STEVE CANYON
By MILTON CANIFF
I947.SUWUMT
YES, STEVE...
ANP I THOUGHT
' WELL, PEEN, AFTER- X THE MEPICAL
LOSING TWO CONSIGNMENTS \DARK. AGES
OF MEPICAL SUPPLIES/ ARE \ WERE OVER!
YOU CONVINCEP THAT SOMEONE
IS ACTIVELY OPPOSING YOUR.
EPIPEMIC CONTROL PLANS?
5^1
f ["HERE'S A LOT OF
AMERICAN PRESTI0E
RIDINO ON VO UR. JOB
YOUR. HEALTH STATIONS
MUST BE SETUP—EVEN
WITHOUT SUPPLIES
'FOR. THE SAKF OF AMERICAN \
PZ&TI6E OUTUERE WE MUST
FAKE THE PEAL UNTIL THE ^
STUFF CAN BE REPLACED... J
50 THE NATIVE EMPLOYEES OF-1
THE AMERICAN CONCESSIONS ^
WILL BE REASSURED, 00 OUT AND
BUY UP ALL THE FLASHY MEDICAL
STUFF YOU CAN FIND—SO DEEN
Steamship Companies, Intervenors
Battle Over Alaska’s Freight Rates
(Continued from page 1)
in its brief, asks that present can
nery rates be maintained and
suggests that if the rate is in
creased, the Industry can no
longer ship on the Alaskan car
riers.
The Fairbanks brief urges the
consolidation of Alaska Steam
and the Northland Transporta
tion Co., to result in a more ef
ficient operation. This brief also
suggests that schedules be more
carefully drawn up, in order to
limit northern sailings to fully
loaded vessels.
The Development Board, in its
brief, presented a study attempt
ing to show that two-thirds of
northbound sailings were made
by vessels loaded at less than 50
percent capacity.
All three carriers presented
briefs to show that the four
month period of operation cov
ered by the study was too short
to determine fairness of rates
charged.
The Commission’s own rate
analyst stated that “frequent
sailings with light loads create
bunching of vessels at Alaskan
ports resulting in increased op
erating costs.
Commission observers further
declared that “adjustment of
schedules, elimination of over
emphasis on passenger service
and the possible elimination of
some vessels . . . are not only
practicable but advisable.”
SCOUTS TURN INDIAN
Palmer Scouts are now hard at
work on preparations for next
month’s Boy Scout rally in An
chorage. The local troop is work
ing on an authentic Seneca cere
monial dance which they plan to
present at the rally. Seneca cos
tumes and an Indian carved med
icine mask will highlight the
dance.
Coffey Insures Everything—
Remember? Adv.
(Continued from page 1)
Wages are the largest single
item, showing an increase of
nearly 150 percent between 1939
and 1947. Stevedoring is listed
as the second highest cost,
blamed partly on the small
amounts of cargo handled. Losses
from pilferage and damage to
cargo were also blamed as a re
sponsible factor for soaring op
erational costs.
In answer to the territory’s
contention that freight rates are
so high as to retard development
of Alaska, it was pointed out
that bank deposits and income
taxes in Alaska have increased
in recent years.
A survey made for Alaska
Steam by a marketing expert
from the University of Wash
ington showed that some brand
items retail in Alaska for the
same price as in Seattle. Price
increases were found to be in
consistent; some articles priced
at great distances from Seattle
were found to have a lower per
centage of increase than that
article registered at Alaskan
points nearest Seattle.
The steamship companies ad
mitted that freight rates were a
contributing factor in the high
cost of Alaskan living, but point
ed to high wages, the 25 per
cent living differential, the com
mon practice of keeping large
stocks of merchandise on hand
and an influx of money which
exceeds material as contributir/g
factors more important than
freight rates.
The report concluded with the
statement that the four months
period of study was too short to
determine whether the steam
ship operation was profitable.
The effect of air transportation
on passenger business and
whether the volume of military
business increases or declines
are major factors which cannot
be studied in a four-months pe
riod, the examiners said.
Examiners deplored the “ele
ment of bitterness” revealed at
Four Palmer Bars
Reopened Monday
Palmer’s four bars, closed
since Dec. 31 at midnight, were
back on a “business as usual”
schedule late last Monday eve
ning. Decision on the licenses of
the four, at first scheduled to be
announced at 10 o’clock Tues
day morning, was unexpectedly
reached in the court of Judge j
Joseph W. Kehoe late Monday j
afternoon.
The application of the Sham
rock bar, temporarily with
drawn Monday morning because
of technicalities in its drafting,
was cleared at the afternoon
hearing. Added signatures, also
needed for the Shamrock’s ap
plication, were secured in Pal
mer in time for presentation to
the court on Tuesday morning.
the hearing between the territory
and labor unions on one hand,
the steamship companies on the
other. “No service,” they report
ed, “can attain a high degree of
efficient and economical opera
tion without cooperation and
good faith between labor and
management, the support of pub
lic officials, and an atmosphere
to be unreasonable or otherwise
general public.”
The examiners recommended
that the Commission “should
find that respondents’ rates,
fares, charges, regulations, and
practices have not been shown
to be undeasonable or otherwise
unlawful.”
It was further recommended
that the records be held open
through June of this year, with
steamship lines required to keep
necessary records in the mean
time. No action was recom
mended as to the legality of joint
rates, pending further hearing
on this matter.
Coffey Insures Everything—
Remember? —Adv.
Call 8 to get meeting notices
printed in the Frontiersman.
Mrs. Johnson Is 111
Mrs. Ivan Johnson of Palmer
has been confined to her home as
the result of a heart attack suf
fered late last month. It will be
at least two months before Mrs.
Johnson, can be out again, and
she would very much appreciate
seeing her friends at her home in
the weeks ahead.
She Comes And Goes
Miss Marilyn Johnson, home
demonstration agent for this
district, scarcely knows where
she hangs her hat these days. In
the Valley last Thursday and
Friday, Miss Johnson met with
the Butte and Wasilla Home
maker’s clubs to give a lesson
on sewing management.
On Saturday Miss Johnson
hurried back to Anchorage for
the weekend, and then hurried
right back to Palmer on Monday
morning’s bus to give lessons in
sewing to the Sourdough, River
bend and Glacier View Home
maker’s clubs.
Marines Organize Reserve
This week, from Jan. 12 to
Jan. 18, has been set aside as a
week of enrollment of recruits
in the Civilian Marine Corps
Reserve, according to a proc
lamation received from Gov.
Ernest Gruening.
The Marine Corps Reserve is
a new organization dedicated to
the peacetime training of young
American men and women.
Opening Siill Delayed
The temporary illness of Mrs.
Ed Johns has further delayed
the opening of the North Palmer
Coffee Shop, it was announced
today. Tentative opening date
for the new eating place origi
nally had been set for this week
end. It will be pushed back an
other week, at least, the restau
rant’s proprietor said today.
Coffey Insures Everything—
Remember? —Adv,
It Wasn’t So Hot,
Nor So Very Cold”
Alaskans, who spent the month
of December, 1947, in Palmer
had real reason to congratulate
themselves, according to tXe
weather records of Lloyd C.
King, observer at the Valley’s
experiment station. Although es
tablishing no records for the
most of anything, Valley resi
dents did gain a temperature di
vidend of 8.4 over the minimum
to be expected in December,
and a minus 3.2 inches of snow
fall.
Coldest days of last month
were Dec. 18 and 19, when tem
peratures of three below zero
were recorded at the station. In
comparison, temperatures at the
station in 1946 fell to a minus
15 for the month's record. The
average minimum temperature
in the last 26 years has been 6.1
for December. The 1947 aver
age minimum was 14.5 above
zero. *r
The month’s average maxi
mum was 31.6 above, with a
month's high of 45. Record high
for December was observed in
1934 when the mercury climbed
to 55.
Only 6.1 inches of snow fell
last month, in contrast to the De
cember average of 9.3 in past
years.
The minimum low for 1948,
13 below, was a bit chillier than
anything offered in the first half
of January in 1947. In the period
from Jan. 1 to Jan. 15 in 1947,
the record low was a minus 11.
However on Jan. 16, 1947, ac
cording to weatherman King’s
records, the minimum tempera
ture dropped to -27, and re
mained at the sub-zero mark for
most of the remainder of the
month. A minimum of -30 or
lower was recorded on 11 of the
last 15 days of January, 1947,
Mr. King recalls.
Commission Orders Co.
To Cancel Joint Tariffs
Adm. F. A. Zeusler, executive
assitant of the Alaska Steamship
line, told the Anchorage Cham
ber of Commerce on Monday that
his company had received a Mar
itime Commission order to cancel
joint freight tariffs of Alaska
Steam and The Alaska Railroad
on cargo shipped from the states
to railbelt points.
Admiral Zeusler said he felt
the joint rates were the most eco
nomical way of handling cargo^.
since all railbelt freight now
passes through the port of Sew
ard without re-billing. Railroad
heads say the new ruling will
necessitate the establishment of
a new office at Seward to handle
paper work.
Admiral Zeusler also told the
Anchorage Chamber that his
company planned to improve
present service by eliminating
the cubic measurement basis for
handling freight, revising the
present rate structure, elim
ination of pilferage and damage
and by the ^construction of a
dock at Anchorage.
The steamship executive called
for co-operation between Alas
kans and his company in the so
lution of mutual transportation
problems.
Miss Hartley Is Now
Receiving At Home
The photogenic Katherine
Ruth Hartley, Miss 1948 of Mat
anuska Valley, exercised hex'1
woman's prerogative of changing
her mind last week, and slipped
away to her home late Tuesday
evening. She’d been scheduled
to leave the Valley hospital
Wednesday, and because she
was so secretive about her
contest gifts behind on the count
ers of the Palmer Automotive
Service & Storage.
Since the last writing. Miss
Hartley’s bank account was giv
en another boost by a $5 contri
bution of the Matanuska Valley *
bank. She is now the proud own
er of $20 of the $139,724 on de
posit with *hat institution.