Housing Held
Greatest Need
(Continued from Page 1)
ues?
He says 400. From 1949, on, he
would like to see a steady produc
tion of 200 to 300 houses per year.
Lack of housing undermines the
economic structure of the Rail
belt because it discourages the
steady type of employe—and par
ticularly the family man—from
settling here.
“If the territory relies on the
transient worker, it will wait a
long time for a stabilized economy
Salisbury says.
The large number of workers
who stay awhile and depart (with
their savings) deals the territory's
stabilization program a painful
blow. A summer of observations
prompted Salisbury to remark:
“The most casual observer is
quickly impressed with the vast
number of inhabitants who have
a 'target date,’ e.g.. the day when
enough savings have been, accu
mulated to return ‘home’—most of
them never planned to settle in
Alaska with any degree of per
manence when they came. Candid
ly. there is so little to offer them,
either in the current circumstances
or in the noticeable rate of pro
; press, that a change of mind can
be expected.”
The greatest single reason for
this perpetual "shift” by workers
is the absence of housing. A sort
of endless procession of workers
coming and going will end only
when sufficient homes, attractive
ly priced, are available.
"The hotels, apartments, and in
dividual dwelling units are over
crowded, expensive, and—to a
large extent—second or third rate,"
Salisbury maintains.
Topsy grew up without a plan
and so has the average Railbelt
community, according to Salisbury
“Urban areas have grown up willy
nilly, according to individual
needs, fancies or whims of the
constructors until an unbelievable
hodge-podge of structures has
been created,” he remarks.
Until this year neither Anchor
age nor Fairbanks knew what a
zoning code was. Moreover, “It is
rather a forlorn hope to expect the !
present attempt at zoning or con- ;
struct ion codes to be strong
enough to accomplish much for j
those who could vote to improve '
them or require rigid enforcement j
are themselves in many respects '
the principal violators."
What arc the chief obstacles pro
For the Tops in
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Phone: MADISON 182
Seward
SeawoS
*?eecrd...
-is
•ncreasing its circulation
*'ith every issue.
~IS
.'ncrrasin« display advertisi
results.
stng because it js
is ca
befo
rrytng more classified
re.
advertising than
ever
,s thi- only legal publication in rb' • •
Commercial printl.
mg
ri,e p,a"' of the Setvarf c
«|uippcd to do anv • • LaP°r‘ RcC°rd is
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a"d difficult runs L'P‘°'a 'y e<,UiPpcd for long
Phone Main 168
SEWARD
seaport
record
LIVES SAVED
Since 1904, When the National
Tuberculosis Association
launched a nationwide campaign
against tuberculosis, 4,000,000
lives have been saved from this
communicable disease, But TB
still kills at the rate ot one per
son every 10 minutes. The vear
round work
of the NTj\
and its 3,000
affiliates is
supported
by Christ
mas Seal
funds.
Buy and Use Christmas Seals
venting building of houses?
Salisbury dwells on two.
t. Lack of mortgage capital.
2. The small scale on which
Alaskan builders operate.
In covering the first point, lie
decides that banks are unable suf
ficiently to stimulate building of
.homes through loans. The local
banks are precluded by law from
participating in residential mort
gages beyond a. percentage of their
assets, he claims.
Moreover, Alaska—a ward of the
government —is an orphan as far
as Federal aid for housing is con
cerned. "A definite manner of sup
port must bo worked out for in
sured portfolios, either through
special legislation or the Recon
struction Finance Corp. since the
present Federal aids to housing
do not and cannot apply to the
territory,’’ he suggests.
Salisbury offers an answer to the
problem of financing house-build
ing.
“There is need for other types of
financial institutions such as a
few building and loan associations
and a title guarantee company,”
he presumes.
1 Deeds often excnange hands
here without full examination of
titles and soundness of the deed.
This concerns both Salisbury and
local attorneys. "The present
method of bonded abstracts cer
tainly offers very meager protec
, tion unless the total bond of the
attorney issuing them is extended
in some reasonable relation to the
sum of the properties he has un
derwritten,” he points out.
What he calls the ‘modest scale’
upon which contractors operate in
Alaska also contributes to the cost
of house-building.
Houses are planned and built
I at most a few at a time. "Hence,
I the buying, scheduling, and actual
building have borne the full over
head . . . The planning, scheduling,
etc. should have been spread over
a group of houses. . .”
Alaskan housing-cost appraisers
overlook one point, however State
side costs have increased propor
tionately as much or more than
Alaskan home-building costs, the
report submits.
A contractor engaged on large
| scale production of houses can use
! mechanized and modern founda- |
I tion equipment for excavations,
metal standard foundation forms,
, two specialized work crews, whole
sale buying facilities and sources, |
and perhaps charter a barge for
j transporting his material. Most
! important, he would have the j
managerial know-how that would
enable him to set up an operation
that cuts corners, sidesteps delay,
and reduces lost motion.
The formula would work this
way: “With. . .an attack on the
factors which are susceptible of
reductions, i.e., freight overhead
distributed over multiple units,
constructaion loan rates, prefabri
cation of every thing possible,
j standard forms for concrete, etc., a
! genuine approach to reasonable
living quarters can be accomp
lished.”
Cheap cement, Salisbury repeats
from his first report, would be a
boon.
! Prefabricated housing could
help. Salisbury claims that six pre
fab units are scheduled for deliv
ery in Alaska this year.
1 Savings could also come through
mass handling of the following:
surveying, legal fees, utility exten
Proof Necessary for
VA Benefits
Some death benefits due the
widows and other dependents of
deceased veterans are being de
layed because of lack of proof of
change in the veteran’s family1
status, the Veterans Administra
tion warns.
A particular factor causing de
lay in payment of benefits to
widows of some veterans is lack
of proof of dissolution of previous ,
marriages by death, divorce or an
nulment.
To help prevent unnecessary de
lay in death settlements, the VA
suggests that veterans keep avail
able in a safe, convenient and
fireproof location such documents
or affidavits as discharge papers,
marriage, divorce and birth rec
ords, wills and other vital family
papers.
Veterans who have claimed VA
benefits and have been assigned
claims “C” numbers may also find
it advisable to have extra copies
of these documents placed in their
VA claims folders. If needed in
connection with VA benefits, they
would then be available immedi
ately. All such documents turned
over to the VA should bear the
veteran’s “C” number for easy
identification.
Question of the Week:
Q. May I assign my National j
Service Life Insurance to a lender
who will lend me money to go in
to business?
A. No. National Service (G.I.)
Life Insurance may not be as
signed as payment of an obliga- :
tion.
WIND DRIVES CAR
A car parked in front of the New j
Seward hotel by Dr. Pope, dent- '
ist at Seward Sanatorium, was
across into Dan Bedford’s front
yard, taking out a section of the I
fence on its way. According to the |
report, the car had been parked
with the emergency brake set.
'Mrs. Lapreil Bie, owner of the car,
said no damage had been done.
Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Zentmire had
a Thanksgiving party at their
place on the highway yesterday.
Turkey dinner was served to 14
people.
sion, interior finish and buying, j
One final suggestion is a king
sized planning board for homes and
homesites with enough money and
competently staffed to study the J
housing problem. That might be
the answer, says Salisbury.
Strike Settled;
Ship Due Soon
(Continued from Page 1)
and the Junior Chamber of Com
merce howling for Harry Bridges'
head.
As Alaska’s foremost ship and
rail terminal, the financial pinch
was felt severely at Seward. Be
cause of excellent foresight and
planning, a lack of food and other
necessities did not hit as severely
as it did the cities and towns of
the interior.
With about 200 dock workers
losing their paychecks and a large
number of rail workers made job
less, as well as many others los
ing out indirectly, Seward has
managed to come through the
crisis in a remarkably healthy con
dition. Especially crimes of vio
lance, robbery and theft have been
non-existent.
City Police were kept busy with
their storm patrol, but had only
one arrest over the holiday. Fred
Bergloff was picked up at Chuck’s
Grill, where he caused a disturb
ance. He was charged with drunk
ness and using obscene language
in a public place.
In the magistrate’s court thi*
morning he was fined $25 for
drunkeness and $50 for his obscene
language.
liny and Use Christmas Seals—
LEGAL ADVERTISING
50 2
NOTICE OF FINAL HEARING
Account Report and Petition
for Distribution and
Discharge
IN THE PROBATE COURT FOR THE
TERRITORY OF ALASKA. THIRD DI
VISION, SEWARD PRECINCT.
TN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE
OF ERFORD E. CHAMBERLIN,
Deceased.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that
HERMAN F.. LEIRER the ADMINIS
TRATOR, of the Estate of Erford E.
Chamberlin, Deceased, has this day filed
in this Court this Final Account, Report
and Petition for Distribution and Dis
charge, in the above enttled estate, and
that the Court has designated Tuesday tho
25th day of January, 1949, at the hour
of two o’clock in the Afternoon of said
day. as the time, and the Office of the
Commissioner, Ex-officio Probate Judge
of the Seward precinct, third division.
Territory of Alaska, at Seward, Alaska,
as the Place, When and Where, said Re
port, Account and Petition will be heard;
and all persons interested in said estate
are hereby required to file their objec
*ions to the said Report, Account and
Petition, if any they have, in writing, on
or before said date, in the Court, and to
a; pear at the time and place aforesaid and
to present their objections.
Dated at Seward. Alaska, this 23rd day
of November, 1948.
ANNA B SOUTHARD,
(Seal) Acting Frobutc Judge.
Nov. 26-I)ec. 3,10,17.
• • •
The Seal that lives
and lets live
Christmas Seals live throughout the year . . ,
make possible 365 days of tuberculosis education,
X-ray examination patient ^rehabilitation and
medical research.
The result? Since 1907 it is estimated that they
have helped save an average of ninety thousand
lives a year.
As always, the 1949 program of the tuberculosis
associations will be financed by your purchase of
Christmas Seals. So please, take just a moment —
send in your contribution today.
Buy Christmas Seals
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