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THE ISLAND PUBLISHING COMPANY
Box 1307, Kodiak. Alaska
Sig J. Digree, Editor and Publisher
Beths Digree, Associate Editor
Staff Photographer.George C. .Ameigh, Jr.
MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use or republica
tion of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in
this paper and also the local news published herein.
The Road Is Wanted And Needed
Last week we presented the
plight of the Island Lake residents
in not having an access road to
their property. Attention was fo
cused on the areas need for a road
by the near tragic accident that oc
curred on the lake last week.
This week we received a tele
gram from Rep. Pete Deveau.
which read as follows: “If you
would look in Laws of Alaska. 1960
House Resolution No. 28 was auth
ored by myself and passed by the
House. When I got back to Kodiak
many property owners said the>
did not favor a road as vandalism
would increase on Island Lake.
Send me a petition and 1 will again
introduce a resolution on this mat
ter.” (signed) Rep. Pete Deveau.
Since receiving this telegram wt
have canvassed the majority of the
property owners in the area and
found them unanimous in a desire
for an access road. They are not
interested in a highway or wide
road, merely an access road to
their property. In fact, we found
they had already submitted a
signed petition seeking such a road
to the Department of Publie
Works.
We have written Rep. Pete De
veau to this effect. Though some
may have felt a road would make
the area too accessable to the gen
eral public, the growth of the area,
and the influx of families and per
manent residents makes it neces
sary for safety and convenience
that a road be constructed.
STATE FILES BRIEF
PROTESTING FREIGHT RATE
JUNEAU iJt — Gov. William
Egan says the State has submitted
a brief with the Federal Maritime
Board contending the freight rate
increase of the Alaska Steamship
Company January, 1959 is unwar
ranted.
The brief asks that the 10 per
cent rate increase be cancelled and
the monies collected be refunded
to shippers. The brief was filed
yesterday in Washington. D. C.
Mirrored Reflections
By Sl| Digree
We have just received a copy of
a study made by the Alaska State
Chamber of Commerce on the per
plexing problem of the Alaska Em
ployment Security law.
This did not arrive in time to per
mit a detailed study of the report,
which was submitted to the gover
nor and the State Legislators for
their study. But from what we have
read the volunteer committee has
put in a lot of man-hours in seek
ing a solution to this problem
In a subsequent issue of the MIR
ROR. we will go more into detail on
the study, but prior to going to
press, we can say the report seems
to hit at some of the basic wrongs
of the present law. and does offer
a version that strikes at its weak
ness and presents a solution.
The State Chamber group calls
for a better control of the casual
worker who is employed only oc
casionally. They even go so far as
to recommend increasing the max
imum benefit amount and the
length of time benefits are paid.
We will go along with the recom
mendation that particular thought
should be given to screening out
the casual worker who, as the re
port says has not earned a right
to insurance benefits."
The report calls the present tax
able wage base limit of $7,200 as
“unrealistic.” At the Chambers re
quest, the Department of Labor de
termined from wage records that
although the average worker
“while working,” was earning at an
annual wage rate of $6,915, be
worked only long enough at that
rate to earn an average annual
wage of S3.262 On this basis, the
steady worker and his employer
are taxed over twice as much al
though the worker seldom gets
an .'thing out of the fund.
The question is asked: “What
is the realistic taxable wagebase
for Alaska's Employment Security
program?” The report goes on to
analyze the present structure and
by eliminating the casual worker
who has earned less than $1,000
for the year, taking into considera
tion growth factors in our economy,
the incomes, the group recom
mends the taxable, wage base be
brought back to $5,400.
The report asserts that claimant
eligibility is one of the key fac
tors in making or breaking an em
ployment Security fund. This is so
right.
On the basis of the present law.
the report goes on to say, a casual
worker can qualify for benefits by
working two weeks in June and
three weeks in July at $100 per
week The $500 in wages will put
$17.50 in taxes into the fund. If
this casual worker is without de
pendents be may draw $150 in
benefits the next January without
earning any other wages. If he has
dependents, he may draw as high
as $300. Thus, the report states, the
payments to casual workers make
it a system of gifts for people who
seldom work at all.
The report recommends that a
20-work-week minimum eligibility
requirement be adopted in place
of tbe present formula which ac
tually permits benefits for only a
few weeks employment
This is only a partial report on
the study. Subsequent articles will
appear in the MIRROR on the sub
ject—a subject of grave import
ance to employee and employer
alike.
* t •
Here's a little storm story with
a chuckle! Winds blew such large
drifts across the road on the Naval
Station, that a young Navy boy got
stuck in one and asked to borrow
a shovel to dig out his car. The
woman of the house lent him the
shovel, he dug himself out and re
turned the shovel and thanked the
lady. When she went out later to
her own car, she found he had
shoveled all the snow' around her
car. She then was stuck and had to
dig herself out
The lady graciously said she was
sure the young man did not realize
what he had done.
• • •
And now to wind up this column
for this week, here are a couple
of sayings packed with a lot of
meaning, from the “Confucius of
the teabag”: Plan for the future.
That's where you'll spend the rest
of your life.” ‘To make an easy
job seem difficult, just keep put
ting it off.”
Pending Bills
(Continued from Page 1)
Chamber went along with his sug
gestion that this be deleted from
the bill.
The Chambers approval of
HB 109, was given. This relates
ment of Education. Opinion was ex
pressed that the Board of Educa
tion should appoint the Commis
sioner of Education. An amend
ment to the motion of approval to
check into the provisions of the
State Constitution on this passed.
The question of teacher’s sal
aries came up. but the Legislative
committee members expressed
themselves as unqualified to pass
judgement on this piece of legisla
tion. The question of the difference
in State school teachers salaries
and those of Districts was dis
cussed. Ralph Jones brought up the
fact that due to salaries in State
schools being lower than in the
District schools made it difficult
to keep good teachers in the for
mer.
The Chamber also went on rec
ord as favoring a road into Island
Lake. The property owners in the
area have signed a petition which
was given to the Commissioner of
Public Works. They will receive
the support of the Chamber in their
try for a road in the near future.
The Chamber voted to subscribe
to the Federal Register.
Visitors present were John
Smith, Guy Powell, Rev. Lewis
White and new member Ralph
Jones representing Wakefields.
I
Three Weddings
During January
There were three weddings re
corded in the month of February,
according to the office of the Dep
uty Magistrate Mabel Fenner.
The wedding of Miss Lila Ruth
Olsen and Ralph Irving Williams
was solemnized by Rev. Lewis
White on February 10, 1961. Miss
Olsen is the daughter of Mrs. Ole
E. Olsen of this city. The groom
is the son of the late James C- Wil
liams of Wharton, Texas. He is at
tached to the U. S. Marine Corps
on the Naval Station.
Miss Marie Elsie Peru and Vera
Carnahan, Jr. were united in mar
riage February 11, 1961.
Miss Peru is a resident of Kodiak,
Alaska and is from San Jose, Calif.
Mr. Carnahan is Research Analyst
in District Intelligence on the
Naval Station. Hie marriage was
consumated at the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Archie Zehe
On February 26, Miss Dorothy
M. Nelson and Mr. Harry W. Clarke
were united in marriage by the
Deputy Magistrate.
Hie bride was born in Aurora,
Mo., and the groom in Wilkes
Barre, Pa. He is an enlisted man
attached to the U. S. Coast Guard.
CLASS A BASKETBALL
TOURNEY RESULTS
FAIRBANKS (/P) — Results in
the Class “A” Basketball Tour
nament at Fairbanks were an
nounced as follows:
Monday: Fairbanks 63, East An
chorage 53; Seward 63, Ft. Greely
37; Tuesday: Seward 51, West An
chorage 39; Fairbanks 69, Palmer
•12.
Wednesday Palmer 59, Ft.
Greely 48 (loser out); West An
chorage 42, East Anchorage 41
(loser out).
Pistol Wielders
Kill Two Alaskans
Pistol shots killed two persons
in Alaskan cities in the last two
days.
Mrs. Francell a Goodness, 56,
civilian employee at Fort Richard
son, was killed by a pistol shot
fired through the kitchen window
of her home. Police are seeking
her husband, Charles Goodness, 49,
who was last reported living in
Colorado or California.
Ketchikan bartender, Idore Torg
eson, 61, owner of the Arctic Bar
in Ketchikan, was killed outside
his bar after he refused a man a
drink. Charged with second degree
murder and held on $10,000 bond
is pulp mill worker Ernest Pink
erton, 61.
TIME TO REVIEW YOUR WILL
The trust department of the National Bank of Alaska can
assist you together with your attorney in making sure
that every phase of your estate has been properly
considered
The officers of this bank will gladly meet with you and
your attorney at your convenience.
Remember a corporate executor is never ill, absent, or
too preoccupied to properly administer your estate.
AL Hochberger, Vice President
KODIAK BRANCH
NATIONAL BANK
< OF ALASKA
| Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
and Federal Reserve System
WE’RE PROUD AS PUNCH...
This week 1.7M copies of the KODIAK MIRROR
were printed, the highest in its history.
The MIRROR has enjoyed a steady rise in its rircnlatioii this past
year and indications are that the future holds
promise of still greater gains.
We don't need BIG TYPE to tell you that more and more people
are reading the MIRROR and as an advertising medium . . .
IT CAN’T BE BEAT!
★ ★ ★ ★
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