs, pop, and other re
freshments will be served.
Good Music
Arrangements for an orchestra
are in the making and the dancers
have been promised music for as
long as they wish to dance. Tickets
for the affair will be on sale at a
number of business houses in town.
At present the work on the new
firehail is progressing and it is
expected that the second story
will start to go up very soon. On
the first floor there will be space
for three fire trucks and all fire
equipment. The second story will
have the office of the city clerk,
the council chamber, also to be
used for firemen’s meetings, and
to the back will be an apartment
lor the fire chief.
ARR employes Go On
40-Hour Week
Following in the footsteps of its
sister railroads in the States, the
Alaska Railroad expects to go on
a 40-hour week Sept. 1, it was an
nounced jointly last Friday by the
representatives of negotiating un
ions and railroad spokesmen.
Negotiations are continuing with
Acting President Ed Russell, rep
resenting the American Federation
of Government Employees, (AFL),
Paul Shelmerdine, director of labor
relations, representing the Alaska
Railroad, A. A. Johnson speaking
for the Order of Railway Tele
graphers, and C. M. Marcott, rep
resenting the International Ass’n.
of Machinists.
‘•We expect to make an interim
agreement subject to the approval
of the membership of the AFGE,”
Russell declared. The AFGE rep
resents all non-operating employes
except the telegraphers, machinists
and dispatchers.
While only a verbal agreement
has been reached in connection
with hourly pay increases, it was
indicated that raises were in line
whereby an employe is to receive
pay for the 40-hour week approxi
mately equivalent to what he pre
viously earned in 48 hours.
. While the order will directly af
fect some 2,000 non-operating ARR
employes, longer work weeks may
still be necessary for a few em
ployes, it was pointed out.
It is expected most employes
will have both Saturday and Sun
day as their days of rest. In round
the-clock operations there will be
cases where this is impossible, but
efforts will be made to see that
employes have two consecutive
days off during .the week.
Homer Boe and family moved
to Seward from Hope last Sunday.
Mr. Boe is with the Bureau of Pub
lic Roads and was transferred to
Seward.
Carl J. Hutton, City I
Attorney, Turns In
Resignation Saturday
The chair usually occupied by
City Attorney Carl J. Hutton was |
vacant at Monday’s special council
meeting. The attorney turned in his
resignation last Saturday.
The reason for his resignation 1
was not brought out at the meet
ing. but Hutton has several times
mentioned that duties of that of
fice have interfered with his pri
vate practice.
The action leaves the city with
out a legal advisor at a time when
•two major Ordinances are under
consideration and bond issues are
being negotiated. At the mayor's,
request, th.e council granted him
authority to negotiate for the serv
ices of an out of town attorney.
Cold Storage Ships
Big Load of Halibut
The freighter Square Knot
berthed at the Seward Fish and
Cold Storage Company’s dock Mon
day to load 119.000 lbs. of frozen
halibut. The ship departed at about
3:30 Tuesday morning.
This is the second shipment of
frozen halibut by the local com
pany. the first shipment having
been a like amount. A member
of the firm reported Tuesday that
the company will have to .make a
number of such shipments in order
to make room in the plant for
storage of more fish. They expect
to be receiving codfish later this
month.
Rainbow Girls Hold
Majority Service
The Seward Assembly of the
Order of Rainbow for Girls held
a Majority Service Monday slight
at the Masonic Hall.
The Majority Service is a cere
mony in which members who have
reached the age of 20 or who have
! married are retired from active
| membership and receive a lifetime
certificate as honorary members.
It is a colorful and solemn cere
mony which is done with dignity
and feeling by the Seward girls.
The young women honored in
the Monday service were Mrs.
Beverly Seater Oliverson, Mrs.
Phyllis Ingram Inglis and Miss
Lila Thorsen.
Julia Hatch, the Worthy Advisor,
presented her parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Peter Hatch, to the assembly when
they were escorted to the East,
when she presented her mother
with a beautiful corsage and her
father with a boutonniere.
The ceremony was witnessed by
many parents and friends who
were served with refreshments of
sandwiches and cake after the
service.
Mrs. Dora Sweeny of Juneau,
the Grand Deputy for Alaska, has
appointed Beverly Abrahamson as
Grand Representative to Nebraska
for the Grand Assembly next June.
This will be the first time that
Seward has been represented at
Grand Assembly.
The Majority Service was con
ducted under the direction of Miss
Julia Hatch, Worthy Advisor, pre
siding; Mrs. Barbara Bedford,
Mother Advisor and Mrs. Phil
Harding, Associate Mother Advisor.
Mrs. Mildred Kirkpatrick was
hostess at a birthday dinner for
her son Gene in the John Coleman
home Sunday night. Mr. Kirk
patrick \yas completely unsuspect
ing and really surprised when he
walked into the room to find a
party of 15 of his friends and fam
ily waiting to celebrate his birth
day.
The Immunization Clinic will be
held as usual on Thursday, Aug. 11.
at the office of Mrs. LaPreal Bie.
Public Health Nurse. Mrs. Bife is
enjoying her vacation this week,
but will go to the office for the
clinic so that the immunization
series will not b'e interrupted.
Election, Tax
Laws Ready
For Sept. Vote
Two ordinances, one the new
election law, 'and the second a
sales tax ordinance l'or education,
public health and sanitation, were
passed by the City Council Monday
evening. Neither ordinance will be
come effective, however, unless
tiro voters approve them in the
Septembt r 8 special election.
Since the legislature authorized
sales tax for municipalities last
spring a number of Alaska towns
have taken advantage of the auth
ority to use this means of raising
revenue for city needs.
Special Account
While it is legal to impose a
sales tax for the general fund, th*:1
Seward Council felt it would be
more acceptible to the taxpayers
if the money were to be used only
for health education and sanitalion.
A separate account will be set
up, as at present, and sales tax
money may not be withdrawn from
it except for the special purposes
named. In the event that a surplus
amount of money should accumu
late at any one time, the money
may be invested only in govern
ment bonds until it is used for the
purpose intended.
High School
The city will need a new high
school within a very few years,
it was pointed out, and this sys
tem would provide a fund for that
purpose.
In the matter of collections, the
city will allow a three per cent dis
co1.u.: to firms which turn in the
tax within five days of the end of
each 30 day tax period.
Those who wish may absorb the
tax, provided they make the deci
sion by Jan. 1 of each year, and
post a placard in a conspicuous
place showing that the firm is ab
sorbing the tax.
Penalties
The penalty for refusing to col
lect the tax or for not turning in
, the report or for turning in an in
I correct report will be a fine 'of not
I more than $100 or a jail sentence
of not more than 30 days, or both,
j The city will have the authority
to inspect sales records of a busi
ness not turning in a satisfactory
report, but only may inspect the
; records pertaining to information
; necessary to secure a true report.
Election
| In the election ordinance, the
voters will have the opportunity
of deciding whether to elect a
mayor for a term of two years and
councilmen for a period of three
years, or whether the term for
mayor shall continue to be one
year. t
Some other Alaska cities have
already voted on this referendum.
Anchorage, for instance, - has cho
sen the two-year term for mayor.
Fifty-five per cent or more of the
voters must approve the ordinances
before they are effective.
WIFE OF GARLAND SKIPPER
VISITS SEWARD FRIENDS
Captain R. Jacobsen of the Mail
boat Garland has .Mrs. Jacobsen
with him on the present trip to
the westward. The Jacobsens lived
in Seward for several years before
the war and Mrs. Jacobsen has
been renewing her acquaintance
ships here.
The Garland carried a number
of Sewardites to the Westward on
its last trip before going to Seattle.
The Garland made a side trip to
Anchorage before leaving Tuesday
noon for the 13 day mail run.
Mr. and Mrs. Clarence T. Larsen
are proud parents of little Florence
Ellen, who arrived Aug. 5 at 2:05
p.m„ weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounces.
She is the Larsen’s second daugh
ter and named after her maternal
grandmother, the late Mrs. Flor
ence Fowler Bledsoe, of Hot
Springs, Arkansas.