« III-HERR Mirkor
“cMjt'ws of America's Last ‘frontier
Published Every Saturday at Kodiak, Alaska
Yearly Subscription Rate $5,00
Entered in the Postoffice at Kodiak, Alaska as Second
Class matter under act of Congress of March 3, 1878.
MIRROR PUBLISHING COMPANY
Melton L. Crawford, Editor and Publisher
Jeanne R. Crawford, Associate Editor
Candace Crawford, Executive Editor
“ . . . that government of the people, by the people,
for the people shall not perish from the earth.'—Lincoln
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Help Fight Polio
The March of Dimes drive for funds to combat polio and
engage in polio research and treatment is now underway in
Kodiak. Fivery resident should support and contribute to the
annual drive.
The Business and Professional Women’s Club is sponsor
t mg the drive locally. Tiny “iron lungs” have been placed in
business establishments for your contribution.
Two years ago polio broke out in Alaska. Last year a
few cases were reported. The treatment of the disease is ex
aensive. The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis
: iielps pay bills for patients who cannot afford full costs of
piotio care. Service is available to every patient through chap
ters close to their homes.
Give generously to this worthy fund raising drive. Most
of the funds donated to the March of Dimes will stay in A1
aska. The money will be used to combat a disease that may
strike any of us at any time.
Mrs. Margaret Moore, head
of the women’s clothing de
partment at Donnelley and
***&*&*&. -OTC
Acheson, left Sunday for Se
attle. She is on a buying trip
for the store.
1
I
Closed every Thursday
Banking servioa at N. O. B„ Fridays, Old Administration Building, 5:00 8:30 F. M
MEMBER FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION
breaking out winter roads
Before the days of snow plows, our
ancestors had to work together to
keep the roads open. Everybody
helped. . . and everybody profited.
Some roads were opened by driving
oxen and horses back and forth to
trample down the snow. But other
roads had to be dug out by hand.
Many people, working together, can accomplish
much more than can be done by one. That is
especially true in regard to financial matters.
Dollars deposited with us are loaned to credit
worthy people and business. They keep payrolls
steady. Th< y help Iminess to develop new and
better products. They increase employment. They
raise your standard of living.
' Rank of Kodiak
Bettinger - McLaughlin Exchange Letters
Mr. John S. McLaughin
Kodiak, Alaska
' Dear Mac:
I am in receipt of a copy of
he Kodiak Mirror of January
±2, 1952. It concerns a letter
j 10 the Editor which purports
, to be occasioned by the fact
’ that you do not know how to
i contact me, and are thus
; reaching me thru the press,
j I always attempt to answer
correspondence regardless of i
its nature. Sometimes this is j
i very difficult. This is one of
those times. It requires con-;
siderable stretch of the
| imagination to consider your
1 letter as a conscientious in
| quiry for truth. I can think of
I many motives for having
1 written this letter, all of
which are to your discredit.
However, it may be that you
are so lacking in intelligence
that you honestly do not
know how to find the answers j
to the questions you propound, j
! You seem to be greatly
, troubled by my absence from |
Kodiak, what I may be doing j
in Washington, and what it is
costing you as a taxpayer. If
' you care to study the records
at the City Hall, you will find
the purpose and results of my
: various absences from Kodiak.
Likewise, you will learn that
very little of my expenses
, have ever been paid by the
1 City. This present trip is en
tirely at my own expense, and
I am here for a number of
(purposes, none of which are
personal. One of these matters
is in connection with Public
Law 139 of the 82nd Congress,
and it might interest you to
know that the Mayor of Fair
banks is here and will be here
several weeks on this one
matter. It will probably as
tound you to know that the
people of Fairbanks put up
$17,000 for this work. In con
trast, l am here at my own
expense, and get nasty pub
licity at home for my efforts.
You know, Mac, the world
is full of people like you, who
criticize or merely give lip
service to those things that
they believe in. A fine ex
ample of this is anotherl
' matter that I am devoting'
time to in Washington, name-;
j ly, Statehood. This issue is to'
come up in the Senate for a
i vote very shortly. There seems
to be a great cry in Alaska for
self-determination that comes
of statehood, and yet when
the Governor recently con
tacted various citizens to
j come here and lend assistance
'only two of us responded,
j When it is over we will pro
bably be criticized as to the
manner in which we assisted.
You ask “What has slowed
the flow of federal funds to
Kodiak?” What FLOW of
funds? You actually believe
that federal funds flowed to
Kodiak?Or any other com
munity? It has been my ex-,
perience and the experience
of anyone in public office that
federal funds do not come of
their own impetus. It requires
a lot of work and justification
’ to receive them. If you think i
that your City officials have
been negligent in attempting
to secure these funds, I would
suggest that you write to the
agencies Involved because if
this is a flow of money, cer
tainly they should be able to
tell you why they turn it on
>and off. If you have any ques
tion as to the work performed
by the City and cost involved
relative to the new water sys
tem, you can find all the
answers in the City records.
; You inquire as to why you
I did not know at an earlier
date of a shortage in the ac
counts of the former City
Clerk. Are you implying that
the mayor and the council
covered up? I would hardly
cal! any matter secret in Ko
diak which was immediately
known to so many people,
that is, the council, the bank,
the auditor, the city employes,
the School Board, the Gover
nor, the Territorial Attorney
General, and the U. S. At
torney. I was not in Kodiak at
the time this matter was un-1
covered but I feel that the
parties involved in its dis
closure handled the matter
properly by securing immedi
ate restitution, by informing
all proper officials, and then
acting like Christian gentle
men by refraining from
persecution thru filthy gossip.
Are you aware that the City
Clerk and all other City em
ployees responsible for public
funds are bonded and that
their records are audited to
disclose both errors and-or
misappropriations? If you are
bracing yourself for further
disclosures, please relax, as
the recently completed audit
of Elmer Johnson, discloses
no further shortages. There
will always be dishonest em
ployees, both in private busi
ness and public employment
and the best we can do is to
attempt to select them on
merit, bond them and then
audit their accounts.
You ask a number of ques
tions relative to the operation
of the Police Department and
the Street Department. I
know that you are awara that
these departments are oper
ated by Council Committees
and not the Mayor. I am sure
that these gentlemen are
operating in the best interests
of their departments, as they
see the facts and needs.
I There is one question there
I containing a statement that I
! can correct. You state that it
1 costs $200 a month to operate
I the patrol car. I have before
| me an analysis of operating
expenses for the first six
[months of this fiscal year,
namely, April 1 to September
30, and under the heading of
“Automobile Expense—Police
Department” I find an item
of $375.56. Expenses certainly
must have gone up recently,
if'it is going to average out
$200 per month for the year.
If you will refer to the John
son audit for the year 1949-50,
you will find that Police De
partment expenses, outside of
continued on page 10
Editor’s Note
Mayor Beltinger’s letter to
McLaughlin was given to the
Mirror for publication on
Wednesday. The Mayor’s let
ter is in reply to one written
by McLauglin and printed
Jan. 12 in the Mirror.
Kodiak, Alaska
Jan. 21, 1952
Mayor Lee Bettinger
Dear Lee:
I am sorry if I caused you
difficulty in answering my
letter to the editor. At the
same time I am gratified that
you did answer it. I am taking
it to the editor of the Mirror
and asking him to print it for
two reasons-I hope, sincerely,
that you will not object to
my doing so.
First, because I believe you
are entitled to the same pub
licity which my letter received
(in other words, a chance to
strike back at me) and,
Second, because I think it is
a good letter. I do not believe
anyone could write a better
letter without revealing the
facts and figures which I seek
to make public.
You question my intelli
gence, you have a perfect
right to do so, as I make no
claim to anything above plain
horse sense.
I do not question yours,
Lee, so you must know that I
had nothing to gain personally
in asking the questions I did
in my letter that appeared in
the Mirror January 12. Why
not grant me that I only wish
public information to be made
| available to the public?
It is as simple as that. 1 teel
that a great deal of public
money has been expended in
the hope that we might get a
new water and sewer system
and perhaps a housing pro
ject. We have no assurance
that these things are postively
forthcoming. Therefore, I
feel that this money is being
gambled on a speculation and
in as much as it is public
money, I ask you, the hold
over councilmembers and your
progressive party which spon
sors you, how much??
Yes, I can go to the city
hall and get the figures but if
every citizen did that the
place would be quite crowded.
If there is no secret about the
transaction of city affairs
come right out in the press
with the complete figures
(and stop holding secret or
special council meetings) and
I will assure you that what
ever small assistance my
meager intelligence can give
will be available for any pro
ject which is for the common
good and welfare of the com
munity.
Sincerely,
[s] John S. McLaughlin.
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