Weather
High Low Predp.
Mar. 5 34 25 .10
Mar. 6 37 26 Trace
Mar. 7 . 38 26 .21
Mar. 8 . 28 20
Mar. 9 . 29 20
Mar. 10 .33 10 .05
Mar. 11 . 36 31 1.15
Seward
The Gateway City of Interior Alaska Since 1903.
Record
Seward’s AllAVeather Port is Alaskans Greatest Asset.
Only newspaper In the
world that gives a hoot
about Seward, Alaska.
Vol. X, No. 37
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1954
Price 10 Cents
Bartlett In Dark On
Anch. Port Report
Dozens of telegrams from
Seward to Delegate E. L. (Bob)
Bartlett protesting the Anchor
age Port Commission report and
its possible effect on the ARR
appropriation hearings, were the
first knowledge the Delegate
had of the report and its impli
cations.
Several wires in reply were
received Thursday and Friday,
the latest being as follows:
To Mrs. Charles L e c h n e r:
"You may be assured my sup
port for rehabilitation program
which has been given unswerv
ingly and unstintingly through
the years will continue undimin
ished. E. L. Bartlett."
Absentee Ballots
Available
Commissioner Southard an
nounced the arrival of absentee
ballots for voters -who wish to
cast their ballot in the Terri
torial election of April 27, but
who will not be in town at that
time.
They are available at the
Commissioner's office and can
be sworn there.
Abandon Freight
Lines Barge
Barge No. 1654, belonging to
Alaska Freight Lines, which
went aground off Montague Is
land last week, is breaking up
and has been abandoned, accord
ing to information from the local
ofice today.
The barge cargo is being par
tially salvaged, particularly
cargo in sealed cans and vans,
and mail was rescued. The com
pany's insurer has taken over
disposition of the remainder of
cargo and the vessel. Most of
the freight was for inferior des
tinations, it was stated.
Governor urges
Harbor Improvement
Governor B. Frank Heintzle
man has urged the House Com
! mittee on Rivers and Harbors
to authorize the improvements
as recommended by the Corps
of Engineers to the small boat
basins at Seward and Valdez at
the committee hearing this
week. The Governor said that
waterways are as important to
Alaska as railroads and high
ways are to other portions of
The United States and that “ade
quate harbor and mooring fa
cilities are a necessary feature
of good water transportation.”
“The improvement of the ex
isting small boat basins at Sew
ard and Valdez were thoroughly
investigated as to feasibility,
' cost and economic justification
by the Corps of Engineers and
improvement projects have been
recommended in both cases.”
“Seward,” he said, “is improv
ing its position as a packing and
processing center for salt water
fisheries and the number of ves
sels now using the small boat
basin would be doubled if bet
ter protection against storms
were afforded.”
So far as is known contracts
have been let for rebuilding the
existing breakwater during the
coming building season. This,
however, is not the large im
provement urged by the Gov
ernor, which would add wing
to the eastward of the basin and
increase its shelter from heavy
south winds as well.
DON ENNIS HURT IN
FAIRBANKS
Don Ennis, Seahawks forward.
• was knocked out in the game
Wednesday against Kodiak in
the Western Alaska Tournament
now in progress at Fairbanks.
Enins was unconscious about 10
minutes, and spent the night in
the hospital for observation.
To date the hawks have lost
two out of three games played,
| but the exact scores are hot
| available. They will be home
Sunday.
SCHOOL OF PRAYER AT
ST. PETER'S CHURCH
The Reverend John S. Bald
win of the Order of the Holy
Cross, will be in Seward to con
duct a School of Prayer on
March 21, 22 and 23 at 8 p.m.
in St. Peter's Episcopal Church.
A school of prayer consists
of lectures on prayer. There will
be familiar hymns and every
thing quite informal. “If you
wish to know how' to pray,’
Father Clapp said, “then do at
tend the school of prayer. You
are welcome.”
By MEK
Anchorage. Anchorage, U.S.A.
Why bother with “Alaska” when
Anchorage fills the whole pic
ture? That is the fast growing
impression of many smaller Al
askan communities. Upon read
ing the report of the Anchorage
Port Commission compiled by
Ralph Browne, the impression is
in no way lessened. “WE are
the biggest city in the North.
WE are growing so fast that we
need the bulk of Alaska Public
Works money, and by gosh, we
are going to get it.” And they
have! The critical needs of small
er towns have been overshadow
ed by the demands of the big
fellow who is climbing to the
top of the heap in ruthless dis
regard of all others.
Now, Anchorage begs a port
development and crassly de
mands that the neighboring
town of Seward must be destroy
ed in order to give Anchprage
businessmen any measure of as
surance that a port there could
be made to pay.
This attitude of the Port Com
mission is stated by Ralph
Browne when he reports, "To
insure financial success of the
project it is imperative that the
Port Commission and others in
terested in seeing the Anchorage
port developed, exercise EVERY
MEANS AT THEIR DISPOSAL
TO THWART rehabilitation of
the Seward-Portage line."
This one statement is enough
to finally convince the die-hards
in Seward that the efforts of
Anchorage Chamber of Com
merce and other groups from the
Big Town to maintain confi
dence and friendship of Seward
are phony. Smile in your face
and stab you in the back tactics
have destroyed the painstaking
work of three years of trying to
be friendly. Now, workmen,
home-owners, business and pro
fessional men and women in
Seward are seething with anger
and a firm determination to boy
cott everything that is Anchor
age including banks, whole
salers, salesmen, entertainment,
etc., and turn all business to Se
attle and Portland.
For many years the attitude
here has been that "we cannot
afford to antagonize Anchorage."
Now the very leaders of that
thought have done an about face
and the parade is headed in the
opposite direction, and this is a
stubborn people.
As for the report itself which
has brought the question into
tiic open, a few quotations were
made exultantly by the Anchor
age Times in the issue of March
9. (The Times is a proponent
of the port project and state
hood for Anchorage.)
In analysing Browne's state
ments, it is well to compare it
with another paper done by the
same man when he was an em
ployee of the Alaska Develop
ment Board. In fact, he has lift
ed wholesale several pages from
the first report (without a credit
line to ADB) to insert in the Port
Commission report—saved him
the time and trouble of writing
something different and helped
fill in the 62 page Anchorage
book.
In the ADB report Browne
says, "Tremendous quantities of
freight move across the wharves
at Seward and Whittier, vital
ports for Anchorage and the in
terior. Handling of this freight
to rail cars brings substantial
payrolls to Seward, bulwarking
the economy of that seaport com
munity. Whittier is used mostly
for trans-shipment of defense
materials, but a good part of
that port's payroll FINDS ITS
WAY TO THE ANCHORAGE
MARKET. It is largely the vol
ume of freight for Anchorage
which permits the Alaska Rail
road to maintain its present fre
quency of service.”
In the Anchorage report, big
hearted Browne says, "We
(meaning the kind, conscientious
pressure group behind him) con
sider the people of Seward and
their welfare to be of the utmost
importance. They need not be
confronted with economic ruin
and made destitute." Oh no!
Why "other activities will take
up much of the slack," then he
mentions as "other activities"
the tourist trade and FARMING!
(Who will be the first one to
plant a farm on Marathon? Or
maybe Mt. Alice would be a
better location?) He also suggesti
that we could "catch and sell
fish!" We should be very grate
ful for these suggestions; maybe
we have been missing a bet.
“Of course,’’ Browne says,
“the Anchorage port would
probably draw off a 1000 of the
population of Seward” as it is
absorbed in other lines of work
and relocated by the railroad.
And of course, they car. always
find a place in Anchorage to
live—heck! We’ve got that many
old shacks out here along the
highway that we haven’t been
able to get rid of. As for Seward
itself, when that 1000 is pulled
out, he admits that maybe the
merchants who have invested
their money here in development
of this city, may not like it
much, so what?
He seems blissfully unaware
that much of the $4,200,000
property assessment here (ap
proximately 50 per cent valua
tion) is Anchorage money. That
550 people pay real property
taxes on the half billion dollar
investment. That’s of no conse
quence to Anchorage—they want
what THEY want.
Browne devotes three pages
to the climate of Anchorage, at
tempting to prove, we assume,
that there is no foundation for
adverse reports of ice conditions
in the banana belt. He goes to
great length in quoting his story
from the ADB about former
Governor Bone’s sorrow at the
“misconception” held in the
States about Alaskan climate.
It’s all wrong, he wails. Why it's
not cold here at all, and rain?
Why “Cordova has much more
rain and snow than we have.”
What has that got to do with
building a port facility in An
chorage? We don’t get it.
Now they do have a little ice
in the Inlet. Browne admits it
freely and openly. But "unfor
tunately, records have not been
kept" to nobody can prove just
how many years, nor how many
months of each year Cook Inlet
is ice bound. It is immaterial,
anyway .the writer thinks, be
cause, heck, a couple of ice
breakers could easily keep the
docks free and clear of ice. Of
course, Mr. Browne carries a
couple of ice breakers around
in his hip pocket and the cost of
operation would not fall upon
the shippers, thus adding to cost
of merchandise!
Mr. Browne was not around
during the war when the Army
attempted to free an icebound
ship at Anchorage. Some of the
oldtimers up there should tell
him about the time in 1942 or
1943 when an old boat was filled
with tar to be used as an ice
breaker. The story is well
known. It ended by the icebreak
er being completely defeated
and the ship rescued when it
became frozen between two ice
floes and drifted out to open
water.
Browne does not deny the fact
that the "tidal range in Cook
Inlet is great, but, then, it also
must be remembered that it is
subsantially less than in the 180
mile long Bay of Fundy on Can
ada's Atlantic Coast. There it
has not prevented establishment
of major and minor deep-sea
port facilities."
He makes no attempt to report
the tremendous amount of
money spent on the Bay of
Fundy facilities, nor does he
explain that the Canadians have
not miles of tide flats to contend
with, and no drifting ice floes.
"Tidal bores in the vicinity
(of Anchorage) make navigation
by small boats during such per
iods hasardous, especially when
in the hands of inexperienced
operators. Yet," he insists, "the
Inlet and Knik Arm can be navi
gated with safety." Why, he ex
pands, "Captain Cook consider
ed it no great feat for the RESO
LUTION and DISCOVERY more
than 150 years ago. long before
the advent of power vessels."
Yes, the bore tides do make
it hazardous for small boats, but,
we should worry, we don’t want
the small boats anyway. It’s the
big ones we want. As for Cap
tain Cook’s little wooden vessels,
100 tons burden at the best, this
is the most decided puerile ar
gument offered in the whole re
port.
Now the famous “Treadwell”
report is quoted. G. T. Tread
well, of Seattle, was employed
by the Commission as an engin
eer to tell them that their pro
ject was absolutely and entirely
feasible. HE OBSERVED THE
COOK INLET IN JULY, 1952.
’Nough said! Silting conditions,
Treadwell told them, could be
an easy matter to overcome by
construction of a wall designed
to catch the silt and pile it up
along tile outside of wharf pil
ing. lie di.ch'admit that frequent
dredging of the area would be a
possible expense. What he did
not admit (probably did not
know) is that Army records dur
ing World' War II show that
motor vessels were compelled
to lie off Jk ichor Point, Homer
and Seldovia for days to clean
out tubes clogged after two days
in Anchorage harbor. However,
silting conditions are a negligi
ble quantity when a mere $5- of
$8 million are to be spent in An
chorage.
That the silling problem is
not a growing situation is re
futed by the memory of many
Seward and Anchorage resi
dents of the time when the old
schooner Dora and another made
two regular trips each year up
to old Knik. Now a rowboat
cannot get up this course ex
cept at very high tide. This is
fact, not fiction. The silt de
posit is growing rapidly and
within a few years, they will
be planting potatoes in Knik
Arm. Look for yourselves!
BUSINESS ACTIVITY
“Without question," the re
port states, “Anchorage is the
business and financial capitol
of Alaska.” He insists that even
Ketchikan and Southeastern ci
ties should be proud of and give
full support to the development
of Anchorage (A D B report).
Bank deposits as of June 30,
1053 amounted to $61,696,193.
Assessed valuation of the city
proper (1952) was $66,165,940.
The Anchorage labor force was
larger than the total for Fair
banks, Juneau, Ketchikan and
Petersburg. Consequently, with
all that money and all those
people, why should they hesitate
to squash a smaller community
to give an advantage to so many?
The report keeps harping on
transportation costs, implying
that all these excessive charges
are railroad charges on the 114
mile haul from Seward. His fig
ures are based on published re
ports of the ARR, and fail to
show that most increases have
been due, not to railroad charg
es, but to increased rates grant
ed by the Maritime Board to
steamship lines. Recent revision
of ARR tariffs have REDUCED
rail freight costs itua number of
categories. It is not our intention
to produce figures in support of
this claim, the Railroad is well
able to present its own case
with figures to prov^ it. If the
people of Anchorage are misled
by Browne's figures into believ
ing that the mere fact of freight
being delivered to their own
docks by ship is going to reduce
their costs by any appreciable
amount, it behooves them to
look into the matter more close
ly, and not take the word of any
pressure group literally.
O'CONNER REPORT
Late in 1952, the Department
of Interior sent to Alaska Don
ald J. O'Connor, Washington,
D.C. economist, to make a spe
cial transportation study of the
railbell area. He confined his
"studies" of transportation to
Anchorage. If he came to Sew
ard at all. it could only have
been for a few hours between
trains. He DID NOT talk to any
transportation officials in town.
DID NOT inquire into the situa
tion as known here, but reported
the Anchorage angle as being
the only problem, and discour
aged rebuilding of Whittier,
writing Seward off completely.
This is the kind of "investiga
tions" and "studies" the situa
tion has undergone for many
years.
B. H. Parkinson, executive
vice-president of Coastwise Line
in 1953 gave damaging testi
mony against the Seward docks.
Since that time, Parkinson was
replaced by D. J. Seid, and is no
longer associated with Coast
wise. Other statements by un
qualified men stud Browne’s re;
port and when he states that
unanimous agreement proves
the feasibility of the Anchorage
port ,he is in error.
Browne’s report states that
77,500 tons is a conservative
estimate of the amount of ship
ping to be expected in the ini
tial period. And, if the Seward
Portage rail line is closed so
that all cargo is moved across
Anchorage’s docks, the figure
would jump to 163,932. He must
have snatched his figures out of
the air, although he does con
fine them to “civilian dry car
go.” No one here has been able
to decide whether it is just this
civilian dry cargo that interests
Browne, or whether he is will
ing to concede cement, petro
leum and Army goods to the
Seward and Whittier ports. In
come to the Anchorage port
would range, he says, from
$510,740 to $655,700,a year with
closure of Seward. (Whittier is
also threatened on this deal.)
Average income, based on $4
per ton wharfage charge, would
thus be $410,000, according to
Browne's figures. (Wharfage in
Seward is $2.)
Cost in maintenance of the
railroad has been reduced ma
terially since the 1952 figure
quoted by Browne. Elimination
of the Loop, replacement of
steam locomotives by diesel en
gines, some new rail, reduction
in personnel, and other modern
railroad methods introduced by
Frank Kalbaugh, the new ARR
manager, refute his arguments
for excessive costs on the 68
mile stretch of rail now under
fire. (Once again we leave this
to the ARR to prove.)
Bewildered Sewardites won
der where Browne got the idea
that there was any lack of long
shore labor here in 1953. They
remember the hundreds of men
turned away after the Whittier
fire, for lack of dock work here.
They also know that hundreds
remained to settle and form a
labor pool more than adequate
to handle the situation last sum
mer which Browne describes as
“congested.” There has never
been any complaint from the
Army on delay in handling in
Seward. More than 428.00C tons
of freight went over Seward
docks in 1953. This does not
include petroleum products
which would double the figure.
At S4 a ton wharfage, Anchor
age certainly could pay for a
dock IF SEWARD IS ELIMIN
ATED, and Whittier is also out
of the picture. No wonder they
are jealous!
“Now," Mr. Browne and the
Port Commission say, “lets us
not risk our own hard-earned
money in this questionable ven
ture. After all—it just might
fail. Let's write us a nice report,
a really imposing affair, throw
in a few figures and tables, some
quotations, and then take it to
Washington. It should be no
trouble at all to prove that the
head of Alaska Command, ARR.
Dept, of Interior, Ralph Tudor,
and others are mere stupes and
don’t know what they are talk
ing about when they want to
put money into rehabilitation
of that old railroad. We'll get
hold of that fund and have the
government build our dock,
then everybody in the good old
U.S. wil be stuck with it (even
those dopes in Seward). Then,”
they planned, “we’11 have the
Legislature pass a port bill giv
ing us power of taxation over
500 miles (Seward is 127 miles
away) to keep the thing going.”
“The reason that Seward and
the railroad are in our hair in
the first place,” Browne implies,
“is that the railroad and docks
were put in at Seward long be
fore Anchorage was ever
thought of, so the government
has to protect its investment,
and the railroad its revenue.”
Never once does he compare
the wonderful God-given Res
urrection Bay, deep, sheltered
and with never a single gob of
ice . with the cost of continual
dredging, ice breakers, etc.—
Just wouldn’t do!
The whole thing boils down
to one outstanding truth. An
chorage is on the verge of
PANIC and is grasping at every
straw to save the bacon! Browne
says himself in the Development
Board report, "What keeps An
chorage on its economic feel,
sustaining the business life of
the community? The area's prin
cipal source of income (or indus
try) is UNCLE SAM—the United
States Government; its armed
forces, civilian agencies and
sponsored construction pro
grams. Expenditures by terri
torial and municipal govern
ments are much less in extent,
although important.
“What of the future? What
will happen to Greater Anchor
age when the military pulls out?
When defense construction ceas
es? These are the questions ask
ed most frequently, and dire
predictions have been made . . .
Throughout the survey, one
thing stood out above all others;
not the extent upon which the
economy is supported by gov
ernment spending, but the al
most total lack of basic industry
to create new wealth through
utilization of the region’s nab
,ural resources . . . which are
necessary for sound, stable
growth.”
This, then, is the reason be
hind the frenzied efforts in An
chorage to obtain the entire
shipping industry of Western
Alaska at the expense of any
to'wn or individual who might
be in the way. They have been
trying to conceal by indignant
denials that they are over
expanded, and over-invested.
Their money has grown from
a trickle into a stream, leaving
the Big Town for Seward and
other areas. They must stop it
at all costs.
Delegate Bartlett assured
Mayor Russell Painter and Win
Ervin, president of the Seward
Chamber of Commerce, yester
day, that the appropriation for
Seward docks and rehabilitation
is not in danger from the report,
which, taken as a whole, is not
strongly supported. Charts and
graphs included in the report
are not clear and are confusing.
A few statements are outstand
ing, all reflecting the need for
quick action on the part of An
chorage to kill the appropriation
bill by any means possible, and
get that money into Anchorage.
The report, written by Ralph
Browne, is signed by Harold
Strandberg, chairman; Fred Ad
ford, jeweler; Alfred Owen, AFL
labor leader — longshoremen;
(Owen is also making a bid for
election to the Territorial Leg
islature); Jack Ferguson, of the
NC Company; and Bob Winslow,
connected with Milt Odom. Al
though these men may have lit
tle to do with writing or com
piling the report, they are equal
ly responsible for the disaffec
tion of Seward, since their names
appear on the report. As for
Browne’s qualifications, a re
view of his past employment
shows that he was employed for
five years by the Alaska De
velopment Board. Within two
months of the administration of
Dr. Baird and A. Anderson, Mr.
Browne was out of their employ.
Prior to this he worked for IV2
years on a Ketchikan newspaper
and also worked for a time with
the Juneau office of the Bureau
of Reclamation. What engineer
ing qualifications he may have
(if any) which make him compe
tent to advise on the feasibility
of an $3 million port facility
are not clear. It looks to us as
though Anchorage has not got
its money’s worth.
It is the general belief here,
that the majority of Greater
Anchorage residents are not
aware of the mess that is build
ing over their heads. They, like
us, are busy with making a liv
ing and leave administration to
their elected officials. Others in
Anchorage, however, are ex
pressing amazement that little
old Seward, which has taken
the knocks for a quarter cen
tury. has bestirred itself enough
to show anger and opposition.
That the worm will turn even
tually has surprised them to the
point of amusement. They CAN
NOT laugh this off! When a
man’s bread and butter, his
home and investment are openly
challenged in an un-American
way, and in defiance of the tra
ditional Alaska way, it is time
to call a halt.
That's what Seward has done!
GIRL SCOUTS AND
COOKIES
Girl Scouts and cookies are
practically synonymous in Sew
ard this week. The long awaited
cookie supply arrived, undam
aged on the James Lick, and in
a very few hours the girls were
on the streets taking orders.
Mr. Malin mimeographed the
order sheets which speed up de
livery of the cookies, and Mrs.
Phil Durant, supervising distri
bution, has been swamped by
eager little girls.
U.S. ARMY IN ALASKA UPS
MARCH OF DIMES $29,440.96
Army troops in Alaska con
tributed $29,440.96-to th' March
of Dimes this year in the largest
response ever made by soldiers
in Alaska to any fund drive.
Last year’s contribution of
$24,715.33 set the record until
this y?ar, when it was exceeded
by $4,725.63. ’
Planning Commission
Gets On The Ball
Sewdfd’s Planning Commis
sion, appointed a week ago, has
taken hold of the tremendous
job given them with enthusiasm.
They will be implemented by a
city ordinance giving them the
authority to go ahead with ef
fective zoning and planning for
the future development of Sew
ard in an orderly manner.
The nine member Commission
appointed by Mayor Russell
Painter, and approved by the
city council are R. E. Baum
gartner, chairman; Patricia Wil
liams, Claude Berg, Gale Shin
gleton, Ray James, Rev. Russell
Clapp, Hal Gilfilen, George
Dangler and Dave Thompson, Sr.
These men represent property
owners, business, trades, long
shoremen and the professions.
They are moving slowly, feeling
their way along and expecting
to profit by the experience of
similar boards in other cities.
To see the entire city they
toured by school bus Wednes
day.
Load Limit Goes Into
Effect April 1
The office of the Territorial
Highway Engineer announces
load limits on all highway traf
fic will become effective April 1.
‘'Consideration must be given
to protection of the Territorial
highway system during the
spring breakup,” Irving Reed
states. All shippers are advised
that restrictions of load weights
will be effective on April 1.”
Loads reaching the ports of
entry after that date will be
subject to delays of four to six
weeks and, accordingly, such
shipments should either be rout
ed by other modes of transpor
tation or be planned .for move
ment prior to or subsequent to
the breakup period.
All loads will be reduced to
50 percent of the gross allow
able shown on the highway load
chart, and in some cases it may
be necessary to eliminate truck
trafic entirely. While these re
strictions may prohibit profit
able moving by large freight
trucks, it will permit operation
of light and delivery type ve
hicles and trucks.
Freight Rate Boost
Due March 15
Alaska ocean freight rates will
be raised 7 Vi per cent effective
March 15 as the result of the
Federal Maritime Board’s deci
sion on tariffs filed by members
•of the Pacific Coast Alaska
Freight Conference, according
to word received by Alaska
Steamship Company.
However, recent reductions in
many Alaska Railroad tariff
items have the effect of nullify
ing this increase to Alaska Rail
road points, it was pointed out.
A ten per cent increase was
asked by the conference, Alaska
Steamship Company and Coast
wise Line: the first general in
crease in freight rates since
March 1952.
“This increase was essential
to cover increased operating
costs and permit us an oppor
tunity to earn an allowable re
turn,” D. E. Skinner, President
of the Alaska Line, said. “By
the decision of the board to re
duce the increase to 7 Vi per
cent, we have lost 25 per cent
of the required additional reve
nue plus the loss sustained due
to the board’s suspension of the
tariffs since February 12th, their
original effective date.”
"However, despite this loss of
revenue, Alaska Steam will at
tempt to maintain the frequency
of service heretofore provided,”
Skinner said.
FULL EVENING PLANNED
FOR ST. PATRICK'S DAY
A feminine trio, a male quar
tette, violin and cello duet with
piano will entertain the public
at the Annual Saint Patrick’s
Day Festival sponsored by the
Sacred Heart Parish.
The Misses Deloyce Smart,
Carol and Murlene Trevethan
will sing songs beloved by all;
the quartette of male voices who
sang in the amateur show have
agreed to appear in next week’s
program. No less known and
loved are Mr. and Mrs. Claude
Byrg with their violin and cello,'
and pianist-accdmpanist Beryl
Wagner, who will round out the
program of music.
Alaska’s favorite game will
fill the rest of the adult’s eve
ning, while young fry accom
panying their parents will find
movies and treats in the Civic
Center basement.