OQpflectuu} the &f, &f/aAkd\ yileri StfutoHC tftland
Published every Saturday at Kodiak, Alaska
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Sig J. Digree, Editor and Publisher
Betha Digree, Executive Secretary
MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use or republica
uon of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in
oils paper and also the local news published herein.
Nation's Economy Facing Crisis
All crises for the United States
mre not confined to those of an
international nature, such as the
tense Berlin situation and summit
meetings. A crisis looming on the
lomefront is the June 1 expira
tion of the steel industry’s con
tract with the AFIrOIO. steel
workers union.
Ordinarily a union contract
slight not be getting widespread
;attention so far in advance of its
•sxpfrgtioh date* but thi&'oAe could
Have far-reaching consduteoe* *s in
economy of the ^nation, de
pending on how it is resolved.
Both; management and labor,
While not yet at the ^mrgaming
table, have been exprassjo^views,
weme of them of a -bwgerent
•gature. ^
The union, in national advertise
ments is talking about a “billion
•dollar-bundle” for its meciber
whip whidr it says would benefit
nation ; through increased
sales and profits.
The tradition of such wage in
creases does not support the
union’s view. It is nearer the
truth to say that such wholesale
increases add fuel to the fires of
inflation* which already are
threatening to leap out of cootrol.
•Sw serious can be another, wage
increase in the steel industry* the
President of flie United States al
ready has entered the picture.
President Eisenhower has asked
both management and the union
tp show statesmanship in arriving
at a wage agreement that would
not project another wage-price
spiral, which would be a foun
tainhead of inflation. .
Thte contract for steelworkers
\
is not limited in effect to the
number actually engaged in the
production of the metal, even
though there are some 1,250,000
persons so employed.
For a number of years the steel
contracts have been the bell
wether of wage increases in nu
merous other' industries. Five
times in the past 13 years the
steel workers have struck to back
their demands for wage increases.
Many industries, including auto,
manufacturers, Jlfrhich use large
quantities of sfiro have protected
themselves against a shortage
brought on through strikes by
stockpiling for future need.
President Eisenhower therefore
is less concerned with t&e possibil
ity of work stoppage than he is
with the effect a new contract
may have on inflation.
Labor contends the proposed
wage increases should be taken
from corporate profits. But fig
costs in the steer industry have
ures show that while employment
risen 7.6 percent a year between
1940 and 1957, profits are tumb
ling.
Inflation is born when labor
costs rise and are not accompanied
by increases in man-hour produc
tion, Production per employee in
the steel industry has risen only
2.6 per cent a year since 194a
If steel workers’ wages go up,
steel prices will rise again. Indus
tries which use steel again will
raise the prices of their products,
causing the stepped-up inflation
ary impact to be felt by all Ameri
cans, including the steelworkers.
—Columbus, Ohio, State Jour
nal.
Letter to the Editor
Bear Sin m
It is rumored around to1'*"* tbit
oar forty buck a day le;,. ifors
are again trying to sefl sdthe of
Iheir constituents down the river.
Namely the Civil Service and Mili
tary personnel with commissary
and exchange privileges.
Before any more agitating
against these privileges is done
a long and careful look at the
history of these enterprises, and
an important possibility in the fu
ture, should be considered.
( Historically commissaries and
exchanges started ■ as co-operative
stores, financed and owned by the
military personnel who patronized
them. Eventually the Federal
Government acquired control and
brought them to their present
state of convenience and efficien
cy, but they were started by Offi
cers and NCO’s to put an end to
the highbinding and price gourg
mg practiced by sutlers and town
storekeepers.
A one hour discussion of the
problem among 7 servicemen and
1 civilian employee brought up
the idea of a co-op, financed by
military and civilian pdrsonjnel
at $1000 each, and capitalized at
$500,000. Freight rates
per CWT), insurance, personnel,
warehousing, and buildings were
«U considered.
This co-op would be run at a
~£mall profit, The idea being the
savings of th^buyihg personnel
would be Its^gfeatest return. It
would consist of a Super Market,
Sundries, Gas Station, Package
Store, and an Electronics repair
shop. We would operate different
ly from the PX and Commissary
in that we would sell to anyone
with money to buy.
Eight thousand dollars have
been pledged so far. It is believed
tfiat there are 492 more people
here who could and would invest
in their own future and financial
stability.
More reflection by the backers
of this drive to get the base money
sp&nt in town is in order.
• : - t \ i Sincerely,**
, A.G.I.
ROBERT SERVICE LEAVES
ESTATE OF $297,874 VALUE
VANCOUVER, B.C. W*—Robert
W. Service, bard of the Yukon,
left a net estate of $297,874, most
of which is in Canadian banks,
when he died last September 11
at Monte Carlo.
The will of the 85 year-old poet
was filed in probate here.
Here, There and Everywhere
By SIG DIGREE
The name Shahafka means very
kittle to most people in Kodiak.
But to the ardent fisherman and
those living adjacent to Shahafka
Cove, it means good fishing un
der ideal beach conditions. It is
the fine sandy beach fronting the
Kodiak Baptist Mission.
Sport fishermen have been cir
culating a petition to have the
cove forbidden territory to seine
fishing. So far so good. This would
seem to be a reasonable request
insofar as commercial fishing is
concerned. But it is a well-known
fact that the Mission makes a few
sets in the cove as a means of
securing a food supply for the
children of the Mission . . . Not
often, but as the need arises. That
is as. it should be.
It would seem from the angle
in which we are sighting our
cast, the emphasis should be put
on keeping out commercial fish
ing in the cove, but there should
not be any contact between sein
ing for private use, as in the case
of the Mission, and the sport
fisherman. There ought to be
enough fish for both.
; J * *. .4 . . * ^ f-:
" A MOMENT OF GLORY
v *" • - . *- *. v ; *.♦
Reports continue to come in on
the nation-wide showing on TV
of the King Crab Festival events,
and it is rumored our own Marion
the-Mermaid (one of our Guest
Editors this week) has pushed
Esther Williams from the home
flickers in popularity. Of course,
she had something the great Wil
liams never had—she rose out of
the water with a giant king crab
poised over her head . . . both
photogenic, to say the least. We
have been told that festival shots
ran at considerable length in
many localities. It will be some
time before Kodiak will receive
a breakjike that again. Unless
PNA can be persuaded to consider
the running of another “red-eye
special" to coinside with a big
celebration here.
• • •
“TO, ERR IS HUMAN”
We make mistakes-—we’re the
first ones to admit that You may
wonder sometimes, when an item
of news gets garbled in a para
graph or two. These little annoy
ances will slip in regardless of
how much; you guard against
them.
. We don’t feel so bad about some
of the line transpositions, the end
ing of sentences where they
shouldn’t, the word left out, and
the other small errors we have
committed from time to time,
after reading the following. It
appeared in a big Anchorage
daily the other day, and makes
all other typeographical errors
seem puny in comparison. Here it
is:
DAFOE GETS
KEY POST
JUNEAU UO—Don Daoe, or
uation, has been naed a ed
eral onsultant to western state
shool systes.
here said it was advised today
o *the appointment. D a f oe
tors who took part in opeti
tive exainations for the posi
said.
sworn in Jne 9 at Washington
as field representative in the
Division of State Shools Sys
The ageny is part of the De
and Welfare.
sioner will asse his new d
ties at Washington this fall,
shool session at Stanford Uni
work on his dotor of edation
degree.
Dafoe headed the Departent
of Edation in Alaska for sixuuc
years before his resignation
from the state government ear
lier this year.
The Reluctant
Alaskan Dragon
An ex-Oregonian now Alaskan
rows for Columbia University.
Thereby hangs a tale of interest
to the little village of Afognak and
Kodiak in general.
Dick Wamser, the aforemention
ed Varsity oarsman, was born in
Afognak, grew up in Oregon City,
Oregon, with residence currently
in Naknek, Alaska. That bit of
news so far is not unusual. But
what is to follow is nothing short
of phenomenal.
Eleven years ago, and at the
age of eleven, according to a
story that appeared in the New
York Pont, April |4, young Dick
Wamser was taking in tire sights
New York before heading back
to Oreogn. He had just returned
r -om> Sweden where-he had spent
three years with his grandfather.
And amid all the tall buildings
and the famous places that the
guide pointed out, what impressed
him most was the Columbia cam
pus.
When he grew up, he sent in
his application, and became a stu
dent there.'But here’s the amaz
ing part of the story. Although he
is a senior and never had an oar
in his hand before last fall, he’s
now rowing No. 2 in the Lion’s
varsity crew.
“Actually,” young W a m s e r
chuckled, “I was practically shang
haied thing last Septem
ber by three guys in my fraternity
house. They are all on the squad
and when they went out for the
first practice last September, they
insisted I go with them.”
Though he didn’t take them
seriously, he' went anyway,- The
reluctant dragon succumbed to
the lure of the river in a hurry,
and once he’d fitted his lean, 6
foot, 180 pound frame ittto a seat
in the shell he proved an apt and
willing workman, tits progress
was little short of amazing. “Or
dinarily, you wouldn’t give a sec
ond thought to a senior who’d
never rowed tn' his. life be$>re,”
Coach Donald'Rose'said. “I can’t
ever remember anybody anywhere
making it to the varsity this fast
without any experience at ail.”
Young Dick is related to sev
eral people in this area. The son .
of Bernard Wamser„ formerly of
Afognak who is now superintea
dent of Libby’s cannery at Nak
nek. Dick is related to the Von
Sheeles and to the eHnry Neseth*
of this city.
• * * *
A few figures to dig out of the
file when you get discouraged
about the way the country is be
ing run: Just 6 per cent of the
world’s population lives in these
United States of ours, yet we
Americans have 76 per cent of all
the world’s automobiles; we have
58 per cent of the world’s tele
phones; we possess 40 per cent of
the world’s electric products; aad
27 per cent o fthe world’s news- ;
papers are printed in this country.
A recent survey among tl»
three senior high , grades at
Mound high, Mound, Minnesota,
according to the Minnetonka Pilot,
uncovered the fact that 66 pec
cent of , the gQphpp*pr*s had wm
idea 'who John F%der Dulles wi*»
71 per cent did not know of Mae
Tse-tung, 64 per cent had no idea
who Charles DeGpalle was and*,
62 per cent had »o idea who Ga- 1
mal Abdel Nassfct was. Percent
ages were pretty much the same
for the ne*t (two graded—j union
and seniors. '
■ •<' .'C tt", ?•. *f»v.':
Excess Insurance %
Offers Increased
Batik Protection
The Bank of Kodiak now proud
ly displayes the menbersbia
plaque of the Bank-Share Owners
Advisory League as evidence if
additional protection arranged i*
the interest of its officers, direc
tors, shareowners and depositees.
The security of our depositees
and4 'Stockholders is always fece^
moafinotir thouhgts,” said O. A.
Torgersori, President. “That is
why We have strengthened owr
bank’s insurance protection hr
carrying , $1,000,000 Excess Inane*
ance through .the ..Bank-Share
Owners Advisory League. This ad
ditional ,.coverage,, affords safety
against any possible misuse of pm
bank’s fiitfds.”
Recognizing the vital role ef
banks to the community, the Lea
gue promotes greater service and
security in banking. Over 1,200
member banks make it the large*
group of its kind.
v ~ ~ .. ~
■
This Is Hospital Week
and to the Staff devoted to the welfare and
comfort of their patients we pay tribute.
We are indeed fortunate in haying such
humanitarian service available here to the
many thousands of people who have received
excellent care throughout the many years
from the Grey Nunn of the Sacred Heart.