» Zodiak Mit-rot
Published every Saturday at Kodiak Alaska .
Yearly Subscript/ t; Ra’p $5 ft
, Entered in the Postoffice at Kodiak ka as Se
Class matter under act of Cc gross of March 3, If
T{fE ISLAND PUBLISH. aG C ilPANY
S’g J. Digree. Editor and P -v i -,er
Betha Digree, Execi a Secretary
MEMBER OF ASSOCi A iL.j PRESS
The Associated Press is exclusively entitled f the use or i publica
tion of all news dispatches credited to n or • otherwise credited in
this paper and also the local news published herein.
c?'(f<?vs of cAmerici’i 1 as: 'frontier
The Sales Tax Ordinance
We reprint elsewhere in the Mir
ror the proposed sales tax ordin
once for the City of Kodiak.
Though not complete, we feel the
important sections of the ordin
ance therein printed will help to
acquaint the citizens of Kodiak
with its salient features Those
who attend the public meeting of
the Council on April 23 and who
are not satisfied with certain of
its features should study the orin
ance beforehand, thereby making
ony objections they may have of
import and impertinent.
The trend in municipal public
finance today is toward the use of
non-property sources of revenue.
'The majority o. city officials, mer
chants and residents in the United
States and the territory, where the
tax is applied, approve of the tax
in most cities. Recognition of the
need for revenue and the fact that
non-residents would now be con
tributing funds to finance munici
pal services brought support*from
city residents. The large returns
at relatively low costs have satis
fied city officials in most cases.
Municipal sales taxation is a
widespread development through
out the United States. 174 Califor
nia cities h2ve enacted sales tax
ordinances. This represents 85 per
cent of the city population in Cal
ifornia. These figures are from the
magazine, Western City. There is
no doubt that the levy is a large
source oi tunds for California mu
nicipalities. During the fiscal year
1945-1946, the five California
cities using the tax obtained from
it a little less than a million dol
lars. Eight years later, reports
from 169 cities revealed that the
municipal sales tax produced ap
proximately $50,000,000. By the
end of the fiscal 1956, California
cities will have collected over
$38,000,000 since the adoption of
the first sales tax ordinance in
1945.
Thus is demonstrated the tre
mendous yield of this type of tax.
The reader might be interested in
the per capita yield. Prof. David
G. Davies of the University of Cin
cinati, in a study of the California
tax says: "Per capita collections
for the typical half per cent sales
tax city is $6 24. The higher rate
localities collect $10.50 per citi
zen”
The professor compares revenue
from this source and property
ta xes. This is a significant com
parison and illustrates the effec
tiveness of this means of keeping
down property taxes. He says:
The average city employing a
sales tax rate of Vz of one per cent
would have to levy an additional
property tax at a rate of $.574 per
Mrs. Jean Elizabeth Shaw, top right, 35, covers her face after
'fading police to the spot where the body of her daughter, Susan, 4,
was found in a suit case behind a billboard in Los Angeles, Calif.
Mrs. Shaw, formerly of Clinton, Iowa, has been held in the psycho
pathic ward of General Hospital there on a technical booking of
murder. Police quoted her as saying “I poisioned her,” and later
» saying ”1 gassed her." (AP Wirephoto)
m.EM SfWK<L I CGINS
JUNE 4 AT CATHOLIC CilUttCH
A religious summer school will
be conducted at St. Many’s Church
beginning June 4, it was announc
es by Father Tklbutt.
Cresses will be conducted every
week-day mornir and will con
tinue for two weeks. 9 o’clock is
the starting hour All children,
rrom pre-school £.e through High
School, both Cat .olic and non
Catholic are most welcome to at
tend, according to Father Talbott.
Mrs. Walt Kraft is in charge of
registration. Parents are urged to
rail her home phone 4464, to reg
ister their children.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
ANSWERS 2ND CALL
The Fire Department was called
out about three o’clock Wednesday
morning to John Malutin’s house
on the Base road, when the house
idled with smoke.
A leak occurred at the top of
the water tank, and the water drip
ped into the fire box of the cook
stove, causing oil level to raise. No
damage resulted other than smoke
and soot in the house.
JUVENILE FUND DEFICIT
Juneau (AP)—A predicted defi
cit of $55,174 by the end of the
biennium in juvenile suppore ap
propriations has prompted a rec
ommendation that enforcement of
the uvenile code be tightened in
Alaska. The reccommendations is
contained in a letter from Aitor
r.ey General Williams’ office to
Henry Harmon, Director of the De
partment of Public Welfare. A
half million was appropriated by
the last legislature.
SJOC to gain the revenue it now re
ceives from the sales levy. This
would rpresent a 38.8 per cent in
erase in the property tax. The typ
ical 1 per cent the city would have
to levy an additional property tax
of $1.03 per $100 of assessed valu
ation to maintain current receipts
if the sales tax were to be discon
tinued. This would represent an
increase of 66.9 per cent in the
property tax.
Thus it is obvious that the sales
tax is an important spurce of rev
enue to California, and to any
other municipality employing it.
Objections were raised at the time
the tax was first introduced, but
since then in but few cases where
the tax has been increased, there
has been virtually no opposition
to the increase.
Recording to authorities, munic
ipal taxation is here to stay in Cal
ifornia, as a permanent fixture. It
is relevant to note that of the 174
municipalities employing the levy
there, only three have definite ex
piraton dates wrtten into the law.
The pressure for revenue to main
tain and increase old as well as
introduce new municipal services
precludes the abandonment of a
rich source of revenue such as the
local sales tax.
Kodiakans, when they adjust
themselves to its nuisance factor,
will no doubt feel the same way
about it.
CARS ARE A FIRE HAZARD
The Fire Department had diffi
culty getting the fire truck to the
beach to pump water for the fire
Monday morning, due to a car
parked in the middle of the beach
road.
The firemen are fighting against
time, and in this instance more
than just a bulding could have
gone up in smoke. The Fire Chief
Geroge Magnusen advices that all
possible fire lanes be kept open.
Another point the fire chief em
phasizes is the necessity for call
ing the fire department at the
first sign of a possible fire. Then
fight the fire, not before.
kussian parsonage burns
(Cuntinned from Page 1)
many minutes before the Urc De
partmeut arrived.
The firemen were handicapped
by the lack of water in the reser
voir. On the advise of the wates
superintendent. Mill Vokacek, whc
arrived on the scene at the sam -
time, they hooked up to the hyd
rant. Pressure was not too great
but assisted in keeping the fire
under control. In the meantime
the pump truck was dispatched tc
the beach, and pumping of ba>
water began. It was nece§sary tr
run hoses a distance of 1950 feet
due to the prevailing low tide
Nearby oil tanks were kept frorr
igniting and the fire was brought
under control.
Fire Chief George Magnuson has
particular praise for Fire Chief T
W. McArthur and the Station Fire
Department personnel, who an
swered his call, and assisted with
a booster pump. He also indicated
the response from the people was
excellent, with a good turnout
Both factors, he said, made it pos
sible to keep the fire from spread
ing.
Practically everything in the
dwelling was completely destroy
ed. Books, a valuable stamp collec
tion, and priceless personal ef
fects, belonging to both of the
Sturmers, were destroyed. They
lived alone in the house.
The house is one of the oldest
landmarks in Kodiak. It was more
than seventy-five years old, and
was heavily constructed, mostly ol
cedar.
Rev. Sturmer was severely burn
ed on the right side of the body
His leg and hands were, badly
burned, as well as the top of hi?
head and face. He suffered con
siderable pain and his smoke-filled
lungs added considerably to hh
discomfort. He is recuperating al
the Griffin Memorial Hospital
where he is expected to be confin
ed for some time.
Rev. Sturmer and his wife Zan
nia arrived in Kodiak, December
16, 1954. He came here from
Berkeley, California, where he re
sided for seven and a half years
He was Russian language instruc
tor at the Army School in Monte
rey, California during that time
and was in charge of compilins
language textbooks. The Russian
priest, a familiar figure in Kodiak,
has a colorful background. This is
the third fire he has experienced
The first was as an Executive of
ficer on board a battleship, whet
be was a young man, and the ship
was bombed and burned, and he
was forced to take to the water. A
more recent fire, which again look
all of his personal belongings, was
at Manila in February, 1945. when
the Japs bombed his church and
home, and he and his wife xook
shelter in a hut. “This was much
better,” said Mrs. Sturmer, who
Ukes her loss with considerable
fortitude. “Here there are no snip
ers and no bombers.” Father
Stunner, though he too has sus
tained considerable loss, says he
has learned not to place to much
value on personal effects.
This makes the second fire for
the Russian Church. The original
church was burned down July 17,
1943. Some insurance was carried
on the dwelling, reported to be
around $4000. Plans are being
formulated to tear down the build
ing and build a new structure
sometime this summer.
In the meantime quarters are
being readied for the Sturmers at
the Kodiak Health Center, until
the new parsonage can be con
structed.
Don and Margie Wolf, and sons
Andy and Danny, left Monday for
Portland. Oregon where they plan
to spend about six weeks.
They will visit Margie’s mother,
Mrs. Teresa Taylor, and Don’s
sister, Mrs. Jeanette Lee.
Don and Margie will take over
the management of the Kodiak
Cleaners upon their return to Ko
diak. His parents, Jay and Martha
Wolf, expect to go outside for at
least a year.
GRIFFIN' HOSPITAL BIRTHS
Donna Marie, 7 lbs 10 ozs., was
born on April 10 to Dorene Lee
and Don Roy Scroggs.
HISTORICAL GROUP TO MEET
The Kodiak and Aleutian Islands
Historical Society will meet Tues
day in the science room of the Ko
diak High School. The meeting
will begin at 8 p. m. Visitors are
welcome to attend the meeting.
NOTICE
The Alaska Transfer Office is
now located above the Kodiak Out
fitters. Phone. 2112. tfn
NOTICE
Swedish massage, salt glows, in
fra-red heat lamp, tub and shower
baths. For appointment Ph. 2691.
A CHECK
is just a piece of pap
paid but so safe, so u<
venient.
A checking account he
an accurate record of
and expenses.
Your cancelled check
ed evidence of paymei
Be safe with a Bank
checking account.
Our Phone Number 1