Library-Museum
?0L. 5 NO. 39
KODIAK. AI ASKA — NOVEMBER 24, 1945
PRICE 10 CENTS
Fire Hits
‘Coke’ Plant
Fire of undetermined origin at
1238 am Ia^t Saturday did ap
proximately $6 00 worth of dam
ige to the local plant of the An
ehorage Cold Storage company,
Coca-Cola fra te nsers, on Brook
fyn avenue according to an esti
mate made this week by Joe
Morino, manager. Besides dam
age to the building, over $800
worth of sugar and more than
$700 worth of knocked-down
ordboard cartons were ruined.
Fortunately, Mr. Morino said,
Coca-Cola concentrate to the a
mount of $5000 was not damag
«d.
The fire was discovered by John
Springhill, who lives behind the
plant. Going by he thought he
lights inside, he said, and
glanced through the window to
tee if anyone was working, only
to discover the “light” came
from flames.
Firemen had trouble locating
the fire because of the dense
imoke, which hampered them for
over an hour and a half while
they fought the stubborn blaze.
%ven after repeated dousings the
large stacks of cartons in the
front of the plant would burst
into flame again and again
It was finally quelled and men
iBd one hose were left at the
leene all night as a safety meas
ure.
Two men were hurt during the
ire. Bud Rich, an employe of
the Kodiak Skating Rink, was
knocked from the top of a ladder
by a hose and fell about 10 feet
to a frozen alley-way and was
knocked unconcious. He was
rushed to the GM hospital on
one fire truck, where he was
treated for a sprained shoulder.
Tom Horsman, member of the
Volunteer fire department, also
suffered a sprained leg in a fall.
Investigation afterward failed
to reveal the cause of the fire,
Jack Allman, fire chief, said. It
apparently started above or near
(continued on page 9)
Cars Damaged
In Accident
A fine of $20 and costs and
wspension of driver’s license for
H) days was meted out to Joe
Mahoney this week by City
Magistrate George Slawson after
wnviction on a drunken driving
tharge.
Mahoney, driving a war sur
tfue Plymouth he had recently
Urchased, collided with a La
Wle driven by Bill Wynkoop,
on Mission road Sunday. The La
Salle was badly damaged. A set
tlement for the damages was
worked out whereby Wynkoop
PWehased the Plymouth.
[Cordova To
Sail Friday
Kodiak’s Christmas boat, the
Cordova, will leave Seattle next
Friday, Nov. 30, *he local Alaska
Steamship office announced to
day, and should arrive here a
bost Dec 8. It’s next trip follow
ing is scheduled for arrival at
Kodiak around New Year’s.
An agreement was reached in
San Francisco Tuesday ending
• he strike which tied up 5 Alaska
Steamebip vessels at Seattle for
about a month.
Overtime claims sought by the
union are to be paid and the issue
of a meeting place and recrea
tion quarters on ships will be
turned over to a referee for set
tlement.
City Wired On
Strike Situation
Urging that governmental a
genc'ef, appointed to prevent
such occurrences as the strike
that now ties up boats to Alaska,
take action to remedy the situa
tion, a wire from the city, signed
by O. A. Torgerson, mayor, was
dispatched Tuesday to Lewis B.
Schwellenbach, secretary of labor
at Washington, D. C.
The wire stated:
‘ The residents of Alaska are
becoming seriously alarmed con
cerning the shipping strike now
in effect at Seattle which if con
tinued much longer will seriously
affect transportation of needed
food, fuel oil and other essential
commodities, as due to the nec
essity of importing all commod
ities the si> uation is much more
critical throughout Alaska than
in continental United States
where most necessities are ob
tainable even during strikes.
| “We are also in urgent need of
lumber and other building mat
erials in order to properly house
■ our people, as except for a few
housing projects in some Alaskan
ci mmunities no construction has
been possible since the beginning
of the war.
' “Strikes of Alaskan Bhip em
ployes and lumber workers deep
(continued on page 4)
Next Week !
In The Mirror
Company Explains
Rate Position
L. W. Baker, Alaska Steam
ship company official, in a wire
to Walrer Sippiell, local agent,
said:
| “In connection with the recent
publicity concerning the War
Shipping Administration’s peti
tion to the Maritime Commission
for increased rates, the steamship
companies have been requested
as general agents for the WSA to
participate in the hearing in or
der that said general agents may
present figures which will indi
cate increases in operating costs.
“The steamship companies
realize the future prosperity ot
Alaska is at stake and that Alas
ka cannot continue to prosper if
freight and passenger rates are
increased to the extent mention
ed in recent numerous newspaper
articles.
“On the other hand, the gov
ernment as owner and operators
of the vessels is faced with a very
perplexing problem in that its
costs of operating tbe vessels to
day greatly exceeds its revenue
therefrom.
“Contributing to this condi
tion in addition to the very sub
stantial basic wage increases are
the many changes in working
rules which produce the tremend
ous payments of overtime com
pensation, and appreciable in
crease m the number of days
now required to complete a
round voyage. Operafors are also
faced with increased costs in
food supplies, fuel, oil, insurance
and repairs.
“These factors make it impos
sible to continue operating with
the outgoing far in excess of in
coming revenues.
“The primary purpose of the
rate hearing is to endeavor to
find a solution to the problem.
Tbe steamship companies know
that excessively high freight and
passenger rates will be a serious
blow to Alaska Therefoie, as the
future prosperity of the trans
portation companies serving Al
aska is entirely dependent upon
Alaska itself being prosperous,
we will use our best efforts to
help the WSA find a solution
that will be satisfactory to all
concerned. (See story page 5.)
Postponement Urged
The Kodiak Chamber of Com
merce, along with numerous
other bodies in the Territory,
this week went on record in a
wire to Delegate E. L. Bartlett
as being opposed to a freight in
crease and asked that the sched
uled hearing on rales be post
poned to give Alaska parties
time to prepare data.
“We have no objection to fair
hearing,” the wire said, “but
(continued on page 9)
Library
Discussed
With the Red Cross Center al
ready closed and Dec. 1 set as
the date the American Legion,
Post No. 17, will regain their
building, a meeting was called
Monday evening to discuss plans
for establishing a public library
with the center’s library as a
nucleus.
With about a 1000 books to be
left in the building, and with an
other 2500 already obtained from
the Army at Anchorage by the
Legion, a good start toward
Kodiak’s first public library is in
evidence.
About 20 attended the meeting
including 4 ladies, where the dis
cussion of a library branched out
into ways of using the Legion
building as a community center.
In turning the building back
to the Legion the Red Cross had
let it be known that if the com
munity should obtain the build
ing from the Legion, about $2000
in furniture and fixtures could
be left in the eenter. Legion offi
cials who were approached, it is
stated, were not favorable to
such a plan, and discussion at
the meeting centered around
whether the community and es
pecially the city would give fin
ancial aid to such a center not
wholly community-owned.
No definite plans were advanc
ed as to how a project such as
the combined center and library
could be adequately financed, so
a committee, consisting of repre
sentatives of various groups, was
named by L. J. Norman, meeting
chairman and commander of the
Legion, to formulate definite rec
ommendations to be reported at
a meeting to be held next Sun
day, Nov. 25, at 3pm. at the Le
gion hall.
Everyone at the meeting a
greed that a center, providing or
(•ontinued on page 41
__
Bond Drive In
Reverse One Week
It sounds impossible, but the
total Victory Bond sales as ef
Not. 23 were about two thou
sand dollars less than on Nov.
16, a week previously, and now
Kodiak has even farther to £0 to
attain its goal of $35,000.
Sales reported last week from
all sources were $21,412.50, and
after another week of the cam
paign sales yesterday were total
led at $19,481.25
The apparent discrepancy was
explained by the fact that some
bends sold just before the drive
started were wrongly included in
the campaign totals a week ago
Kodiak has until Dec. 8 to sell
$15,518.75 worth of bonds in its
“wrong-way” campaign.
2 Men Still
Unreported
No trace of Jay Tolbert and
Beans Anton, more than 2 week
overdue from a boat trip that
was to take them to Iniskin bay,
on the mainland about 150 miles
north of Kodiak, was seen by a
party of men who left last week
with Tiny Cichoski on the ‘ Skip
py” and returned Thursday
morning.
The boat searched the west
coast of Cook Inlet, going a few
miles north of Iniskin bay, but
saw no signs of the men or their
open 32-ft. gas boat, nor could
they find any inhabitants in that
area.
Last report on the men is that
they left Kupreanof straits on
October 28, to cross the open
water, and that there was 2 days
of fair weather following their
depaiture The two men weie
going af er machinery and ex
pected to be back in 10 days or
so.
On the searching party’s return
U. S. Commissioner G. W. Bu
bendorf informed Mrs. Tolbert
(Christine Leite) of the failure
of the search, and yesterday was
making an attempt to locate
someone who knew the addiees
of Beans’ brother. Harlam Anton,
who formerly worked here at the
Army dock.
John Chase, partner with Jay
Tolbert in a contracting firm,
said yesterday he was contem
plating going to Homer and then
flying over to Iniskin bay aDd
that area during good weather.
The Navy has reported 5
flights being made in ibeir planes
in the area, but said t.he seareh
was inconclusive as the planes
were hampered by fogs on all
trips.
Sled Area Named
To p’•event sledding accidents
the police department has set a
side Spruce Lane hill and one
block of Alaska Way adjoining
it as a sliding a;ea, and ears are
forbidden to use it while it is be
ing so used. Children with sleds
are cautioned to stop before
crossing the highway at the feet
of the run, by the MP station
No sledding will be allowed on
any of the other city streets, and
children caught violating this
rule will have their sleds im
pounded, the police department
said.
Just 26 Shopping Days
Until Christmas
Do your Christmas Shopping
| now and avoid the last-minute
rush! Stocks of local stores arc
more complete, offering wider
select on, easier purchasing and
more time for gift packaging.
Be unhur; ied and unbarried.
Shop now!