TJ JVIUSI’UITI
~ SEWARD’S
All-'Weatker
SEAPORT
Is Alaska s
Greatest Asset
V
Seward Seaport Record
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. VI, No. 100
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 1950
Price 10 Cents
Seward Voters To Decide The
Taxi Franchise Monday
As Mayor of Seward, and as,
Owner of the Legion Cab Com-1
pany, I have talked with many j
people about this Ordinance
which grants to Northern Cabs
a franchise to use the streets of
Seward under certain specified
conditions. A lot of questions
have been put to me. I am asked
if this is a move to force the
other cab companies out of busi
ness. I am asked if the Ordi
nance is a device to gain control
of the cab situation simply for
personal, private gain. To all of
these questions, I can give posi
tive assurance that this Ordi
nance, which the voters are
asked to ratify at the Monday
election, is a genuine benefit to
the people of Seward. I am sell
ing out my Legion Cab business
to Northern Cabs, willingly and
voluntarily. Northern Cabs will
then operate, under the fran
chise, not as an individual, but
as a corporation. It will not be
a one-man affair, but a lawful
business corporation, in the
activities of which any person
will be eligible to participate.
To the question: can this new
organization, after the approval
and ratification of the Ordi
nance, raise its rates whenever
it sees fit—my reply is ‘‘NO”—
not any more than any other
public utility company can in
crease its rates. Under the for
mer Ordinance pertaining to
taxicabs, any operator can
charge whatever fare he pleases.
If one individual got control of
all the cab businesses in Seward
right now, WITHOUT THIS
NEW ORDINANCE, he could
then control the taxicab business
and charge whatever fares he
wished. THEN HE WOULD
REALLY HAVE A MONOPOLY!
But we do not wish to ioster
and encourage monopolies. The
Common Council has therefore
granted this franchise subject i
to certain conditions: those con
ditions have been enumerated
many times, but the most im
portant is the express condition
that the fare within the city
limits shall not exceed 50 cents.
As Owner oi a cab business, 1
have discussed this Ordinance
with other cab-owners. We all
feel about the same. We like our I
businesses, and we value our
businesses. But we all have
agreed to sell our businesses to
NORTHERN CABS, and we are |
doing this of our own tree will
and accord. We believe it to be
a step forward. We know that1
under the franchise, NORTHERN l
CABS will be able to give better \
service, because it will have a
greater volume of business. The.
people of Seward will be get
ting better service, and the
guarantee of continued, depend
able, and safe cab transporta
:ion at a fixed rate of fifty cents
anywhere within the city limits.
EUGENE N. LANIER,
Legion Cab Co.
—
I am voluntarily selling my
ab business, known as RELI
ABLE CAB COMPANY, to Mr.
iiardina, of the Northern Cabs,
ecause I believe that the peo
le of Seward should have a
oice in a service of this kind,
he Ordinance that is coming j
p for the vote of the people of
eward on Monday is one of the j
lost beneficial Ordinances that
e have ever had. It really guar
itees better cab service to the
sople of Seward. If I were not
i favor of it, I would not have
jreed to sell my taxi business,
hich is a good business, to
orthern Cabs.
C. E. GAGE,
Reliable Cab Co.
(Turn to Page 4)
Agent Finds Traps,
Snares, Still Set
Reports on snares and traps
that are out and that are catch
ing fur, game and dogs have
reached such proportions that
it is very apparent that such
wanton use of trapping devices
cannot be condoned by the Fish
and Wildlife Service on the
Kenai Peninsula,” stated Carlos
Carson, enforcement agent, to
day, following the finding of
many more set traps and snares
than those issued in the last
issue of this paper.
Fur and game which have
been long decayed, some as
much as two and three months
old, have been found in some of
the traps and snares.
Leaving a trap line untended
and leaving traps set past the
end of the trapping season con
stitute serious violations of the
game laws and if the violators
are caught they will be prose
cuted to the full extent of the
law.
LOCAL POLICE PUT IN
A BUSY DAY
C. C. Early was arrested by
City police and the U. S. Mar
shall, and returned to Anchorage
Friday morning on the request
of the Anchorage police depart
ment. He was found with a con
siderable sum of money on his
person. Early is a typewriter
repair man.
One man was jailed on a
charge of drunkenness and us
ing obscene language on the
street. One charge of vagrancy
and begging on the street, one
case of indecent exposure, and
other police business kept the
force on the jump all day.
SWEAZEY PREPARES FOR
6TH HIKE TO FAIRBANKS
Manley Sweazey, Chartered
Life Underwriter of the Northern
Life Insurance Company, is in
Seward preparing to start on
his sixth hike from Seward to
Fairbanks. He made his firstj
hike up the railbelt in 1935 and I
has made the trek at intervals
since.
Mr. Sweazey, who is district
manager of the Arctic Agency
with headquarters in Fairbanks,
makes the trip by foot to meet
all the people along the way,
to sell insurance, take pictures
and gather material for writing.
Successful as well as versatile.
Mr. Sweazey sold over a million
dollars of insurance last year,
has a large collection of fine
pictures and, occasionally, has
articles in Alaskan papers and
magzines. He plans to stay in
Seward for the 4th of July cele
bration, but will leave shortly
after.
GOING-AWAY PARTY FOR
DR. ROBERT CRABILL
A picnic party was held last
night by employees of the Sew
ard Sanatorium and the nurses
of the Seward General Hospital
for Dr. Robert Crabill who will
be leaving Seward next Monday.
The party was held in the
recreation hall of Jesse Lee
Home since the rainy weather
made an outdoor picnic unfea
sible. Weiners and marshmal
lows were toasted in the fire
place; potato salad and all the
other trimmings of a regular pic
nic were served.
Dr. Crabill, who has become
very popular among both the
hospital staffs and townspeople
during the six months he has
been in Seward, was presented 1
with a going-away gift.
To Start Survey On
Seward Airport
Early Next Week
Word was received today by
Mayor Lanier that Mr. Don
Iyinck, engineer from Tony
Schwamm’s office, will arrive
in Seward Saturday by plane to
begin the survey work on the
Seward Municipal Airport. He
will be joined Monday by an
other engineer from the office
of Victor Rivers.
The survey will begin immedi
ately, after which the attorney
for the Territorial Department
of Aviation will make the land
procurements necessary for the
extension of the airport.
Equipment Arrives
For Playground
Eight pieces of sturdy play
ground equipment ordered by
the City Council has arrived and
will be set up on the school
ground when weather permits.
Two sets of swings, two sliding
boards, four see-saws, a merry
go-round, and a monkey maze
I will keep the kids occupied
throughout the summer. Bicycle
racks are also to be put up.
—
First Alaska Trip For
SS North Beacon
!
Coastwise Line ship North
Beacon made port early Thurs
day morning with a full cargo,
with Captain H. L. Paulson as
Master.
The North Beacon is a Liber
ty type vessel of 7200 gross tons,
formerly named the Harold O.
Wilson. She is chartered for two
years by Coastwise Line from
the Northeastern SS Corpora
tion of New York.
Built at Brunswick. Ga., the
vessel was in the European and
South American trade, although
the last voyage she made before
this trip was to Korea with a
cargo of phosphate.
Newly equipped to carry
reefer and chill box cargoes, the
North Beacon will make regular
arrivals at Seward with the
greater portion of her cargoes.
Valdez and Whittier will be
other ports of call.
SEWARD BUSINESSMEN ON
TRIP TO STATES
Leon Urbach and Charles
Lechner, Sr., left this morning
by train to make plane connec
tions in Anchorage for Seattle.
Mr. Lechner will attend the I
meets in Tacoma of the Grand j
Lodge of Washington, AF&AM.
as Deputy of the Grand Master.
Mr. Urbach will attend the
Simmers’ convention in Los An
geles and then the wedding of
his son, Larry Urbach, on June
25 before returning to Seward.
GRAVESIDE SERVICES
FOR OLAF HULT
A graveside service conducted
by Rev. Paul Irwin will be held
for Olaf A. Hult at 2 p.m. Mon
day, June 19.
Mr. Hult, a resident of Seward
since 1926, died at Ocean View
June 12.
LUTHERAN LADIES AID
PLANS BAKE SALE
The Ladies Aid of the Seward
Lutheran Church has scheduled
a bake sale to be held on Satur
day, June 24. Location will be
announced later.
HALIBUT FISHING TO CLOSE
MIDNIGHT. JULY 5
The following wire was re
ceived today by Carlos Carson,
Seward Fish and Wildlife Agent,
from the International Fisheries
Commission:
“International Fisheries Com
mission today announced mid
night, July 5, as closing date for
halibut fishing in Area Three
and Four and One A.” 1
Mahopac & Army Detachment
Confirmed For 4th of July
Fire Dep't Called To
Gabe's Tues. Evening
A fire at Gabe’s on the high
way late Tuesday evening was
controlled very soon after the
first Seward Volunteer Fire De
partment truck arrived on the
scene.
From a distance the entire
building seemed to be ablaze,
but the fire was confined to a
cabin at the back where Sour
dough Bill Patterson lives. Gabe
was in town at the time, the
establishment being closed on
Tuesdays.
Reported cause of the blaze
was an exploding oil stove. Pass
ing motorists turned in the
alarm.
GAME LICENSES ISSUED
BEGINNING JUNE 27
The new licenses for hunting,
fishing and trapping will be
issued beginning June 27, ac
cording to the Fish and Wildlife
Service. The licenses may be
obtained from acting U. S. Com
missioner Anna B. Southard,
newly appointed licensing of
ficer.
It should be remembered that
every application for license is
in affidavit form and questions
must be answered properly.
Otherwise prosecution may fol
low.
BILL YOUNKER TAKES
40-MILE HIKE
Bill Younker and his German
shepherd dog, Monk, went by
bus from Seward to Cooper
Landing last Saturday morning
and walked back to Seward via
Russian and Resurrection Rivers,
taking four days to make the
40-odd mile hike.
Bill reports seeing 12 moose,
five black bears, a bunch of
about 20 sheep, lots of beaver,
and two coyotes during the trip.
He shot a big black bear along
upper Resurrection and added
the hide to his pack. The dog
Monk got into a fight to the fin
ish battle with a large otter.
Monk also got a snoot full of
porcupine quills. He carried
about 20 pounds of duffle in his
own pack over the route. The
hikers came into Seward early
Wednesday morning, foot sore
and minus about 10 pounds in
weight. However. Bill thinks the
trip was well wprth the effort.
TRESSLER FAMILY RETURNS
FROM STATES
Mr. and Mrs. Glen Tressler
and children returned from a
15,000-mile trip last Tuesday.
Mrs. Tressler and the children
flew Outside early in the spring
and Mr. Tressler drove over the
highway, leaving here in April.
They visited in Tennessee,
then drove to Maryland, West
Virginia and various places on
the East Coast, visiting Mr.
Tressler's home in Baltimore.
From there they drove to To
ledo, Detroit and Chicago, then
back to Tennessee. They rested
there about a week then started
the homeward journey.
Mr. Tressler reported having
four blowouts, and considerable
trouble with a leak in the gas
tank. Once he managed to get
to a service station before los
ing all the gas, but the other
time he had'to be towed to a
station. He laughed about it,
though, and said they really had
a lot of fun.
Mrs. Tressler and children
came down from Anchorage on
the train Tuesday and Glen
came Wednesday by plane.
The USS Mahopac under the
command of Lieutenant Howard
Jones will be in Seward again
over the Fourth of July, accord
ing to a telegram from Admiral
Sprague, Commandant of tttfr
17th Naval District Headquar
ters, Kodiak.
The communication expressed
gratification that the people of
Seward were requesting a ship
by name. The officers and men
. of the Mahopac made such a
good impression when they were
; here for the Armed Forces Day
| celebration that permission was
asked for their return.
Following is a letter received
by Mayor Lanier just before
press time today:
Dear Mayor Lanier:
In the temporary absence of
General Twining, I should like
to acknowledge receipt of your
letter of May 25, 1950 with re
spect to your request for mili
tary participation in the 4th of
July celebration at Seward.
The military is always anxious
to take part in patriotic observ
ances, such as you propose, and
we are delighted to accept your
invitation to be guests of the
City on the 4th of July.
We can send a Navy tug, sim
ilar to the one sent on Armed
Forces Day, with 2 officers ana
30 enlisted men; an Army de
tachment consisting of 1 officer
and approximately 25 enlisted
men from Fort Richardson.
Because of prior commit
ments, however, a military band
will not be available, nor can we
guarantee that the same indi
viduals will comprise the pro
posed units as did those sent on
Armed Forces Day. Col. Willard
Perry, for instance, is on leave
in the States and not expected
(Turn to Page 4)
Clean-up Party Works
At First Lake Reserve
A clean-up party scheduled for
Thursday evening worked in
spite of the rain, to bulldoze, cut
brush and build the barbecue pit
at First Lake in preparation for
the Fourth of July picnic.
The picnic, under the aus
pices of the Izaak Walton League
and the Fourth of July Com
mittee, will be held on Sunday,
July 2 this year, and being in
town it is expected to draw a
big crowd.
Skeet shooting, races, casting
contests and a barbecue will fea
ture the day with a dance at
night.
MANTHEYS RETURN FROM
TRIP OUTSIDE
Mr. and Mrs. Gus Manthey
returned from Seattle and Mt.
Vernon, Washington last week
after an extended visit with their
son Roy and some medical at
tention. This was Mr. Manthey’s
first visit Outside in 17 years.
Mr. Manthey talked with sev
eral ex-Seward residents, all of
whom seemed anxious and inter
ested to hear news at first hand
from the old home town. Among
those he visited were Hedley
Davis, in Seattle, and Mrs. Lillie
James Plaster, who also lives in
Seattle.
After a residence of 44 years
in Seward, the Mantheys have
fallen in love with northern
Washington, and now have the
feeling that they will retire
there in the near future.
For a most interesting evening
of talk about Seward in the roi
stering days of its infancy, Mr.
Manthey is a good man to listen
to. An entertaining reconteur,
and he has many photos to sup
port his stories.