SEWARD’S
All-cWeatker
SEAPORT
Is Alaska s
Greatest Asset
Territorial Library
440
Seward Seaport Record
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. VI, No. 33
SEWARD, ALASKA, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1949
Price 10 Cents
Airport Improvement Is
Assured For Next Spring
Actual construction work on the
airport here will begin early next
spring, Tony Schwam, Territorial
Director of Aeronautics, told the
Seward city council Monday eve
ning.
The present runway will be in
creased to 3650 feet, and a second
longer runway will be built across
the present one out Resurrection
River. This will give Seward an
airport capable of accommodating
DC-3 type planes by next summer.
Interior Anxious
Schwam was quite emphatic
about the necessity of a better air
port in Seward. Cities of the inter
ior are clamoring for it, he said,
especially communities not serv
iced directly by the Alaska Rail
road. The only way many com
munities in Alaska can obtain
fresh produce at all is by air, and
the only proper place to pick up
such freight is the port where it
is discharged from ships. The same
line of reasoning applies to other
^kinds of freight.
Survey Ready
Getting the construction work
started in early spring depends
on having all problems ironed out
by the first of December, but the
fact that a survey had previously
been made by Bill Estes will
greatly increase the chances, ac
cording to Mr. Schwam. Also the
fact that there is plenty of rock
and gravel available at the site
will make the job considerably
easier. Topsoil at this point is not
very heavy, and its removal will
not present a great problem.
Plans are to increase the present
length of the runway by about 500
feet by filling at the south end.
At this end it would be possible
to fill -far out past the water’s
edge, but so far it is not con
sidered necessary, since there is
plenty of room between the end
of the present runway and the
water’s edge.
The present road running- past
the airport will have to be re
located, preferably around the
north end of the field.
Schwam declined to make an
estimate of the cost of the project,
but he did say the amount pre
viously allocated would be far
from sufficient.
EASTERN STAR TO GIVE
CARD PARTY
Ladies of the Eastern Star have
planned a card party and dancing
for Saturday evening, October 29.
It is to "be held in the recreation
room of the Masonic Hall, be
ginning at 8 o’clock and to be fol
lowed by refreshments.
Bridge and pinochle with high
and low prizes are expected to
attract a big crowd of folks who
do not care especially for ordinary
Hallowe'en parties.
EPISCOPAL GUILD ENTERTAINS
29 GUESTS AT BRIDGE
The Episcopal Ladies Guild en
tertained 29 guests at the monthly
dessert bridge party Saturday af
ternoon held in the Parish Hall.
Two first prizes of ivory salt and
pepper shakers and two plastic
hostess sets were won by high
scores in bridge and pinochle.
Hostesses for the day were Mrs.
Mildred Kirkpatrick, Mrs. Bate
Bond, Mrs. John P. Smith, and
Mrs. Ross Mann.
Mrs. Elsie Consiel of Kenai was
in Seward Monday night and
Tuesday.
Forest Service Book
Gives Peninsula Facts
A new Forest Service pamphlet
describing the Kenai Peninsula is
just off the press and available to
the public, announced Supervisor
Max V. Reger this week.
Its title is “Information on Kenai
Peninsula, Alaska." It contains 20
pages of facts and figures empha
sizing the National Forest section
of the Peninsula.
Mr. Reger explains, "The Forest
Service gets hundreds of inquiries
every year regarding settling pos
sibilities on the Kenai Peninsula.
This booklet answers most ques
tions Outsiders would ask before
setting out with Ford and family
to make their home here, and con
sequently no rosy pictures of living
and working conditions have been
painted to lure any unsuspecting
settlers. The Outsider coming to
Alaska to stay diflers from the
summer tourist in that he is more
concerned about earning a decent
| living for his family than he is
! about the captivating scenery and
tall tales of wild game.”
Forest Service policy on home
sites and summer homes is ex
plained, along with information on
how to obtain resort, trade, manu
facturing and other special use
sites as well as National Forest
timber. The middle pages are a
small scale reproduction of the re
vised 1D48 Peninsula maps which
has been amended to show location
of all Forest Service stations.
Copies of this booklet may be
obtained by mailing a request to
Division Supervisor, Forest Service,
Seward, or by calling in person
at tlje Kenai Lake Ranger Station,
Mile 24, any week day.
I hatch wins u of a
CROSS COUNTRY RACE
The two-mile cross country race
at the University of Alaska last
week was won by Jesse Lee Hatch
of Seward. This was Hatch’s first
I race, his brother Ralph said, and
I he defeated the field of twelve
| entrants in the time of 11 minutes
21.1 seconds. He finished 3 seconds
ahead of the second place man.
Hatch did not take the lead until
the final up-grade stretch in which
the cross country course goes up
the hill on which the University
’ is situated.
He is majoring in physical edu
cation.
HOPE CHILDREN HAVE
CHEST X-RAYS HERE
Weather permitting, the twelve
children enrolled in the school at
the town of Hope were to come to
Seward Tuesday for the purpose of
having thir chest x-rays, and
Wednesday the 16 children from
Moose -Pass were to come to Sew
ard for the same purpose.
Arranging this service is one of
the duties of the Public Health
Nurse in the campaign for the pre
vention of tuberculosis in Alaska.
At Monday’s city council meet
ing Councilman Ray Seferovich
said he had written to Juneau for
information pertaining to taxes on
boats kept in the local Small
Boat Harbor. Seferovich, who is
on the harbor commission, is of
the opinion that the city is en
titled to receive the taxes which
are now going to Juneau.
Engineers Survey
Small Boat Harbor
For Dredging
G. H. Lukins, engineer of the
Alaska District, U. S. Engineers,
arrived in Seward Monday evening
and Tuesday morning began a
survey of the Seward Small Boat
Harbor for the dredging operation
whVh will take place as soon as
possible.
While an allotment of $50,000
had been made earlier this year
for the job, Lukins said that this
amount was merely an estimate.
The present survey will include
soundings of the harbor so that
when bids are let the contractor
will know exactly how many cubic
yards of silt must be dredged out.
Lukins will leave in a day or
so, and the survey work will be
continued under the supervision
of John Gerwels. The survey crew
consists of four men besides Ger
wels. They were installing tide
gages in the harbor for use in
making soundings. One tide gage
will be left for the convenience
of those who use the Small Boat
Harbor.
All the gravel and silt dredged
from the harbor will be placed
on the shore at the south end of
the city dump by means of heavy
duty suction pumps and hose lines.
This earth will be used to cover
the city dump as a sanitary meas
ure. Such a method has been used
in the past, since, according to law,
the city must place 18 inches of
soil on top of the garbage dump.
Engineer Lukins reported that
the District Engineers are working
on a number of like projects in
many Alaska coast towns, and will
work southward as weather grows
colder.
As soon as the survey is com
pleted the necessary data will be
sent to the District Engineer in
Anchorage. After that bids will be
I called for and the job will go to
j a civilian contractor,
i If all problems could be smoothed
1 out quickly, it is possible that the
work could take place this year,
although it is more than likely
that it will be early in the spring
before thing* get underway.
REMIND DISABLED VETERANS
OF INSURANCE DEADLINE
World War II veterans with
service-incurred disabilities are re
I minded by Veterans Administra
j tion of an important deadline in
I connection with their entitlement
i to National Service Life Insurance.
Prior to January 1. 1950, such dis
abilities actually incurred in serv
j ice between October 8, 1940. and
\ September 2, 1945. if less than
! total in degree, are disregarded in
| determining eligibility under the
| health requirements for NSLI pur
j poses.
, This means that veterans who
j might not otherwise qualify for
life insurance for health reasons
may reinstate lapsed NSLI or buy
new or additional insurance up to
the S10.000 maximum if they apply
before the end of the year.
A physical examination is re
quired, however, for all insurance
applied for under this special pro
vision. Such examinations are
made by the VA without cost to
the veteran.
NELLIE LAWING REFUTES
LEASE RUMOR
i
In an interview this week, Nellie
Lawing of Lawing, Alaska, denied
that she has leased her place there,
despite rumors to that effect.
Nellie says she has not leased
her place to anyone and has no!
intention of leasing it.
Congressional Committee
Hearing To Be Nov. 1st.
Small Boat Harbor
Already Crowded
The mooring float in the Seward
Small Boat Harbor, completed a
few months ago by the Territory
at a cost of $18,000, is already prov
ing inadequate, Mayor Eugene La
nier said recently
Every available bit of space
along both sides of the float is
in use, and in some places boats
are lined up three wide. It had
been known for a long time that
many boat owners would benefit
by installation of such a float. No
one, however, had expected the
number of boats in the harbor to
increase so rapidly.
Halibut Boats
Since the Seward Fish and Cold
Storage plant began to operate
this year, more than half a million
pounds of halibut were bought
and frozen at the plant. The
quantity of fish handled is ex
pected to increase next year, and
many halibut fishermen are plan
ning to make Seward their operat
ing base.
Harbor Master
The City Council is considering
the appointment of a harbor master
to look after the boats and prop
erty of fishermen and boat owners.
The committee in charge is in
vestigating the cost and the possi
bility of defraying the cost by
charging a small rental for moor
ing space.
FARM CLASS HAS FIELD TRIP
The Veterans On the Farm
Training Class under the super
vision of Dr. R. O. Suddath, VMD.
Visited several homesteads around
Resurrection Bay Monday after
noon. They covered about 15 miles
by boat. One homestead, they
found, had 11 goats and 3 kids,
everal sows and a couple of
! horses.
While all green crops and root
crops had been gathered, the stu
j dents stiil had a good opportunity
! to learn a great deal about local
; farming techniques and problems.
'MRS. GEORGE GREEN TO
ENTERTAIN WSCS
Mrs. George Green will entertain
ladies of the WSCS at Jesse Lee
j Cottage Thursday evening, Oct. 27
| at 8 o’clock. Preparations are un
! der way for the Bazaar and lunch
eon early next month. There are
many details to be settled and Mrs.
Green expects a good turnout at
the meeting.
Anyone wishing transportation
out to the Green’s may call Mrs.
Howell for arrangements.
Shipping News . . .
Tuesday morning the freighter
James W. Cannon docked to dis
charge cargo for Seward and the
Interior.
The passenger ship SS Denali is
due here Thursday with 958 tons of
freight consigned to Seward for
Peninsula and Railbelt communi
ties, and the freighter Terminal i
Knot will arrive the first of next
week with 1,384 tons.
On October 29 the Square*Knot
will sail from Seattle for Juneau,
Sitka, Seward and Valdez. The
Chief Washakie leaves Seattle Nov.
12 bound ftr Ketchikan, Juneau,
Seward, Valdez and Cordova.
The Congressional committee,
which will hold a hearing in Sew
ard Nov. 1, will be interested
mainly in making a study of Alas
kan fisheries and fishing problems,
Representative S. O. Bland, Chair
man of the Merchant Marine and
Fisheries Committee, stated in a
letter received here Monday.
The committee is also interested
in the shipping situation and will
want to discuss the shipping situa
tion in relation to the needs of
the Territory and its continued de
velopment.
The subcommittfee is comprised
of the following members: Victor
Wickersham, Chairman, Thor C.
Tollefson, John J. Allen, and E. L.
Bartlett.
Accompanying the subcommittee
will be Mr. John M. Drewry, the
committee’s council; Mr. Howard
Baltzo, assistant chief. Branch of
Alaska Fisheries, Fish and Wildlife
Service; and Mr. Joseph T. Flakne,
Chief, Alaska Branch of the Divi
sion of Territories.
Hearings are planned in 17 com
munities of Alaska on a tightly
drawn schedule which should
bring the committee to Seward at
noon next Tuesday.
A luncheon is being planned by
the Cnamber of Commeice and
officials are making every effort
to inform those who may be in
terested in taking part in the hear
ing or attending it. The information
which the committee gathers in its
Alaska hearings should be of great
value in framing legislation for the
good of the Territory.
Congress Authorizes
Homesteader Loans
!
The Act approved by the Presi
dent on October 19, 1949, Public
Law 361, entitled “To Enable the
Secretary of Agriculture to Extend
Financial Assistance to Homestead
Entrymen and for other Purposes."
was received with great satisfac
tion by the Department of Agri
! culture men in Alaska, according
| to B. Frank Heintzleman, local Re
j gional Forester and Alaska Cora
| missioner for the Department.
Building Loans
The new act enables the Depart
: ment of Agriculture to make loans
i to homesteaders to assist them in
i the first and the hardest step in set
tlement; that is, it supplies funds
for erection of buildings to get the
family under cover, and for clear
ing, leveling and draining enough
land to produce a fairly large first
crop.
These things, especially the land
clearing work, require substantial
amounts of capital and very few
homesteaders can finance them
without help. Not owning the land,
they are rarely able to arrange a
loan through the usual channels.
This Act allows the Department of
Agriculture loan to be secured by
a lien against the unpatenled
homestead.
To obtain the advance, toe would
be settler has to meet reasonable
eligibility standards. The loans
cover periods as long as'forty years,
draw 3Vi% interest, and are repay
able in annual installments start
ing two years from the date of the
loan. The activity will be handled
through the Farmers’ Home Ad
ministration, Department of Agri
culture.
Equipment Loans
An earlier law makes funds avail
(Turn to Page 4)
Don’t forget the MASQUERADE DANCE
9:00 P.M., Sat., Oct. 29 - - Civic Center
PROCEEDS TO GO FOR A BANG-UP CHRISTMAS PARTY FOR SEWARD'S KIDDIES - Sponsored by "Red" Stolp