I
'OL. 3 NO. 51
"News oj cAmerica’s Last Frontier'3
KODIAK, ALASKA FEBRUARY 26, 1944
PRICE in CENT8
vouncilman
Suits Post
'Councilman Bill I-ewis tender
I his written resignation to
te city clerk Mon da}' as mem
»r of the council. The letter
as dated Feb. 21 and asked
tat the resignation be effective
£ t of that date.
The letter of resignation con
lined no reason for resigning
ut in an open letter, published
sewhere in this issue, Mr. Lew
i ascribed his move to dissatis
tclion with current council
olicies.
Licenses Here
Licenses Gone
At long last the 1944 Alaska
license plates have arrived, but
If you need one you’re out of
jck because only 50 were sent
rom Juneau and there are over
00 automobiles in Kodiak that
equire them. The 50 are already
[one
The new plates are a small
metal plate bearing only the
fate of the year and are design
id to be attached over last year’s
dates.
The plates may be obtained
it the U S Commissioner’s of
ice during office hours—when
nore arrive, that is
News Highlights
Pacific Front
SW Pacific—Adm. Win. Hal
sey’s destroyers are drawing a
■tighter knot around Jap bases to
neutralize air attacks. They sank
2 enemy merchant vessels in
'lew Ireland area. American sea
>atrols also heavily bombarded
£avieng, northern tip of New
reland & shelled installations on
)uke of York islands. At no time
luring attacks were any Jap
>ianes sighted, giving strong sup
port to Gen MacArthur’s state
nent “we are tightening the
dockade *of enemy’s Bismarck
bases & now dominate sea lanes
lo the north”.
New York—Tokyo radio ac
knowledged loss of Jap garrisons
on Kwajalein & Roi islands, to
talling about 4500 men annihil
ated by American fotces. Broad
cast said last defenders died Feb.
6 in final counterattack against
invading Americans. Also said
2000 civilians serving Japs
“fought in vigorous cooperation
^ith garrison units & shared
(continued on page 41
This is the first air photo ever
made of the Jap base of Truk,
barely discernible are a large
Oumber of Jap ships in the har
bor. Picture radioed from Hon
olulu to San Francisco. •
Cold Facts About Cold Storage
A cold storage plant for Kodiak has been talked of so many
times that old timers refer to ‘‘the cold storage scare of 1922”
—or some other date, and dismiss the subject with a shrug.
Despite that the time has come to mention it again.
Post-war planning is now engaging the attention of the
world, the nation, and every city, large and small. Post-war
planning is especially pertinent to cities that, have enjoyed a
growth and obtained improved facilities as a direct or indirect
result of war activity. It is up to those cities, and Kodiak is
one of them, to not not only plan now, but to take action
now, to 6ee that the facilities gained by that growth are used
to the fullest advantage and retained in the largest measure
possible.
Two cities, Cordova and Anchorage, are now working on
cold storage projects The Cordova plan, recently approved
by that city’s council, provides for obtaining a plant with
government aid. Half of the money will be obtained as an
outright grant, the remaining half will be met by revenue
bonds, to be authorized by special election.
The one for Anchorage is announced by Les Harvey, who
represents the Alaska Fish and Farm Products Co., He said
the lumber has been cut and construction will be started
this spring on the plan .
“The pay day for fishermen on upper Cook Inlet was more
than $200,000 ast season and the cold storage plant will
bring an extra pay day of $144,000,” he said “Four halibut
boats will operate to Anchorage, bringing their catches in for
quick freezing instead of taking them to Seattle. Other fish
prmen will bring in king salmon and other varieties.”
A government bulletin says this about Kodiak: “By far the
most important varieties of fish in this area economically are
the several species of salmon, for these fish support the many
salmon canneries of the region, and the canneries in turn
furnish the principal employment for the people. Valuable
cod and halibut banks occur in neighboring waters The hali
but are marketed as fresh or frozen fish, and in the absence
of refrigeration facilities on the island the fish are carried to
southeastern Alaska and Seattle and are marketed, and the
local people get little benefit from that industry.”
The anomaly, the paradox, the downright absurdity of the
whole situation is readily apparent. Kodiak is the logical
place for a cold storage plant; Kodiak needs, and increasing
ly so, the employment and revenue which a cold storage
plant would provide; yet it is our two neighboring cities on
the mainland who are going after this valuable project.
Kodiak, in this matter, is somnolent. Which is a polite way
of saying that Kodiak is dead in two directions.
(To he continued next week)
Nephew Is
Raid Hero
A former Valdez boy, Lt.
William Agnetti, a bombardier
on a Flying Fortress, was the
hero of a recent raid over Ger
many, acording to an Associated
Press report.
Lt. Agnetti is a nephew of
Paul Swanson, employed in
Kraft’s butcher shop here.
Agnetti, although not a pilot
himself, was credited with bring
ing the Fortress home after it
whs badly damaged and both
the pilot and the co-pilot had
been badly wounded. The co
pilot slumped in his seat un
conscious, while the pilot, ser
iously hurt and with oxygen
mask destroyed by the force of
an explosive shell that burst in
the plane, was rapidly losing
control of his senses.
Lt. Agnetti grabbed an emer
gency rnasK and held it to the
pilot’s face which enabled him
to fly home. As soon as the plane
landed the pilot collapsed. The
co-pilot was dead. One engine
was shot away and fuselage was
ripped to ribbons.
Lt. Agnetti is the son of Mrs.
Thomas Miles of Seattle. She
remarried after the family mov
ed from Valdez where Lt. Ag
netti’s father was a Signal Corps
operator.
President Named
Emil Knudsen, owner of the
Kodiak Fountain, was elected
president of the Rotary club at
a meeting of the board of direct
ors tbis week. He replaces Lt
Stephen Harvey, who is trans
ferred t" Anchorage.
First Air Photo Of Jap Base At Truk
On
Strait Sold
Completion of sale of tbe
Kupreanof Lumber company,
located on Kupreanof strait, to
George Bust, was announced to
day by Harry Howe, operator Of
the sawmill since 1935 Sale tto
eluded all logging equipment and
logging rights.
Mr. Howe will still be active
with the company as broker an 1
will handle all sales. The mill is
a 10,000-feet capacity plant and
in the last two yeais has pro
duced over a million and a half
feet of lumber each year.
Mr. Howe is installing two
new diesel engines in the Uyak
and will use the boat for lumber
hauling. Orders now are goin«
only to canneries and army pur
chases, but Mr. Howe said that
by July of thi-s year it is expect
ed that civilian orders can be
filled.
Intruder Is
Still Active
The residence of Tommy
Clampffer, on Brooklyn avenue,
was entered between 6 and 10
Tuesday evening, and in the us
ual manner o the mysterious
visitor who has been frequenting
so many homes, drawers were
searched, elothes scattered about
—but nothing was taken. About
$100 in the house evidently was
not discovered.
The marauder entered with a
key and let the owner’s dog into
the house.
Last Friday night someone en
tered the John Hub ey residence,
emptied drawers on a davenport
and went through the contents,
but again took nothing. As a
memento of the visit was one
feminine garment, torn in shreds.
This occurred also in the earty
evening.
Last week also the Bryan
Tborsheim residence was visited.
The culprit did less rummaging
but took a child’s bank, estim
ated to have about $10 in it.
Peeping Tom Caught
A soldier was taken into cus
tody last night when caught
peering into a window at the
Pat Cannon re^dence on Brook
lyn avenue, police reported.
A youth was held in jail over
night this weeK after being
caught stealing bottles by the
case from the Coca-Cola plant
and reselling them One other boy
was involved but no charges
have been preferred
A fire alarm was sounded at
11:27 Thursday evening when
soot burned out of the chimney
of Bert’s drug store. There was
no damage.