_Valdez News _
Councilmen Cultivate Gray Hairs In Civic Job
Kalph Merrill
Sells Business
To Helen Long
On March 8 of this year the |
Merrill Mercantile Company of
Valdez changed owners. On that
day, Miss Helen Long, a partner
in the business since 1947, pur
chased the interest of Ralph Mer
rill, who plans to retire.
Mr. Merrill bought the business
in 1943 from James Patterson,
who operated it as a general re
pair shop. In September, 1948,
an increase in business necessi
tated moving to a new building,
tl*e present location of Merrill
Mercantile Co. Prior to the move,
hardware and appliances had
been added to the store’s services.
Last May, Marvin Beals bought
the plumbing and sheetmetal shop
and the overhead rooms, which
were still located in the original
Patterson building.
Mr. Merrill plans to spend his
retirement in the states, but is
still undecided as to where he will
go. His Valdez friends feel cer
tain that his ultimate destination
undoubtedly will be Valdez again.
Miss* Long first came to Alaska
in 1940. During the war years of ]
W)43 to 1946, she was in the Spars,
and was stationed at Palm Beach, j
Fla., and Norfolk, Va. Following
her service discharge, Miss Long
attended a foreign trade school in
Chicago for six months, and then
returned to Valdez to enter into
partnership with Mr. Merrill.
The new owner expects to con
tinue to operate the business
along the same lines as did the
partnership. Merrill’s Mercantile
handles a number of nationally
advertised home appliances, as
well as a line of inexpensive auto
mobiles and trucks, in addition to
the regular stock of building sup
• plies, general hardware, furniture,
plumbing fixtures, paints, sport
ing goods, floor coverings, and
other home needs.
The people of Valdez join in
wishing Mr. Merrill a pleasant va
cation Outside, and in extending
their best wishes for continued
success in the business to Miss
Long.
Motor License Sales
Soar Upward When Road
Remains Open All Year
r More than three times as many
motor vehicle licenses have been
sold in Valdez to date than there
were at this time last year, Mrs.
Margaret Harrais, U. S. commis
sioner, announced this week. This
year’s license total is 106, while
last year’s figure was only 31.
Mrs. Harrais credits the Alaska
Freight Lines and their fine effort
in keeping the Richardson High
way open as the sole reason for
the increased license sale. And,
she points out, “Valdez is 100
miles shorter in distance and five
days shorter in time tH^in any
other route to the great Interior
bases. An open highway 12
months of the year, instead of five
or six months, spells prosperity
for Valdez.”
EGAN ELECTED HEAD OF DIVISION'S
DEMOCRATS AT PARTY CONVENTION
William Egan, Valdez candidate
for re-election to the territorial
house of representatives, was
named chairman of the Democrat
ic divisional committee at last
week’s party convention in An
chorage. Mr. Egan heads a com
mittee of 22 members drawn from
Unga, Kenai, Naknek, Cordova.
Anchorage, Kodiak, Palmer, Se
ward, Seldovia, Homer, Dilling
ham and Unalaska.
The Anchorage convention
drew up a platform favoring im
; mediate statehood, development
i of school facilities, rehabilitation
of Alaskan public schools, exten
don of the Federal Parole Act to
Alaska, legislation for the correc
tion of juvenile delinquency in
Alaska and the inclusion of voca
tional training in the public school
curriculum.
Improvement of highways, air
ports, and small boat harbors was
also on the Democrats’ approved
list.
The convention went on record
as opposed to the construction of
the planned territorial office
building at this time, because of
Alaska’s health and welfare needs
It was recommended, also, that
the capital be located north of the
Gulf of Alaska and that the head
quarters of the Federal Housing
Administration be moved to the
Third Division.
Resolutions were presented urg
ing the abolition of fish traps and
the intensifying of the drive
against wolves in Alaska.
COASTWISE LINE
NOW CALLING HERE
This week’s arrival of the
freighter John Cropper in Valdez
inaugurated a new service here.
Hereafter Coastwise Steamship
vessels will put in at Valdez
about every 10 days for the re
mainder of the year, according to
E. A. Gardner, district manager.
The Coastwise ships sail from
Los Angeles, Calif., and make
stops at San Francisco, Portland,
j Seattle and Tacoma, en route to
Alaska. Each ship brings about
2,500 tons of cargo north.
The John Cropper carried about
250 tons of freight consigned to
Valdez. The ship also carried 20
buses, consigned to an Anchorage
I bus company.
----
Lura Hayden
To Count Noses
In Valdez Area
Names of census enumerators
l for the Richardson Highway, Val
dez and Cordova areas were an
! ,'iounced this week by Merle And
| erson, crew leader for this dis
| trict.
Enumerators named were:
Miss Lura Hayden, Valdez
and surrounding area; Mrs.
Cameron, Glen Allen, Gulkana
and Chilna; Mrs. Birgit Gun
narson and Mrs. Grace Durand,
the city of Cordova; Robert
Fenty, the outlying areas of
Cordova.
All of these enumerators, with
the exception of Miss Hayden,
completed several days of school
ing under Mr. Anderson in Pal
mer this week, to prepare them
for their job. Miss Hayden studied
I her census lessons by mail, Mr.
I Anderson said.
i
VALDEZ HOTEL IS
BEING PRETTIED UP I
In preparation for the coming
tourist season ,the Valdez Hotel
is being redecorated, proprietress
Mrs. Katie Stith announced this
week. New hall and stair carpet
ing has been laid and five rooms
have been renovated.
Normally Valdez does not look
for a tourist influx until May, but
with the present traffic in con
struction men and truckers, all
available space in Valdez hotels
is needed at once.
Hospital Negotiates
For Building Site
The board of directors of the
Valdez Community Hospital is
' now negotiating for the purchase
of four lots in Block Ninety, as
the site for Valdez’ new hospital.
Directors expressed great satis
faction with the location, which
they say has “fine soil, freedom
from wind, fine forest trees on
the border and beautiful scenery.”
The board is much more opti
mistic about hospital prospects
since the Territorial treasury is
operating in the black again.
CONSTRUCTION MEN
ARRIVE HERE
Bill Vanderpool and Bill Cys
kowski, representatives of Lytle
& Green Construction Co., arrived
in Valdez recently, and are guests
of the Valdez Hotel. Lytle &
Green recently were awarded the
paving contract between Mile 81
and Big Timber on the Richardson
Highway.
Construction Material
Begins to Flow
Through Port of Valdez ;
The first materials shipment for j
Rogers and Babier Brothers Con- j
struction Company, recently
awarded a contract for recon-:
struction of a portion of the Glenn j
Highway, arrived in Valdez on I
last week’s boat. Another ship-!
ment is expected about April 1
and the third and final consign
ment will leave Portland, Ore., on
that date.
Together with the construction
equipment that arrived this week.'
came five house trailers and the;
five families who will occupy j
those trailers. Mr. Mclnroe, who!
will be superintendent in charge i
of the work, was an early arrival,
with his wife and five-year-old
daughter, Cheryl Diane.
Mr. Mclnroe said that equqip
ment already was being moved
from Tok Junction to Tolsona
Creek, at Milepost 172 on the
Glenn Highway. When completed,
the main camp at this milepost
i will house more than 100 men.
Valdez Liniment Stocks Hun Low,
As Roller Rink Opens In Gym
What was that? An earthquake?
An avalanche?
No, indeed, my friends. That
was just the grand opening of the
Valdez roller skating rink last
week.
Roller fun and bumps delighted
young and old alike, as they
swooped about the high school
gymnasium on eight wheels. Val
dez young fry had their innings
from 7 to 9 p.m., when four-year
old Darrell Blakesley surprised
young and old alike with his
know-how on skates. The back
ground of Strauss waltz music
could scarcely be heard over the
din of wheels and the shrieks of
delight at the rink’s grand open
ing.
From 9 to 11 p.m., high school
students and adults took over the
floor. Highlight of the evening
was a grand march, performed by
about 16 of the skaters, while
their companions rested and
watched.
So great was the din in the
school gymnasium, that one re
port has it that nary a bowling
ball could be kept out of the gut
ter in the alleys beneath the gym.
while the skating was in progress.
Friday evening’s initiation of
the skates was so successful that
Saturday and Sunday afternoons
also were scheduled as a skating
party for the youth of Valdez.
Skating hours were from two to
four o’clock in the afternoon, but
the doors were jammed with
eager skaters by one o’clock.
The weekly schedule, as set up
now, calls for skating at the fol
lowing hours:
Friday from 7 to 9 p.m.—jun
ior high school and grade school
students; from 9 to 11 p.m.—
high school students and adults.
Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m.—
children only.
Sunday from 2 to 4 pun.—
children only.
If the sport continues to prove
so popular, it is planned to sched
ule some additional weekday
hours also, during the coming
summer vacation.
SCHOOL, AIRPORT,
' AW ENFORCEMENT
WORRY CITY DADS
The res’iler meeting of the Val
dez. City Council, held at the Til
likum Club on March 20, found
councilmen wrestling with the
many problems confronting a
community in the throes of grow
ing pains.
Discussion ranged from the
need for additional school facili
ties, small boat harbor improve
ments, additional law enforce
ment personnel, purchase of new
equipment for the fire department
and street department, additional
water and sewer systems, in
creased airport facilities and more
streets to accommodate new
building sites.
Harold French, superintendent
of schools, told the council that
I the hope for territorial funds w’ith
which to build an addition to the
Valdez School was faint. School
construction funds have been
frozen and will not become avail
able in time for new construction
this year.
The school building is at pres
ent overcrowded with an enroll
ment of 106 pupils in a building
designed for 65. Estimates place
next year’s school population at
between 150 and 160 students.
The problem of enforcement of
a proposed curfew was discussed.
It was pointed out that writh the
advent of warmer weather, Val
dez’ annual migration of alcohol
ics and transients could be ex
pected, and that a night patrol
man should be added to the police
force to assist in the control of
an anticipated outbreak of law
; lessness. Councilmen felt that un
! til this patrolman was employed,
there could be no effective en
forcement of the curfew.
The Valdez Fire Department
: requested that the city purchase
a high-pressure fog dispensing
pumper, for use in small home
: fires. The Valdez Street Depart -
I ment asked for the purchase of a
new garbage truck. The council
: acted favorably on both requests.
Donald Johnson, a prospective
home builder in Valdez this sum
mer, requested that the council
open several new streets in the
’ outlying areas, in order to make
new building sites available. He
was assured that the street serv
; ing the area in which he plans to
, build would be opened at the first
; opportunity.
The need for a sewer system to
serve the new home areas was
pointed out. The city clerk was
instructed to write to the General
Services Administration and find
out what help would be available
to finance the needed sewer sys
tem.
Councilmen also voted to get in
touch with the Civil Aeronautics
Administration to seek help for
improvements to the Valdez air
port. The port already is in use
for daily mail flights to Cordova
and daily flights to Anchorage are
promised soon.
After an exhausting three hours
of grappling with the problems of
a small community faced with
sudden growth, the councilmen
adjourned. Acting Mayor Howard
Burch presided over this meeting.