SEWARD’S
AlUcWeatkec
SEAPORT
18 Alaska’s
Greatest Asset
Territorial Library
Sew ara Seaport Record
Vol. V No. »1
SEWARD ALASKA. TUESDAY, MAY 17, 1949
Price 10 Cents
Bond Issue Would Solve
City’s Power Problems
The question of expanding the
power facilities of the Seward Elec
tric System will be decided by the
voters June 16 at a bond election.
Specifically, the question will be
a decision on the issuance of gen
eral revenue bonds in the amount
of $104,000. It is more than likely,
however, that only $50,000 will be
necessary.
This $50,000 would be used to
purchase a new diesel generator
and purchase other new equipment
for the plant.
The additional $54,000 is asked
for the purpose of retiring revenue
Finance Corporation, and bring all
bonds held by the Reconstruction
indebtedness for the electric sys
tem into one account.
Payments Up to Dale
Since the utility board was put
in charge three years ago, the in
debtedness on the plant has been
reduced from $91,000 to $66,000, and
the city can see an additional $12,
000 income before October which
could be used to bring the pay
ments up to date.
Next Payment 1950
The next payment due the RFC
would be for $6,000 in April, 1950.
Thus, the present payments would
be cut in half and the electric sys
tem could float the additional bond
issue of $50,000 without having to
take more out of its revenue than
it is now paying.
In addition, the company would
be in a position to sell more cur
rent and increase Its income.
The council believes that since
it has been possible to reduce the
indebtedness from $91,000 to $54,
000 in three years it can easily con
tinue to make such payments with
added revenue.
Output Limited
H. J. Amend, head of the utility
board, stated at the meeting that
in winter months the plant has
been operating at full capacity and
that no new customers could be
taken care of.
The new big engine would en
able the plant not only to take
care of new homes and businesses,
but it would enable it to take care
of all demands without overloading
existing capacity.
An added attraction for the pur
chase of the big slow speed engine
is that maintenance costs would
be far less than on the present
high speed diesels.
Although the' voters approved
general obligation bonds for the
purpose of retiring the RFC bonds
about 18 months ago, it was ex
plained that the new bond election
is necessary because the RFC
bonds are revenue bonds. The gen
eral obligation bonds may not be
used to pay revenue bonds. There
fore, they have never been issued.
Answers To
FHA Questions
FHA insured loans can be ob
tained for building either one or
two-unit houses or for the con
struction of multiple-unit housing
of three or more units.
This series will deal only with
the building of one or two-unit
family dwellings.
The process of obtaining an FHA
insured loan divides roughly into
three sections: (1) The qualifica
tions necesary to obtain a loan;
(2) The preparation of plans and
the application to the Alaska Re
gional FHA office, in Juneau, and;
(3) Actual construction and com
pletion of the building when ap
proval has been received.
These questions and answers will
deal with the matter in'that order.
Q. How does one qualify for an
FHA insured loan?
A. Any loan, regardless of where
obtained or for what purpose is
predicated upon repayment. The
same general qualifications (such
as resources, dependable source
of income etc.) apply in this case
as in any other.
Q. Where could application forms
be obtained?
A. In Seward, at the Bank of Sew
ard or your contractor. (Note:
The necessary Forms are being
sent to Seward from Juneau and
should be available within the
coming week.)
Q. Can application for an FHA in
sured loan for building in Seward
be made any other place?
A. Yes. Application can be made
to any lending institution or
bank which has been approved
for such loans by FHA.
Q. For what specific purposes can
FHA insured loans be had?
A. Provided that the necessary
minimum requirements for con
struction can be complied with
loans can be obtained for the
following purposes:
(1) New construction—this is,
building a house either for
the owner’s occupancy or as
income property.
(2) For alteration, improvement
or expansion of existing
buildings.
(3) To purchase an already com
(Tum to Page 4)
Notice To Wolves
; Chick’s In Town
Mel Horner strolled into Moody’s
Lunch Thursday afternoon to in
troduce Chick Leonard, the wolf
huntin’est wolf hunter that ever
came to these parts.
Chick’s arrival has sealed the
; doom of the big black wolf which
1 has been striking terror in the
hearts of Moose Pass residents. The
i big ' black fellow is said to have
| come into the town on a number
' of occasions, and once killed a dog.
i Chick Leonard, who is here with
his wife on a visit from Wyoming,
is well known around Seward, but
, has not been around for several
I years. He is the brother of Irene
I Holden of Moose Pass.
i
Leonard claims the only black
wolf ever taken in Wyoming. That
wolf weighed over 160 pounds and
stood 371/2 inches tall at the
shoulders. It was five feet eight
inches long and had four inch
fangs. Leonard has seen the black
wolf at Moose Pass, he said, and
this one is bigger than the one he
got in Wyoming. It might be 200
pounds, he said.
Clerk, Assessor Sworn
Into Office Monday
Mrs. Martine Johansen was sworn
in at 9:00 a.m. Monday morning
and took over the duties of City
Clerk immediately.
Her first day in office was a long
one, since the meeting of the City
Council was not adjourned until
the hands of the clock were
straight up at midnight. She said
she enjoyed the new position very
much.
TAX ASSESSOR
Mrs. Kathryn Ling took her oath
as city assessor at Monday’s coun
cil meeting. Mrs. Ling was city
assessor last year and has been re
appointed by the council.
At an earlier meeting the council
praised Mrs. Ling’s work as asses
sor during the past year. Innova
tions instituted by Mrs. Ling
makes it possible to complete the
assessment for a fraction of what
it cost formerly.
A/ met! Valedictorian, Sal tat or an
'>r H/g/t School (amirn ii ement
Jean Bratlain
! The largest graduating class in ■
the history of the Seward Public :
High School will receive diplomas '
I at Commencement Exercises at
! eight o’clock in the evening May
18 in the school auditorium,
i The invocation and benediction
: will be made by the Rev. G. Ed
uard Knight, and the Salutatory
by Jean Bratlain.
Mr. George Dangler will present
the diplomas to the graduates and :
the presentation of awards will be |
made by Superintendent Carl R. !
Carlson.
The program will consist of
Paul McMullen
choral numbers by the chorus, a
piano sc lo by Paul McMullen, Clas;
History by Richard Dangler, Class
will by Patsy Woods. The Vale
dictorian will be Paul McMullen.
Baccalaureate Service
Baccalaureate Services were held
l'or the giaduating class Sunday,
May 15, at the Seward Memorial
Church. The Baccalaureate sermon
was delivered by the Rev. Paul
Irwin. The text of his sermon was
"What shall the meek get?”
Both invocation and benediction
were given by the Rev. G. Edward
Knight.
Plans Progress
For July Fourth
Several new ideas for entertain
ment were proposed on Sunday
evening for the Fourth of July
celebration. Leon Urbach suggest
ed a picnic and barbecue for Sun
day afternon, July 3, as part of the
celebration. This brought forth an
enthusiastic discussion on the pic
nic possibilities and plans are being
laid for a gala event.
| Charles Lechner proposed send
ing invitations to Army and Navy
1 personnel to visit Seward on the
Fourth and enjov the celebration.
Although no report was made on
the progress of the Queen contest
and the Parade, it is anticipated
that deiinite plans will be avail
able at the next meeting.
Street Decorations
The Seward Volunteer Fire De
partment has ordered material for
decorating the streets and have
promised a surprise show as their
part in the activities. If it is any
way near as good as last year's
demonstration, it will be some
thing that no one will want to
miss.
The Board of Trustees promised
to establish a bank account this
week and hold a meeting in the
near future to draft a policy for
the proper disposition of funds.
♦Several concessions are still
available to those who wish to par
ticipate. Meetings will be held
every Sunday evening at 7:30 at
the Legion Club.
ALASKA SEAMAN DIES
IN SEWARD
Happy Robertson, crewr member
of the Terminal Knot, died of a
heart ailment at 9:00 a.m., May 17.
He was stricken with his last ill
ness while aboard the ship and was !
taken to the local hospital May 9.
Robertson sailed in Alaska wa
ters for many years, making his
home in Seattle since the year 1920.
His wife arrived on the SS Baranof
Monday evening.
Funeral services will be held in I
Seattle under the auspices of the I
Masonic Lodge to which Robertson •
belonged. He was Past Master of'
the Masonic Lodge Damascus 199.
G rMls Washington.
Mechanical Jackass
For Forest Trails
George Lesko and Dick Thomas
have a contraption they call a
mechanical jackass. It looks like
a Slow speed motorcycle with an
oversize packboard on its back anu
wheelbarrow handles.
Designed to carry a load of two
hundred pounds on narrow trails
over rough, steep trails, the carrier
is powered by a tiny gas engine
geared down to a walking speed
ana high power.
To people who haven't tried it,
it seems like a tough job to bal
ance a loan on a two-wheel vehicle
such as Lesko’s mechanical jackass
but soldiers who served in the
battle areas of Europe will remem
ber seeing thousands of refugee
carrying all their possessions on
a bicycle, often including a double
bed and mattress.
New Chairs For
Commencement Exercises
The hundred new chairs pur
chased from the proceeds of the
school carnival last winter will be
available for use at the school fo.
commencement exercises Wednes
day evening.
The amount raised by the carni
val was a little short, so the Par
ent-Teachers Association made ut.
the remainder by holding a bake
sale. Ihe Parent-Teachers Associa
tion had also purchased a piano
for the school earlier in the year
New Lunchroom
Superintendent Carl R. Carlson
announced that a lunchroom woula
be available for the use of the chil
dren at the school next winter.
Mr. Carlson said that all examin
ations would be completed Tues
day, but school will not be ou.
until Friday when report cards will
be given out.
At The Kovete . . .
NEW SEWARD
Lloyd Garrett, Montibello, Calif;
Mrs. Earl Dehart wi -
Burke, Kenai; F. S. Pampell, Hope;
O. H * i Seattle; , ud Corey,
Anchorage
School Budget
For Next Year
Hits $94,255
One council member whistled
when he saw the 1949-1950 school
budget for $94,255, of which the
city’s share is to be $26,559. The
other $67,696 is provided by the
Territory.
The fact was brought out that
it costs more to keep the Seward
Public Schools in operaion than it
does to pay all the city’s annual
bills.
Unusual Outlay
Superintendent of Schools, Carl
R. Carlson, who appeared in person
to explain certain items in the bud
get, said that the city was stuck
with the purchase of equipment
for the new addition, which is not
an annual outlay.
Two teachers are scheduled for
the First Grade, with an expected
enrollment of 45 to 50, and one
additional teacher has been re
quested for the high school.
Added Heating Costs
There will also be an additional
expense in the heating and main
tenance of the new addition. Total
salaries for the teaching staff is
$67,760, and the city will have to
pay $14,304 of that amount.
Other than the teaching staff,
the only salary is $4,200 for th§
janitor.
Equipment and supplies for the
laboratory will be needed, Super
intendent Carlson said, so that the
local school can give good training
in physics, chemistry and biology.
Microscopes, especially, are needed
now, and a large amount of glass
ware.
Grand Officers Visit
Rainbow Girls
The Older of Rainbow for Girls
are entertaining their grand of
ficers this week end. Miss Pat
Wolnerton, Worthy Grand Advisor
of Washington, Idaho and Alaska
with two other grand officers.
Miss Barbara Nesbitt and Miss
Carmen Hansen will arrive on the
Baranof and remain in Seward un
til Tuesday when they will leave
to continue their tour of the Ter
ritory.
The program will begin with the
initiation of Ruth Hoogland into
the Order on Friday, May 20. Satur
day night a banquet will precede
tiie majority and grand cross ser
vices which are opened to parents
of the members, masons and East
ern Star.
The girls will attend church
Sunday morning, then go to Sopers
for the rest of the day and over
night.
Monday afternoon the mothers
and grand oficers will be enter
tained at tea at the home of Mrs.
Hazel Erwin. Monday night the
officers of Rainbow Girls will have
a dinner for members only and a
farewell party for their grand of
ficers at the home of Mrs. Phil
Harding.
TERRITORY PAYS CITY.
CITY PAYS BILLS
The City fathers felt like Santa
Claus this week when the liquor
license refund amounting to $7,
300 arrived. The City scarcely had
the check in its account when it
issued checks to pay most of its
outstanding bills.
Mayor Lanier ruefully stqted that
the City had even less than be
fore, since the checks amounted
to more than the $7,300.
There wil be a Lutheran Church
Service on Monday, May 23, at 8
in the evening at the Seward
Lutheran Church. Reverand Oder
gaard is expected down from An
chorage.
Do Your ?Pa^
fion