Published every Saturday at Kodiak, Alaska
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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
i Botha Digree, Executive Secretary
MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use or republics*
•ion of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in
this paper and also the local news published herein.
- Are We On The Right Track?
“Goals In Education/’ the sub
ject of a panel discussion, to be
held at the joint PTA meeting
Monday night in the ikigh school
auditorium, is a timely
Debate over American education,
with special emphasis on the high
schools, has been funning hot and
heavy for several years. Practical
ly everyone seems to believe that
something is seriously^wrong—but,
.naturally there are wide differen
ces as to what shoulcf be done.
T' noosed solutions run a wide
c"veaut—be'.ver pay for teachers;
» tit more elaborate school plants
and facilities; feJeral aid; major
changes in curricula; special
schools or classes for exceptional
ly bright students and so on.
Since the Sputniks flared off
into outer space, the controversy
has intensified. Secretary of
Health, Education and Welfare
Folsom has told us that only one
out of every three or four ecent
jhi&h school graduates has been
exposed to even a year of chemis
try or physics, or mathematics be
yond simple algebra. Russian
secondary school graduates, on the
Other hand, have taken five years
of physics, four of chemistry, and
big doses of mathematics, So the
Question is What’s wrong, and
What can be none to remedy
jraatters?
; The Wall Street Journai'iifetit its
reporters to talk to school officials,
teachers, and others throughout
fhe country. As was to be expect
ed, many of those queried stressed
’the need for better teachers and
boftei schools. But the answer did
:no£ stop here As the Journal puts
it: . . the teachers themselves
are worried mainly about the
students—their lack of interest in
science and math, their hesitancy
to take courses in these fields.”
A New York physics eaeher
sard. The majority of youngsters
today' pfefe to take the .softest
Here There Everywhere
* * * NO STEAKS HERE Beef
on the hoof did no one any good
when a steer was found dead on
Woody Island, its legs mired down
in Ihe bog near a stream. Found
In an upright position, the animal
apparently was unable to pull it
self out. It belonged to the Kodiak
Baptist Mission.
* * * A N 0 T H E R WAY OF
PUTTING IT. One writer had a
few words to say about the pre
sent “recession.” He summed it
up this way "The horse runs his
race, then rests before the next
trial. The good earth in the spring
is plowed, seeded and fertilized.
Then comes the fall -harvest, fol
lowed toy winter, when the earth
lies dormant and rests, gathering
' its strength for the next fruited
; .season . . . Our economy* lias made
•tremendous strides in the last few
{ years. It now pauses to consoli
date its position, and will, without
classes they can find,” and added
that his school only had about half
as many physics students now as
10 years ago. A San Francisco
educator said much the same
thing: M. . . our big problem isn’t
n shortage of teachers or facilities,
but a shortage of serious students
with the aptitude and interest to
get the most out of their work.”
How can such a situation exist
in our enormously expensive
school establishment? In answer
a Detroit teacher told the Journal:
“The elective system has reached
the point where students can
choose almost anything they
want.” So they choose easy courses
instead of tough courses and get
the same credit. On top of that,
there are all manner of academic
frills which divert students from
academic work—driver training
classes, cooking classes, citizenship
classes, etc. And school adminis
trators, too, have been misled by
the frills with the result, according
to the Journal, that school funds
have been diverted ”... from
basic academic needs to athletic
programs, social events or other
‘non-essentials’.”
What all this adds up to is a be
lief, held by many informed
people, that money alone is not
the solution to this country’s
science education problem—
though, of course, there is no
doubt that more money is needed
in many cases both to attract bet
ter teachers and to improve school
facilities. There is an urgent need
to re-examine and re-assess our
school systems, particularly in re
gard to science teaching. That is
going on now, the Journal reports,
in numbers of places—and ther’s
little doubt there’ll be more and
more of it.
Perhaps the discussion Monday
night may throw some light on the
tuestion. Certainly it should prove
enlightening.
a doubt in due time, continue its
broad advance.” If he is wrong, so
are we, for we have been saying
something of the same for some
time.
* * * TALK WILL DO IT. The
same writer states too, a person
can be talked into being sick, with
just a few friends telling him he
looks sick. The same thing can
happen to our economy. By listen
ing to enough people who say bus
iness is bad, or unemployment is
rising, etc., you hold back the dol
lar you were going to spend, and
before you know it you’re in a
depression . . . The writer may
have something there.
* * * TV AND CRIME. “The
continued emphasis of crime in
television programs accomplishes
one end which few may realize.
It has a tendency to cheapen life.
Television characters “die’ by the
dozens every day m racket» shows,J
westerns, highway stories, water
front dramas, police case histories,
etc. A young mind is impressed—
the wrong way.” From the Gamer,
Iowa, Leader.
* * * OM THE LIGHTER SIDE.
With tickets being so much sought
after for a Broadway hit, it seemed
odd that there was this vacant
seat. Leaning across the vacant
seat,, the occupant cm the one side
asked the lady on the other side
if she happened to know why
this seat was vacant.
“Oh yes,” she replied, “My hus
band and I sent in for these tick
ets eight months ago, but unfor
tunately rpy husband passed
away.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” replied
the lady, “But couldn’t one of your
relatives have used the tickets?”
“Oh no,” said the widow,
“They’re all at the funeral.”
* * * AN OBSERVATION. Glas
ses do strange things to some
peoples vision . . . particularly af
ter they’ve been drained and re
filled a couple of times.
* * * FROM THE GILCRAFT
ER: Letitia Tuttle is wearing a
big diamond ring. Probably was
not exactly what her uncle had in
mind when he left her the money
for a stone commemorating his
memory.
* * * TECHNICIAN’S TRAIN
ING INADEQUATE. The Soviet
Union has a well organized system
to train technicians for its indus
trial labor force, while the United
States still depends on the Armed
Forces and a small number of
schools for this vitally important
type of manpower.
In Russia during 1954-55 an aver
age of 67,400 engineering techni
cians were graduated EACH
YEAR. In 1955 in this country, 71
technical institutes graduated
about 11,400 students. Since 1951
our technical institutes have been
graduating annually about 8300
students trained for technical jobs
in industry—a long way from 67
000.!
The U. S. Labor Department sug
gests that the best way to solve
our technician training problems
may be in establishing technical
institutes, junior colleges, scholar
ships for semi-professional train
ees and improved vocation guid
ance.
* * * INVESTMENTS ABROAD.
Direct U. S. private foreign invest
ments is another phase in our
economy that has come under
study. U. S. investments in the
Latin American Republics have
grown from $3 billion in 1946 to
over $7 billion at present. Current
output of all U. S. firms in Latin
America is well over $5 billion.
* * * PRICE FIXING. If you’re
lucky enough to be able to buy a
car this year, you might be inter
ested in how the price of the car
is arrived at. G. M. President, Har
low Curtice had this to say to the
Senate Antitrust and Monoply sub
committee recently: “Pricing is
like a tripod.” The legs are market
demand, competition and costs,
and takes all three legs to support
the tripod.”
“Increased payroll costs,” he
said, “have been the largest single
element ih our rising costs.” “On a
“composite car” basis, total cost is
$125 higher for the 1958 model
while the average boost in whole
sale price is only $74. “For every
dollar of increase in our known
costs, price has risen only 60
cents.”-Sounds like a bargain.
Don’t you feel better now?
* * * THIS COULD HAPPEN
fN KODIAK. Two inebriates stood
at the bar. “It says here that they
produced over 50,000 carloads of
grapes in California last year,”
said one to the other.
“Start drinking, man,” replied
his fiiend,~“ithe£?re gaining on-iis.”
Club Sponsors
A “Ladies Night"
Next Tuesday, the Kodiak Island4
Toastmasters will stage a “Ladies
Night,” when the wives of the
members will be the guests.
A novel arrangement talked of
but not decided definitely, will
be to have the ladies act as critics.
New officers were elected at
the meeting last Tuesday, and will
be inducted into office at next
weeks meeting. Past President
Jules Radinsky will conduct the
brief ceremony of induction.
Speakers for the evening will
be four of the incoming officers,
and are President elect Paul Bond;
John Mansuy, Educational Vice
president; Bob Dawson, Executive
Vice-president and Dr. A. Holmes
Johnson, Secretary. Bob Boko is
Master-at-Arms.
Others to appear on the program
are Rev. Raymond Talbott, as
Toastmaster; Table Topics will be
handled by Bob Boko and Chief
Evaluator will be Ken Stanford.
Three students from the Kodiak
High School were guests of the
club at the meeting Tuesday.
These were Jill Acheson, Norma
Gaylor and Jim Beaty. The stu
dents offered criticism of the three
speeches made. These were de
livered by Merle Swenk, Bob
Boko, and Dr. Victor Stra^
REYNOLDS’ LEAVE
Fred Reynolds, ADC, USN, and
his wife, Marie. this week for
the States. They flew to Anchor
age, where they will pick up a new
car, and will drive down the Alcan
Highway as far as Phoenix, Ari
zona and Houston, Texas.
From Texas they will go to Sam
Diego, where Reynolds will re
port to his new duty station in
fortydays.
Marie has been employed at the
Supply Department on the Naval
Station.
Policy Pointers
fan you folly
i/mt/MD?
A Phone Call
to
3401
Will answer your
Questions
on All Types of
Insurance
#*«?r»*'
KODIAK
insurance
& Bldg Corp
Art Brooks
Cimsswoirdl
ACROSS
Regret
Slight quarrel
High plateau
An insect
Shield bearing
Chopping tools
Towera
Follower#
Begin#
Rise and fall of
ocean
Abstract being
Tight
Untidy condition
Meant
Superlative suffix
Beneath
■Greek letter
An alien
First man
Vital organ
Fall in drops
Gaseous element
Form an idea
Jason's ship
Incorporates
Grinding machine
Small stream
Bsv s nickname
Notion
Poem#
Before v
DOWN
Batten
A single thing
A volcano
Grade*
Ironing
High
Trial
Young gilt
Reached
Look at
Baaat of burden
God of war
Brain passage
22. Finished
24 Bristle
25. Kind of cheese
26. Network
27. Italian
community
28. Choke
SO. Awful
32. To
35. Interstice
36. Mimicked
39. Images
41. Roman emperor
43. Military assistant
44. Rip
45. Slave
46. Friend (Fr.)
47. Free
49. Half way
Ufe't DarkMf Moment
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