WARD
The Catezvay City of Interior Alaska Since 1903.
RECORD
Seward's All-IPeather Port is Alaska*s Greatest Asset.
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. VIII, No.73
SEWARD. ALASKA. FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 1952
Price 10 Cents
Officers Recover Safe
Taken From
Seward Laundry
Marshal Irwin Metcalf and a
local police officer last Sunday
night recovered the safe taken
from the office of the Seward
Steam Laundry and Dry Clean
ers several months ago.
A passerby reported seeing
the safe in the snow at Mile 18
where the thaw had partially un
covered it. Some checks and
papers were found in the snow,
others were intact in the main
chamber of the safe. All cash
had been removed by forcing
the 'bottom out of the iron box.
The safe was taken during
the night of January 20. There
was no snow at the time, only
hard crusted ice in the alley
back of the laundry, which left
no tracks or identifying marks
by which to trace any vehicle
which might have been parked
back of the building .
Entry to the building was
gained through a broken win
dow. then the intruder unlocked
tlie back door. Several families,
including the owner, live in
apartments over the laundry,
but the theft was accomplished
so quietly that no one heard
what was going on.
Wm. Bern, owner of the sale,
said he was glad to recover im
portant papers contained un
touched in the sale.
A.G.C. Notified On
New Wage Rates
The Alaska Chapter of the
Associated General Contractors
has received official notification
of the new wage rates to be paid
to construction crafts who have
reached an agreement with the
A.G.C. The crafts that will re
ceive twenty cents per hour in
crease over last y.ar's wage
scales are laborers, teamsters,
operating engineers, bricklayers,
cement masons and iron work
ers.
The wage increase is retro
active to February 1 for all
members of the A.G.C'. and may
be retroactively paid by non
members who have been paying
the same rates as the A.G.C.
New construction firms or those
who have not followed the
A.G.C. wage pattern can pay
the increased scales as an area
rate effective from April 13,
the date of the Wage Stabiliza
tion Board decision. All other
specialty crafts employed by
subcontractors who had joint pe
titions pending before the W.S.B.
are covered by the same pro
visions, but the new scales can
not be paid until employees re
ceive official notifications from
the W.S.B.
Any craft that has negotiated
a new scale but has not as yet
secured Wage Stabilization
Board approval cannot receive
the recent increase but must
continue on the 1951 rates until
the W.S.B. approves the joint
petitions for the new rates.
Among those still required to
petition the W.S.B. are the culin
ary worker and the lathers un
ions. Carpenters and pile drivers
who have not yet signed 1952
agreements with the A.G.C. must
also be paid 1951 rates. Payment
■of wages not approved by the
W.S.B. carries heavy penalties
for both employers and em:
ployes.
EASTERN STAR CARD PARTY
Seward Chapter Eastern Star
invites the public to a card party
in the Masonic Temple Satur
day, April 26, at 8 p.m.
Bridge, pinochle and canasta
will be played with prizes for
high score.
TWO ARRESTED IN PAYROLL
THEFT AT NO. STEVEDORING
Gordon Day and James Pog
gas were arrested in Anchorage
Wednesday in connection with
the Northern Stevedoring &
Handling Corp. payroll theft
here April 12. Both are Anchor
age men.
A third man, known to be a
Seward resident, is still at large.
He was reported to have regis
tered at an Anchorage hotel suf
fering from contusions of the
face and chest. He left the hotel,
it is said, and has dropped out
of sight. A warrant for his ar
rest is in the hands of Anchorage
police.
The theft consisted entirely
of checks, taken from the office
on Seward dock. The exact
amount taken lias not been an
nounced but it is thought to be
about $2000, most of which was
recovered from the wash room
of an Anchorage bar. At least
six of the checks are known to
have been cashed in the Hub
City.
A.H.A. TAKES OVER HOUSING
AREA MAY I
Word was received by the City
Clerk today that Alaska Housing
Authority is prepared to take
over management of the Seward
Housing Area May 1.
Wm. Gagnan, district repre
sentative, will arrive April 30
to make arrangements for the
turnover.
The change in management is
not expected to make any dif
ference in the lives of present
•occupants of the area and should
not cause them any worry.
Businessmen To Get
O.P.S. Booklet
Juneau — Every businessman
in Alaska will soon receive by
mail a little booklet containing
helpful information about Of
fice of Price Stabilization regu
lations.
Recognizing that numerous
regulations too often create
doubt in the minds of business
men as to their responsibilities,
the Territorial OPS office pre
pared a mimeographed pamphlet
which contains a short, concise
summary of most regulations in
effect in Alaska.
“The publication giv.s the
businessman a thumb-nail out
line of what regulation affects
him, and. in abbreviated simple
terms, it tells exactly what he
is supposed to do." Fred G. Han
ford, territorial OPS director,
explained.
Mailing of the nrarly 5000
booklets is expected to be com
pleted before May 1.
MUSIC STUDENTS TO GIVE
DANCE MONDAY NIGHT
Music students at the high
school are advertising “live mu
sic" for the dance in the gym
Monday night, April 28 at 8:30.
Proceeds from the dance will
be used to send contestants to
the music festival in Anchorage.
This is the first tim Seward
students have been able to par
ticipate in musical affairs with
other schools, and the young
folks are helping earn their way
by putting on the dance.
The public is invited.
LEGION CAB COMPANY
EXPANDS
Dick and Peggy Beissner,
owners and operators of the Le
gion Cab Company, expanded
their business this week bv pur
chase of the Farnorth Cab Com
pany title and equipment.
Farnorth Cab was formerly
owned by George Giardina, who
will continue to operate the air
port limousine service but not
a taxicab.
Council Allocates
Half of Sales
Tax For Hospital
Dr. Francis J. Phillips, medi
cal director, Seward Sanatorium
with members of the Seward
Hospital Board, proved himself
a super salesman Monday night
when he sold the City Council
on the proposition to finance a
new hospital for Seward with
the allocation of half the sales
tax to finance the project.
For the past year, hospital
authorities and the Methodist
Board of Missions under Mrs.
Elizabeth Steward have been
trying to find a way to finance
a hospital project to complete
tiie program in Seward which
was begun by construction of
the Nurses Home.
An entiiv block of land on
First Avenue in the Brownell
Homestead addition was set
aside by the city for the build
ing site. Funds for the home,
now under construction, were
furnished by the church society
under a federal participation
plan.
The hospital itself, to cost in
the neighborhood of $1,000,000,
will also be covered by Alaska
Public Works funds with tin*
city guaranteeing 50 n^r cent,
it the application is approved.
Some nu stions are now being
asked concerning imancing of
the educational program if the
sales tax school appropriation
is cut too drastically. The school
budget to be presented in May
will be considerably larger than
in any past years with the pres
ent increase in enrollment and
the indicated increase still to
come.
There has been no indication
as to whether the proposed sales
tax hospital allocation can be
made by city council action, or
if it will be brought before the
people for election. It is assumed
however in some quarters that
tlie council has the right to make
the allocation without a refer
endum. There is no doubt that
the mayor and council will make
further and thorough study of
the proposition before any def
inite commitments are made.
Need Not Register
Prior To Primary
Voters are not required to
have registered previous to elec
tion to vote in the Alaska Pri
mary election next Tuesday.
Registration will be done at the
polls.
The primary is held for the
purpose of deciding which 10
out of the 16 Republican candi
dates and which 10 out of the
22 Democratic candidates will
remain on the regular ballot for
November. There are 38 candi
dates in all far the Legislator''
from the Third Division, out of
which 20 will remain on the
ballot after th< primary.
Two names from each party
will be selected irom a slate of
eight for the long term Senate
seat. One each out of three for
the short term, and one each for
the office of auditor of Alaska.
The primary is very important
to Alaskans because it will de
cide whose names will appear
on the ballot for regular elec
tion.
Northern Cabs have announc
ed that they will take voters to
the polls Tuesday free of charge.
BAILEY BELLS GUESTS
Mr. and Mrs. Bailey Bell, Sr.,
were guests of Mrs. Mary Ann
Balmat during the Republican
Convention here last weekend.
The two families were well
acquainted in Tulsa, Oklahoma
before either of them came to
Alaska.
LONGSHORE UNIONS ASK
FOR COST OF LIVING WAGE
REVIEW
Uneasiness caused by t.h2 spe
cial stop-work meetings called
by longshore unions here Wed
nesday night was allayed later
by a statement from H. W.
Davis, president I.L.W.U. Local
1 -39.
The unions have long wanted
a cost of living survey mad. in
Seward, according to Mr. Davis.
The small adjustment made re
cently does not meet with satis
faction of the workers and the
men feel that their point of
view should be laid before Wage
Stabilization B o a r d members
and union headquarters in Se
attle i'or review.
“The stop-work meetings were
called in order to get all the
nun together at one time.” Davis
staled. "It was decided to send
a man south to present their
case, that’s all. There was no
question of strike,” he said.
PUBLIC RESPONDS TO CALL
FOR BCG VACCINATION
Dr. Francis J. Phillips stated
today that the people of Seward
have responded unusually well
to the second BCG vaccination
series.
Many persons received the test
and vaccination fer the second
Ume, afLr having had it during
the program here last year.
By noon Friday, more than
600 vaccinations had been given
in town to school children, pre
schoolers and adults.
Cops Prepare For
Second Annual Ball
Tickets are now on sale for
the second annual Policeman's
Ball in Seward. It will be held
in the Civic Center on the night
of May 17.
Cheered by the huge success
of last year's venture, the first
in the history of Seward's po
lice department, the boys have
decided to make it an annual
affair.
Several items of police equip
ment were added to department
facilities by the dance last year.
This brought commendation
from law enforcement organiza
tions in the Territory as well as
the Northwest Peace Officer's
Association.
Among items acquired are the
photographic unit, fingerprint
ing outfit and filing system. A
good police department should
have good equipment to work
with, so the boys are “going out
after it in the only way they
have available, besides offering
the people their money's worth
of having a good time at a real
ball."
GUARD UNIT HOLDS LAST
DRILL OF SEASON
The Seward Unit of Head
qua/urs Company 207th Infan
try Battalion. Alaska National
Guard, held its last drill before
September with a full dress in
spection by Major Helmick of
the Inspector General's Depart
ment, United States Army, Al
aska.
The unit also received a large
quantity of supplies including
nine U.S. Rifle Cal. .30 Mis and
a 3.5-inch rocket launcher. The
unit has a strength of fourteen
men, with the enlistment of
Norman J. Evans of Seward.
Anyone interested in the Na
tional Guard can contact M-Sgt
R. W. Fuske or Sgt Ray E. Quick
at Lox 5 b (5, Seward or call
Adams 17.
Mr. and Mrs .Frank Woods re
turned this week from a trip
Outside.
Offer Temporary
Plan For
Swimming Pool
In connection with the annual
Clean-Up Month program, a
group of local men under the
leadership of J W. Jeffrey, offer
a temporary solution to the
swimming pool problem.
The following letter has been
received by all local civic or
ganizations for consideration:
‘‘This is a “chain letter” to the
different groups in Seward.
“Until the David Shea Fund
for a ‘real swimming pool' is
an actuality we will still need
a place to swim in for the kids,
the adults and the Army People.
“When all is said and done
the only place is First Lake.
Here are three reasons (among
others):
(1) It is close in so the kids
can walk over for a swirn.
(2) If someone gets in trouble
help can be mustered in a
short time.
(3) It is a nice place, and can
be made better, and be a
credit to the City.
“Over a period of years the
lake has filled up with wire,
steel, beer cans, empty drums,
etc. Last year the lake drained
itself to the place it was unsafe
to dive from the board and many
children suffered cut feet anc»
other injuries. Here is what must
be done this spring (you will
note this doesn't cost a lot of
money.)
(1) Dig down in the drainage
ditch Carl Thomas blasted out
and put in a small cement and
wood gate, This will hold the
level of the lake.
(2) By digging out this ditch
and possibly the use of fire
equipment pumps or Army
pumps, lower the level of the
lake and clean out the worst
of the wire, tin cans and stuff
we will find.
(3) Then spread on the bottom
about 2 or 3 feet of sand.
Then we can close the gate and
we will have a good swimming
hole.
“The City Council has gone
on record making available all
the City Street Equipment that
can be used on this project—
cats, scoopmobile, and trucks.
They have voted to purchase an
‘all weather diving board' to
replace the old one.
“We need manpower willing
to help on this project. We need
help from everyone. Would you
appoint a committee to represent
you in a “Labor Pool” so we
can get together and plan the
big day for the big move?
“Organizations are not limited
to just this one project—a new
raft, life lines, a low diving
board, some sort of a dressing
room can become a pet project
for any group!
“It is hoped your group will
back this community project ICO
per cent and give us a swimming
hole we can all enjoy. After
your meeting please contact me
and advise what action you have
taken."
PROCLAMATION
I urge all citizens of Seward
to join in making the Month of
May a successful month for
cleaning all premises of any de
bris that has collected during
the winter.
The garbage dump will be
available to all who desire to
remove their own debris, and
the City Street Department
trucks will go through the al
leys and streets at least once
a week to pick up any debris
that has been piled as close to
the garbage cans as possible.
Eugene N. Lanier,.
Mayor