MEMBER OF ASS DCIATED PRESS
Th£ Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use or republica
t'on of all news dispatches credite 1 to it or not otherwise credited in
Itiis paper and also the local news published herein.
Published every Saturday at Kodiak, Alaska
Yearly Subscription Rate $6.00
Entered in the Postoffice at Kodiak, Alaska as Second
Class matter under act of Congress of March 3,1878
THE ISLAND PUBLISHING COMPANY
Sig J. Digree, Editor and Publisher
^ v \ i: Betha Digree, Executive Secretary
Library Week-March 16 Through 22
1 The KODIAK PUBLIC LIBRA
RY has been established by a
voluntary group of culiturally
minded citizens at no cost to the
taxpayer and is being operated at
no cost to the community other
than the utilities-which are paid
+'or by the City. The librarians,
who are all on a volunteer basis,
put in many hours of conscientious
work, each week because they see
the community need. It is one of
those institutions that no real city
should do without.
The only income of your public
rjhrary is in ils membership fees
of one dollar a year and any dona
tions that are given Jt for the pur
chase of books. The more public
spirited citizens have been buying
a sustaining membership for five
dollars and this means just so
many more new books purchased
for your use.
In spite of the fact that economy
has had to be a keynote, your
Library is, for the size of the city,
an excellent one ** ten
thousand volumes on varied topics.
In the fiction section, best sellers
are purchased monthly and put
on the seven day shelf to ^ermit
more people to read them while
they are fresh.
Make a point to visit the Kodiak
Community Library, next to the
downtown school, during library
hours each night of the week,
Monday through Friday, and Satur
day morning. Look over the books,
take out a membership card, and
borrow a book.
The Library is for your use.
—Anonymous
Here There Everywhere
j Sometimes you learn a lot from
$ide excerpts cf publicity in con
nection with an historical movie.
This is true of “Alexander The
Great,” which comes to the Orph
eum Sunday. ..Assimilation of lit
tle known facts may not do( you
j»ny good in carrying on life’s daily
battle, or meeting your income
jtax payments, but we pass them
on to you for what they are worth.
You will have to admit he was
(quite a man. if nothing else, and
the era in which he liT«sd quife as
(fabulous in many ways, as the pre
sent. Here are some of the facts
*on Alexander and the time in
’which he lived:
* * FIRSX YO-YOS. One of
(the favorite pastimes of the
:Greeks in Alexander’s time was
(playing with yo-yos
* *• EAST-WEST MEET’S
GREEK. Alexander was ine firs'
great ruler who tried to fuse East
and? West. He instituted a 11,000
mass marriage between the Per
sians and the Greeks. Quite a feat
in itself.
* * * ALWAYS A WINNER.
Alexander never lost a battle in
his life. Of course he lived only 33
years.
* * * DID HE DREAM? Alex
ander could go without sleep for
two or three nights but he would
then sleep up to 36 hours without
waking.
* * ATOMIC BOMB WITH
OUT THE STING. An atomic
bomb without a warhead is appar
ently as harmless as a bee without
its .stinger. The one dropped acci
dently at Florence, S. C. could
have been fatal to 30,000 people,
but fortunately was not equipped
with warhead. Resuit: no radiation
and no contamination.
* * * JEST in variation.
'There are so many jokes about
Texans and Alaskans arguing
about the size of the place in which
they live, we’ll publish one to
prove, if nothing else the argu
ments aren’t confined to these two
alone. A Texan and a Kentuckian
were arguing. “Why we’ve got
enough gold in Kentucky to build
a gold fence six feet high around
the whole State of Texas.” “You
just do that, son,” replied the Tex
an, “and if we like it...we’ll buy
it.”
* * * GLOOM CHASER. It be
ing a gloomy day as this is writ
ten, we’re going to wind up the
column without saying any nasty
things about anybody, even income
tax collectors,‘politicians, or those
who contribute to the non-ameni
ties of life. Being in an agreeable
mood, we’ll go further than that,
by ending with a joke. A man
went to see the doctor with the
worst case of trembling the doctor
had ever seen. “How long have you
had these symptoms? asked the
doctor, “Well, it started about five
years ago, but it’s getting worse,
Doc.” “Could it be that you are
drinking too much? said the doc
tor. “How much is too much?”
“Oh, say a quart a day,” replied
the doctor. “A quart a day! ex
claimed the patient, “Doc, I spill
that much.”
Griffin Memorial
Hospital Notes
BIRTHS:
Brian Kyi, weighing 7 lbs. 2 ozs.,
was born on March 8 to Eileen
and Robert Davidson of Uganik
Bay.
David William, weighing 6 lbs. 9
ozs., was born on March 10 to
Mary and Danny Heffner, Nav^l
Station.
Howard Bruce, weighing 7 lbs.
I oz., was born on March 10 to
Claudia and Alfred Torsen.
Michael Bruce, weighing 9 lbs.
3 ozs., was born on March 12 to
Kathryn and Alexis Chichenoff of
Afognak.
Wildlife Linked With Growth
And Development Of Alaska
By Sig J. Digree
Wildlife Week, sponsored anual
iy by the National Wildlife Feder
ation and affiliated groups, is be
ing observed March 16-22. Alas
kans as well as those living in all
sections of the United States, will
pause to consider what wildlife
has meant to the development of
this great territory. And still
means.
In the introduction, a booklet
entitled ‘Wildlife In The Economy
of Alaska,” published by the Alas
ka Cooperative Wildlife Research
unit from the Biological Papers
of the University of Alaska, has
this to say: “The history of Alaska
has been closely related to, indeed
often dependent upon, its fur,
fish and game.”
The average resident in the
United States an Alaskan encount
ers in his travels thinks of Alaska
in terms of its fish and game.
Large sums of money are spent by
those fortunate enough to be able
to travel to Alaska in the pursuit
of these two great resources.
Those already here take for grant
ed the short trips necessary, the
relatively small cost involved to
bag a big moose, a big bear and
the large catches of fish. We sel
dom pause to think of the “dollar
value” of wildlife in Alaska.
The University’s booklet has a
few figures to summarize this dol
lar value, and it adds up to big
business. “Since the purchase of
Alaska by the United States,” the
booklet states, “the value of fish
shipped from Alaska has repaid
the original purchase price of
$7,209,000 more than 300 fold,
and the value of fur has repaid
the purchase price nearly 30 times
over.”
What of 1957, the year just past?
Broken down under four heads—
the Commercial Value. Recrea
tional Value, Scientific Value and
Esthetic Value—the booklet comes
up with some startling summaries.
Here’s about the way they add up:
Under Commercial Values—Com
mercial fisheries (wholesale),
$92,855,150; Raw land fur, $734,
460; Raw fur seal, $4,381,449; Food
value ‘ remote greas, $3,250,000;
Manufactured ivory, $150,000;
Reindeer, $115,000; Fur farming,
$61,000, for a total of $101,547,
059.
Under Recreational Value—Ex
penditures by nonresidents, $3,954
000; Expenditures by residents,
$12,689,500; Licenses a d military
services, $375,000, for a total of
$17,018,500. Scientific Value is list
ed as $50,000 and Esthetic Value
as $4,541,250. This adds up to a
grand total of $123,156,809, which
would be the dollar value of Wild
life in Alaska in 1957.
What’s it worth to you to go
hunting or fishing? In dollars and
cents, that is? The booklet answers
that question, too. Using an aver
age rate of $3.00 per hour for
wages in Alaska, and using only
straight time for purposes of com
putation, statisticians have come
up with these figures: Over the
period of 1952 through 1957,
there has been an average annual
expenditure of 920,200 man-days
spent hunting and fishing in Alas
ka. Thus, the average annual value
of this recreational time can be
computed as $3.00 per hour x 8
hours per day x 920,200 man
days—a total of $22,085,000.
The booklet also gives some il
luminating figures on the resident
and non-resident hunting and fish
ing license holders expenditures—
for items such as transportation,
food and lodging, shotguns, rifles,
ammunition, clothing, sleeping
equipment, fishing tackle, cameras
and supplies, etc., etc., right down
to the item of dogs and dog food!
54% is spent on fishing; 27% on
big game; 12% on small game and
7% on waterfowl.
Returning once again to the man
days spent, the lure of the wily
fish commands 59%, big game 2%
small game, 12% and waterfowl
7%.
What does the hunter get for
the man hours expended and the
money spent? This cannot be work
ed out with complete accuracy, but
the booklet concludes this section
with the following figures: 59,510
license buyers, in 1957, and at an
expenditure of $16,643,500 and
981,800 man-days, (or $279.68 and
16.5 days time each) caught an un
determined amount of fish, 4
pounds of waterfowl, 14 pounds of
small game and 104 pounds of big
game.
We won’t go into the Commer
cial, Scientific and Esthetic Values
as outlined earlier only to say <that
each represents a big factor in the
total value of Wildlife in the terri
tory.
Wildlife Week takes on a new
significance when viewed from
this realistic value of dollars and
cents. To a resident, or a newcom
er Alaskan Wildlife, viewed from
any angle, is still her great charm,
and the magnet that draws men to
her shores.
WILL WIDEN PORTIONS
OF MISSION ROAD
Sales tax funds will be used for
the purpose of widening certain
sections of Mission Road to pro
vide adequate public parking in
several narrow spots along the
road.
It was pointed out the City
Manager proceed with the work in
areas that are particularly in need
of widening, and no action by the
Council was needed.
Two letters from M.C. Zimmer
man, District Engineer of the
Bureau of Public Roads, were read
to the Council, in which he stated
that funds of the present mainten
ance contract could not be used to
straighten and widen a portion of
Mission Road He further stated
funds are not available for the re
routing of the road.
Zimmerman stated that traffic
counts will be taken later in the
year to gain information for future
action. Mission Road is designated
as F.A.P. Route No 11 (Federal
Arterial Primary).
Public Dance
Elks
Cerebral Palsy Dance
Tonight
ELKS HALL
Live Music
$1.50 per person From 9 p.m.
Public Invited
girl scout committee
MEETS NEXT THURSDAY
A Girl Scout Committee meet
ing has been announced for 1:00
o'clock Thursday afternoon, March
20, at the Girl Scout hut next t®
the downtown school.
Parents of the girls, officers and
leaders, and anyone interested is
invited to attend. The main busi
ness to be discussed is the plan
ning for the camp to be held this
summer.
WORKER AT PT. HEIDEN
BROUGHT IN BY COAST GUARD
Mr. Eric Olson, a 63 year old
construction worker, at Pt. Heid
en, was admitted to Griffin Mem
orial Hospital Wednesday. He had
been suffering from a nose bleed
for 48 hours.
A Coast Guard rescue aircraft,
piloted by LCDR Louis N. Dono
hoe and Lt. James T. Clune, ef
fected his rescue. Dr William
Henry, Navy medical officer, ac
companied the flight.
Policy Pointers
By Art Brooks
With the high winds we have
had in the past few weeks, a
thought came to my mind con
cerning the numerous objects
flying through the air.
It is a good time to start
cleaning up around the pre
mises. A loose board could be
picked up by the wind and driv
en through a window. While
this would be covered by in
surance, it could make living
in the dwelling real uncomfort
able until the glass was replac
ed.
Too, during these winds, it is
a time to be extra cautious
with the use of your stove or
furnace. Should a fire break out
it would be a problem to put
out with a 60 mph wind assist
ing it.
While we have a capable Fire
Dept., who stand ready to pro
tect your property and mine, I
hope we never have to use
them. During this last wind
storm Chief Magnusen and sev
eral others spent the night at
the station so not to waste any
time, should a fire break out.
Qualified Counsel
Kodiak Insurance &
Building Corp.
Phone 3401 or 2561