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VOL. U, NO. 7 FEBRUARY 87, I960 _. , , , PRICE l» > KNTt.
Chamber Proposes Revision Of Bill
Establishing Berough System In Alaska
House Bill No. 355, now being
considered bv the State Legisla
ture for the establishment of bor
oughs throughout Alaska, came in
for considerable revision by the
Legislative Committee, according
to that committee’s report to the
Chamber of Commerce at its
luncheon meeting Thursday.
Chuck Powell, in making his re
port, stated the committee met
Wednesday evening, and consider
ed the bill. Jack Hinckel, a
member of the committee, sug
gested striking out several of the
clauses. One in particular was
the clause establishing eignt bor
oughs throughout the State.
Hinckel also felt the powers of the
borough should be designated by
««iarter.
Powell stated he had phoned Rep.
Peter Deveau, expressing the
views of the group on the propos
ed bill. Hinckel, also, sent a copy
of the bill as revised, and also a
letter to the legislators from this
district, as well as the proponents
d the hill, Rep®. Gray and Hurley,
i A1 Hochberger, chairman of the
Industrial Committee, reported
that Nixon’s Dairy was installing
equipment for pasteurization of
their milk.
Chuck Weir, Chairman of the
Trar.sportation committee, stated
that according -to word received,
the construction of a bush type
airport is assured this summer.
However, he said, should there
be no action, his committte is go
ing to follow through in an
attempt to get it.
As regards to the proposed fer
ry system for Kodiak, he said, the
hftl to establish the state ferry
■authority, now in the legislature,
it passed, would kill the ferry idea.
This, he said, would be detri
mental to the growth of Kodiak.
“We should take action,” he said,
“to defeat the bill in its present
Alfred Tor gram sen
Stationed At Yuma
YUMA TEST STATION—Special
ist fourth class Alfred R. Torgram
sen, 24. son of Mrs. Rika Torgram
sen, Kodiak, is stationed at Yuma
Test Station, Yuina Arizona. He
is currently on duty with the
Army Photographic Facility photo
tab as a motion picture photo
grapher.
He arrived here last March af
ter a four month tour of duty in
Korea with the twelfth signal de
tachment. photo section,
j Sp. Torgramsen. who will be
discharged from the Army next
June, received his motion picture
photographic -training at Fort
Monmouth, New Jersey.
The Yuma Test Station is year
round testing ground located in
the Arizona Desert. Expansive
ranges make possible tests cn all
types of Army equipment under
desert conditions.
PLANES COLLII>E
A plane carrying a group of
Navy musicians who were to take
part in ceremonies during Pres.
Eisenhower's visit to Rio de Jan
eiro, collided with a passenger
plane in midair. First reports in
dicate all aboard both planes were
killed.
form.
The Chamber group voted to
sponsor the crab festival again this
year, and authorized the president
to appoint a committee for the
purpose. A discussion on the mer
its of the spring or fall as dates
for holding the estival enued. A
A dearth of crabs in late April
was one argument which was
countered by Roy Rickey, Alaska
Fish and Game Agent here, who
said crabs could be kept in live
boxes indefinitely.
Land Heatings
Here March 2-3
Land hearings here, are sched
uled for Wednesday and Thursday,
March 2 and 3, in the Courtroom
at the Donnelley Building.
Hearings on the proposed regula
tions covering the classification,
lease, and sale of uplands and tide
lands are being held by the Divi
sion of Lands of the Department
of Natural Resources. Copies of
the proposed regulations are avail
able upon request from the Divi
sion of Lands, 333 D Street,
Anchorage.
Oral as well as written suggest
ions on the sections of the pro
posed regulations will be received
at the hearings, but written sug
gestions are particularly desired.
Under the proposed regulations,
land disposal will be through
leace or sale. The acreage limit
ations have been considerably
raised over traditional forms of
federal land disposal; residence
requirements on the land are not
included; nor are cultivation re
quirements; all sales and leases
are'by competitive bids.
The regulations do not impose a
limitation of one tract on the pur
chaser but rather encompasses a
total acreage limitation which can
be taken up in a number of tracts
as they are needed. The leases
or purchase contracts or deeds
are completely assignable to other
parties so land will not be in an
(Continued on page 4)
No Agreement
On Lottery Bill
Juneau iff. Gov. William Egan has
given no indication on how he’ll
act on the bill legalizing certain
traditional non-profit gambling
operations in Alaska.
The measure is now under study
by Attorney General John Rader
and Revenue Commissioner Peter
Gatz.
The Governor said the discuss
ion between legislators and the Ad
ministration prior to final legisla
tive approval Wednesday did not
bring complete agreement on
measures. ,
IN ITS 33RD DAY
Juneau UP), the 1960 legislature
entered its 33rd day at Juneau
Friday, with 12 new session laws
on the books. Virtually all of
the legislation enacted, including
two bills signed by Gov. Egan,
was classed as minor.
The House Thursday approved a
memorial sponsored by Rep. John
Longworth (ft-Petersburg) urging
the Interior Department to deny
Southeastern villages the right to
operate fish traps.
Battle Looms
Jur.eau UD. The Employment Se
curity issue is expected to reach
the floor of the Senate today
(Friday) with the introduction of
the Commerce and Labor Commit
tee substitute for the Governor’s
bill.
The Senate Committee met late
Thursday reviewing the substitute
bill authored by Se<n. George B.
McNabb. Newsmen were exclud
ed from the review session by
McNabb.
The Committee is expected to
report the bill 3-2 “Do Pass.”
Initial battle, expected today,
would be over whether to accept
the committee recommendation.
If it is accepted, it would have the
effect of scrapping the administra
tion bill.
McNabb’s MM is expected to in
crease benefits and place tax on
the total wage base. The Govern
or’s bill provides no increase in
benefits, and tax based on $7,200
maximum and a variable tax rate
based on employment history of
each employer.
Urban Design Proposed For Road
A recommendation to redesign
the plans in the proposed con
struction of the road through town
was made to members of the City
Council by Lee D. Hubbard, Dis
trict Highway Engineer, Alaska
Department of Public Works.
At a special meeting of the City
Council Tuesday, Hubbard propos
ed an urban type of construction
rather than the rural type, vjliiph
was proposed at first for the Ko
diak street project No. F-011-1O).
The urban design calls for gutters,
sidewalks, and retaining walls to
prevent teaching oi lilt material.;
The engineer contended the urfban
design, though a little more costly
in construction, would resold ' m
low maintenance cost. It would bef
of particular advantage to owners ,
Work Begisis On ,
Harbor Addition
Work has begun on the con
struction of the floats for the ex
tension of the small boat harbor.
Odin & Jessen, contractors from
Ketchikan, in charge of the project,
are hiring local help in the con
struction of the floats. The main
float will extend out an additional
210 feet with additional floats 420
i
across.
Robbery Attempt
At D, & A. Store
An unsuccessful robbery was
attempted late Sunday night or
early Monday morning when Don
nelley and Acheson’s store was
broken into and the store’s safe
cracked partially open.
The front door was jimmied al
lowing entry, and the safe.s dial
knob broken off. The thief was
unable to complete the job, how
ever.
There was $150 in the cash regis
ter, which was untouched.
Kraft’s office and hardware de
partment building showed similar
signs of attempts to enter hut
there was no evidence of entry
made.
City Police are irrvestigating,
but had no statement to make at
press time.
Undersea Crab Ranching Rew Wrinkle In Study
Undersea ranching for con
trolled studies of king crabs is the
latest wrinkle being developed by
the Biological Research Division of
the Alaska Department of Fish and
game at Kodiak. The ocean floor
is the ranch, steel framed wire
covered pens the corrals and a
skin diving biologist, the crab
herder.
The purpose is to gather biolo
gical information that will keep
the embryo, dollar-earning king
crab industry in the Kodiak-Afog
nak area operating on a sustained
yield basis.
Although Department biolo
gists have studied the king crab
since 1954, successful manage
ment requires far more data on
the animal’s growth rates, feed
ing- habits, migrations and repro
ductive biology.
When research biologist Guy
Powell begah his king crab re
search two years ago, he studied
crabs by trapping them in pots
and hauling them to the surface
for examination. For Powell this
was hardly intimate enough. He
felt that crabs like people could
best be studied if you visited them
in their homes. He purchased a
skin diver’s suit and headed down
ward into the undersea world to
pay his first visit.
As crabs are nomadic in habit,
Powell found it necessary to build
pens to confine his crabs to a
certain area to insure continuity
to his studies.
New when Powell flippers his
bubbly way bottomward in his
scuba (self-contained unit breath
ing apparatus) suit, he can observe
his imprisoned tenants living in
their natural environment on the
ocean floor.
Powell tends 300 crabs in six
pens that have a combined area
of 630 squa c feet. A two-inch
stainless steel wire mesh keeps
the smallest crabs from crawling
out and prevents outside crabs
from crawling in and eating the
food placed there by the diver.
The pens have no bottoms so the
crabs can burrow in the mud or
sand just as they might in their
natural state.
Landsmen shudder when Powell
describes his years around dives in
northern waters. The tempera
ture of the water is about 38 de
grees in a 20-foot depth of water
at low tide. The water is colder
at 50 feet, but be can work quite
comfortably for a whole hour, at
that depth and time passes quickly.
The usit Powell wears is made
of neoprene. It is known to divers
as a wet suit. Although -the suit
fits skin tight, water seeps into
the suit under the wrist and leg
bands. This is gradually warmed
by body heat until the div^r • is
actually encased by a thin film of
tepid water. The suit, including
pants, shirt, gloves, boots and head
cap covers the body. Goggles fit
over the eyes.;-. Only the alrea a
(Continued on page 4)
of abutting property, he said.
Edwin L. MiiUs, State Traffic
Engineer, who was also present
at the meeting, concurred with Mr
Hubbard, and also enlarged eu
several phases of construction.
In addition to Mayor Goon, Coun
cilmen Frost, Spencer and Worth
were present. No action was taken
as a quorum was not present.
Since, the regular meeting Thurs
day was without a quorum, no ac"
tiqn was taken then either.
n •; i.’ •_
Fisheries Meet
At Juneau Mar. $4
■ nnual spring meeting oi
the United States Section of the
International North Pacific Fish
eries Commission will be held in
Juneau iMareh 3-4. Governor Will
iam A. Egan said this week.
T.^e: invitation to meet in the
Alaska capital was extended to
the body; at its last session by
Commission^: C. L. Anderson of
the . Alaska Department of Fish
and Garre r.t the Governor’s re
quest.
Anderson said the two-day se*
sion is expected to bring about
the first disclosure of the results
of analysis of biological data col
lected last summer during studies
of North Pacific salmon migra
tions and racial Locks.
Discussions will include the ef
fect of these findings in relation to
the ’•eloeation of the provisional
line limiting Japanese fishing
m the North Pacific.
1 Anderson said the first day’s
session would be given over to
a meeting of the Commissioners
with the staff of biologists, fol
lowed by an evening reception
for the Commission and members
of the State Legislature.
The second day is expected to
include meetings with members
of the Legislature arid an open
session Friday night for the gen
eral public.
Members of the U. S. Section
include Chairman Miltxfcr E.
Brooding, San Francisco; Edward
W. Allen, Seattle, John H. Claw
son, Anchorage; and Amie J.
Suomela, Commissioner of Fish
and Wildlife, Department of the
Interior.
Loans Made To
Alaska Fisherman
Funds are still av ii:*ble for
Joans to Alaskan fsdhermen, ac
cording to the regional director,
Bureau of Commercial Fisheries.
John T. Gharrett.
Loan applications are not diffi
cult to complete, ai. . help in the
fdrm of advice and aid in compet
ing the loan forms is available at
the Regional Office in Juneau,
according to the director.
The punpo-e of the program it
'to aid the domestic fishing indus
try by making funds available to
finance or refinance vessel and
gegr operation, maintenance and
‘.'repiirenaent. Alaskan fistomen
1 >vhi6 have availed themselves of
program have used it to effect
.maj^r.«hd minor repaits and for
/.oewering their fishing vessel*
as weil as the replacement of lost
or dc-.trc; ed and obsolete vessel*.
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