FIGHT TB
Bay Christmas Saab
Seward Seaport Record
honnerly 1 he Seward Polafix Cr Kcjtai Peninsula-sVcutian Chain News
y
Vol. 5, No. 40
SEWARD, ALASKA, SATURDAY, NOV. 20, 1948
Price 10 Cents
Seward to Get i
National Guard
Organization
Seward will be one of the cities
in the Territory with a National
Guard unit, according to a release
this week from the Public Informa
tion Office, Headquarters, United
States Army, Alaska. The size of
the proposed local unit has not
been announced, but the Alaska
National Guard will be nearly dou
ble that originally planned, if
present plans materialize.
The proposed organization now I
includes two battalions of Alaska i
Scouts to be made up largely of
natives from outlying communities,
and two infantry battalions from
the larger towns of Anchorage,
Fairbanks, Seward, Kodiak, Cor
dova. Juneau, Sitka, Wrangell,
Petersburg, and Ketchikan.
“I think the proposed organiza
tion will be an excellent method ;
for the Territory to assist in its
own defense should the necessity |
arise,” Maj. Gen. Stanley L. Scott, j
the Army commander, has pointed i
out. He explained, however, that
formation of any units of the
Guard will be delayed until enab
ling legislation and Federal ap
proval of the expanded program
are accomplished.
It is expected that an appropri
ate bill will be presented to the
territorial legislature in January.
Approval of the plan for the two
Scout Battalions has already been
received from Washington.
Lt. Col. Joseph D. Alexander,
who has been assigned as Officer
in Charge of National Guard Af
fairs in Alaska, has conferred with
Governor Gruening and is directing
extensive surveys for possible lo
cations of Guard units in the ter
ritory. He is now contacting the
governors of Idaho, Oregon, and
Washington concerning National
Guard activities and organization
in their respective states.
Under the plan now proposed,
the Territory would furnish the
salary for the Adjutant General
and other administrative expenses
and provide some of the required
(Turn to Page 3)
Four Men Named
On City Airport
Committee
Membership of the planning
committee for the Seward airport
so far consists of four business and
professional men of the city. Those
named yesterday were Jack Wer
ner. Gentry Sinister, Charles Young
and the Rev. Edward M. Turner.
It will be the duty of the com
mittee to gather all available In
formation and aid in forming a
plan for an airport capable of
handling ships at least as large as
a DC 3, without going beyond the
limits of economy or necessity.
When the plan has been ac
cepted by the city council, it will
be presented to Delegate E. L.
Bartlett with the request that it
be introduced as a bill in Congress.
The Interior Department has pro
mised full coojjeration and support
for this measure. •
THREE SEWARDITES
CLASSIFIED 1-A
Three Seward men have been
classified 1-A by the Selective
Service Board. They are William
Winkler, Warren Jones, and Arn
old McGuire. McGuire received his
notice to report to Fort Richard
son for physical examination next
Tuesday.
PREPARES FOR BIG SEASON
AT SKI TOW
Gentry Shuster is getting ready
for a big season ai his ski lodge
at Mile Fifty on the Hope Jfigh
wav. The ski tow which is 1500
feet long is the longest in the ter
ritory. The lodge can accomodate
20 persons overnight, and, of
course, an unlimited number of
people may make use of the facili
ties of the lodge every day.
Lt. Spencer and family were to
leave on this morning's train for
Whittier where Lt. Spencer will be
relieved from active duty in the
United States Army. He has been
in Seward the past 16 months act
ing as transportation officer.
Bonnie Harris is here from Fair
banks visiting her father, Art
Gray.
THANKSGIVING
Lew M. Williams, acting governor, Thursday issued the following
proclamation:
WHEREAS the President of the United States has. by proclama
tion, designated Thursday, November 25, 1943, as Thanksgiving Day;
and
WHEREAS, our country is enjoying a period of great prosperity
in contrast with serious shortages and continued malnutrition in
many lands overseas; and
WHEREAS government agencies, voluntary agencies and church
groups are joined in an effort to demonstrate the impartial concern
and the goodwill of American citizens to citizens and displaced per
sons of other countries, In truly democratic fashion, by seeing that
some of tiie abundance of American supplies are distributed to those
less fortunate in Europe and Asia; and
WHEREAS the churches of America through the Church World
Service are united in a plea that church groups and friends of
voluntary agencies give the equivalent of their Thanksgiving dinner
to the relief agency of their choosing for transmitting hope and
courage to those in such desperate straits overseas;
NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the President’s proclamation, I,
Lew M. Williams, Acting Governor of Alaska, do hereby proclaim
Thursday, November 25, 1948, as Thanksgiving Day, and urge the
people of Alaska to extend their generosity to the national move
ment to establish a lasting peace and goodwill among all peoples by
giving of their bountiful abundance to the distraught of the less
fortunate countries.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the
Seal of the Territory of Alaska, at Juneau, the capital, this seven
teenth day of November A.D., nineteen forty-eight.
Skating Rink
Plan Submitted
By Firemen
If the Seward Volunteer Fire
men have anything to say about it
the children are going to have a
roller rink In the USO building by
the first of the year. They have
submitted a detailed plan of ad
ministration in which they call
for cooperation of other organiza
! tions. Those who have agreed to
back it so far are Fred Keilcheski,
| Art McKeough, Oscar Watsjold,
Jack Werner, Barton Stanton, Bill
Bern, Gus Johnson- Russel Painter,
i Jack Penrose, and Vane Reid.
| A careful investigation of the
floor is being made to determine
its exact condition. An Anchorage
, skating rink gave the information
that it has to sand the flood every
nine months. At that rate the local
floor should only need sanding
every four or five years.
Many people in town have had
the impression that the Fire De
partment was blocking use of the
USO building, but. as a matter of
fact, the city council has never
formally turned the building over
to the Firemen.
The program advanced by the
Firemen follows:
Trevethan to secure if possible
Fire Department authorization to—
Advertise, asking each organiza
] tion in town to appoint one mem
1 ber to act on a committee repre
! senting their organization to spon
sor skating at the USO Building
»i and or other athletic activities.
! This committee will have the
proper authority to proceed as its
1 members may agree regarding use
j of the Hall for athletic activities.
Any important public meetings
[ or dances for which the hall may
! be rented shall take preference
, over athletic activities.
| Set the time and place for the
! first meeting of the appointed rop
| reselltalives.
Suggestion—admission for skat
j ing: Seasonal tic kets to be sold at
I some local store—grade school or
I under, half-season ticket, «3.00, sea
1 son ticket $5.00: high school, half
! season $4.00, season $7.50: adults.
| one session 50c, half-season ticket
$5.00, season $10.00.
Homs—Grade school, Monday,
Wednesday and Friday, 4-6 p.m.;
Saturday, 2-4 p.m. High school and
adults, Monday, Wednesday, Fri
day and Saturday, 8-10 p.m. It is
believed advisable for a few mem
bers of Junior Woman's Club or a
few mothers to attend afternoon
sessions.
Investigation by the committee
(Turn to Page 4)
SEAL SALE
BEGINS MONDAY
The 1948 Christmas Seal Sale
opens officially Monday, Nov. 22
in Seward. The Seward Seal Sale
is held in conjunction with the na
tionwide appeal for funds to sup
port a battle against tuberculosis
being waged throughout the coun
try by the 3000 associations affili
ated with the National Tubercu
losis Association. '*>
The annual Seal Sale, which will
continue until Christmas, repre
sents the 'o’hly appeal during the
tjypar for funds to carfy on thd'
yitar- around tuberculosis tohitdf
(Continued on page 2)
Anchorage Ice
Forces Boat
To Dock Here
The little cold storage boat j
Chirikof docked at Seward Friday
with a twenty-ton cargo ol' frozen
meat, after being forced to leave .
Anchorage because of storms and
floating ice.
The tiny craft had to seek shel
ter at Spencer, Yakutat, Port Elias,
and other points on its northward
voyage, during which it ran into
the roughest weather Captain Gor
vald had encountered in over
twenty years service in northern
waters.
Much of the gear was coated
with ice when it arrived at the
Seward dock yesterday. Captain
Gorvald was greeted on his arrival j
at Seward by his son, who is mas
ter of a tug at Cordova.
Blanchard Elected
Legion Head
Frank Blanchard was elected 1
Commander of Seward Post Num- i
ber 5 of the American Legion at
a regular meeting last Wednesday
night. A very large number of
Legionaires turned out for the
election meeting at which a total
of ten officers were chosen for
the coming year.
Frank Mitchell was named First
Vice Commander, and Carl Buntz
was chosen for the position of Se
cond Vice Commander. Adjutant
for the coming year will be Ted
L^sko, and James A. McCracken
will hold the post of Chaplain.
One of the very important of
fices of the local post is that, of
Service Officer, to which Carl R.
Carlson was elected. Other offices
will be filled by Bernard E. Spain
as Finance Officer. Phillip Hub
bard as Sargeant-at-Arms, Eugene
Lanier as Judge Advocate and Sid
ney Urie as Historian.
All the newly chosen officers
l will be installed at the first re
1 gular meeting in January 1949,
, with the date to be announced in
j the newspaper at a later date.
|
Palroniz--* Home Industry
Oriental Coal
Business Seen
For Seward
Alaska seems a natural source
of coal, particularly for the Asiatic
market, the Salisbury Report on
railbelt possibilities has found.
China and Japan are now import
ing sub-bituminous coal from the
United States, chiefly from Utah.
“A 400,000-ton order is now await
ing placement,” the report stated.
The coal from Utah costs $28.10
a ton dockside in Shanghai. This
coal analyzes about 13,500 BTU’s.
Healy River coal gives the same
amount of heat and would prob
ably cost less. This is because of
a gift of geography. Alaska is some
1500 miles closer by water than
West Coast United States ports.
Dock facilities and ample rail
road coal cars are prime prerequi
sites for a Seward-Shanghai coal
business. “If any substantial Asi
atic coal business is developed,1'
said the report, “the trestles, rotary
car-dumping equipment or bins
will be necessary for prompt and
inexpensive loading.” The report
says that the way equipment
shapes up now, it would take 18
months to fill a 400,000-ton order.
Sub-bituminous coal abounds
near Lignite, in the Healy River
area, and in the Matanuska Valley
I area. The reserve supply appears
! practically unlimited. The world’s
I industrial economy still rests
^ largely on coal.
Several Alaskan mine owners
have already made inquiries about
partial bids on coal shipments to
i date. They are very much aware
I of the Asiatic market opportunities
and what this would mean to the
welfare of Alaska in. &OWT&J t<J
enter this ‘open door’ and gain a
permanent foothold.
Besides the shipment of raw
coal, possibilities of the coal-min
ing industry in Alaska are daz
zling.
Coal can be converted bv steam
!
i (Turn to Page 3)
I
1
CHRISTMAS SEALS
I'jM'i;. adult of Seward can enlist in the nationwide fight against
iiiheicnlo is b> ge tting a chest X-ray and by purchasing Christmas
Seals. Ma\ 01 Eugene N. Lanier said today in issuing his proclama
tion officially designating Nov. 22 to Dee. 25, 1948, as Christmas Seal
Season.
.Ihe annual Christmas Seal Sale provides the sole support of the
Seward Committee of the Alaska Tuberculosis Association, Mayor
Lanier pointed out. Quota for Seward, based on the Association’s
minimum needs to carry out its tuberculosis control program for 1949
is $1400. '
1 ubeieulosis is a ^public health problem, a serious threat to every
one in this community, because it is spread from person to persop,
f Mayoi Laniei declared. “’We mu t gi\e'unqualified support to those
1 who work directly to halt tlie spread of this disease. We show’ cur
desiie to support the tuberculosis control work of this community
w.ien we purchase Christmas Seals. We are also taking a wise pre
caution when we take the Association’s sound advice and have our
chests X-rayed regularly.”
Tiie proclamation follows:
WHEREAS, tuberculosis is spread from person to person and con
stitutes a major public health problem; and
WHEREAS, tuberculosis claims the lives of approximately 50,000
Ameiicans annually, killing more of our citizens between the ages
of 15 and 44 than any other disease; and
WHEREAS, the Seward Committee of the Alaska Tuberculosis As
sociation is conducting a < tuberculosis control program in Seward;
and »
WHEREAS, the association’s sole support is by the sale of Christ
mas Seals;
THEREFORE, I, Mayor of the Town of Seward, do officially desig
nate the period from November 22 to December 25. 1948, as Christ
mas Seal Season and do urge that the residents of Seward gener
ously support-the 1948 Christmas Seal Sale.”
•'!**«*
■ • .r
(Signed)
EUGENE N. LANIER _
Mayor of Seward.'