fOL. 3 NO 11
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PRICE 10 CENTS
"News of oAmencas Last Frontier”
KODIAK, ALASKA MAY 15 1943
Chief Protests Closure;
Council Hears Water
Report; Attorney Resigns
A letter from P. J. Watkinson,
rice-president of the W. J.
Erskme & Co., asking for the
resignation of Police Chief J. H.
Pierce and refunding of his
police salaries, was read. The
letter had been read before and
tabled until the return of Mayor
Jiiell.
Mr. Watkinson was present,
and told the council that al
though he did not want to in
volve the council in any legality
as to the money paid Pierce
while acting both as police chief
and councilman, if they did not
remove him if would “be neces
sary to take some such action ”
' Immediately after Watkinson
finished Pierce asked for the
floorand in a surprise move of
fered his resignation both as
chief and council member Pierce
explained, however, that his ac
tion had nothing to do with
iWatkinson’s request. He said
■hat he “did not want to buck
[the Army and Navy or involve
five council” but that he did not
approve of closing of the houses
of prostituion and that he would
“not cooperate in such a move".
Mayor Miell explained that in
appointing Pierce chief he had
retained him on the council be
cause he would “not feel right in
depriving the city of a council
member ” Dr. A. Bates Jones,
city health officer, entered the
discussion and said that although
the Attorney General had given
a contrary opionion “it is not in
the statutes a;nd is done else
where.” Miell reiterated that it
was not a legislative law but
Watkinson insisted that Pierce
could not hold both positions
legally. After additional discus
son a motion was made by
Warren A. Taylor, city attor
ney since incorporation of the
city of Kodiak, submitted his
resignation by letter to the coun
cil Monday, the resignation to
"be effective of this date”. The
letter gave no reason for the ac
tion, but called the council mem
bers attention to a brief enclosed
with the letter, submitted for the
members’ attention.
The brief consisted of a 5-page
compilation of cases and cita
tions referring to unauthorized
expenditures by municipalities,
especially referring to a case in
volving Juneau where a court
ruled that the city could not ex
pend money to send a lobbyist
to Washington, D. C.
The council here recently
authorized the expenditure of
money to rend Mayor Nick
Miell on a trip in connection
with seeking changes in the city’s
water system, Miell just having
returned from the trip, which
took him to Seattle and Wash
ington
The brief was not read but
was passed around to the courr
cil members On a motion made
by Councilman Pierce, seconded
by Councilman Pearson, the re
signation was accepted. No other
action was taken.
Councilman Pearson, seconded
by Councilman Smith, that Wat
kinson’s letter be tabled, follow
ed by a second motion by
Councilman Sholl, seconded by
Councilman Pearson, that
Pierce’s resignation as chief not
be accepted. Both carried.
Previous to the discussion the
city clerk read a petition, carry
ing about 165 names, asking that
Pierce be retained as police chief.
Passes Are
Cancelled
Tuesday afternoon all service
men were recalled to the base
from Kodiak as the result of an
order signed by Col. Frazer, Fort
Greely, and Commander Ander
son, NOB, cancelling all passes
The notice gave no indication of
when the order’s action would be
terminated, but a military auth-1
ority said it was definitely not an
“off limits” or'"out-of-bounds’’
order.
The military authority said
that the order, while involving
other factors, was precipitated
by a request from Mayor Nick
Miell for action concerning the
morals situation following the
recent closure of houses of prost
itution. Mayor Midi's action in
turn followed a report of two
morals cases and one of attempt
ed rape which occurred in the
city Monday night. i
The permanent closing of the
houses wa< ordered by m litarj'
authority and was made effective
May 2.
Water Report
Major Midi, in r(••porting on
I his trip to secure changes in the
water system, said that in con
sultation with Regional Director
Durkee, of the Public Wo.ks A
gency, in Seattle, he was unable
to get permission for any change,
and that after a telephonic con
versation with Delegate Anthony
Dimond in Washington, D. G. he
left for Washington. Meill said
he discussed the matter with Di
mond and that Dimond arranged
a meeting for him with Baird
Snyder, assistant administrator
of the PWA. From Snyder Miell
said he first learned that because
of recommendations made be
cause of war conditions a plan
was considered for a system to
(continued on page 4)
Landtb’eop&ts^brftg'tf' Sl- '^ro'eps asbrorfi from a transport/io Amchitka. landing at Constantinje
urbor. Other ships whsch took part in the Army-Navy expeditionary thrust are in tlie distance. ;
A3S*/.-Vvv..,? . . •’ •
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Victory Garden
Contest Started
A Canteen Victory Garden
and Canning Club was organized
this week by Mrs. Forest G.
Ayers, Captain of the local Red
Cross Canteen Corps. Boys and
girls of school age and adults in
this vicinity are eligible to join
and compete for prizes. Those
interested inay register with
Mrs. Ayers.
The use of several vacant lots
has been granted by owners for
these who do not have space.
Prizes will be granted in late
summer for the best gardens,
best supply of home canned
foods and home dried foods in
3 divisions: adults, high school
and grade school There will be
special prizes for the best small
backdoor garden and most useful
indoor garden to encourage those
(continued on page 7)
Candy Plant
Being Built
Lee Bettinger, manager of the
Kodiak Bottling Works announ
ced this week that a new addi
tion to the bottling plant, to
house a complete candy making
plant, would be finished in about
3 weeks and with installation of
equipment now on hand would
soon be in operation Equipment
includes a taffy-pulling machine,
cooling slabs, kettles and furn
aces with necessary candy sup
plies A crew of 4 girls and 1
man, all experienced candy
makers, is expected soon from
Portland, Oregon.
Bettinger said all types of box
ed and packaged candies would
be made for both military and
civilian trade.
Kodiak Bear
Attacks 2
One man is in the Navy hos
pital with a lacerated foot and
another has a small claw wound
on his leg as the result of an en
counter with a mother Kodiak
bear and her twin cubs about V
miles from the Club Montmartre
north of Kodiak.
The men are Robert S. Boy«f
and Eddie Whilmey, civil service
employees at the base. Whilmey>
who has been in Alaska 4 years,
and Boyd, decided they wanted
to see a Kodiak bear so took a
hike with that objeet in mind.
They followed the north coast e!
the island around past numerous*
bays and then started back cross
country. Discovering they had
travelled faHther than they
thought and as darkness ap
proached they decided to spend
the night. rl he next morning at
4:30 they continued on then way
and talked about “what they
would do if they met a bear’'.
Neither one had a gun.
At one place t hey had seen
bear tracks and they S' on came
to a spot where there were mote
tracks and fie.di he.d sign. As
they started on they looxed up
and saw a mother t ear and her
two cubs approaching. The
men said the bear swatted one
of the cubs one direction off the
path and the other one in tire
opposite direction and then
started toward them. Boyd an«l
Whilmey each picked out a tree
(continued on page 4)
Blackout Hours
May 9 to May 22, Inch
9:30 pm to 5:30 am
Week’s News Highlights
Pacific Front \
American Army troops landed
on Attu late this week and are
now locked in battle with Japs
forces there aecording to a com
munique released yesterday. No
details of the battle were given
The invasion followed the 254 th
raid on Kiska since Feb. & ap
peared to be a flalikmg
movement designed to isolate
the Jap garrison. Reports indi
cated stiff resistance was expect
ed on Attu due to the terrain
of the small island , approximate
ly 25 miles by 30. Tokyo radio
said an unidentified sul , presum
ably American, shelled .» village
on Hokado island, 900 mi'es
north of Tokyo U. S. bomln rs
in the Solomons continued to
plaster Fauro island, Munda, Ka
hili, and Ballale. jap recruitihg
bureau lowered agfe* limits" for'
boys training for.the air force
from 15 to 14.
Asia Front
Presence of Field Marshal Sir
Archibald P Wavell, Command
er in Chief of British forces &
Air Marshall Sir Richard Peirse>
lop British air officer of the Or
ient, brought military observers
to believe the Jap question was
brought to focus at the confer
ences this week between Prime
Minister Churchill & President
Roosevelt at the White House,
U.-S: airmen destroyed 10 Jap
planes iu fight over Canton,
dropped 40 tons of bombs At lost •
1 bomber.
European Front
This week’s “heaviest ever”'
air bombardmen of Hitler’s Eur
ope was an RAF attack that;
shattered Duisburg with 2000
’totis of bombs', Was so saturated
tbat-each square mile got 80. tons
of explosives & inecndiaiiefc; 24
(continued on page 4) \