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VOL 22, NO. 22_KODIAK, ALASKA, JUNE 1, 1962 PRICE TEN CENTS
THE FIRST LOAD OF HALIBUT. This may look like a scene in
Southeastern Alaska or somewhere but its actually in Kodiak. Jack
Johnson (He’s the bearded one) is seen as he manipulates the con
trols to take away the net after dumping a load of halibut from the
SHIRLEY ROSE, the first halibut boat to put in to the Alaska Ice
& Storage plant. The big man handling the halibut is Pete Matfurci,
a crew member. Winston Tucker, skipper aboard the SHIRLEY
ROSE, said this is his first trip as skipper. He has fished these waters
many years but always as a crew member. The boat brought in 50,000
pounds of fish.
HALIBUT BEHEADED. That instrument you see in the center is a
gillotine. This is the first step in the process as the fish are unloaded.
The gillotine makes an angle cut severing the halibuts head without
loss of meat.
Along The Waterfront
Two boats, the Parks 6 and the
Swallow have been in for work this
past week it was reported by Al
vine’s Marine Repair.
X
The Shuyak is up on the small
boat harbor grid.
&
Red Burnham of the Kodiak
Welding Shop reports they have
been overhauling the anchor winch
on the halibut boat Shirley Rose
which brought the first load of hal
ibut into the new cold storage
plant here.
There isn’t any crab or shrimp
processing going on at King Crab,
Inc. these days, but the crew is
getting ready for the plant’s sal
mon operation.
The company will pack %-pound
and 5-pound cans again this year.
&
There was considerable scurry
ing around last Tuesday at the new
cold storage plant when the first
load of halibut was brought in. L.
C. Berg, an old-timer at the game,
who is production foreman, belied
his 70 odd years, and was every
where, watching the gillotine as it
severed the heads of the big hali
but, following the progress of the
fish right into the freeze rooms.
This would have been a great
day for some of the oldtimers who
said there would never be a cold
storage plant in Kodiak.
X
The Japanese fishing fleet
headed by the Banshu Maru, two
boats of which were seized by the
(Continued on Page
Skopper-Owner
Medicare OK’d
Kodiak fishing boat owner-op
erators would benefit under pro
visions of a measure which was ap
proved this week by the Senate
Commerce Committee.
The Magnuson-Bartlett bill to re
store Public Health Service med
ical care privileges to owner-op
erators of fishing vessels would
benefit an estimated 6,000 to 11,000
persons. The bill was amended to
include an additional 1,000 persons
serving on documented vessels
strictly as fishermen and not per
forming any navigational duties.
At present, fishermen on docu
mented vessels receive medical
care only if they perform sea
duties. Medical care applied to
owner-operators of such vessels
until eight years ago.
Election Needed
To Clarify
Bond Approval
Bond attorneys for the Paul J.
Nichols Company, which firm had
agreed to purchase $500,000 in Wa
ter Construction Bonds and $130,
000 in Leite Sewer Bonds, have
advised the City Council that they
are unable to approve the issuance
of the bonds without reservation
due to the language used in the
propositions on the ballot.
“Reputable bond counsel,” said
Preston, Thorgrimson, Horowitz,
Starin and Ellis, the firm making
the analysis, “will not approve the
validity of the issuance of munici
pal bonds or the validity of certain
pledges and covenants if, in their
opinion, a reasonable argument
can be made against the validity of
such bonds or such pledges and
covenants.”
Two solutions to Ihe problem
were suggested to the City Council
by the bond attorneys. First, a test
case in the Superior Court to estab
lish validity of the bond issue. Such
a test case would be time-consum
ing and fairly expensive. Secondly,
hold a new election.
The City Council has decided
that holding a new election is the
least expensive and best method of
validating the question raised by
the bond attorneys. In order to
save the cost of another special
election the propositions will be
voted on at the general election of
October 2, 1962.
It will be necessary for the vot
ers to reaffirm their approval of
the present sales tax by approving
the tax on two separate proposi
tions; a one-cent tax for Water Im
provements under one proposition,
and a one-cent tax for Street Im
provements under a separate prop
osition. While the sales tax was
approved for two purposes one
voting proposition in the election
of 1956, that election was never
subjected to the scrutiny of spec
ialized bond attorneys, since no
bond issue was involved.
Bond attorneys also held that,
while State law specifically pro
vides for the pledging of special
funds, such as the sales tax, for the
retirement of General Obligation
Bonds, such bonds are secured by
the full faith and credit of the
property owners of the City against
which ad valorem taxes may be
levied in case of default of pay
ment from the pledged special
funds. While previous election for
the issuance of General Obligation
bonds merely asked the voters ap
proval for the issuance of such
bonds in a certain amount, the ad
ditional pledge of the sales tax
and special assessment funds in
the last election tended to overide
the securing of said bonds by prop
erty taxes, the attorneys said.
Also cited was a requirement of
the 1960 State general election law
which requires two voting pre
cincts in local elections, unless
special permission is obtained from
the Secretary of State prior to the
election.
r t « * \ 'v 'v x -x. ^
A salute is given as the wreath is dropped into the water by William
Poe, Western District Commander of the American Legion.
Squeaking Wheel
Gets Grease FHA
Officials Say
A relatively small turnout of per
sons marked the no-host dinner
and public forum held Monday eve
ning at the Montmartre by six offi
cials of the state and federal de
partments of agriculture.
“If it appears there is a relative
lack of attention paid to the agri
cultural activities of Kndiak by ag
ricultural officials, it is due mainly
to the fact that there has been lit
tle call for such attention and as
sistance by those engaged in such
enterprise here,” A. G. Stine, su
pervisor of the Farmer’s Home Ad
ministration programs in Alaska
told those attending the Monday
dinner and forum.
“Remember, it is the old story
of the squeaking wheel getting the
grease,” he stated.
Floyd Higby, deputy administra
tor of the federal agency, gave a
resume of the various activities
and programs of financial and tech
nical assistance available through
the FHA.
The group of six officials visited
ranches in this area on Tuesday.
Representative Pete Deveau and
Chuck Powell, Republican candi
date for Representative were pres
ent for the dinner and forum.
Jack McFarland
Election Director
Jack E. McFarland, former Ju
neau newspaperman and now of
Kodiak, was named by Secretary of
State Hugh J. Wade today as Di
rector of Elections for the 19G2
primary and general elections.
McFarland came to Alaska m
1951 as editor of the Alaska Daily
Empire and later founded the Ju
neau Independent. He quit news
papering in 1954 to join the Terri
torial Department of Education as
a teacher, serving at Hoonah, Non
dalton, Afognak and at Kodiak
High School.
Crackdown On
Dogs On Loose
“If you miss your dog, we prob
ably have it,” Chief Roland Vick
ery of the City Police Department
stated this week, in announcing a
crackdown on dogs running loose
in the City.
Dogs chasing vehicles, he said,
will be the department’s chief tar
get. If they cause an accident the
owner will be liable, he said.
4th Celebration
To Have Fireworks
Expenditures up to $750 were ap
proved by members of the Cham
ber cf Commerce at its special
meeting Thursday noon at the
Town Club, for the Fourth of July
fireworks and prize money for the
children’s races planned.
Fourth of July plans call for a
■‘real old fashioned celebration"
wi‘h all organizations in town par
ticipating. The Chamber has been
alloted the task of raising funds
to procure the fireworks and furn
ish prize money, etc. The funds
will be raised from the merchants
of the city who will be asked to
donate. A committee, consisting of
Ray Martin, Sr., chairman, Lou
Veerman and Dr. Bob Johnson,
were appointed to contact mer
chants and solicit funds. Approx
imately $200 has been pledged at
press time.
Bob Simon heads a committee
to procure the fireworks and set
it off at the close of the day on
July 4. Others on his committee are
“Smoky” Stover, Stan Nelson, Dex
ter Lall and Danny Ensler.
In other action, the Chamber
voted to require parents of chil
dren who damaged the plastic cov
ering on midway booths following
the King Crab Festival, to pay for
same. The Board of Directors were
authorized to take any action nec
essary to accomplish this.
Alaska flag designer Ben Ben
son, will go to the Worlds Fair at
Seattle for Alaska Day, July 7,
with funds uathorized by the
Chamber for his hotel and living
expenses while there, providing he
is to appear on that day’s program.
Benson is a resident of Kodiak,
working for Kodiak Airways.
The members voted to purchase
a set of photos of the King Crab
Festival. These were taken during
that event and include pictures of
parade floats and marching units,
etc.
A letter was read from Mrs.
Helen Hall, secretary-treasurer of
the Kodiak Airways asking Cham
ber support for a bill introduced in
Congress seeking permanent cer
tification for Kodiak Airways.
The Chamber referred the bill to
its transportation committee for
further study and will act follow
ing a report by that group at the
next meeting.
MARGE WOLF RETURNS
Mrs. Marge Wolf returned Sat
urday after spending several
months in the lower 48. The Wolfs
are owners of the Kodiak Cleaners.