8 P. WARD’S
A! I-1 Steadier
8FAPGRT
Is Alaska s
( »rr< i <( .si Asset
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. VII, No. 73
SEWARD. ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 1951
Price 10 cents
General Kepner Defines Civil Defense
In The Event Of Hostilities In Alaska
Etkel Lindiey Working
On Rehabilitation of
Tubercular Patients
Mrs. Ethel Lindiey of An
chorage, new chairman of the
Rehabilitation Committee of the
Alaska Department, American
Legion, was in town two days
this week working with the
Legion and Auxiliary and with
Dr. Phillips of Seward Sana
torium relative to rehabilitation
work needed at the Sanatorium.
She has been giving particular
attention to rehabilitation of
veterans after release from the
hospital.
A recent bill passed by the
Legislature will make possible
work that will be instrumental
in keeping patients from re
turning to the Sanatorium be
cause of set-backs caused by
lack of a post-release rehabili
tation program.
Seward Sanatorium is a test
ing ground tor the program to
show what can be done in the
way of increasing many times
the value of treatment and the
number of patients that can
be taken care of by helping the
ex-patient be self-supporting in
a calling which will prevent
a set-back in health.
Until recently Mrs. Lindiey
was editor of the Alaska Legion
naire. She resigned to give her
full time to the rehabilitation
work.
Mrs. Lindiey will be remem
bered here as Public Health
Nurse from September 1945 to
June 1946.
First Aid Instructors
Finish Course Tonight
Thirty hours of study will be
completed tonight by the 16 per
sons training as first aid in
structors in the city hall train
ing class. A stiff written exam
ination was given last night,
which many of the “pupils" de
clare they did not pass. Appre
hension may have led them
astray, however, and it is hoped
that a majority of the group will
be able to conduct standard and
advanced classes in the very
near future.
In addition to examinations,
the class has had considerable
fun, as was experienced last
night in the practice demonstra
tion of traction splinting and
transportation. One group of
four delighted the rest by
splinting Mr. Zwolsman, the in
structor, v/ithin an inch of his
life.
Tonight's session will consist
of practice lectures by the pros
pective teachers. This is an or
deal dreaded by most of the
class.
Mr. Zwolsman and the com
mittee chairman, as well as all
members of the class, expressed
appreciation to the city council
for use of the council chamber,
which has added greatly to the
success of the work.
r
City Observes Seward Day
Seward in celebrating Seward
Day. It seems particularly ap
propriate that the town bearing
his name should pay special at
tention to his memory. Stores
! and the bank are closed.
William Henry Seward was
'born in 1801 in Orange County,
i New York. He was graduated
i from Union College in 1820.
Later he entered the practice
of law at Auburn, and in 1830
| entered the state senate as an
Anti-Masonic legislator. Tin re
lie became intimately associated
with Thurlow Weed and Horace
! Greeley. The three controlled
Whig politics in the state of
New York and practically in the
nation. In 1830 they made Sew
ard governor, and in 1849 he
I went to the United States Sen
ate, where he delivered his fa
1 mous s p e e c Ik “Irrepressible
i Conflict.” The following sen
tence relative to slavery is the
! keynote:
Women's Club Elesis
Mother of the Year
Mrs. William L. Paul of Ju
neau was the choice of the Sew
ard Woman’s Club as Alaska’s
candidate for Mother of the
Year. Their choice was endorsed
by the Juneau Club last week.
This selection is made annually
by clubwomen. Each state nom
inates its own candidate, from
which the most eligible is chosen
by the national committee to be
honored on Mother's Day.
Mrs. Paul has lived in Alaska
jfor 31 years. She has two sons
who are attorneys, one who is
; a carpenter, and her daughter
holds an executive secretary
j ship in a Territorial office in
Juneau. The daughter is a grad
uate of the Eastman School of
1 Music in Rochester, New York.
| Mrs. Paul educated her four
; children while teaching for 20
' years under Alaska Native
Service.
She has published two books,
‘•Home Care of Tubercular Pa
tients in Alaska,” and ”Root
Basketry of the Tlingit Indians.”
She is past president of the
Juneau Woman’s Club, present
treasurer of the Alaska Federa
tion of Women's Clubs, and offi
cer of the Business and Pro
fessional Women's Club, and of
the Soroptimists Society, active
in arts and crafts and Juneau
Garden Club.
Competition is keen in Alas
ka for the honor of Mother of
the Year, since nearly every
club has submitted its own
candidate, but it is felt here
arid in Juneau that Mrs. Paul
is the rightful candidate and
that other clubs may join in
their endorsement.
i
Chester Moore, postmaster at
Cooper Landing, who has been
a patient at Seward General
Hospital, returned home Friday.
“There is an irrepressible con
flict between opposing and en
during forces, and it means that
the United States must and will
sooner or later become entirely
a slave-holding nation or en
tirely a free-labor nation.”
His phrase “higher law” be
came the rallying cry of tho
abolitionists.
Seward was defeated by Lin
coln in 18G0 for the Presidency.
In making his first cabinet,
Lincoln conciliated Seward's
friends and secured the serv
ice.':- of one of the most sagacious
men in the nation by making
Seward Secretary of State, a
position which he held at the
time 02 Lincoln's death. During
the Civil \\ :tr he conducted the
affairs of the nation with tact
and ability. The Trent Affair
and the interference of Franc ’
with Mexico were handled in
a masterly manner that is still
studied by diplomats.
Should Support Raise
In Steamship Fares,
Says D. 5. Skinner
"Wo feci that the people of
Alaska should enthusiastically
support the course we are fol
lowing,'’ states D. E. Skinner,
general manager, Alaska Steam
ship Company, regarding the
proposed raise in steamship
fares for passengers from Seattle
to Alaska.
When the application was sub
mitted to the Maritime Com
mission, Delegate Bartlett pro
tested the proposed 10 per cent
increases to be effective June 1.
In «m open letter addressed
to Del. Bartlett, and distributed
to all Territorial newspapers,
Mr. Skinner attempts to con
vince the Alaska Delegate that
the company is operating at a
desperate loss because of the
competition of “subsidized” air
lines.
The steamship company bases
its argument upon the percent-1
age rate of business between i
September and June 1.
“It is axiomatic that the aver
age Alaska resident does not
travel during the months of
June, July and August," the
letter states. "During those
months the average Alaskan is
at his home pursuing his own
business. However, during the
months of June, July and Aug
ust, pleasure travelers visiting
Alaska, a n d spending their
money in the Territory, travel
in large numbers aboard our
ships. In any normal year this
heavy pleasure travel results in
waiting lists on practically every
voyage. To those of us in the
transportation business it is well
known that the average pleasure
traveler does not quibble over
a few dollars more or less in
transportation costs.”
In further extenuation, Mr.
(Turn to Page 3'
On the night of Lincoln's
assassination, Seward was also
attacked. He was severely
stabbed, but escaped with his
life.
Seward insisted so vehement
ly upon the advisability of the
purchase of Alaska from Russia,
that he was accused of “railroad
ing'’ the deal. The transfer of
the Territory to the United
States was made in Sitka on
October 18, 1867. Payment of
$7,200,000 was made in August
of the following year under
President Johnson. Congres
was so reluctant to acquire tne
Territory that it was called
“Seward s Folly,” and the ■ ■ n
oral attitude of contempt for
its value seems to have main
tained until very recent days.
The City of Seward is prob
ably the only community in the
world that commemorates th^
occasion and the man in any
special way.
FIrsSr Aid Committee
ToJd Defense Dufies
At a luncheon meeting on
Wednesday the committee re
sponsible for Safety Services
under civil defense, was in
structed by Mr. Ralph Zwols
man in the tremendous respon
sibilities facing the committee.
First aid and home nursing,
being taught now, are the pre
requisite basis of all civil de
fense training, according to Mr.
Zwolsman .Auxiliary police and
firemen, transportation corps,
block wardens, and all active
participants in the civil defense
program should have some first
aid training to begin with, aside
from the specific knowledge re
quired for their work.
The meeting was not a gen
eral Red Cross meeting, but con
fined to the committee, of which
Mrs. Charles Lcchncr is chair
man. which is responsible for
first aid training under the Red
Cross agreement with the Civil
Defense Administration. By
keeping the group small. Mr.
Zwolsman felt that he could
more easily acquaint individual
members with the responsibility
of the committee as a whole.
REORGANIZATION BILL
SIGNED BY GOVERNOR
“While we feel the measure is
not perfect, it contains many ad
mirable features calculated to
improve the Territory’s condi
tion if carried out. Experience
and trial of two years will re
veal what changes, if any, are
desirable and recommendations
to that effect will of course be
presented to the 21st Legisla
ture,” Governor Gruening com
mented on the new reorganiza
tion bill, when he signed it Tues
day.
Henry Roden was unanimous
ly elected as the first Commis
sioner of Finance.
In a statement to the Legis
lature delivered by Lt. Gen.
W. E. Kepner, Commander in
Chief, Alaska, March 20, the
position of civilians and respon
sibility of civil defense organi
zations is very clearly defined.
“We are living in an age
when total war is a possibility,”
the General began. ‘‘May God
grant that somehow a general
war may be avoided. However,
should it start, it will be too
late to make all civil prepara
tions after commencing hostili
ties. It is only normal prudence
and horse sense to get all our
security and civil defense prep
' arations started as quickly as
possible so there will be no
panic or hysteria should the
ac'u.il need arise.”
1 lie pointed out that it is
likely there would be few
“fronts” as such, but that an
enemy . would seek to destroy
the productive capacity of the
country by bombing thickly
populated areas that will de
prive industry of the labor it
must have.
I “You know as well as I that
the United States of America
j will almost certainly receive the
: lirst surprise assault, whether
J it be atomic or otherwise,” the
General states. "The outcome of
two world wars was decided by
the weight of American indus
trial production. No enemy will
ever give us time again. A
civil defense program to be
r effective in the year 1951 must
j be in being at the outset of
the struggle.”
bpeakmg oi Alaska, Lxenerai
Kepner said that this is an area
from which we could mount a
retaliatory attack, and would
therefore, be a target for the
I enemy. If one or two Alaskan
^ localities should be bombed or
; assaulted w i t h paratroopers,
then other Alaskan cities will
be drawn in. too, either because
they are on the supply route to
| vital centers, or to prevent
their assisting stricken popula
tion in areas already under
attack.
I “Thus you can see that every
person and every community
has a part to play in the civil
defense program. Communities
outside the so-called critical
areas should prepare to receive
evacuees, and take part in mu
tual and mobile support pro
grams.-’
In event of war which might
touch our shores, all the people,
all the facilities, skills and ener
gies of the nation must be util
ized. “To successfully carry out
this program will require the
cooper ation of every man, wo
man and child in this Nation . . .
it is on such requirements that
its (civil defense) organization
be per 'eet.'d.”
Diversion cf Military Resources
The two main points concern
ing civil defense, which were
the reasons for General Kepner’s
address to the Legislature, he
gives as: 1.) Civil Defense will
minimize the diversion of mili
tary resources at a critical time
from the proper goal of defeat
ing the enemy, to the less
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7
HIGH SCHOOL
AUDITORIUM
6l,1 he Gypsy Rover” Operetta
Presented by Seward High School Chorus
APRIL 6, 0 P.M.
Admission $1.00