News by Slow Boat
Sen. Asks Indian Board
Have Alaskan Members
Appointment of Alaskans on
eii Advisory Board on Indian Af
fairs, sought in legislation by
Secretary of the Interior Stewart
’Udell, was proposer! by Senator
■Gruening last week in an amend
lent to S. 2298, which came be
fore the Senate Subcommittee
. n Indian Affairs, of which the
enator is a member.
The senator noted that “What
may be appropriate and appli
able in various parts of the older
48 states is not appropriate and
applicable in Alaska,” where, he
said, the history of the natives,
and their relationship to the fed
eral government, are quite dif
ferent.
“It is not possible for people
•who have lived only in the States
to go up and take a quick look
see and suddenly find out what
the Alaskans’ needs are,” Senator
Gruening told the committee. “I
am convinced, for instance, that
if there had been such a commit
tee for Alaska, Secretary Udall
would not have permitted the
kiad of precipitate action taken
by the Fish and Wildlife Service
in suddenly, for the first time in
45 years, 'enforcing what the
rervice interpreted to be the
treaty with Canada in regard to
hunting of ducks for food by
Eskimos.
“I find it extremely difficult to
understand why, after 45 years,
with a great variety of secretary
ses of the interior, this is now en
forced for the first time. That
treaty was passed in 1916, and
th# secretary of the interior at
that time was Franklin K. Lane,
who served until 1920 and was a
very enlightened, knowledgeable,
great secretary of the interior.
In fact, he was the first secretary
< f the interior who came to grips
with the bureaucracy in Alaska,
arid spoke out about it.
“Of course, he must have been
consulted about this treaty, both
because'he was secretary of the
interior;-and no doubt had a spec
ial interest in it in view of the
fact that he was a Canadian by
bipth. Yet, during these first
three or four years when the
treaty was new, if it had -been
considered appropriate and dec r
atfle to enforce "it as far as the
Eskimos were concerned — that
is, their taking the ducks just
for food—Secretary Lane would
have done so. But he did not do
so.
“Then he was succeeded by
s meone else in the Wilson ad
ministration, and then we had a
series of Republican appointees:
Secretary Albert Fall, whose
memory is not too sacred; then
Secretary Hubert Work; Secre
tary Roy West; and Secretary
Japan-Alaska
Freight Lowered
WASHINGTON—A surcharge
cA originally 30 per cent and for
the past few weeks 20 per cent
■on freight rates from Japan to
Alaska was removed entirely this
week by action of the Transpa
cific Freight Conference after
Senators Ernest Gruening and
E. L. (Bob) Bartlett (both D
Alaska) had fought a battle
against it both on and off the
floors of Congress.
Ray Lyman Wilbur; and then,
under President Roosevelt, we
had Harold lekes for 13 years.
Then we had Julius Krug, Oscar
Chapman, Douglas McKay and
Fred Seaton. During all those
years none of these 11 secretar
ies, who must have been familiar
with the provisions of the treaty,
thought it proper to crack down
on the Eskimos who were taking
these ducks for food.
“It seems to me we need the
kind of committee representation
I recommend to advise the secre
tary of the interior so that this
sort of thing, which I consider
a most unfortunate situation, will
not take place without due con
sideration. It may be that the
treaty will have to be revised for
clarification, but I strongly feel
that there was an aboriginal right
there that should have been re
spected, and was respected by
every previous secretary of the
interior.”
The subcommittee accepted
Senator Cruening’s proposal in a
modified form by specifying that
three of the members of the ad
visory board should be Alaskans,
and included in the committee
report the recommendation that
these should assist the secretary
in determining his policies relat
ing to Alaska natives.
Soc. Sec. Changes
Ray Williams, resident repre
sentative for the Social Security
Administration visited Kenai re
cently to assist with applications
for old-age, survivors and 'dis
ability insurance benefits.
Williams reminded area resi
dents that recent changes in the
social security law lowered the
age from 65 "to 62 for men to
qualify for social security. If a
man elects to receive bis social
security before he is 65 his bene
fit will be reduced, according to
the number of months that he
will receive a benefit before he
is age 66.
Another change lowers the
amount of work credit required
for old-age and survivors bene
fits. The amount of work re
quired for disability benefits re
mains the same.
Still another change increases
the amount of earnings that a
social security beneficiary may
earn before losing all of his bene
fits for the year. The new pro
fisions also provide for benefit
increases for aged widows and
for those persons receiving mini
mum benefits.
These increases will be made
automatically beginning with the
check for the month of August.
It will not be necessary for these
people to contact the social se
curity representative.
Men between 62 and 65 who
wish to retire with reduced bene
fits and older workers who for
merly did not have -enough -credit
fov* work under social security to
receive benefits, must apply be
fore their benefits can be started.
These people should get in touch
with the social security repre
sentative.
Persons interested can contact
W'illiams by writing Social Se
curity Administration, P. 0. Box
1381, Juneau.
At the peak of
the season
the fishing
boats crowded
the mouth of
the Kenai
river. A few
are still
fishing for
silver salmon
but most are
in dry dock
waiting for
next year’s
red salmon
run.
Alaska Freight
Rate Increases
While ocean freight rates over
the past four years have increas
ed for the “home areas” of Ha
waii, Ouafm and Alaska in the
Pacific trade, Tates to the Far
East have decreased.
This information was disclosed
in testimony before a Senate
Commerce subcommittee while
Senator Bartlett was presiding
over hearings relating to steam
ship, conference dual rate legisla
tion.
Chairman William C. Gatlowoy
of the Pacific Westbound Confer
ence, said that not only on the
Far Thwt trade route had there
been no freight Increases since
May, 1957, but that there had
been hundreds of rate reductions
ranging from 9 per cent to &8
per cent tm some 95 tariff items
representing 53 per cent of the
total tonnage.
During this Same period rates
to Alaska increased 32.8 per cent,
to Hawaii some 26 per cent, net
continuing a pending 16 per cent
increase, and that from Guam
there had been three rate . in
creases in four years, the-"first
ranging from 6 per cSnt to 15
per cent, the second from 7 per
cent to 16 per cent and the third
at 20 per cent.
During the same period and in
the Atlantic, freight increases to
Puerto -Bko have amounted to 29
per cent.
Anchorage Center
Bill Proposed
In U. S. Congress
Senator Gruening introduced
Aug. 31, for himself and Senator
Bartlett, a bill that would pro
vide for a foreign trade zone, a
hall of states and an interna
tional reception and information
center at the Anchorage Inter
national Airport.
The senator noted that there
is only one place in the United
States—Anchorage—which could
be a counterpart of the free port
operated so successfully at the
Shannon, Ireland airport, where
international air carriers stop en
route-to other countries. Senator
Gruening said the latest figures
show “that foreign visitors to the
Anchorage International Airport
in between two foreign countries
now number close to 150,000
annually.
Oldest Settlement
Kodiak, on Kodiak Island, is
the oldest settlement in Alaska.
YUKON
Plumbing & Heating
Installers of Natural Gas Furnaces
: Since 1936
‘WE' KNOW ”OUR BUSINESS”
t A
Located at Slawson & Associates
* ' AT THE TOTEM POLE
SohJotna Phone 262-4711
' .
Kenai Area 4th
In Farm Produce
Farm products sold in Alaska
jumped 104 per cent from 1049
to 1959, according to statistics
just released by the Census Bur
eau from the 1959 Census of agri
culture. Total value showed an
increase - from $1,5$!,931 to $3,
214,299 for the period.
Sales in 1959 were: Dairy pro
ducts, fLy634,70dr field crops
other than vegetables, fruits and
nuts, |5S1,273; livestock and
livestock product^' other than
dairy and poultry products, $45 5,
255; poultry and poultry pro
ducts, .$317,263; vegetables, $187.
975; forest products and green
house and hothouse products,
$76,039; and fruits and nuts,
$1800.
The average value of products
sold per farm was ,$2994 in 1949
and $8758 in 1959.
For value of products sold in
1959 by individual districts, sta
tistics are as follows,' for the 367
farms in the state:
Juneau, '13 garths, total, $197,
903; field crops, $7920; vegeta
bles, $2378$ forest and horticul
tural-specialty products, $15,001;
dairy products, $114,580; poul
try an<l poultry products, $56,
010, and livestock and livestock
products, $3,018.
Palmer-Wasilla-Talkeetna dis
trict, 154 farms, total, $1,966,
733; field crops, $312,981; vege
tables, $141,406; fruits and nuts,
$100; forest and horticultural
specialty products, $2932; dairy
products, $1,309,461; poultry and
poultry products, $85,492, an I
livestock and livestock products,
$114,361.
Anchorage district, 22 farms,
total, $282,372; field crops, $106,
745; vegetables, $9339; forest
and horticultural specialty pro
ducts, $28,464; dairy products,
$28,738; poultry and poultry pro
ducts, $54,420, and livestock and
livestock products, $54,665.
Kenai-Cook Inlet district, 51
farms, total, $71,762; field crops,
$18,308; vegetables, $2629; fruits
ajid nuts, $400; forest and horti
cultural specialty products, $4038;
dairy products, $9703; poultry
and poultry products, $16,593, and
livestock and livestock products,
$20,091.
Kodiak district, 19 farms, total,
$66,006; field crops, $640; vege
tables, $172; forest and horticul
tural specialty products, $350;
dairy products, $5539; poultry
and poultry products, $320, and
livestock and livestock products,
$58,985.
Fairbanks district, 77 farms,
total, $378,436; field crops; $12$,
996; vegetables, $38,419; fruits
and nuts, $600; forest and horti
cultural specialty products, $12,
030; dairy products, $166,679;
poultry and poultry products,
$43,262, and livestock and live
stock products, $11,450.
All other districts, 31 farms,
total, $351,087; field crops, $8683;
vegetables, $3,635; fruits and
nuts, $700; forest and horticul
tural specialty products, $13,215;
dairy products, $10,000; poultry
and poultry products, $62,169, and
livestock and livestock products,
$152,685.
There are presently about 27
million acres of federal land in
Alaska under lease to the oil in
dustry. ,, ..
D & D
BIKE AND FIXIT SHOP
*' Located behind Gibbs Apparel in Soldotna ■’ if 1
FRANK A PAT DONNER
f
*?it fan a'Kiitf
KINGSBURY
F* I— E= B B B