SEWARD
The Gateway City of Interior Alaska Since 1903.
RECORD
Seicurtl's //ll-lPeather Port is /llasktfs (greatest //sset.
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. IX. No. 5
SEWARD, ALASKA. FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 1952
Price 10 Cents
WSB Makes Decisions
On Pay Increases
For Fishermen
J. B. Gillingham, Chairman of
the Regional Wage Stabilization
Board, this week announced a
series of decisions by the board
on petitions for approval of pay
increases submitted by employ
ers and employees in the Alaska
salmon industry.
With minor modifications, the
board's actions approved pay in
creases negotiated prior to the
opening of the 1952 fishing sea
. red vay for em
ployers to pay off their crews in
full at the conclusion of the fish
ing -cason.
Approximately 14,000 fisher
men, t nder m n, and non resi
dent and r< si lent canni ry v. ork
ers in all fishing district- in Alas
ka are cureedy aiiecU d by the
decisions on these petitions. Gil
lingnam said. Other petitions af
fect ing the remainder i f' the sal
mon industry work force are be
ing processed, by the board or
will be considered by it in the
near future.
The petitions acted upon by
the board were submitted by the
Alaska Salmon Industry, I.ne.. of
Seattle, representing the major
salmon canners. and by the Cop
per River Co-Op. Halfertv Can
neries. Inc., and Western Fisher
ies Company, all of Cordova,
Alaska, and by the New England
Fish Company for its operation
at Orca, Alaska. The employees
were represented in the submis
sion of the petitions by the Alas
ka Fishermen’s Union. ‘Indepen
dent); the Cordova District Fish
eries Union, (Independent); Fish
ermen and Allied Workers Divi
sion, Local No. 3, International
Longshoremen's and Warehouse
men's Union (Independent); the
Bering Sea Fisheries Union,
(AFL); Resident Cannery Work
ers Union. Local No. 4)3. (AFL);
the Alaska Fish Cannery Work
ers Union (AFL); and Interna
tional Longshoremen's and Ware
housemen's Union, Local No. 37
(Independent).
The negotiated contract set
tlements varied in the several
Alaska fishing districts and for
different types of fishing. In gen
eral. the approved pay increases
amount to an increase of ap
proximately four percent over
the 1951 rates, Gillingham said.
The board referred to the Na
tional Wage Stabilization Board
the request by the Alaska Sal
mon Industry. Inc., and non-resi
dent cannery workers, represent
ed by the International Long
shoremen's and Warehousemen’s
Union, Local No. 37. and the
Alaska Fish Cannery Workers
Union, for approval of a pro
posed cash payment in lieu of
health and welfare benefits
(amounting to S30.60 per worker
for the season).
FAREWELL PARTY AT ELKS
CLUB FOR SKINNERS
Their many friends and fellow
Elks gave a farewell party
Wednesday night at the Elks
Club for Mr. and Mrs. Gene
Skinner. The party included a
chow mein dinner.
Mr. Skinner has accepted a
position as station manager for
the Standard Oil installation at
Dutch Harbor on the island of
Unalaska. They will be stationed
there for the next three years.
Gene, Renee and their infant
daughter will leave Saturday,
August 2. for their new home.
Mrs. Skinner is the former
Renee Faulkner of this city, well
known and active in club work
and social groups. Gene is one of
the city's top bowlers and his
loss is being mourned by keg
lers in anticipation of the winter
league scores.
Body of Soldier
Found on Shore
The body of Chris Ben Jack
son, U.S. Army, of Sitka, Alaska,
was found and identified by
papers in his pockets, early in
the morning of July 23. A cor
oner's jury later in the day pro
nounced the cause of death to be
drowning.
The serviceman was one of
two who disappeared after tak
ing a small dory with outboard
motor, on a fishing trip July 3.
The boat was found awash by
local fishermen about a mile
north of Fourth of July Creek on
tin east side of Resurrection Bay
later in the day. Extensive
ground and air'search by the
Army and 10th Rescue planes
failed to give any clue to the fate
of the missing men.
After finding the body of
Jackson on Monday, another
search was made, in hope that
the minus tide might reveal the
second body. Tin search was un
availing, however.
Of the several persons who
have been lost in Resurrection
Bay in the past years, this is the
first to be recovered. The Bay,
as a rule, does not give up its
dead. A mime tide is thought to
have been the contributing fac
tor in the current case.
SEWER WORK UNDERWAY
ON SEVENTH AVENUE
Work on the sower system be
gan this week. The Seventh Av
enue line is laid to a point north
of Adams Street, beginning at
Ruilroad and Fifth.
Seventh is the only street on
which the new line will extend
further south than Jefferson
Street, with cross laterals to con
nect from First Avenue to the
railroad and outfalls in the bay.
Considerable interest is being
evinced by townspeople in the
project. It is engineered by Felix
J. Toner, inspected by Lyman
Graves, building contractor. Con
struction is being handled by
Bradv Construction Company,
low bidder on the project.
GUS JOHNSON APPOINTED
TO CITY COUNCIL
Gus Johnson, owner and op
erator oi‘ the Seward Hardware
store, was appointed to the City
Council Monday night of this
week. He will fill out the term
left vacant by the resignation of
Councilman Dale Greene.
Greene's resignation was given
by letter, the reason given as
pressure of personal business
which prevented him devoting
as much time as he should to the
business of the council.
He was the second man to re
sign from the council within a
year. The other was Lawrence
Whitmore.
SAN JUAN WORKER DIES
IN LOCAL HOSPITAL
Milecio Riego Rilcopiro, a can
nery worker for San Juan Fish
ing and Packing Company of
Port San Juan near Cordova,
died in Seward General Hospital
late Friday afternoon. The man
was brought in as an emergency
case at about 4:30 p.m. and died
at 0:15. He was flown to Seward
by Vern Trakowski of Alaska
Scenic Air Service, who was in
Port San Juan when the man col
lapsed. Physicians here diag
nosed his illness as a cerebral
nature.
The only identification on the
man was a card bearing the
name and a Stockton, Calif., ad
dress. He appered to be middle
aged, but no other information
was available concerning until
the packing company can be
contacted, which authorities will
do sometime Saturday.
Ekliifna Project Gets
Appropriation
From Congress
Interest was renewed this
week in the possibility of Eklut
na power being extended to Sew
ard and tht- Kenai Peninsula.
Congress appropriated the addi
tional si3 million requested by
the Bureau -a! Reelamation for
continuing the project.
Othi r approoriations include
S3.h07.000 lor Kenai; Si 7 mil
lion for road construction and
$.7,51 tl.OOU for mad maintenance,
including fund:- for winter main
tenance of Timmpson Pass on
the Richardson Highway out of
Val ' •. \n appropriation )1 $3,
900.000 was made for the Alaska
Railroad construction program.
Legislative language was writ
ten into the Interior Department
hll! tor tile 1 i1 a3 fiscal year sel
ling asicie 23 percent of net pro
ceeds from the sale of Pribilof
Island sealskins for management
and investigation of fish and
wildlife resources in Alaska. The
estimated $602,500 which will
be available from this source
brings to a total of .$4,305,920
the money available for Fish &
Wildlife Service activities in the
Territory.
SS BARANOF SAILING
CANCELLED
Because of damage sustained
by the passenger ship sS Bar
anof of the Alaska Line last Sat
urday. thi' steamer's regular sail
ing was cancelled for the trip
that would have normally pul
her m at Seward August 14.
Two passenger ship will ar
rive in Seward next week, how
ever, the SS Denali August 5,
and the SS Aleutian August 7.
MURAL IN LOCAL BAR
DRAWS MUCH INTEREST
Many people' this past week
have been watching progress of
the big mural going on the wall
ol' tlie South Room of the Moose
Bar.
The painting is being clone by
T. Birkland of Anchorage, well
known artist and naturalist, and
really is worth seeing, although
at this time the project is not
completed. In truly Alaskan
style a bull moose will be stand
ing on the shore of a lake look
ing across at a campsite on the
opposite shore (Ross says the art
ist painted the tent in so he
would have a place to stay while
working on the project, and then
it was a cold night so lie had to
paint a fire to keep warm by).
Mr. Birkland displayed sever
al beautifully clone paintings the
forepart of the week and any
one who missed them should at
least drop in and take a look at
the mural on the wall, which is
without doubt in the four figure
class in comparison to costs of
murals of comparable size and
quality.
LAND OFFICE ADOPTS NEW
PROCEDURE FOR
SMALL TRACT LEASES
A new procedure has been
adopted by the D parlment of
the Inte rior for issuance* of small
tract leases covering lands which
have been covered by leases at
one time but for some reason
have reverted to the Govern
ment, it was announced yester
day by Virgil O. Seiser, Mana
ger of the Anchorage Land Of
fice. This procedure, which was
recommended by local officials
of the Bureau of Land Manage
ment, will become effective
August 5.
On that date, approximately
35 tracts, upon which leases have
been cancelled, will be available
for application by the general
(Turn to Page 4)
Boil Drinking Water Is
Health Of fleer Advice
Reports of contamination in
the city water supply were re
ceived at the City Hall after the
last samples were submitted for
test.
As a result. Dr. K. O. Sellers,
city health officer, stated that it
is advisable to bail all drinking
water, especially for children
under one year of age.
Water is sampled and lasted
periodically, and in the past f w
years the report at various I'm vs
has shown contamination. II
takes several days elapsed time
between the sampling and test
report to reach city authorities.
Quite oltMi the situation ha.
cleared itself by the time the
next sample is taken.
A sample is often contaminat
ed locally, the situation beiing
found centered around the sam
pling point. There seems to be
no reason for general alarm, the
health officer states, but it is
wise to tale precautio is by boil
ing the drinking water until
there is no doubt of safety of the
supply.
GORDON AUTOMOBILE
"BORROWED,”
RECOVERED UNDAMAGED
An automobile owned by Mr.
and Mrs. Clyde Gordon of this
city and taken from in front ol
tin ir home last Sunday night.
July 27. was recovered later in
the week and returned undam
aged.
Glenn Tressler, on his way to
Anchorage, saw and recognized
the ear in a ditch and phoned
Mrs. Gordon. She was not aware
until that time that her car was
gone. She immediately notified
the highway patrol and the car
was taken into Anchorage, where
she repossessed it the next day.
It was undamaged. Apparently,
Mrs. Gordon said, the thieves
had abandoned it in a ditch
when they ran out of gas about
five miles south of Potter on the
Seward-Anchor age highway.
i»ir, inuuioi I'liCijivix/ili l
EXECUTIVE HERE
Mrs. Robert Stewart. Execu
tive' Secretary, Hospital Division
of the Women's Division of
Christian St rvice of the Meth
odist Church, is visiting in Sew
ard this week. She is accompa
nied by Miss Emma Burris. Ex
ecutive Secretary of Social Wel
fare of WDCS of the Methodist
Church, from New York.
Mrs. Stewart inspected the
Seward General Hospital and
the Seward Sanatorium. She
makes periodic trips to the field
from Juneau.
Miss Burris was especially in
terested in the Jesse Lee Home,
as it comes under her division of
mission work. Site left Friday to
continue her inspection tour in
other parts of Alaska.
BODY OF YOUNG WOMAN
BEING TAKEN TO MICHIGAN
Mrs. Joy Marian Patterson,
wife.of Earl Patterson, who died
in Seward General Hospital July
23. is being returned to her home
in Hart, Michigan, accompanied
by her husband.
Mrs. Patterson was born De
cember 1, 1333. in Grand Rapids.
Michigan. Besides her husband
she is survived by her father.
Alfred T. Cabana, .and six
brothers. Mr. Patterson left Sew
ard Thursday with the body.
—BULLETIN—
Arrangements have been made
between the Alaska Steamship
Co., and Radio Operators Union
which assure uninterrupted ship
service to Alaska, it was learned
here today.
Delegate Reports On
1932 Rour.d-yp of
Appropriations
By Mary Lee Council
Secretary io E. L. (Bob) Barileii
Appropriations made available
during the second session of the
<»2nd Congress recently adjourn
ed include 8204,747,47.') for fed
eral acliv.ties in Alaska, well
ov< r half of which will go for
Defense Department purpose s.
A fi ml dclr rmination oi all )
eatio.is, according to i; formation
given Delegate Bartlett, has been
made with regard to the Alaska
military public works program
with 8/1.924.<.‘00 earmarked for
A l’niy const met i on, $5 7.0(a). Odd
for Air Fore projects and S4.
780. )00 for 'Navy co ..struct ion,
an over-all total of .; 134,304.0.)0.
The remaining Dciense Depart
ment nlai o. S i o 4.344,000 will
be avuilable for op< ration and
maintenance oi tiie Aiaska Com
munication Syst< m in the- sum
oi $0,100,000; continued explora
tion for oil in Petroleum Re
serve No. 4 in the amount of
SI 3,000.000: an estimated ex
penditure of $25,000 for main
tenance of the seawall at Nome,
and an approximate S315.000 for
the Alaska National Guard with
adjustments upward to be made
during the year.
Tiie appropriations for the ac
tivities of other federal agencies
in the Territory total $110,403,
479, $70,332,677 of which will be
available in the 1953 fiscal year
for the Interior Department;
S17.692.177 for the Commerce
Department; $5,293,000 for the
Post Office Department; $5,125,
000 for the Alaska Housing Au
thority revolving fund: $4,805.
725 for the Agriculture Depart
ment; $4,301,000 for the Trea
sury Department; $1,449,000 for
the Justice Department^ $1,141.
000 for the Federal Veering
Agency: and $263,900 for the"
J udieiary.
r he largest amount of money
for military public works has
been allocated for Fort Richard
son in the amount of $25,387,000
out of the total S71.924,000 ear
marked for Army projects. Tire
rest of tire allocation will go for
the Haines-Fairbanks pipeline in
the amount of S20 million, the
last half of the S40 million ap
propriation contemplated for
this project; $8,158,000 for Big
Delta; S3.721,000 for Eielson;
S3.907.000 for Kenai; $5,563,000
for Ladd: and $5,188,000 for
Whittier. The Navy public works
total of $4,780,000 will be used
at Adak Naval Station in the
amount of $3,300,000 and Kodiak
Naval Air Station in the sum of
$1,480,000. A breakdown is not
yet available of the $57,600,000
allocated for Air Force public
works projects in Alaska.
The S70.332.677 appropriation
for the Interior Department will
permit continuation of the road
construction, Alaska Public
Works and Ekluta hydroelectric
power project programs, with
completion of the Alaska Native
Service hospital at Anchorage.
REV. MARTIN BORBECK
LEAVING ALASKA
Although Rev. Father Martin
Borbeck. s.j.. could not be reach
ed personally, friends and par
ishoners report that he is leaving
soon for possible assignment in
Montana.
Father Borbeck has been at
Sacred Heart Catholic Church in
Seward for about four years. He
has made many friends both in
his parish and among towns
people.
Mrs. Oscar Dahl drove over
the highway into Seward a few'
days ago. She is dividing her
time between town and the
country place at Summit Lake.