SEA
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Vol. 5, No. 35
Your Community Newspaper
February 10, 1955
10 Cents Per Copy
CSG TO MEET
The Citizens* Study Group, at its
next regular meeting, Friday, February
18, will begin a consideration of the
school district question, which is once
again coming to the fore. Mr* Merrill
Hatcher,superintendent of schools, will
speak to the group about the new tax
plans being considered by the Territor
ial Legislature, according to Don Sbiith
<JSG president. Mr. Hatcher recently
attended a territory-wide teachers* in
stitute, at which the new taxes were
discussed.
The Education Committee, headed by
Mrs. Bex Elliott, will present a re
port on the school question, and will
seek help for additional study of the
matter, Smith said.
The program will also include a t&
port on the current status of the small
boat basin, according to Smith, who
urged everyone interested in the future
of Homer’s school to attend, and espec
ially urged the representatives to the
CSG from the different organizations to
attend the meeting on the 18th, The CSG
regularly meets on the third Friday of
every month.
TO COLLECT - .
Bill Eklof, president of the local
fishermen’s association, announced this
week that his group will start next
week collecting the pledges unde on the
small boat basin by local iid ividuals
and business firms.
It is necessary, he said, to get the
money in the bank before bargaining for
someone to dig the basin. The money
will be placed in' escrow in the bank
and will not be used for anythirg until
the digging starts. It is hoped that
digging operations can get underway by
March 1.
At the present time there is st>1100
in the fund in cash and there are 4500
out in pledges.
NOTICE POSTED
A notice posted in the postoffice
this week informs tlbe people of Homer
that they have until March 4 to enter
any protests they may have concerning
the issuance of a permit to construct
a boat basin and channel on the Spit.
Any objection must be based on the
standpoint of navigation only. Objec
tions should be sent to the District
Engineer’s office in Anchorage*
WEATHER
High Low*
January 27 32 25
January 28 27 14
January 29 24 18•
January 30 30 26
January 31 28 16
February 1 36 22
February 2 38 33
February 3 37 34
February 4 , 32 21
.February 5 22 18
February 6 14 5
February 7 16 4
-February 8 14 -4
February 9 26 11
BID DATE SET
Bids to construct a one-story, frame
hospital and health center building in
Homer will be received at the Alaska
Public Works in Juneau until March 9,
according to word received by the Homer
News this week from APW officials.
The building will have a ground
floor1 area of approximately 1,500
square feet, and will contain an emer
gency operation room, two wards, labra
tory and administrative space as well
as toilet facilities, kitchen and so
forth.
The heating plant, laundry, storage
space and related facilities will be
located in the basement. There will be
an alternate bid far a completely fin
ished basement, according to the APW.
MARCH OF DIMES
A total of -j>360.07, Homer's con
tribution to the 1955 March of Dimes
campaign, was sent to the division
chairman this week, according to the
chairman of the local drive,Bill Haver*
The money was raised through the
efforts of the local chapter of the
Alaska Crippled Children's Association,
and the contribut ions of the Homer
Homemakers, The Ski Club, the Legion
Auxiliary and the Homer ^omen's Club*
WE’RE
Illness within the family and in the
community has set this week’s News back
two days* The publishers regret such a
late publication but such things happen*
The Reiver family, like many others
in the community, has been suffering a
series of colds virtually stopping pro
duction of the paper*
On Thursday and Friday the editor
substituted at the school in place of
his wife who usually substitutes for
the local teachers* Mrs. Mams, fifth
grade teacher, was suffering from a
cold and was absent from her class*
For the past wto weeks we have been
forced to put out four page papers in
stead of the usual six pages* This
procedure will continue for another two
weeks to allow the staff to recuperate*
It is expected that the March 3rd
News will be back to six pages with a
more complete coverage of the news and
background 3tories of the area*
RADIO BETTER
The Homer News radio station was
being received by listeners in the Hom
er area with extreme clarity this week
after the linemen of the Homer Electric
Association cleared up technical dif
ficulties on the line serving the Homer
Telephone company*
a note received from Bennie Barbee
of Mile Sixteen- this week, informed the
-station that he was receiving it there.
Listeners on the East Road also indi
cate that they are receiving the sta
tion*
The station is of the carrier-cur
rent type and operates on the power
lines* Power of the station is only
two-and—a-half watts making it legal
under part 15 of the FMeral Communica
tion Act, according to Bill flavor,
Members of the Homer Chamber of Com
merce learned Monday that the Depart
ment of Civil Defense now finds it im
possible to issue civil defense proper
ty to the Greater Homer Civil Defense
District* Roa«on for the ruling was
contained in a letter to the residents
of the district from Ed Fortier, deputy
director for the Anchorage region* He
said that because Homer does not have
an active district, the property cannot
be issued*
The deputy director said that Homer
does not have a director or a deputy
director to sign for the property that
is at the present time in Anchorage
warehouses and earmarked for the Horner
district*
He recommended that the people get
behind Hanning Johnson, whose name has
been submitted for the job as director,
and form an active civil defense unit*
He stressed that under certain condi
tions evacuees from Anchorage, Seward
and other Alaskan communities may be
moved to Homer when L^ich action is re
quired for survival.
Fortier listed such items as blank
ets, rope, .first aid dressing kits,
fire extinguishers, mass feeding uten
sils, miscellaneous hospital supplies,
a centrifugal_ pump and controls for 2
horsepower siren all being held for the
Homer unit* , Other items, he noted, are
available on a first come, first served
basis*
The Chamber also heard Bob Smith,
local PNA manager, stress the urgent
need for more telegrams to toe sent di
rectly to President Eisenhower urging
him to renew tho certificate for FMA on
the States-Alaska run.
Smith also told the assembly that PNA
has acquired three Lockheed constella
tions and will place them in operation
on its States-Alaska route on April 15.
These aircraft, he said, will provide
pressurization and faster service be
tween the US and Alaska than is now
available with the company’s present
DC-4 fleet.
It was announced that February 28
has been designated as Hbner Duy by the
Anchorage C- amber of Commerce and it is
expected that members of the local body
will journey- to Anchorage that day to
attend the Anchorage Chamber meeting.
Cords have been sent out by tho Chw-ber
asking the members to indicate whether
or not they will attend the meeting in
that city and whether or not they will
go by chartered piano or.by private car
if they plan to attend.
Cecil 'yant and Yule Kilcher report
ed briefly on the faun forum which they
attended lest week in Palmer. They
said that it had boGn mentioned at the
meeting that fertilizer plants often go
hand, in hand, with oil refineries so
some day ue might ,see a plant on the
Peninsula. Also mentioned was the pos
sibility of making use of the fish meal
that is produced in Seldovia* The Hom
er delegation suggested at the forum
that l^nd in the Caribou Hills be with
drawn and set aside for grazing in such
a manner that' the land would not bo
subject to homesteelding.
station manager.
The station is heard Monday through
Friday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The regular
announcer.is Dorothy Raver*