Peninsula’s Oil and Gas
Potential Cited by Egan
At Pioneers Convention
The Kenai Peninsula and i t s
oil industry was mentioned sev
eral times by Gov. William A.
Egan when he addressed the
Pioneers of Alaska on Oct. 1 at
that organization’s convention
held in Anchorage this past
weekend.
“The petroleum industry, cer
tainly Alaska's greatest immed
iate hope for industrial develop
ment, estimates that more than
40 wells in Alaska will produce
six million barrels of oil this
year as compared with the 559,
000 barrels produced last year,”
Egan said.
“Demonstrating its faith in
Alaska’s oil future, the industry
is going to construct a refinery
on the Kenai Peninsula. In .May,
the major oil companies invested
over seven million dollars in the
leasing of 56,199 acres of Tyonek
area land (across the Inlet from
Kenai) for oil exploration.
“Oil companies are wildeatting
on the Kenai Peninsula, near Ya
katoga, near Bethel, and along
the Bering River. This is just a
start. Alaska is considered by
many oil geologists to be poten
ially among the great oil prov
inces of the world,” the governor
added.
Governor Egan noted that the
Japanese are much interested in
the importation of liquified nat
ural gas of the type that has
been located in great quantities
on the Kenai Peninsula.
“A vital aspect to any devel
opment program is the identifi
cation of potential markets,” re
marked the governor. “Much in
terest has been shown lately in
one particular market— Japan.
There exists a startling relation
ship between what Japan needs
in timber and mineral resources
and what Alaska has In abun
dance to offer. Our proximity to
Japan increases the opportunities
for further supplying the Jap
Gunsmithing
and
Machine Work
* Scopes
* Reloaders
♦ Stocking
* Rebarreling
Harold
FULLER’S
Cun & Machine Shop
Cooper’s Landing
anese market with Alaska prod
ucts.
“We have learned the Japan
ese are intensely interested in
the importation of liquified nat
ural gas and are converting some
cargo ships to carry this type of
fuel. A virtually unlimited sup
ply of methane has been discov
ered on the Kenai Peninsula. If
this methane can be liquified at
a reasonable cost it will find a
ready market in Japan. The State
administration is working closely
with private investment and de
velopment groups to make such
trade a reality,” Egan added.
Gov. Egan also pointed out
that the Japanese are consider
ing relaxing their ban on the
importation of steam coal and if
this occurs, Alaska would pro
vide the most obvious immediate
source for this type of coal. Tim
ber and iron ore, both in abun
dance in Alaska, are needed by
Japan.
Egan also urged local govern
mental units and civic groups to
see that local development com
mittees are appointed immediate
ly so that these areas may par
ticipate in the Federal govern
ment's new Area Redevelopment
program.
She Got There
By Buckboard
The horse-drawn buggy and
buckboard of an American era
now past may be more familiar
as a means of transportation to
an Oregon woman now' visiting
in Kenai but she also finds travel
by air, and Alaska, fascinating.
Mrs. Kittie H. Zehrung,
mother of Carl E. Zehrung, mis
sionary preacher at the Kenai
Church of Christ, is visiting her
son and family. She saw the
youngest of her 24 grandchildren
for the first time wrhen she ar
rived on Sept. 11.
Mrs. Zehrung, who grew up
around the turn of the century,
was teaching school in Kansas in
the days when automobiles were
a novelty. She never has driven
a car but used to drive horses
hitched to the family buckboard
or buggy. She took her first ride
in an airplane on her trip here
from Seattle, finding air travel
to be exciting and much more
convenient.
Myrtle Creek, Ore., has been
her home for 40 years. She rear
ed six sons and one daughter
there after moving to the area
by covered wagon in 1921 from
Pendleton, Ore., with her husband
and five children. The family
homesteaded at Myrtle Point.
Mrs. Zehrung says she finds
Alaska beautiful and interesting
although she has seen little more
of the state than Kenai since her
arrival.
Get Their Bison
All 50 persons holding 1961
permits for Alaska’s first bison
hunt since 1952 were successful
in getting their animals.
Cordova Airlines Announces!
NEW LOW RATES
Soldotna to:
Anchorage.$6.00
Kasilof.$3.00
Ninilchik.$4.00
Seldovia.$8.00
Port Graham.$9.00
(One-Way Passenger Fares, Plus Tax)
Freight Rates Reduced 20% to 30%
Phone 262-4101 or 262-4461' SOLDOTN A
1961 Increase
Noted in Sterling
Hwy. Comparison
With the peak of the tourist
season past, traffic on Alaska’s
roads dropped in August as com
pared with July, but the traffic
count at six out of seven check
points marked increases over
comparable figures for the same
month of 1960.
Traffic on the Alaska high
way 10 miles southeast of North
way Junction experienced the
greatest drop, according to T. D.
Sherard, director of the Alaska
Division of Highways. August's
count there proved 22 per cent
less than the count during the
previous month of July.
Other decreases, comparing
August with July, included sev
en per cent on Sterling highway
six miles east of Soldotna, and
one per cent on the Anchorage
Seward Hwy. just south of Nor
thern Lights boulevard.
Comparing this past August
with August of 1960, Sterling
highway traffic was up 19 per
cent, Anehorage-Seward traffic
increased six per cent.
Ketchikan First
To Seek Area Aid
In ARA Program
Approval of the first prelim
inary over-all economic develop
ment program by an Alaska ar
ea redevelopment committee has
been announced by Gov. William
A. Egan.
The preliminary program, sub
mitted by James G. Pinkerton,
chairman of the Ketchikan Area
Redevelopment Committee, has
been forwarded to William Batt
Jr., ARA administrator, for ap
proval.
The state’s certification was
given by George W. Nichols, di
rector of the State Division of
Planning which has been desig
nated to exercise responsibilities
under the Area Redevelopment
Act.
The 13-page Ketchikan plan
discusses economy of the area,
the basis for economic growth,
its problems and the area’s goals
and programs.
Under the ARA program, pre
liminary plans must be prepared
by the local areas and submit
ted to the state for initial a
proval before being forwarded
to the Washington agency for
action.
Law Against It
There is a state law in Alas]
against creating a distrubance
a stream where salmon a
spawning.
NEW
RAINBOW
SUBDIVISION
in RIDGEWAY
“Grow With Soldotna’’
LOVELY WOODED LOTS
$500 & up
EASY TERMS
Slawson & Associates
At the Totem Pole in Soldotna
Phone 262-4711
Alaska Aggregate Corp.
Government Approved
v Concrete and Aggregates
IDEAL CEMENT
MIRACLE LIME —
New Low Prices
Alaska Aggregate Corp.
BEAVER LOOP ROAD
KENAI Phone 283-7575
YUKON
Plumbing & Heating
Installers of Natural Gas Furnaces
Since 1936
“WE KNOW OUR BUSINESS”
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Located at Slawson & Associates
AT THE TOTEM POLE
Soldotna Phone 262-4711
KENAI SERVICE
Formerly KENAI GARAGE & AUTO SALES
UNION 76 PRODUCTS
OPEN 7:30 A.M. to 10 P.M. WEEKDAYS—7:30 to 11 P.M. WEEKENDS
★ Avis Rent-A-Car ★ Wrecker
- NEW & USED CARS -
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Box 463 KENAI Phone 283-5252