Valdez News
Roller Skating Is Called Off For The Present
6S Sgt. to Leave
For Discharge,
Will Return Soon
Sgt. Ralph Barnard of the local
ACS office is leaving Valdez for
a month. Sergeant Barnard’s en
listment term is up and he plans
to go to Seattle for his release.
After a month’s visit with his
family in Portland, Ore., Mr. Bar
nard will return to Valdez where
he will enter private employment.
As a farewell party for Ser
geant Barnard (and a birthday
partv for Gaii Stalker) Mrs. Mil
dred Kaser entertained at a din
ner on Sunday, April 2. Guests
present for the occasion included:
Miss Helen Long, Mrs. Flor
ence Ingraham, Miss Rita Ding
man, Bill Hunt, Mi', and Mrs.
Bruce Stalker, Gail and Roddy,
Mr. and Mrs. Bob Jeris and Bar
bara Lee, Mrs. Mcllroy and Pat
and Mike, Miss Bonnie Kaser and
honor guest Barnard.
ARC Safety Engineer
Gives First-Aid Class
H. R. Bates, safety engineer for:
the Alaska Road Commission, ar-j
rivfed in Valdez on March 22 to
conduct a one - week American
Red Cross first-aid class here. Al
though the class was designed for
ARC employes, the general public
was invited to attend.
And the reason that Dr. Ken
neth Ham is wearing that broad
smile these days is because nine
Valdez citizens completed the
course and won Red Cross first
aid cards. Dr. Ham knows that
knowledge of proper first - aid
techniques can save lives or can
help to shorten the time of the
victim’s disability.
Valdez residents who earned
their cards are:
Guy B. Hayden, A. E. Carlin.
Dorothy Jennings, Donald J. Wil
liams, Russell G. Sullivan, Mrs.
Blanche Sullivan, Marion B. Fer
rier, Basil Ferrier and Faye Vietti.
A second first-aid class was
conducted at Glen Allen by Mr.
Bates.
Cordova Contractor
Gets Harbor Bid
H. G. Dale, general contrac
tor. of Cordova has been award- j
ed the contract for constructor
of the small boat harbor at Val
dez. The award was made at <
special meeting of the city
council on March 27.
Mr. Date's bid for the work
was $16,300.
Work planned at the harbor
includes construction of a 160
foot float, to be built at right
angles to the main dock ap
proach, a new gangway and a
dock approach.
The present approach is to be
enlarged, to make for better
handling of the constantly in
creasing dock traffic here.
Although not a part of the
present contract, the city coun
cil hopes to obtain additional
Territorial funds with which to
build a seaplane ramp at the
end of the planned new float.
'Know Your Candidates'
Commissioner Urges
Mrs. Margaret Harrais, U. S.
Commissioner here, this week
voiced an urgent appeal to all
Valdez voters to study candidates
seeking nomination at the April
25th primary election. She also
as strongly urged every qualified
voter to cast his ballot at that
election, reminding that the vot
ing strength of the community is
of first consideration in making
application for Federal or terri
torial aid.
Voting qualifications in Alaska
require one year’s residence in
the territory and 30 days in the
voting precinct, in addition to
literacy qualifications.
WELL-CHILD CONFERENCE
TO BE HELD APRIL 11
There will be a well-child con
ference on Tuesday, April 11, at
the local Health Center at 2 p.m
Dr. Kenneth Ham will be medical
consultant. Miss Rita Dingman,
health nurse, will be in charge.
All infants and pre-school chil
dren are invited.
Men, Materials Pour Through Valdez
As Construction Season Nears
As men and construction mate- ]
rials begin to move north, in prep-!
aration for Alaska’s construction |
season, the port of Valdez is hum
ming with activity.
The landing craft Mahina Hou
arrived on March 28 with a truck
and materials for Batchelder &
Hazen, contractors who have a
building contract at Glen Allen.
Also aboard the Mahina Hou,
; which was skippered by Captain
I Beedle, were Mr. Hazen, Bill
; Holmes and his automobile, and
Tom Sanborn, Mt. McKinley Air
ways agent at Cordova. Mr.
Holmes, a CAA employe, is trans
| ferring from Cordova to Nome.
On March 27, L. H. “Hank”
Doolittle of the Doolittle Trans
| portation Co., stepped ashore at
Valdez. He will be operating a
fleet of 12 trucks, running from
Valdez to Fairbanks and Anchor
age. Howard Doran is acting as
manager for the company.
Russell and Kenneth Weaver
arrived in Valdez last week. They I
received a consignment of five
tanker trucks and a flatbed on the
King S. Woolsey. The Weaver
brothers have leased a building
from Joe Dieringer, which they
! expect to use as a base of opera
tions in Valdez. They have a two
year contract with Rogers & Bab
ler Brothers and a contract with
McLaughlin Construction Co.
C. A. Roust, manager, and
Chuck Burtchkin, shop foreman,
i of the Fairbanks branch of Glen
Carrington & Co., were in Val
Jez last week to service the new
tractors which have just arrived
here for use in Interior mining
operations.
A TD-18A with dozer is con
signed to William Meldrum of
Chicken and a TD-14A goes to
; the Uhler Creek Mining Co., of
Boundary, Alaska, where Richard
Brown is manager.
Mr. Roust plans to make this
trip to Valdez and the vicinity
several times during the coming
I construction season.
Many Freight Trucks
Travel Valdez Streets
Freight trucks constantly line
Valdez streets these days. Among
the names glimpsed lettered on
truck doors in recent days are:
Alaska Freight Lines, Leo Har
dy Trucking Service, Mitchell
Truck and Tractor, Jack Devault
Trucking Service. Interior Freight
Lines, Jim Dieringer, Sourdough
Express, S. L. R. Trucking, North
ern United Fast Freight, Gilson
Mercantile and Earl Taggert &
Son.
HEALTH MEN INVESTIGATE
VALDEZ INSECTS .
Harold Mayo of the Territorial
! Department of Health’s division
of insect control, sanitation and
I engineering, and David Sleeper
of the research division of the
i U. S. Public Health Service, were
recent Valdez visitors. The men
were here to make plans for in
| sect control in Valdez this jum
1 mer.
HILLAH IS TRANSFERRED
TO ANCHORAGE JOB
George Hillar, local trucker and
freighter here, who has been em
ploye on the “Operation Snow
ball” at Thompson’s Pass this past
winter, left last week for Anchor
age. Mr. Hillar will be the new
agent there for Alaska Freight
Lines.
LADIES ARE GUESTS
OF EAGLES
The Eagles’ club rooms were at
tractively decorated in green and
white, when ladies were guests of
the club members following last
Friday’s business meeting. A buf
fet supper was prepared and
served by Howard Bowen, Hugh
Tatro and Deane Jennings.
COMES BACK TO VALDEZ
“Smilin' Jack O’Connor” is back
in Valdez. He is employed by
Alaska Freight Lines. Mrs. O’Con
nor will join her husband here
' later.
GYM FLOOR CAN’T
TAKE IT, EVEN
IN LIMITED DOSES
Roller skating sessions ended
abruptly this week for old and
young Valdez residents alike.
After just three days of roller fun.
the floor of the Valdez Gym was
in such dilapidated condition that
school authorities were forced to
order a “cease and desist” order.
The quality of the floor’s hard
ness (or the fervor of Valdez
skating enthusiasts) had been mis
judged by the carpenters who
first okayed the project as harm
| less to floors.
! Members of the Women’s Civic
Club have priced a new sectional
! hardwood floor, skate-proof, and
find the price tag reads $3,000.
| They feel that this type of floor,
i v. hich would be removable, will
be the only feasible wav in which
the Gymnasium can do double
duty as rink and gym.
The women now are busily
seeking the ways and means of
earning the necessary $3,000 for
the floor. They’ll welcome sug
gestions on money-making proj
ects. if other Valdez residents can
think of an easy way to make that
much money in no time at all.
AUK BAY PLANS
TO INCORPORATE
Residents of Auk Bay. Alaska,
will be asked to vote for.
formation of a public utility dis
trict in their area. An estimated
150 voters, living within an area
of less than 64 square miles, will
decide the question.
If the district is created, its resi
dents hope to construct water and
telephone systems, through use of
monies of the Community Facili
ties Service. Other projects high
up on the improvement agenda of
Auk Bay include plans to build
dams, power houses, transmission
lines, wharves, hospitals and cold
I storage plants.
RETURNS FROM VISIT
Mrs. Ted Johnson is home
again, after visiting for more than
two months with her daughter.
Mrs. Dorothy Gunther, in Fair
: banks.
Alaska Road Commission Tells Plans For 1950
Alaska Road Commission plans
for 1950 were anounced in a re
lease received this week from the
office of Ben D. Stewart, district
engineer at Valdez. The outlined
program includes a great deal of
reconstruction and new construc
tion in most of the inhabited re
gions of Alaska. It does much to
further the ARC’S announced bb
jective of connecting “all parts of
Alaska with each other, and with
the nearby regions of Canada.”
The 1950 program's request
for funds asks for nearly 36 per
cent more money for main ten -
ance. than did last year's bud
get. It is pointed out that as
Alaska's total road mileage
climbs each year, and as road
standards are improved, more
and more money will have to be
spent on maintenance.
The continuance of the paving
program is the major item in 1950
plans. In 1949, 150 miles of this
work was completed; by the end
of 1950, an additional 200 miles of
paving is expected to be finished.
By the end of this year, paving
on the Glenn Highway is expected
■ to reach from Anchorage to Sheep
'Mountain; from Fairbanks to Big
| Delta; and from Haines to the
border. -
In 1950, new paring projects
will be well under way on the
Richardson Highway out of Val
des and between Copper Center
and Big Timber Lodge. .]
The major reconstruction work
of the year will take place on the
Tok Cutoff. When this recon
struction is completed, the cutoff
also will be paved.
New' road construction this year
will see the completion of the
Sterling Highway between Se
ward and Homer. Limited traffic
is expected to be permissible.over
the Turnagain Arm road, connect
ing Anchorage and Seward, by
the end of the year.
Construction will continue on
the northern extension of the
Alaska Highway to Chicken.
Jack Wade and Cagle. This road
is expected to be open as fax as
Jack Wade by mid-summer. At
present, there is already a road
which reaches from Jack Wade.
to Dawson, capital of the Yukon
Territory.
Construction is scheduled to be-;
gin this spring on a highway that j
will lead from Paxson’s Lodge on!
the Richardson Highway to Cant- j
well on the Alaska Railroad. This
road will connect with the Mt.
McKinley National Park highway
system, and eventually will reach
clear to the Kantishna mining dis
trict, It will open an entire new
area to mining, hunting and. fish
ing development. It will take sev
eral years to finish this road.
Local roads will be built, as
they are needed and as funds per
mit, to connect homesteaders with
njaih-travelled highways and to
develop new industrial sites.
. This year's program also in
cludes definite plans for the
elimination of dangerous points
on the main highways. This in
cludes replacement of weak and
narrow bridges,. elimination of
blind ttirns, and improved high
way marking.. (Cfuard rails will
be placed in !a 'few of the most
dangerous places. More will be
placed in future years.
Surveys of new roads, to be un
dertaken this year, will be made
in the Copper River region, to en
deavor to find a practical way of
connecting Cordova .with the main
highway system. Other surveys
will study proposed roads from
Fairbanks to Nenaxia and frqm
Livengood to Eureka and Manley
Hot Springs. This latter area is
an important mining, agricultural
and recreational district which, is
not now accessible by road. ]