Sjh! Status of Ferry System . . ,
tEditor s Note: The following
article is the second of a two
part series exploring problems
facing the Washington State
Ferry System. This story re
traces how the state got into the
ferry business.>
By John Komen
OLYMPIA i/P — Imagine the
reaction among today’s state ferry
system patrons if fares were sud
denly hiked 30 per cent.
It happened in 1947. But the
difference then was that the ferry
system was privately owned and
operated.
The 1941 rate boost, although
only temporary in nature, caused
ferry-users to rise in a storm of
protest.
Committees were formed. Peti
tions were sent to the governor.
The then State Transportation De
partment came under heated
criticism. Investigation were de
manded.
The howls of protest reached a
crescendo when the privately
owned Black Ball Ferry Lines an
nounced it was goins to ask for
a permanent 40 per cent fare in
crease.
With public pressure mounting,
the state revoked the 30 per cent
temporary fare boost and granted
a 10 per cent increase.
Black Ball then announced it
would suspend ferry service unless
the state leased the ferry system
and took it over for a year.
On Feb. 29, 1948, ferry service
across Puget Sound was abruptly
shut down.
It started up again several days
later. But the populous Puget
Sound region had learned, pain
fully, what it was like to lose
cross-sound transportation.
With this turmoil as a back
ground, the possibility of the state
entering the ferry business began
to be discussed.
On March 2, 1948, Democratic
Gov. Mon Wallgren announced the
state was going into the ferry
business.
The process took more than three
years.
In the meantime, Wallgren had
been defeated for e-election and
state’s helm was guided by a Re
publican governor, Arthur Langlie.
Fhiget Sound Navigation Co.,
which owned Black Ball Lines,
made the first move. Its stock
holders voted in mid-1948 to sell
the lack Ball holdings to the state
r
for $5,975,499.
In May 1950 Gov. Langli
. countered with an offer of $3.!
I million.
Lengthy, and sometimes secret
j negotiations were started. The tw<
{sides finally agreed on a compro
i mise price — $4,944,499.
I The price was paid and th<
\ state was in the ferry business a:
j of June 1, 1951.
For its money the state wounc
| up with 16 Black Ball ferriers
ranging from the old “Chippewa,’
j built in 1900. to the 1928-vintagt
"Klahanie.’’
With two other vessels already
owned by the State Highways De
} partment and the purchase for
$7,500 of the “Leschi” from the
King County Ferry District, the
state now had a fleet of 19 ferry
boats — two less than today.
Also from Black Ball, the state
got 27 ferry terminals. Only 20
were to be used and only 12 were
obtained outright. The other eight
were leased.
On paper the “replacement
value” of the 17 Black Ball and
King County ferries was estimated
at $18,956,400.
But some future problems could
also be seen on paper.
Of these 17 vessels, two were
given only seven years “useful life
• • • if continued in good condi
tion.” Two others were given only
eight years and six vessels were
given nine years of probable usage
before they would have to be re
Only four were considered usable
for 14 or 15 years.
It wasn’t long before the state
found it must replace some of its
old ferryboats.
It is still faced with the same
expensive problem.
The State Highway Commission
recently fired its ferry system
manager after he had publicly ad
vocated spending $17.5 million foi
five new vessels.
Ferry boat replacement is £
major part of the financial diffi
culty faced by the ferry system,
but there are four other problems.
Rising costs, demands for more
runs and better service, terminal
improvement and replacement
costs and other factors have boost
ed the state ferry system issue to
the forefront of problems facing
Washington state government to
day.
Fine Job Printing At The Nugget
Styled with
CONVENTIONAL
COLLAR
ROLL SLEEVES
and is
CONTOUR SHAPED
for lovely fit.
BEAUTIFUL COLORS
to choose from
Sizes 10 to 20
$5.95
M’Lord and Lady Shop
IVoph* iii the Newj
Pope John XXIII advised 24
v i juvenile delinquents at a Rome re
' : form school to forget the past ant
present, and have confidence h
the Lord.
’ : The Pontiff’s eyes welled wit!
tears at times during his visit t<
the 200-year-old Gabelli Institute
j He advised the inmates of th<
; i reform school and others brough
’! in from another institution to loot
! to the future. He also advised their
| that "If you want to succeed, yoi
! must also know how to obey.”
King Gustav VI of Sweden wa;
j lavished with affection and gifts al
i Stockholm as he reached 00. Thir
| teen couriers, who in relays had
| covered a total of 7,800 mi let
i puffed into the palace bringing
birthday greetings to the sports
minded monarch from athletic or
I ganizations in all parts of the king
i dom.
1 The Swedish people gave the
i king a bank book with a deposit
| of 5 million crowns—about SI md
! lion. The money, collected by p
ular subscription, will go into the
king’s Royal Foundation which
! distributed grants and scholar
I ships to Swedish artists and scien
I tists.
President Kennedy acted as his
own chauffeur as he and his wife
took guests on the six-mile trip
from their leased estate, Glen
Ora to the site of their incomplete
new home on Rattlesnake Moun
tain.
Kennedy was again at the wheel
I of a station wagon on the return
I trip from the ranch-type home
the Kennedys plan to use as a
weekend retreat beginning in
early spring.
The average American house
wife now opens 800 cans and car
ries out 1,000 pounds of garbage
a year.
—
You’ll enjoy
the full flavor
of choice grains
and hops
whenever you
open a bottle
of light
Olympia Beer.
One priceless
ingredient assures
consistent
refreshment:
rIt’s the Water "
, SporLsnirn
j Protest Proposed
Mosquito Fax l>it<
i ■
) SEATTLE i/P) — Stuns in th
. wallet, sportsmen in the state <
• Washington howled in protes
against a mosquito tax propose
by the State Health Department.
All agreed a tax bite is wors
than a mosquito bite.
Some even had a kind word fo
1 the insect itself.
None were pleased with the- sug
gestion that $321,250 should b<
raised annually to fight mosquito
bv adding to hunting and fishin;
; license fees, camp ground fees anc
taxing users of irrigation water.
Dr. Bernard Bucove, State Healtl
Director, announced the proposa
and set the sportsmen buzzing. Hi
estimated mosquitos cost the state
$1 1 million a year in damage 1r
agriculture, health and nerves.
"Mosquitos don't just bite fisher
men, hunters, campers and irri
gators." pointed out Tom Hamil
; ton, president of the State Steel
head Trout Club. “They like soft
juicy skin. It would be just a;
sensible to put the tax on cole
cream."
“It." said sportsman Stan Jones
“is a buggy idea.”
“Let the residents arounc
j swampy areas pay for their owr
i mosquito control,” suggested Free
Nist, secretary of Washington Duel
Hunters.
Tom Wimmer, president of the
Washington State Sports Council
introduced a kind word for th<
bug at bay.
“A lot of fish food would b<
destroyed,” he asserted, “if mos
quitos were eliminated.” Wimme
added: “There is a good chance th<
controlling agent might do a lo
i more damage to birds, fish am
game than mosquitos do to th
public health.”
And then Wimmer tackeel o
what sportsmen in general cor
sider the clinching argument:
“You can slap an awful lot o
mosquitos for $321,250.”
PRAIRIE FIRE SWEEPS
3,200 KANSAS ACRES
GREAT BEND, Kan. UPi — A
prairie fire swept over about 3.200
acres of central Kansas Sunday
driven by 20 to 30-mile-an-hour
winds.
Six firemen from Lyons were
injured when a sudden gust of
wind whipped the flames around
them. Five were hospitalized for
treatment of burns and smoke in
halation.
Fire fighters said they believed
the blaze was started by careless
hunters.
r
Gen. Gavin Says Russians
Removed Missiles So U.S.
Could Not Study Them
BOSTON T -Lt. Get: James M
Gavin, US.A. <ret.>, former am
e has sad or to France, said today
f Russia swiftly removed its nuclear
t missiles from Cuba so that the
1 United States could not get its
hands on them and learn their
■ i secrets.
Speaking at a Veterans Day ob
- : sorvance. the World War II hero
said Soviet Premier Khrushchev’s
- motive in quickly complying with
■ this country’s demand for their re
; moval was to insure that Ameri
; can scientists not learn methods
I | developed by Russian scientists for
: controlling missiles,
i Once in American hands, Gen
i Gavin said, U.S. experts could un
. . cover top secret intelligence in the
building of the Russian missiles
i 1 and could “determine just what
Russia could throw at us in the
i event of shooting.”
One of the most important fac
| tors to be considered in getting
possession of Russian rockets, he
; said, would be a comparison of
their guidance system with our
own in directing a missile to a
target.
Gavin said American military
scientists would also like to deter
mine whether radio is used by the
i ! Russians in controlling missiles
i and possession of their rockets
would reveal, in such event, what
frequency they use.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE NUGGET
t
1
a
f
.--- -
I
| FELLOW ALASKANS:
j My deepest thanks go to all
j of you who supported me
1 at the polls in my bid for
re-election to the Congress.
I
i Also I wish to take this
I means of expressing my sin
| cere appreciation to each of
you who helped me so gen
erously and effectively in my
campaign.
Cordially,
RALPH J. RIVERS,
U.S. Representative
Alexander
utomotive
DIAL 2532
Heuston & Betty Alexander
ANNUAL
CHRISTMAS BAZAAR
sponsored by
W.S.C.S. of Methodist Church
j
December 8th