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THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT feEWARD, ALASKA
Vol. IX, No. 31
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 1953
Price 10 Cents
P-TA Requests Council Put
School In Top Place
The following resolution was
passed by the Seward Parent
Teacher Association this week.
It is the first definite demand
of any organized group that the
school application be substituted
in place of the hospital for im
mediate construction. This came
after the second defeat of hos
pital project bonds.
RESOLUTION
To the Mayor and members of
the Seward City Council:
WHEREAS, the Bureau of the
Budget of our national Congress
has approved the allotment of
$725,000 for a Public Works
project in Seward, Alaska; and
WHEREAS, said project has
twice failed to receive the re
quired 65 per cent majority vote
at a City held election; and
WHEREAS, the people of
Seward have demonstrated their
desire for a new school in pref
erence to any other project; and
WHEREAS, the school project
has met all requirements for
completion and has been accept
ed by the Public Works Admin
istration; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor and
City Council are charged with
the responsibility of carrying out
the desires of the people they
represent:
NOW THEREFORE, be it re
solved: that the Seward Parent
Teachers Association, in regular
meeting assembled, respectfully
urge the Mayor and City Coun
cil to immediately take steps
to have the $725,OuO transferred
to the school project and make
their demands to the Washing
ton office of the Public Works
Administration and the office
of our Delegate to Congress,
E. L. “Bob” Bartlett.
Passed and approved this 24th
day of January 1953.
Bartlett Works For
Elective Governor
Legislation providing for an
elective Governor and an elect
ive Lieutenant Governor of
Alaska was placed before the
House this week by Delegate
Bartlett.
"I am just as convinced as
ever." Delegate Bartlett declared
in introducing the bill, ‘-that
statehood will provide the only
satisfactory legislative answer.
However, the statements made
by a group of Republican Sena
tors after conferring with Presi
dent Eisenhower recently and
of the Secretary of the Interior,
Douglas McKay, both of which
reveal something less than com
plete enthusiasm for early state
hood, must be viewed realistical
ly. It is my intention to press
for statehood. At the same time,
I shall work for early enact
ment of the elective Governor
bill as I have on more than one
occasion in the past.”
Delegate Bartlett’s bill differs
from previous measures he has
introduced calling for a Gover
nor elected by the people of the
Territory in that it replaces the
appointive office of Secretary of
•Alaska with an elective Lieuten
ant Governor who would act as
Governor during the absence of
the executive head of the Terri- j
tory’s government and who
would succeed to the governor
ship in case of the Governor’s ]
death. (
The terms of both officials, \
starting with the general election (
in 1954, would be for four t
years. The measure sets forth i
provisions for impeachment by J
the territorial House of Repre- f
sentatives and trial and convic- 1
tion by the Senate. o
BLINKING ELUE LIGHTS
IDENTIFY FIREMEN
From now on, all private cars
■of Seward Volunteer Firemen
will be identified by blue blink
ing lights. These cars are to be
given (lie right of way by all
motorists when there is a fire
alarm. They, and they alone, can
fallow the fire truck disregard
ing traffic lights and signs.
Any other motorist who fails
to draw off to the side of the
street and come to a stop until
the fire truck has passed, or
until a car flashing the blue light
has passed, will be prosecuted
for obstructing the fire depart
ment in line of duty. This charge
carries a stiff penalty.
Red Cross Joins Civil
Defense Committee
In Preparedness
Mr. Siras Conn, Field Director,
American Red Cross, stationed
at Elmendorf, and Mr. Cecil
Davis, Field Director for Disas
ter, Pacific Area Office, San
Francisco, visited the Seward
Red Cross Board of Directors
Wednesday. They were enter
tained at lunch by members of
the Board.
Mr. Davis has made a special
trip to Alaska to discuss the role
of Red Cross Disaster commit
tees in Civil Defense. An agree
ment was made between Red
Cross and Civil Defense authori
ties in Alaska, Mr. Davis ex
plained. that Red Cross would be
responsible for mass feeding,
care and housing under the Civil
Defense Administration.
**«>*« iuj ut* some mis
understanding as to the exact
status of the agreement, in that
Red Cross agreed to the respon
sibility because every Chapter
is set up to handle such prob
lems in case of NATURAL dis
aster. In a natural disaster, such
as wide spread fire, flood, earth
quake, epidemic or other dis
aster from natural causes, facili
ties of the entire American Red
Cross are thrown into assistance
and funds can be used to allevi
ate suffering.
In WAR disaster, a bombing
raid by an enemy, such disaster
can be given assistance of Red
Cross, but under direction of
Civil Defense administration au
thority, and expense of such war
emergency disaster will be as
sumed by the federal govern
ment under the Civil Defense
Administration.
The local chapter may, as it
has elected to do, continue its
agreement with the local Civil
Defense Director, to assume the
duties, for which it is equipped,
as disaster relief in case of war,
but will lose its identity as Red
Cross and work as a Civil De
fense Committee.
There is no change in the
.voi k or workmen. It will
amount to “Taking off a Red
Cross hat and putting on a Civil
Defense hat," Mr. Davis said.
iOY SCOUT COUNCIL ASKS
’OR LAND ON THE
CENAI PENINSULA
Among fourteen so-called
irivate bills introduced by Del
gate Bartlett last week was one
^hich would permit the Alaska
Council Boy Scouts of America
o purchase two tracts of land for
se of the Kenai and Sitka Boy
cout troops. The area sought
or the Kenai troop totals nearly
34 acres bordering a small lake
n the Sterling Highway.
BIGGEST DIMES SHOW AT
NOBBY NEXT FRIDAY
The biggest of the planned
March of Dimes sponsored by
the Seward Buisiness and Pro
fessional Women's Club will be
held next Friday, February 6,
at the Nobby Club. The Club and
all its facilities are being donated
by Cora and Harold Jacobs, pro
prietors.
The program, under the direc
tion of the B&PW program
chairman, Doris Smith, herself
a musician, will feature 2 floor
shows. One, around 10 o’clock,
the other later. The shows will
include a professional dancer,
Spanish dances and an exhibi
tion dance in costume by the
Gateway Swingers.
Another attraction of the eve
ning will be the waltz contest.
This is open to any couple who
wish to try for the attractive
prize.
The battle of the Bands will
be staged by the two separate
sets of musicians who will vie
for first place throughout the
evening. Everything is being
tried to raise a quota at least as
big as the S1400 raised last year
by Kay Johnson and her helpers.
Kay was 1952 drive Chairman.
Later in the drive, time to be
announced later, the radio sta
tion will hold a contribution re
quest program. This will be an
nounced by KIBHk in plenty of
time for all listeners to be ready
for it. \
MARCH OF DIMES
DONUT SALES
Donuts on sale at Seward
Trading and McMullen's Satur
day are expected to net approxi
mately $100 for the March of
Dimes.
WSCS -is conducting the sales,
with donuts donated by Mara
thon Bakery.
Seward Goes All-Out
As March of Dimes
Gain Momentum
The Mar«h of Dimes campaign
which began in Seward last
week is gaining momentum. Vol
untary contributions are coming
in daily. One of the most touch
ing contributions came from the
Seward Sanatorium — Wards 4
and 1—which turned in $21.00
and $13.30 respectively .These
people are flat on their backs
with tuberculosis, have been for
as long as seven years. They do
not know how many more years
they will have to stay in bed
with no prospects of earning
much for several years to come.
With all this, they managed to
spare some dimes to help people
whom they consider more un
fortunate than themselves. Sure
ly this contribution ranks with
the widow's mite of the Bible.
School children are doing their
bit too. The fifth grade has turn
ed in $26.6'5, seventh grade and
eighth grade, $15.00 each. The
ninth grade is offering a cake
Thursday through Saturday, a
cake baked by Mrs. Fred Kiel
cheski—’nuff said.
Jam Session at Legion
A musical jam session at the
Legion Club Friday night will
draw a crowd of dancers. What
better way to end the evening
after the Anchorage-Seward bas
ketball game, than an hour of
dancing?
Silver Tea
Seward nurses invite the pub
lic to a Silver Tea between the
hours of 2:30 and 5.30 Sunday
in the new Nurses Residence on
First Avenue. The tea is a
March of Dimes benefit and is
given under the auspices of Dis
trict 2, Alaska Nurses Associa
tion. This would be a good time
to see the beautiful new build
ing recently opened.
Telephone Employes Get
Conditional Pay Boost
DOYLE'S HARDWARE UNDER
NEW OWNERSHIP
Mr. and Mrs. Phil Durant,
formerly of Spenard, Alaska, arc
the now owners of Doyle’s Hard
ware store. The purchase was
completed this week.
After being closed a few days
for alterations, the store will be
open for business, date to be
announced.
The Durants are not new
comers to Alaska. They lived in
the Spenard area for the past
seven years. They are now mov
ing to Seward with their daugh
ter Charlotte, who is at present
in the States. Another daughter,
Mrs. Chester Brown has lived
here for the past several months.
Rendezvous Boosters,
Dog Mushers
Due Saturday
Five to eight teams of dogs
and their mushers should be in
Moose Pass by tonight (Friday).
Nothing has been heard of them
in town except that they are on
their way.
Does and special train are sup
posed to arrive at the same time
about 11 a.m. Saturday. In the
meantime, the Anchorage Eagles
are in town for the ball game
and will have another game Sat
urday night, so the town should
see some lively doings on Satur
day.
The Elks Club and Legion
Club will open early for enter
tainment of both visitors and lo
cal residents who want to get in
out of the cold. All other busi
ness will be open as well.
It is possible that children .will
be given rides in the dog sleds,
but nothing has been said about
it. This was done last year, ex
cept that that visit was in ex
tremely cold weather and kids
could not be kept out for long
at a time.
One thing is sure, however,
and that is that Seward will turn
out en masse to see the dogs.
Alaska Telephone Employees
went back to work Monday after
winning a contract containing
several specific clauses a.; per
their request. The agreemc it in
cludes 12 days of sick lea\ e per
year, 12 days of vacation leave
with pay after one year ol ser
vice; an overtime pay and night
shift differential, in accordance
with the established Dell policy.
Operators also gained an extra
holiday, Armistice Day, which
they had not expected.
A raise in pay scale from SI.20
an hour as stai ling scale went
up to SI.50 and $1.75 as top
scale after service of one year
instead of the previous rate of
$1.60 after two years. This pay
raise was conditional however
on willingness of the Seward
City Council to grant the Com
pany a 100 percent raise in tele
phone rates in the city. This, of
course, the Council cannot do
until after a regular public
hearing, held according to law.
This is one of the terms of the
franchise granted A1EC by a
vote of the people in 1950, which
in itself provides for conducting
a public hearing on any ,jroposed
raise in rates.
THANK YOU FROM THE
TELEPHONE OPERATORS
Ail the telephone operators in
Seward wish to express their
thanks to Seward pecipie for the
sympathy and patience shown
during the strike last week. They
realize that patience was sorely
tried during the cold windy
weather, and the girls greatly
appreciate it.
New office hours are announc
ed for telephone 'oUsiness. The
office will be 0pen for collection
of bills fr the hours 0f 10 a.m.
to 3 tJ.m. Monday through Fri
t.rty, and closed on Saturday. No
money will be taken at the win
dow in payment of bills at any
•other than these hours. The long
distance pay phone, is of course
open and available 24 hours a
day and every day.