RECORD
Seward’s All-IPrather Port is Alaska's Greatest Asset.
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. VIII. No. 65
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1952
Price 10 Cents
Aviation Safety
Discussions
D. M. Greizer
for
The Office of Aviation Safety
ARCTIN SURVIVAL AND
PRECAUTIONS—Continued
Care of Self
‘‘Care of self" includes con
duct which will permit others to
assist, when the occasion arises.
Several common sense rules will
aid in this direction.
1. Report position by radio at
least each half hour on all trips.
2. Stay on the course given in
the flight plan. A pilot should
not wander around ‘‘to take a
look." or to take a picture. The
first s.arcli will be "on course.'
3. If the pilot is off course be
cause of following a wrong river
•or valley, he should retrace his
flown course to a known posi
tion on the on-curse track. It is
po-or practice to set up a revised
course from an estimated posi
tion. If the original planned
course could noi be followed, it
is optimistic beyond reason to
believe that a revised course
from an estimated position will
be successful.
There may not be enough gas
to reach a known position on the
original course and still get to
the destination. In that case, the
pilot should head for the near
est landing area on the original
course, or return to his point of
departure. He should keep "Ra
dio" advis-d at all times. It may
be embarrassing to explain to
“Radio" what's going on, but
that is less embarrassing and
less costly to others than having
to be searched for, far off course.
4. Use the routes the bush pi
lots use, even if weather permits
a high altitude short cut.
5. If a precautionary or forced
landing occurs, the pilot should
s'tay with the airplane.
If a landing is made in an
area where strong winds blow,
regardless of th temperature of
the moment, or clothing avail
able, it is necessary' to "dig in"
to obtain shelter and protection
from the wind. This must be
done before becoming exhausted
or too cold. Clothing adequate
for fifty below' in still air will
not be adequate in a thirty mil
wind at zero degrees.
In northern coastal areas,
where there are no trees or
bushes, a shelter must be made
from snow blocks. If there is in
sufficient snow, it may b pos
sible to improvise shelter in or
around the airplane with engine
or wing covers to help seal the
cabin against wind and drifting
snow. In the presence of the
blow'ing snow, the pilot should
not lose sight of his camp, as he
may never find it again.
(To be continued.)
WOULD PERMIT REMOVAL
OF VOLCANIC ASH
FROM KATMAI
The Houssi Committee on In
terior and Insular Affairs has
sent to the House with its ap
proval Delegate Bartlett's bill
which would permit the removal
of volcanic ash from certain
portions of Katmai National
Monument.
The terms of the bill would ex
tend to the Secretary of the In
terior the authorization for 15
years to permit the removal of
volcanic ash, commonly known
as pumicite and used in the
building materials trade for con
struction purposes, from areas
along the shores of Shelikof
Strait in the Monument.
Business Not Good?
Don’t find fault about business
not being good, if you have
failed to use the advertising that
builds up business.
Harbor Users Ask
k'or ii>3ew FJouf
In a public hearing held last
Sunday at 2 pan. in the city
council chambers the concensus
of opinion was for a new and
larger float in the small boat
harbor.
Frank Metcalf, Territorial
Highway Engineer, who has dis
position of gasoline tax monis,
indicated to Mayor Lanier that
810,000 is immediately available
for repair of the old float, or that
a new one can be built if so de
sired.
Lanier presided at th hearing
which was attended by 15 fisher
men and small boat owners. This
is said to be less than half the
total number of owners in the
Seward area.
A petition is being circulated
among boat owners calling for
a n.w and larger float built with
stalls for better handling and
protection of small boats.
It was reported that the Sew
ard harbor improvements, in
cluding extension and heighten
ing of the breakvvati r as recom
mended by Army District En
gineers in a hearing t vo years
ago. has been included in the
Engineers' budget ior 1952.
Such extension of the break
water will afford greater protec
tion to sin nil ci ail during storms
from the south, dins work is en
tirely in the hands of the II.S.
Army Engineers, however, and
can. ot be affected in any way
by the T. rritorial office.
According to Metcalf, a new
float should be possble this year.
Seahcwks Hold
Railbelt Honors
Although Seward’s Seahawks
lost oat in the race for Western
Alaska basketball championship,
the boys still hold the Railbelt
title, for the second time in
three years, having won it in
1950.
There are two separate titles
in interscholastic basketball, All
Alaska and Railbelt. The travel
ing trophy for the Railbelt titl
holder was dropped in favor of
the Western Alaska trophy, but
the Athletic Association is con
sidering restoring this trophy,
thus giving smaller schools a
better chance at championship
honors.
A double t arn was elected as
All-Stars, according to seasonal
play and by points. Pedro Den
ton and Donnie Sanders of Sew
ard made the team. Three from
Fairbanks, two each from An
chorage and Palmer, and one
Nome player hold the new hon
orary titLs.
Because of his illness, which
kept him off the court at both
games for the Seahawks, Ronnie
Lewis was not eligible for All
Star. His ability was recognized,
however, by the committee, and
Lewis was given a special cer
tificate of award as on. of the
highest scorers in the league.
Home town fans who listened
to the broadcast of the Seward
games at the tournament, all sing
praises of the spunky and spark
ling fight put up by the Sea
hawks against great odds in
both trials. Seward is very proud
of its champions.
Hank Pallage, long-time Alas
ka resident, got a big kick this
week out of presenting Bob
Reeves, famous Alaskan bush pi
lot, with a picture taken many
years ago in Fairbanks showing
Reeves doing a repair job on his
Pilgrim airplane. Reeves did not
know the picture existed until
Hank showed it to him last
Monday.
Army Signal Corps
Observes 89th
Birthday March 3
March 3 the U.S. Army Signal
Corps observes its birthday—its
Kt)th since it was created during
the Civil War.
Brigadier General Albert J.
Myer fathered the Signal Corps
when he introduced wig-wagging
flags to the United Stat s Army.
Through his efforts Congress en
acted legislation making the
Corps the first branch of its kind
among modern armies. Today,
the Signal Corps ties together
America's troops, wherever th.y
may be scattered over the face
of the globe.
Born of pioneers, the Corps
has kept alive its pioneering
spirit of invention and enter
prise. It early experimented with
balloons, bought the nation's
first military airplane, estab
lished — and still operates —
Alaska's long -dsitance communi
cations, organized the weather
forecasting service, and made
the world's first radar contact
w ith the moon.
Pausing only briefly next
Monday to rcmcaib.r its flags
and torches, Signal Corps men
and women will look ahead to
another year of progress as serv
ants ol the nation in the fields
of military communications, elec
tronics. meteorology, photogra
phy and nucleonics.
Alaskans are all familiar with
the major Signal Corps repre
sentative in Alaska, the Alaska
Communication System.
Reeves In Fighting
Trim At Lincoln
Day Dinner Here
Bob Reev.s, Republican can
didate for Delegate to Congress,
had on his fighting clothes when
spoke to the local party group at
the Lincoln Day dinner Monday
night. Reeves was accompanied
by all but two of the 3rd Divi
sion Republican slate. The din
ner was attended by about (>n
people, who crowcied the dining
room to capacity.
A thoughtful silence followed
Re. ve's statement that, "You are
being bribed by your own tax
money. You have needed an air
port tor 120 years, it was prom
ised 13 years ago, and only now,
in an important election year,
are you getting it."
Reeves paid tribute to mili
tary and defense commanders in
the Territory, absolving them
from all blame for lack of coastal
and port improvements. Plans
are laid in Washington, he said,
and not too much attention paid
to recommendations from the
field.
He took issue with Del gate
Bartlett on the fisheries treaties
with Japan and Canada, and
pulled no punches in cr\icizing
Kenai Peninsula alo-g with th
rest of the 3rd Division Repub
licans for their apathy in past
years.
Dr. Francis J. Phillips, toast
master for the evening, kept the
meeting moving at a fast pace,
limiting candidates other than
Reeves to a few short remarks.
BODY OF JAMES POND
TO VIRGINIA FOR BURIAL
James D. Pond, who died here
suddenly last Friday, February
22, at the age of 53, had lived in
Seward since the winter of 1948.
He was employed by The Alas
ka Railroad as a boilerman. He
is survived only by a sister,
Verla Pond, who lives in Crewe,
Virginia. The body was sent to
his Virginia home Monday, Feb.
25.
Water Bond Issue
Carried By 32 Votes
In special election held last
Tuesday, the revenue bond issue*
in the amount of $400,000 was
passed by the small majority of
136 for, to 104 against.
The registration book carried
a total of 329 p rsons registered
of whom 240 actually voted on
this important issue. Felix J.
Toner, Juneau engineer, who has
been working for the city for the
past several months on a survey
of water facilities here, report , d
that the system can be complete
ly rehabilitated for an amount in
the neighborhood of $324,000,
but that steadily increasing con
struction costs might raise that
cost since the dat. of the report.
Eighty thousand dollars of the
bond is earmarked as coverage
of the original purchase price as
contracted by the city and Sew
ard Water Supply, and by special
election in 1951. Th agreement
at that time was for the monthly
payment of $750 without in
terest.
With ratification of the bond
issue by Seward voters, Mayor
Eugene Lanier and the city coun
cil can now proceed with sale of
the bonds and work on th sys
tem, which is expected to begin
this year.
Junior Women Meet
With Mrs. Gordon
A business meeting of the
Seward Junior Women's Club
was held at the home of Mrs.
Georgia Gordon on Tuesday eve
ning, Feb. 26.
There was some discussion on
the problem of finding a larger
meeting place* since the club
seems to have outgrown the
space most members have in
their homes. It is hoped that the
business meetings can continue
to be held as before even though
a larger place is selected for the
socials.
Members were asked to con
tribute baked goods to the Girl
Scout bake sale which is to be
held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March
1, at the S.ward Trading Trad
ing Co. store.
It was also decided that the
club would have a bake sale on
Saturday. March 15, to start at
10:30 a.in. at McMullen's.
Refreshments were served by
the hostess following the meet
ing.
Vsale and Bie Head
Local G.O.P.
Marvin Viale, president of
S ward Republican Club, was
appointed Republican committee
man for Seward District, with
Mrs. LaPreal Bie la is co-worker
as committeewoman, by Herald
E. Stringer, acting district com
mitteeman. this week.
Mr. Viale has been Outside for
the past winter months but is re
turning to Seward about March
15. Mrs. Bie: left on the Baranof
Thursday for a short stay Out
side. She will be back at home
some time in April.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
LUNCHEON NEXT TUESDAY
All businessmen and women
of Seward, as well as all indi
viduals interested in the welfare
of the city, are invited to attend
the luncheon meeting of the
Chamber of Commerce next
Tuesday. March 4, at Harding’s.
President Tom Bie promises
an inter, stng program wth visit
ing speakers. The meeting begins
promptly at 12:00 noon, which
gives plenty of time for a good
lunch and meeting before return
ing to business.
Freight Rate Increase
Allowed Carriers
In Alaska Trade
After hearings at Juneau the
Federal Maritime Commission,
yesterday granted a 15 percent
freight rate increase to Alaska.
Inquiries to OPS earlier in the
week brought the following news
release:
Replying to statements by D.
E. Skinner, president and gem
oral manager of the Alaska
Steamship Company at a meet
ing in Juneau February 24. Fred
G. Hanford, territorial director
of the Office of Price Stabiliza
tion, emphasized his earlier
charge that increased freight
rates would increase the cost of
living in Alaska.
“Mr. Skinner attempt'd to
minimize the effect of a freight
rate increase,” llanford said.
“He drew attention to the fact
that the term ‘freight rates' in
cluded terminal costs as well as
water transportation charges.
“Mr. Skinner s argument does
not alt r the facts at all. The
facts are that if any portion of
freight, or any other charges, go
up by 2U per cent .the increase
will be pyramided into more
than 2U per cent by the time it
reaches the consumer, because
the merchants’ total landed cost
of his goods is the sum of his in
voice costs plus any and all other
charges incurred in getting the
merchandise here. Under most
current regulations the O.P.S.
cannot require the merchant to
absorb tin* increase or narrow
his normal percentage of mark
up.”
Hanford said the O.P.S. can
not judge the merits or necessity
of the proposed rates increase
since steamship freight rates are
exempt from O.P.S. regulations.
“We are. however, concerned
about the cost of living in Alaska
and the fact remains that any
freight rate increase will defi
nitely increase the cost of living
in Alaska,” he added.
Referring to Skinner's com
plaint that the O.P.S. had al
lowed other large businesses to
increase prices. Hanford said:
"Congress never intended the
O.P.S. to rigidly freeze all prices
permanently at any given level.
Regulations are written to pro
vide a flexibility of price move
ments—upward when necessary
and downward when circum
stances warrant a decrease.
"No increase is ever granted
under our regulations until a
thorough study is made of all
factors involved.
"We have no authority to
make adjustments in rates of
public utilities, such as the Alas
ka Steamship Company, since
this authority is vested solely in
the Maritime Commission. The
proposed increase is. in effect, an
cx parte action since the com
pany simply announces the in
creases and, unless the Maritime
Commission forbids it, it be
comes effective.”
Has Role in Campus
Production
Whitman College, Walla Wal
la, Wash.—Paul McMullen, ju
nior student at Whitman College,
is singing the role of Father in
the campus production of the
oper, “Hansel and Gretel,” pre
sented by the Whitman Con
servatory of music on February
22, 23, 29, and March 1.
Voice students at the conserva
tory are being featured in the
opera directed by Miss Georgia
Standing, instructor in voice.
McMullen graduated from Sew
ard High School in 1949 and is
the son of Mrs. Ray F. James.