\ SEWARD’S
All-cWeatkec
SEAPORT
Is Alaska’s
Greatest Asset
Territorial Library
Seward Seaport Record
Vol. V. No. 103
SEWARD, ALASKA, TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 1949
Price 10 Cents
Shave Figure
To $33,000 In
New Estimate
The Seward City Couneil Monday ■
night in a special meeting recoil- j
sidered its budget, and cutting |
every corner, pared it down to a 1
total of $83,000.
It was 8:45 p.m. before telephone
calls brought the four couneilmen
necessary to make a quorum. The
meeting was called to order by
Mayor Lanier, and, without read
ing the minutes of the previous
meeting, the council got right
down to the business at hand.
Cut Police Force
.
The police force took a cut right
where it hurt the most in having
one man knocked off the force,
which will mean a salary saving
of $4,200 a year, and activities of
the police car will be curtailed.
The garbage department was set
up as a self-supporting utility, so
that neither income nor expendi
tures will appear in the budget.
The amount previously set aside
for sewers was removed from the
list and the old U.S.O. building
will be expected to pay its own
expenses.
Some items, such as insurance
and health, could not be trimmed
at all. The $10,000 previously set
up for a capital assets account
was left out and applied to a sur
plus fund.
Cut Tax Estimate
With the estimated budget cut
to $83,000 the council went to work
and slashed the estimated income
to $100,000, which would leave a
surplus of about $17,000 for un
expected expenses. The fact that
the city now has bills amounting
to about $9,000 and a payroll due
July 1 will make the margin
smaller than it appears.
The fact that the city has
changed its fiscal year from April
1 to July 1 has-,-added three months
to the period which taxes for the
coming year must cover.
JOHN NATHAN LITTLE
John Nathan Little was born at
Runge, Texas on Aug. 17, 1903. He
was a carpenter by trade.
On May 29, 1949, he was married
to Alexia McKeough. Those who
are left to mourn his loss are his
wife Alexia; a daughter. Johnylie
Little of Houston, Texas; two sis
ters at Poteet, Texas; one sister
and one brother at Holtville, Calif.
Funeral services were held at
Seward Memorial Church on Thurs
day evening. Interment will be at
Runge, Texas.
City Council Gives
Assistant To‘
Municpal Clerk
The City Council Monday acted
on the recommendation of O. M.
Beaver, who recently completed the
annual audit of the city's books, in
authorizing an assistant for the
city clerk.
The auditor’s report recommend
ed that the city set up a full sys
tem of municipal accounting, with
one person to receive payments and
handle correspondence at the win- j
dow, and a second person to do the !
recording.
Little Change
The addition of an assistant to the
city clerk’s office and the new ac
counting system would not be a
major change. The auditor suggest
ed that the accounts be broken
down into departmental funds, so !
that one could tell at a glance how !
much was on hand for that depart - |
merit, how many bills were on
hand against the account, and how i
much of the funds alloted in the !
budget remained in the account. j
More Records
While this would entail the keep
ing of more records, it would save
hours of time at crucial moments,
when this type of information is .
greatly needed.
In addition, all records from past j
years would be brought up to date.
For this reason the amount of
$7500 has been budgeted to the city
clerk’s office for the year. Once all
records are up to date, it is pos
sible that the services of a second
clerk may be dispensed with.
Report Salmon Pack
Very Small
[ Marvin Viale reported last Sat
urday that the pack of the Resur
rection Bay Compapny had been
only 55 cases of red salmon up till
[last Saturday. These were the fig
ures submitted to the Fish and
Wildlife Service. It amounts to
1 about 625 salmon.
Viale said it appears extremely
doubtful whether they will have
any run. A few of these fish were
caught at Bear Glacier, where
K. D. Cobban and Clyde Gordon
are now fishing. Viale said the
figures above apply only to the
Resurrection Bay Company. .
Bill Everitt, the other partner in
the company, returned to Seward
last week after a 10-day trip to
Seattle, where he attended his
daughter’s graduation from high
schooj. He returned via the Alaska
Highway, while Mrs. Everitt and
i their daughters Joanne and Peggy
made the trip on the Aleutian.
Ray Seferovich, City Councilman !
and fireman, is reported to be ill
at home with mumps.
From ‘Vivas’ to Vaccinations
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• • •
Pome’s centarles-old Palazzio Venezia, which not long ago housed
Mussolini’s offices—the well-known balcony is over the door at
ri3'ht—is the site of the Second World Health Assembly. The
Assembly will further develop the United Nations’ world-wide at
tack on disease through the World Health Organization (WHO).
Famed Alaska;
Doctor Relives
Old Days Here
Dr. Joseph H. Romig, noted
Alaska doctor since 1896. is visiting
his old friends in Seward this week
and intends to sail on the SS
Alaska Wednesday morning.
Dr. Romig is the central char
acter in the well known best seller,
"Dog Team Doctor," and is re
membered as the man who gave
to the world the first news of the
discovery of gold in Nome.
After graduating from school in
1896, Dr. Romig came immediately
to Alaska, where he worked for
the Indian Service, traveling up
the coast on the Dora. In those
early days he traveled all over the
Territory studying the health needs
of the natives. Mt. Romig, just
east of Bethel, was named in his
honor.
In 1904 he left the Bristol Bay
area for San Francisco, where he
was burned out by the great fire.
During the fire he was acting
assistant surgeon of the California
National Guard.
He came to Seward in 1909 when
the building of the railroad was
taking place. For eleven years Dr.
Romig made his home here, and
his youngest son was born in this
city.
Born at West Salem, Illinois, in
1872. Dr. Romig’s life reads like
a catalog of public services. He re
tired from service with the Alaska
Railroad and now makes his home
in Colorado .
The Romigs were entertained at
a dinner party given in their honor
Sunday evening at the home of Mr.
and Mrs. Walter Blue and afterward
the guests gathered at the home of
Mr. and Mrs. Leon Urbach.
Dr. Romig said Tuesday that he
would never recognize Seward as
it is today. When he arrived in 1909
there was a main street, all right,
hut the area around the present
New Seward Hotel was all stumps
and a great deal of brush and tim
ber had not even been removed
from the land where Seward now
stands.
Species! ARR Train for
Emeritus Celebration
At Univ. of Alaska
Expecting a good turnout from
Anchorage and the southern Rail
belt on the Emeritus Day celebra
tion for retiring president Charles
E. Bunnell, the Alaska Railroad
last week announced that it will
run a special train for the event.
The train, for which special low
rates will be set up, will run from
Seward to Fairbanks. The Railroad,
moreover, is to provide troop
sleepers or sleeping cars in Fair
banks to relieve the heavy crush
of visitors. Fairbanks expects sev
eral thousand persons to attend
the ceremony at the University of
Alaska the morning of July 1.
Alaskans from all parts of the
Territory are coming and officials
from Outside will also witness the
ceremony.
Railroad employes will be able
to get passes, <|he management
pointed out. S t u d e n t-engineers
who are working as section hands
up and down the line will be in
vited to attend and represent their
alma mater. These student-engin
eers, the Railroad management be
lieves, will be “ambassadors" of
goodwill when they leave the Ter
ritory and will provide factual
material on the Territory for their
friends and schoolmates.
The ARR plans to give round
(Turn to Page 4)
Health Department,
Armed Forces
Discuss Problems
The members of the Armed j
Forces Disciplinary Control Board
composed of representatives of the
Army, Navy and Air Force in |
Alaska, met June 24 with the Com- i
missibner of Health and represent- |
atives from the Alaska Department i
of Health to discuss problems re- j
laling to the inadequacy of regula
tions and enforcement efforts re
garding the dispensing of liquor
and suppression of prostitution. II
was the stand of the representa
tives of the Armed Forces, the
Commissioner of H e a 11 h and
Health Department officials that
venereal disease cannot be con
trolled unless prostitution is sup
pressed completely.
The machinery to enforce the
Territorial laws regarding the dis
pensing of liquor is entirely in
adequate for all practical purposes
at tnis time.
It was pointed out that the vene
rea! disease control and the sup
pression of prostitution is a re
sponsibility of the local community
and the failure of some communi
ties to support actively efforts to
suppress prostitution has resulted
in this appeal being made to the
Territorial authorities by the
Armed Forces Disciplinary Control
Board.
O.E.S. Has Last Meeting
For Summer Season
The last meeting of t'nc summer
was held by Seward Chapter Order
of Eastern Star Monday night at
the Masonic Hall.
Ice cream, cake and coffee were
served after the meeting by Mr.
; nd Mrs. A1 Torvanger and Mr. and
Mrs. Irwin Metcalf. As a numbe
of members are leaving town dur
! ing the summer and several vis
itors were present the social period
became a hail and farewell party
with Mr. Leon Urbach as toast
master.
Mrs. Irene Holden announced
this week that she is thinking of
disposing of the Moose Pass Inn.
Mrs. Holden said that with the
increasing traffic her business has
grown so that she can no longer
take care of it.
Dan Ralston, former enforcement
officer for the Fish and Wildlife
Service in this area, was in Seward
last week.
Mr. and Mrs. Dale Sorenson ar
rived from Nebraska last Saturday
after a motor trip over the Alaska
H i g h w a y. The Sorensons are
friends of Mr. and Mrs. Virgil
Zentmire, with whom they are
visiting.
YUKON AND TANANA RIVER
FREIGHT SCHEDULE CHANGED
Seattle—Tanana River conditions
have forced a change in Yukon and
Tanana River boat schedules for
the protection of floating equip
ment, according to word received
here from Alaska, the Alaska
Steamship Co. announced this
week.
Under the circumstances the
deadline' for receiving cargo for
river points has been advanced
eight days. August 15 is now the
closing date for delivering such
shipments to Pier 42, Seattle,
.whereas it was formerly August 23.
These river shipments are trans
ported to Seward, Alaska by the
Alaska Steamship Company. From
Seward to destination they are
handled by The Alaska Railroad,
via rail from Seward to Nenana
and river boat beyond.
New Sales Tax
Before Meters
Next October
A new sales tax ordinance is to
be drawn up by City Attorney Carl
Hutton for submission to the voters
at the time of the next municipal
election in October.
The new ordinance will be care
fully drawn up to conform to new
Territorial tax laws and a thorough
check will be made to have all in
firmation necessary for the voters
so that they may make an in
formed decision.
Saves City's Credit
Mayor Lanier and the entire
council have stated many times
that it. was only the sales tax
which enabled the city not only
to balance its budget but to make
its credit good for borrowing and
issuing bonds. Besides balancing
its budget, the council paid off
over $20,000 in old debts last year.
Some of the council favored
asking for only one per cent on
a sales tax, while others thought
the tax should remain at two per
cent to give the city a few thou
sand dollars for use in emergencies.
It was also proposed inat a cer
tain amount be set aside in a spe
cial sinking fund for municipal
improvements. This sinking fund
would be set up so that it could
not be touched for current ex
penses.
Election Ordinance
A new election ordinance will
be drawn up by October, so that
the voters may determine the per
iod of office for city officials as
required by the new Territorial
law. The new law makes it possible
to set the term of. office at two
years for the mayor and for a num
ber of other city officials, including
the city clerk.
It is not mandatory, however,
that the mayor’s term be length
ened to two years. The provision
was made so that elected officials
would have more time to carry out
their administrative programs.
Business License
A third ordinance will be drawn
up by which the city will be em
powered to license business oper
ating within the city. No license
will be granted unless the Terri
torial business license has been
granted. This will give municipal
authorities a check on the number
of Territorial licenses here. A small
fee of $1 will take care of the city
business license.
The city receives a fund from the
Territory on all business licenses
and the new' ordinance will aid the
Territory in making its collections.
At Wednesday’s meeting the
City Council passed a resolution
changing the period of the fiscal
year for the city from April 1 to
July 1. This makes it possible for
the council to prepare its annual
budget to coincide with the tax
period. All assessment forms are •
to be filled out and turned in by
June 25, which is this Saturday.
— . 1 V
Tide and Sun
AT SEWARD
High Tuesday Low
0:44 a.m. 11.3 7:40 a.m. -4.3
2:11 p.m. 8.5 7:35 p.m. 1.4
High Wednesday , Low
1:27 a.m. 11.1 8:23 a.m. -4.0
2:51 p.m. 8.7 8:27 p.m. 1.2
High Thursday Low
2:12 a.m. 10.5 9:07 a.m. -2.5
3:32 p.m. 8.9 9:23 p.m. 1.0
Sunrise Sunset
June 29 2:39 a.m. 2:26 p.m.
June 30 2:40 a.m. 2:26 p.m.