Puijlwtj^ evw Saturday 3t Kodiak, Alaska
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Stg ,1. Digrec, Editor and Publisher
i „ L: Betha’Digree, Executive Secretary
MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use or republica
tion of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in
this paper and also the local news published herein.
The Far Away Look at Things
t' There is nothing like having someone thousands of miles away
- ,-eil you what you should do and what is good for your city. In a
et:er to the editor, a former resident did just that.
The letter, which appears elsewhere in this issue is relative
to tine widening of Brooklyn Avenue, and other streets.
* The writer makes so many erroneous observations that we
felt it was necessary to correct them. Should we fail to do so ade
quately, we invite any City official or Councilman to do so in sub
sequent issues.
The writer credits the mysterious powers of the "Aleutian
Homes, Inc. as the force back of the project. Nothing, of course, is
further from the truth. The proposed paving turns off onto Ressn
er;; Drive, and does not go near the Aleutian Homes area. Even if it
did. so what? This much fravelied section of road should also be
pa\ '-a.
Who wants Brooklyn Avenue paved? We, the residents, the
business people on the affected street, who have to breathe in the
dust of the everyday heavy traffic.
Secondly, we’ll go along with the writer’s contention that a
60 loot rigl-away is wider than necessary. 50 feet, in our judgement,
would be enough. When we say that we speak only as a layman, not
ns an authority. But ‘ never look a gift horse in the mouth” is an
old saying that is applicable here. The money to be spent on this
prefect Is not being borrowed, will not entail paying interest and
‘hocking’’ the City’s assets, as inferred. The truth is, it will cost the
City 10% of the cost, period. Not 50-50, but 90-10, with the City
paying the 10%. Where can you get a better deal than that?
The writer fears Kodiak is to become a ghost town. Perhaps
~jl prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, but we
cannot agree on that. Is that why he moved? The City Fathers
should resent being told to shed their diapers and grow up. They
should resent being called “goats.”
We have listened to prophets before, who foresaw Kodiak re
verting back to the status of a village. Let’s let time give the answer
to that one. The interest shown at the present time by people
throughout the Q.S.A., in Alaska and Kodiak, too, gives the lie to a
decadent Kodiak in the offing.
Rather it behooves us to prepare for whatever will trans
pire—improved roads is one of the ways.
One Death a Week. Who’s Next?
The weekly death toll continues.
The Alaska Department of
Health reports that 53 p’onle died
>F tuber col os is in Alaska :n 1957
"That’s more than one a w *k
A staggering thought ;sr *t it.’
Bat that is only a part of the pic
tore. Dr. Ernest W. Gentles. Act
ing Director of the Division of
Tubercolosis Control for the
Alaska Department of Health, es
timates that the number of unde
tected cases is almost as high as
those reported. Dr. Gentles points
out that there is another side of
the coin—while TB deaths have
declined (191 deaths in 1952), the
number of newly reported cases
each year has not changed greatly.
This means that the TB bug is
still at large. It still lays people
low. It still kills.
It is most important to discover
tuberculosis before th^ patient
feels sick. Taking advantage of the
opportunity to have a chest x-ray
regularly will prevent advanced
cases of tubercolosis and the in
fection of children in the family.
You will have your opportunity
next week. We suggest you take
advantage of it. It’s one of the
good things in life that’s free.
Proclamation
WHbivhAb tor the purpose ot
maintaining international peace
:mri promoting the advancement of
sll peoples, in the world, the Unit
-xf States of America joined in
founding the United Nations;
and
WHEREAS the United Natrons is
keenly aware that the world is on
the threshold of a new age of
scientific technology which holds
^reat hope and grave perils for
mankind; and
WHEREAS the United Nations
provides a forum of international
jinking always aoeking to im
prove the thinking of collective
security and peaceful settlement
of disputes
NOW THEREFORE, I, MERRILL
C. COON, Mayor of the City of
Kodiak, do hereby urge the
citizens of this City to observe
Friday, October 24, 1958, United
Nations Day and by appropriate
means demonstrate their faith in
the United Nation and contribute
to a better understanding of its
aims, problems and accomplish
ments.
MERRILL C. COON
MAYOR OF KODIAK
Ancient House
Will Be Moved
The log house on South Brook
lyn on the William Anderson
homesite has been stripped of roof
and floor and will be moved this
week to the Kodiak and Aleutian
Islands Historical Society museum
sight for preservation. It is known
to be on of the oldest dwellings
from Russian days and is about
150 years old.
Volunteer workers are being
sought to fix foundations, reassem
ble the floors and add a roof to
the dwelling and besides being an
historical relic practical use by
the society as an office or other
space will be made in the future.
Kim Clark, president of the
society, announced the start of an
annual drive for new club mem
bers and reminded old members
that dues are due for present mem
bers.
Plans for a microfilm viewer,
for presentation of a TV program
and the approval of a $50 fund
for the Anthropology group were
among items taken up at the last
meeting of the society at the Dr.
R. Holmes Johnson residence.
Rabies Prevalent
In Alaska Again
Juneau, October 10, 1959—A dog
that bit two little children in
Mountain Village this fall was ra
bid, according to report of labora
tory examinations received by the
Alaska Department of Health
here this week.
The dog, a six-months old pup,
was the eleventh animal in which
rabies has been confirmed in
Alaska during 1958. Six of these
animals were dogs and five were
foxes, according to ADH records.
The 11 rabid animals found so
far this year is the highest number
reported since 1956 when 12 rabid
foxes and 3 rabid dogs were re
ported from the Barrow area,
according to Drr Harry V. Gibson,
commissioner of health. One ra
bid dog and three rabid foxes
were reported last year.
Dr. Gibson emphasized the
danger to human beings in the
transmission of rabies to humans
by the bite of a rabid animal and
said that the Alaska Department
of Health continues to urge that
all dogs be vaccinated against
rabies and all stray dogs destroy
ed.
Rabies is known to be ever
present in some of the wildlife in
Alaska,” he said, “and a dog bitten
by one of these animals becomes
infected with this always fatal
disease and may pass it on to hu
man beings. The long and painful
Pasteur treatment may save a hu
man’s life if it is started in time
after being bitten by a rabid
animal. For a dog the only protec
tion is vaccination before it is
bitten by a rabid animal.”
Radinsky Drops
From Senate Race
Jules Radinsky has withdrawn
from the race for State senator,
according to an announcement
made by him this week. Radinsky
is president of the Kodiak Island
Democratic Club.
His statement follows: “In the
best interests of the Democratic
party I have withdrawn my can
didacy for State Senator on the
Independent ticket. I urge my
friends and supporters to vote
Democratic in the coming elec
tions.
POLICE SLOGAN
A loaded pistol is no more dang
erous than a loaded driver.
Here, There and Everywhere
Are School Teachers Human?
By Sig Digree
When I was a little boy, I saw
through a boys eyes and so ap
preciated very little the discip
line heaped upon me—especially
by a school teacher.
Mother, I didn’t mind. Her meth
od of discipline invariably took
the form of a mild reprimand.
Father, of course, was quite dif
ferent. He was a straight razor
man, and his strop,which I think
was about one-quarter inch thick,
served the dual purpose of keep
ing his razor sharp and me spank
ed. What does the electric shaver
father do now-a-days to keep his
small boy in line?
But to return to the school
teacher. I remember as a boy of
nine. I was very fond of a big
sheep dog. He followed me to
school one day, and as I played
with him on the schoolground, the
comely young teacher attempted
to get me into the building. In the
mild scuffle that insued, her dress
was torn. Not intentionally, you
understand. It was just rebellion
at even that early age against dis
cipline. You see how it haunts me
even to this day.
bubconsiously„ that incident
must have stayed in my mind, for
in' later years, rebellion against
discipline reared its head from
time to time—but no more torn
dresses. Schoolteachers became to
me, not so much a vehicle of
knowledge, but one of discipline.
And I thought there were enough
fathers and policemen to do the
job without schoolteachers having
a hand in it. For many of them
would assume the attitude of “this
hurts me worse than you,” but
that didn’t stop the sting of the
ruler or the strap. You knew they
were secretly enjoying every
minute of it.
Later in life, I thought of marry
ing one, one time, but there was
always the fear that she would
carry the classroom “manner”
home, and I would be confronted
the rest of my life with, you guess
ed it, “discipline.”
But, as we gain in years, we gain
in wisdom. We learn that the
seemingly drastic punishments
meeted out to us in our young
days, for the express purpose of
keeping us in line, weren’t so bad
after all.
All this is prompted by the
dinner Monday night when the
Rotary Club hosted the teachers,
and it was obvious these teachers
were of the same mold as those
of my childhood days, ueaieaie*
to their job, but also proving l®
be charming people and of the
same fibre and marrow as even
you and I.
I found they laughed heartfly.
ate moderately, and enjoyed them
selves as you and I. Parents pre
sent must have felt their children
in good hands away from home.
When I asked the question at
the beginning of this article, “Are
Teachers Human?” I was referr
ing to the times we gave them as
youngsters. They must have bee*
more than human to put up with
the likes of us. Theirs was the job
of keeping up with fertile yoimg
minds who knew a thousand and
one ways to be bad.
SCHOOL PATROL ON DUTY
Chief of Police Vickery call*
attention to all motorists that the
school patrol is again on duty. He
urges drivers to pay attention to
the patrol when nearing an inter
section near the schools.
He also asks that drivers ob
serve the 15 mile an hour zones
on 6th and 7th and in areas ad
jacent to the high school.
CARD OF THANKS
We wish to extend our hearfelt
thanks to all those who expressed
their sympathy during our recent
bereavement occasioned by the
death of our father.
(s) Emil Norton
Harry Norton
Mae Tapper
Mrs. Ann Cross
The
Fulltime
Agent
— Art Brooks—
gives
You
Service
Security
Satisfaction
KODIAK
INSURANCE &
BLDG. CORP.
3401 2561
“Insurance Is Our BusinessT
Steak Night & Dance
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25
— Honoring
District Deputy of Alaska West
Russ Painter and his wife Marge
Dinner: 6 to 9 p.m.
Dancing Afterwards
Reservations desired by the 24th
Phone 2044 Halloween Favors
FOR ELKS, THEIR LADIES, EMBLEM CLUB
MEMBERS AND ESCORTS