SEWARD
The Gateway City of Interior Alaska Since 1903.
Seaport
Record
Seward's All-Weather Pori is Alaska’s Greatest Asset.
VOl. VI I. IN O. »(
SEWAKD, ALASKA, TUESDAY, MAY 1, 1951
Price 10 cents
Special Meeting of
Civic Organizations
8 p.ro. Wednesday
All Seward civic organiza
tions have been asked to be
represented at the Chamber of
Commerce special meeting in
the city council room Wednes
day evening at 8 o'clock.
Plans are to be made for en
tertaining the National Editorial
Association visitors who are to
arrive June 12. The editors have
chartered the SS Aleutian for
the Alaska trip and are expected
to number over 200 men and
women.
A special train will take part
of the group to Anchorage. Whit
tier and Mt. McKinley Park
Hotel. Approximately 100 will
remain in Seward.
Providing entertainment for
so many will require the con
certed efforts and coop.ration
of all local organizations, which
is the reason given for the
Wednesday night meeting.
At the regular luncheon meet
ing of the Chamber of Com
merce today, Father Russell
Clapp reported progress on his
campaign for tennis courts.
Mrs. Hazel Erwin announced
that the Library Board hopes
to have the Community Library
open for service by the end of
next week. Work has been pro
gressing on the building, and it
is nearly ready for reopening.
The Board plans a member
ship campaign to begin with the
opening of the building.
Goncrc* Blosd Typing
To Beam F/c?y 0
Elood typing of every person
in Seward will begin next Tues
day, May 8. with the school chil
dren, and will be done at the
school.
A charge of twenty-five cents
will be made for the typing,
which will provide each person
with a record to be carried
at all times, and a record to be
kept in the city for emergency
use.
Adults who are willing to
make up a blood bank for dona
tions at the Sanatorium and hos
pital will be typed without
charge. This will require addi
tional testing which will bo done
under the supervision of Dr.
Phillips, medical director at the
Sanatorium.
Blood typing is urged as part
of National Civil Defense, for
the protection of all civilians in
case of war emergency. Many
times, in case of accidental in
jury in peace time, in surgery,
and some disease, the immediate
use of blood will save life or
reduce illness. By having one’s
blood type immediately avail
able, much time is gained in
treatment. It is hoped that every
one will respond to the blood
typing program as readily as
they have to the typhoid im
munization and BCG vaccina
tion.
"JUNIOR MISS" IS GAY AND
LIVELY COMEDY
One of the gayest and liveliest
paced comedies of recent years,
"Junior Miss,” acted by a skillful
cast from the ranks of Seward
High School is scheduled to
open at the high school gym
nasium Thursday, May 4.
The curtain will go up at 8
o’clock p.m.
Appoint New Head
Of Civil Defense
Colonel Clarence E. Johnson,
U.S. Army, retired, was appoint
ed chief of civil defense for Sew
ard area by the City Council
in special session last night. Ho
will fill the vacancy left by Pat
rick Bogan and the Fourth of
July Committee upon the re
quest of that group to be re
lieved of responsibility so as to
devote full time to the promo
tion of tiie community celebra
tion and Mt. Marathon race.
Mr. Johnson, a native of Vir
ginia, has spent many years in
Alaska. During the war he
served with troops in Seward,
where he now makes his home.
The ouestion of appointment
was tabled by the council last
month until a man could be
found who would meet with pop
ular approval. General con
census of opinion seems to be
that Mr. Johnson, with his ex
perience in organization and
command is the man for the job.
Local Girl's Article
Appears U: Magazine
Lura Peck. 12-year old daugh
ter of Mrs. Victor Mahan, wrote
an article which was published
in the children’s magazine '■Play
mate.” She described a fishing
trip down the Bay and around
Rugged Island last year.
In response to her story,
which was published in a recent
issue, Lura has received more
‘ban 150 letters from children
all over the United States.
School children ask questions
about life in Alaska, among
which are such queries as. “Do
you go to school in an igloo?”
‘‘Do you live in an ice house0”
“Do you have a dog team?”
“Does your father hunt seals
with dogs?”
Many letters are from Scout
groups, and from school children
and classes, all of which point
up the amazing ignorant., of
continental schools concerning
Alaska.
WOMAN'S CLUB ANNUAL
DINNER MAY 10
May 10 has bcjen announced
as the date of the annual Seward
Woman's Club dinner. This is
the last meeting before the sum
mer recess. New officers will be
installed for the next year to
take up their duties in Septem
ber.
Mrs. Marie Green will be in
stalled as president, with the
rest of the roster made up of
Mrs. Roberta Thornton, Mrs.
Reba Rose, Mrs. Cora Duffy, and
Mrs. Phillips. Installing officer
is Mrs. Mildred Kirkpatrick.
The dinner will be given in
the Methodist Church basement
at 6:30 p.m. It is open to the
public, but the committee asks
that reservations be made at the
Blue Shop, or by calling Miss
Frances Clark at Adams 31 eve
nings.
Glenn Williams, former own
er of Glenn’s Second Hand Store
here, returned to Seward last
week. He is working on the dock
at present, but expects to take
in the fishing season on Prince
William Sound. The Williams’
left last fall for Yakima, Wash.,
where they spent the winter.
Larry did not come back. She is
playing piano at an establish
ment near Yakima.
MAY is PROCLAIMED AS
"CLEAN-UP MONTH"
In view of the increasingly
large number of visitors expect
ed in Seward throughout the
summer, the annual “clean up
month” proclamation was issue
by Mayor Eugene N. Lanier at
the -oeeial council m cling Mon
day night.
A request was made by the
Chamber of Commerce that the
usual procedure be followed, in
troduced by the mayor's proc
lamation. For the past several
years, the month of May has
been designated for this purpose.
Boy Scouts will assist in the
work as in past years. Additional
trucks will be necessary to carry
off the trash that the boys
gather up. Any truck owners
willing to donate the use of ve
hicles can contact Scotty McRae,
the City Clerk, or the Scoutmas
ter.
Individuals may haul and
dump trash on the city dump
without charge, but everyone is
asked to follow the rules and
haul trash clear to the end of
the dumping grounds, and not to
obstruct the driveway by dump
ing on it. Any person found
dimming trash on thn lagoon
road, highway or approach to
the regular dumping grounds
will be stopped by the police.
Heavy stones, flirt, scran iron,
and so forth, must not be put
into g irba S it
is to be piled in a convenient
place for pick-up by the crew.
PROCLAMATION
"WHEREAS, trash and rub
bish litter our alleys, streets,
and vacant lois, nr.d constitute
a v.o-)Uv. hazard; and
WHEREAS, *be general d°
b~is r-r-l ; round the city
is unsightly to the public view;
and
WHEREAS, i.t is Soring;
THEREFORE, I, Mayor of
the City of Seward, Alaska, do
officially designate the period
from May 1st to Mav 31st,
1951, as CLEAN-UP MONTH
in the City of Seward, Alaska,
and do urge the residents of
Sevrard to support the clean
up drive.
EUGENE N. LANIER,
Mayor of Seward
KFNAI PENINSULA PUBLIC
WELFARE DISTRICT
ESTABLISHED HERE
Information has been received
from the Alaska Department of
Public Welfare that Seward and
the Kenai Peninsula will bo
constituted a welfare district,
with headquarters in Seward.
Mrs. Margaret Hafemeister
has been appointed as District
Director. Seward City Council
agreed some time ago to provide
an office in the city if funds
were’ appropriated to set uo the
Kenai Peninsula District. It is
not known yet how much of a
staff is to be provided for. but
the council expressed belief that
the Health Center will be large
enough to include the welfare
office, at least temporarily.
SWANS AND GEESE ON
TIDE FLATS
Gorgeous wild white swans
have taken possession of the tide
flats near the airport this week.
They are coming in groups of
four and five. Ducks, geese and
cranes have been arriving for
several days, also, and the wild
fowl can be watched from the
airport road, as they feed on the
flats.
living Differential
Ommiffed In Hew Bill
Language contained in the In
terior Department appropria
tions bill for the 1952 fiscal
year would deprive Alaska resi
dents employed locally by the
Interior Department of the 25
per cent cost-of-living allow
ance.
The language, termed by Del
egate Bartlett as being unwar
ranted discrimination, would
discontinue the 25 per cent dif
ferential to all Interior Depart
ment (including ARR) employ
ees outside tne continental lim
its of the U.S. other than those
who were resident citizens of
the continental U.S. at the time
of their employment.
The bill, reported to the House
on April Itf, contains funds for
all Interior Department agen
cies for the fiscal year starting
July 1. Debate on the measure
and amendments to the bill oc
cupied the major time of the
House last week and will con
tinue through this week when
the restrictive language affecting
the 25 per cent differential will
be considered.
It will be recalled that in the
mid-forties when a 25 per cent
differential was paid adminis
Uat v iv. attempts were made
by the D partment of the Army
to do away with the payment.
The attempt was successfully
defeated, and in 1948 Congress
enacted a law which resulted in
the present 25 per cent cost-of
living allowance now paid to all
Federal employees in Alaska and
other places outside th conti
nental United States.
The cost-of-living survey just
completed by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics proves that the
cost of living in Alaska far ex
ceeds 25 per cent over the Dis
trict of Columbia. The study
based on a survey made in Feb
ruary, and confined to Anchor
age and Fairbanks showed that
price differences on food and
clothing in those areas is from
37 to 47 per cent higher than
the same commodities in Seattle,
which in turn is higher than in
the Capitol.
The announcement made by
Secretary of Labor Tobin stated
rents were found to be more
than twice as high in Alaskan
cities. Rents, based upon two
arui thr e room houses and
apartments with private baths
in the three cities, were found
to be 113 per cent higher in An
chorage and 117 per cent higher
in Fairbanks.
The 25 p?r cent limit was
placed by Congress, and even
that appears to be in danger
from the prohibitive language
in the Interior Department bill.
BAKER PUPILS TO OBSERVE
MUSIC WEEK WITH
HISTORICAL RECITAL
Mrs. Kenneth Baker will pre
sent her pupils in a recital of
historical music tonight, May 1,
at 7:30 at the Lutheran Church.
This is in observance of National
Music Week.
Selections characterizing the
history of North America from
pilgrim days to the present time
will be rendered. The public is
cordially invited to attend the
musicale. There is no admission
charge, but a free will offering
will be accepted which will go
toward the purchase of a musi
cal instrument for the planned
school band.
/^nrsec? Forces Dcay
TIP'S
Saturday, Mey 19
H: adquartors, Alaskan Com
mand, Elmcndorf Air Force
Base, Anchorage, Alaska — The
nation’s second Armed Forces
Day, dedicated to all the armed
services, will be observed this
year on Saturday, May 19, it
was announced yesterday by Lt.
Gen. W. E. Kepner. Commander
in-Chief, Alaskan Command. The
day has been approved by Presi
dent Truman for observances by
the military services and the
public.
Under the official slogan, "De
fenders of Freedom,” the De
partment of Defense has defined
the two-fold purpose of the day:
“A tribute to the Armed Forces
as an integral and interdepend
ent part of the total material
and spiritual power of America
now being mobilized; and a re
newal of faith in our country’s
sacred heritage, the ideals of
peace and freedom, to the pres
ervation of which our power is
dedicated.”
Observances will be held in
all parts of the United States,
and overseas.
No movement of troops or
equipment will be made from
the immediate area of military
installations, and this year there
will be no “open house” or
aerial demonstrations at these
installations, because of the con
tinuing military training pro
gram. Plans are being formulat
ed for an Armed Forces Day
schedule that will allow maxi
mum participation without in
terfering with the primary mis
sion and responsibility of the
military in Alaska.
Local Bowlers Will
Frstertam Hub City
Keglers This Weekend
Anchorage bowlers will ar
rive in Seward by special train
on Saturday at about 1 p.m. to
spend the weekend here trying
to take revenge on the local
keglers for the trimming they
were given at the Rendezvous
Bowling Tournament.
The train for their return trip
will leave here Sunday night at
8 o'clock. They will be royally
entertained while in Seward.
AL BRATTAIN ACCEPTS
STREET SUPT. JOB
A1 Brattain. formerly of Hope,
has accepted the position of
street superintendent, replacing
Mr. Van Guilder who gave up
the job to do construction work.
Mr. Brattain, brother of Bill
Brattain who carries the mail to
Hope, maintains a home at Hope
but spent the winter in Seward.
He expressed his acceptance of
the Seward job in a telegram re
ceived here yesterday. He has
had several years experience
in the type of work required by
the street job, having been with
the BPR for several years.
Other city positions open were
left until the next regular meet
ing of the council, May 7. Sev
eral applications have been re
ceived, but it was felt that Mr.
Brattain should be consulted be
fore filling the vacancies.
Tiny Trakowski left last Sat
urday for New York. He is ex
pected back in a couple of weeks
with a new Seabee plane.
Don't M/ss "JUNIOR MISS *
Admission $1.00 8 p.ra. E?jeh Evening
May 4-S
High School Gym