Seward Seaport Record
Postofficc Box 204 - Telephone Main 168
Published on Friday of Each Week at
Seward, Alaska
John AI. Coleman . Editor and Publisher
?5.00 per year by mail. 10 cents per copy
Kdifcrial
One of the most encouraging
indications of progressive think
ing in Seward is the attendance
of tlie Mayor, president of the
Chamber of Commerce and a
businessman at the Juneau con
ference of the All Alaska Cham
ber of Commerce preceding op
ening of Legislature. While
there, the Mayors will hold sep
arate meetings and the League
ot Cities will enter into the dis
cussions. The past year has been
the first to see a concerted and
coordinated effort of all Alas
kan cities toward good general
legislation.
One of the questions upper
most in the minds of municipali
ties is a better definition of
"Taxpayer," for the purpose of
elections involving expenditures
of large sums of public money.
Most Alaskan cities levy a tax
■on personal property as well as
real property. According to Ter
ritorial law, any person whose
name is on the tax roll and who
qualifies in point of citizenship
and residence, may vote on bond
elections.
With the increase of city bond
ing in the past two years, due
to Alaska Public Works partici
pation in construction of public
permanent improvements, the
question of voting propriety has
arisen everywhere. A great
many arguments are heard on
the right of non-property owners
to vote in a general obligation
bond election. Attorney General
Gerald Williams has declined to
give an opinion on the issue,
which still leaves it for Legisla
tive action.
The law states that only a
taxpayer, or one whose name is
on the taxroll of any given city,
may vote in a bond election.
Boiled down, this becomes the
simple fact that a man or woman
wishing to become eligible to
^TRAVEL
IS FUN
VIA^
/
TMF
ALASKA
LINE
PASSENGER SERVICE
from Seward
BARANOF
Thursday
January 15
Sitka
Juneau
Ketchikan
Seattle
SS DENALI
Thursday
Jan. 22
Valdez
Juneau
Petersburg
Wrangell
Ketchikan
Seattle
FREIGHTER SAILINGS
FROM SEATTLE
NADINA
Jan. 13
Seward, Valdez
CHENA
Jan. 20
Seward, Valdez, Cordova
A FREIGHTER
January 27
Sitka, Yakutat, Valdez
Seward, Kodiak, Seldovia,
Homer
vote on such issues throughout
the year need only file assess
ment forms declaring ownership
of a gun, a radio, furs, jewelry,
cameras, automobile, or other
taxable items of personal prop
erty. If he then pays tax in the
amount of only one dollar he
has become a taxpayer—he is
on the taxroll. He has the same
right to vote on a general ob
ligation bond issue amounting
to thousands of dollars as his
neighbor who owns his own
home or many pieces of valuable
property. But—in the case of
the general obligation bond, the
man who owns his own home,
and all other real property in
the city is held responsible for
payment of the obligation. In
the meantime, the first man has
left town for gicener pastures
and is no longer concerned with
paying off the thirty year debt
which he has helped incur. The
obligation bond is a direct lien
against ail real property in the
incorporated area, and the prop
erty can be taken over by the
bond holder in payment if de
faulted just as any individual
mortgage agreement.
This, then, is the cause of so
much argument in Alaska as to
the right of persons who do not
own real estate to vote in an
obligation bond electin.
A general REVENUE bond is
sue is less formidable, as it is
paid by the revenue collected
from the project it covers, such
as water systems, power plants,
etc., the project itself guarantee
ing payment of the bond. Sewer
and paving projects are financed
under obligation bonds but pay
ment is largely assured by assess
ment of property effected by the
improvement
The five-room addition to the
elementary school three years
ago was financed by a general
obligation bond of $105,000. The
addition was built and financed
without benefit of federal par
ticipating funds because of ex
treme need for immediate space.
Those bonds are being paid off
in regular payments. In October,
1952, Seward residents passed
another bond issue for $600,000
for a new high school building,
which is 50 per cent of the total
cost. Under APW participation,
these bonds need not be sold on
the open market to insure con
struction. In case of default,
however, the government can
demand that the bonds be sold
and payment made, thus invok
ing the pledge made by the pro
perty owners of the city in elec
tion, and making all real estate
(not personal property) liable.
The election coming'up Jan
uary 20 is also a call for general
obligation bond in the amount
of $400,000 to build a new hos
pital. Being an APW project,
the bonds will not have to be
sold except in case of default
by the city on the $1,350,000,
which will then be owing the
government, backed up by the
real property within the city
limits. This amount is in addi
tion to the sum left to be paid
on the present school bonds.
The above information was
obtained from municipal author
ities and bankers and is given
in an effort to answer numerous
questions which are being asked
concerning the reasons for argu
ment about eligibility of voters
SOLLY'S LIQUOR STORE
and
SOLLY'S LOUNGE
The Finesl Beverages at all Times at Solly's
• • •
"Buy the Bottle or By the Glass"
The first baby born in Seward
General Hospital in 1953 was
Mary Anne Miller, daughter of
Mr. and rMs. Marvin Miller.
She arrived at 6:40 p.m. January
.4, weighing 7 pounds 3 ounces.
The Millers have a homestead
at Lowell Point.
A son was born to Mr. and
Mrs. Walter Covich of Kenai in
Seward General Hospital Jan
uary 5. The little boy was named
David Walter. He weighed 7
pounds 12 ounces.
Mr .and Mrs. Everett House
are parents of a son born in
Seward General Hospital Jan
uary 7. The little boy weighing
7 pounds 0 ounces, was named
Edward Donald. They live in
Seward.
Bowling News . . .
KEN'S HANDICAP LEAGUE
Won Lost
C-il’a Lounge 22’i 4>2
Seward Trading 21 7
Dreamland Bowl 18 10
Seward Trading 14 14
1st Nat. Ramblers 111 u lO1^
Sanatorium Five 9 19
Elk s Club 9 19
Seaport Record 6 22
Gil's Lounge was winner of the
second round.
WEEKS HIGH SCORES
Individual High 10
Denton Hill 243
Howard Smith 206
Jacque Roth 202
Individual High 30
Denton Hill 581
Bob Hendricks 553
Jacque Roth 539
Team High 10
Seward Hardware 1011
1st Nat. Ramblers 979
Seward Trading 966
Team High 30
Seward Hardware 2770
Seward Trading 2751
1st Nat. Ramblers 2733
League Leaders
Bob Hendricks 181
Marty Kowalski 173
Jim Van Pelt 172
Gene Thorn 170
Louis Dick 169
Dick Kirkpatrick 165
Dale Greene 165
Jacque Roth 165
Stan Niegemann 165
Tony Murkowski 164
ANCHORAGE FIRM SEEKS
BUILDING LOTS HERE
Ed Coffey, Anchorage real
estate dealer, made inquiries of
the City last week concerning
land for building. He proposes
construction of 20 to 40 units of
housing or apartments if land
is available.
in the coming election, and the
reasons why the Legislature will
be called upon to define that eli
gibility.
TANNING
Send us your furs and skins to
be tanned. Quick, efficient, re
liable workmanship. We return
your finished skins immediately.
Valcauaa Fur Co.
National Bleg. — Seattle, Wash.
Telephone Wake-Up Service
Free at
NORTHERN CAB
Main 54 or Main 55
I'
Dispatcher on duty 24 hours a
day—so leave your packages at
NORTHERN CAB STAND while
continuing your shopping.
' I
4
Milk from Your Local Dairy—
REGULAR DELIVERIES or AT YOUR GROCER’S
SEWARD DAIRY
PHONE MONROE 4
or GARFIELD 50
OASTUUISG Line
_
OFFERING FREQUENT FREIGHT SERVICE BETWEEN
CAI.IFORNIA—OREGON—WASHINGTON—ALASKA
SS PACIFICUS
Lv. San Francisco .January 7
Lv. Portland .January 13
Lv. Seattle . January 18
Arr. Seward. January 23
FAIRBANKS
M. J. (Bill) Wilcox
Dist. Mgr.
Jameson Eng. Bldg.
Modern
ANCHORAGE
223 Central Bldg.
P.O. Box 532
Ph. 3-4401
George Hutton
Alaska Mgr.
Steamship
SEWARD
ARR Freight Depot
Main 164
Vernon K. Griffith
Dist. Mgr.
T ransportation
Coastzcise
BBH
ENJOY YOUR TRIP —
TRAVEL
THE ALASKA RAILROAD
WINTER TRAIN SCHEDULE
Tuesday and Thursday
Depart Seward for Anchorage .. 7:30 a.m.
Arrive Anchorage . 12 Noon
Depart Anchorage for Seward on Thursday . 3:30 p.m.
Arrive Seward . 8:00 p.m.
Depart Anchorage for Seward on Tuesday . 6:00 p.m.
Arrive Seward .10:30 p.m.
SPECIAL FARE ON TUESDAY
Only $7.00 (incl. tax)
Anchorage - Fairbanks
The passenger train AuRoRa leaves Anchorage for
Fairbanks daily except Thursday at 8:30 a.m. The
southbound schedule from Fairbanks to Anchorage
is the same.
Ride the safe and dependable way—
THE ALASKA RAILROAD
FOR INFORMATION CALL MAIN 153