• • *® » - - • a ■
• ® ® „ •
* ® *
• * ®
i-ibrary fir Museum
Juneau, Alaska
^m^mU""""^"prIceTe^ents
Many Island Residents In Attendance
At CAB Hearing, Favor Certification
The majority of the residents
of Kodiak Island who appeared
before the Civil Aeronautics Board
hearing held last week favored
certification of Kodiak Airways by
the Board.
The hearings were held in the
Transient Officers Quarters on the
Naval Station Friday and Saturday
of last week. Board examiner was
Paul Pfeiffer.
Twenty-three of the witnesses
that appeared before the examiner
emphasized the need for scheduled
service to various Island points.
Two witnesses, Paul B. Hansen and
Park Munsay, vigorously opposed
certification.
Hansen, a former small plane
operator in the area, stated that
the weather here makes scheduled
flights impossible. He also gave as
other reasons for not granting cer
tification, the decline in village
population, and the seasonal na
ture of activity in the area.
He said he thinks he can operate
if Kodiak Airways folds—“profit
ably and without a subsidy.” “I
will step in if Kodiak Airways
folds,” he said, “and bid on the
mail contract.” Hansen stated that
Kodiak Airways is “over-expand
ed.”
Hansen, in questioning Bob Hall,
owner of the airways seeking cer
tification, asked: “Why didn’t you
cut down in your operation when
business started to decline (in
1957 and 1959)?” Hall’s reply was:
“You can’t fire ’em when you are
short, and hire ’em back when
they are needed.” Hall stated it
takes so long to train adequate
personnel for Alaskan conditions.
Hansen was the only witness ap
pearing Friday who did not favor
certification. Other witnesses, in
cluding Wayne Axelson, Superin
tendent at PAF canneries at Lazy
Bay; Chuck Turner, representing
Kadiak Fisheries and Alaska King
Crab; Robert Springhill, of Moser
Bay; Lowell Wakefield, of Wake
field Fisheries; Bill Pinnell, of
Pinnell and Tollifson, guides; P.
Marinkowitch of Larsen Bay, Bob
LaFollette, representing the Ko
diak Chamber of Commerce, Mayor
Merrill Coon, Father Sturmer; and
many others, each spoke favoring
certification in order to have regu
lar mail and passenger service
around the Island. Reasons given
were as an aid to the various com
panies’ operations and to bolster
the Island economy.
Bill Harvey, operator of the
Harvey Flying Service, who op
posed certification of Kodiak Air
ways, and who was instrumental
in bringing the hearings to Kodiak,
testified that he was interested in
bidding on the mail contract, and
would expand his operation if suc
cessful with additional planes on
a leased basis.
Saturday’s hearings continued
throughout the morning and con
cluded about 3 o’clock in the after
noon. A decision will be given in
the near future. The Kodiak Air
ways’ mail contract expires Sep
tember 30, 1960.
6 Chiniak Lots
Sold at Auction
Six lots were sold in the Chiniak
area at the land auction held at the
Courtroom in the Post Office build
ing, Friday afternoon of last week.
The sale was conducted by repre
sentatives of the Department Of
Natural Resources, Division of
Lands, of the State of Alaska.
No lots were sold for more than
the appraised value, and minimum
bid acceptable to the department.
The following were successful bid
ders:
Thomas M. Ancutt, lot 27, Sur
vey No. 3471, Price $727; O. L.
Spinharney, lot 21, Survey No.
3471. $403; Merrill A. Spinharney,
lot 20. Survey No. 3471, $337; E. R.
Weiser, lot 12, Survey No. 3473,
$1582; Thomas Gallagher, lot 11,
Survey No. 3473, $1547; and R. A.
Johnson, lot 26, Survey No. 3471,
$1170.
It was pointed out by the State
Lands Division representatives
that lots could be purchased by the
payment of 10 per cent of the pur
chase price at the time of the sale,
and the balance payable over a
period as of twenty years or less.
Further information concerning
the land offered and the terms of
purchase may be obtained from
the Director, Division of Lands,
333 “D” Street, Anchorage, Alaska.
State Cracks Down
On Tax Evaders
JUNEAUUP) — Commissioner
Peter Gatz of the State Department
of Revenue disclosed an intensive
campaign to find persons who wil
fully fail to pay Alaska taxes.
This disclosure came after com
mercial fisherman Don Foster was
arraigned on charges that he failed
to pay the State school tax for
seven years and failed to pay the
net income tax for five years
Fishing Derby Winner Is Chuck Edris
The largest fish caught in the
Halibut Derby run off last week
was turned in by Chuck Edris,
operator of the Kodiak Creamery.
His entry weighed in at 96Ms
pounds.
82 fishermen were entered in
the derby, which proved highly
successful despite bad weather. 10
were winners of prizes.
Other winners and the category
in which they won were as follows:
C. L. Harris caught the most fish
and tied with J. T. Harrison for the
largest fish caught Friday; Les
Andrews caught the smallest fish,
which weighed 1% pounds; Chap
lin Vaughn caught the largest
fish Sunday; Don Hall the first
fish Friday; Milo Rousculp the
first fish Saturday; M. Weber the
first fish Sunday.
The derby was sponsored by the
Kodiak Outdoorsmen, and is an
annual event. A fish fry is being
sponsored by the organization, and
is scheduled for July 31.
Salmon Pack Up
With Good Catches
In Bristol Bay
JUNEAU W)—The bumper catch
of reds in Bristol Bay raised the
1960 salmon pack to 1,460,653 cases
in the period through last Sunday.
The figures compared with 851,
136 cases in a comparable period
a year ago, Alaska Department of
Fish and Game reported. Bristol
Bay’s total was 807,337 cases.
Southeastern Alaska total was 154,
517, of which there were 45,122
cases of chums, 73,437 cases of
pinks, 31,780 cases of reds, 6,459
cases of cohos and 419 oases of
kings.
In the same period a year ago,
the Southeastern pack was 229,555
cases. In Western Alaska, includ
ing the Kodiak area, the pack
through Sunday was 1,064,485
cases, of which 834,259 cases were
reds, 31,883 cases of kings, 81,003
cases of chums.
The Department said 1,013,235
pounds of salmon were cured or
frozen during the period which
ended Sunday. The herring catch
was 14,767.6 tons and razor clams
pack was 37,927 cases, with the
Cordova pack 23,043 and the Ko
diak district 14,884 cases.
PD’s Prompt Action
Saves Man’s Life
The life of John Olafson, who
fell off the D. and A. dock Friday
of last week, was saved by the
prompt efforts of Sergeant John
Boucher of the Kodiak Police De
partment and Charles O’Toole, of
the NS Shore Patrol.
Olafson was puilled from the
water unconscious, and through
artificial respiration efforts by the
two men, was brought back to con
sciousness. The accident occurred
about 11:15 Friday.
Chief of Police Vickery praised
the men highly for their prompt
action.
Anchorage Group
To Prospect Here
Thirty-two members of the Pros
pectors dub from Anchorage are
expected in Kodiak over the week
end.
The group will arrive here Sat
urday and leave late Sunday. They
will arrive via Cordova Airlines
chartered plane. While here they
will make a tour of the city, and
will investigate rock formations in
various area. They plan to visit the
fossil bed at Narrow Cape.
Members of the party will be
housed at the Montmartre Inn, the
latter making all the arrangements
for their visit here.
Las Vegas Visitor
Here On Vacation
W. A. Green of Las Vegas, Ne
vada, aijd party arrived this week
and will spend several weeks on
the Island shooting seals, sea lions
and getting pictures of island wild
life.
Green is the operator of the Gold
Nugget in Las Vegas, a famous
night spot. The party will base at
Alf Madsen’s hunting camp at
Uganik Bay.
HORSES NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD IN THE OLD DAYS—Pictured
above is Lois Nicolet as she hands the mail pounch to Mayor Merrill
Coon during the observance of the 100th anniversary of the Pony
Express at the Post Office Wednesday. Below are Robby Acheson
atop the horse, and a group of boys and an old sled which was used
in the old gold rush days to bring in the mail and supplies. (See
story.) Photo by Ameigh
P. 0. Open House Marks Pony Day;
100 Year Ago Run Staged For Event
Although it is over 2000 miles
in distance from Kodiak to where
the original Pony Express hauled
mail from St. Joseph, Mo., to Sac
ramento, Calif., and it is exactly
100 years in time since the mail
was so carried, the “Pony Express”
ran in Kodiak Wednesday in ob
servance of the anniversary, in the
person of Robby Acheson assisted
by “Patches,” one of the Acheson
horses.
Robby, son of Mr. and Mrs. R. S
Acheson, came down Alaska Way
with a flock of youngsters at heel
and posed in front of the post
office for camera fans. Practically
every youngster in town showed up
to pat the horse, and when they
found out they would not be al
lowed to ride they made up for it
by riding the saddle on display in
the post office lobby.
The saddle was furnished by
John Gibbons and had belonged to
his father Ed Gibbons, who had
it made in Springfield, Mo. just
100 years ago, on a Pony Express
“tree.”
Both Robby Acheson and Postal
Clerk Lois Nicolet were posed
on “Patches” shown delivering the
first sheet of Commemorative
Pony Express stamps to Kodiak’s
mayor, Merrill Coon. The stamp
went on sale that day all over the
United States.
Also on display outside the
office were two models of the
“Alaska Pony Express”—dog sleds.
They were a bob sled and regular
(Continued on Page 2)
FLETCHER FAMILY
RETURNS TO KODIAK
John Fletcher and family arrived
back in Kodiak Friday morning,
after spending several weeks vaca
tioning in the South 48.
The Fletchers spent some time
in Seattle, motoring to Mexico City,
and other states.
MRS. MORRISON VISITS HERE
Mrs. Pearl Morrison, Vancouver,
Washington, arrived recently to
visit her son-in-law and daughter,
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Criss.
Mrs. Morrison plans to return
to her home July 29.