"News or cAmerica’s Last Frontier
fOL. 4 NO. 29
KODIAK. ALASKA
NOVEMBER 25, 1944
PRICE 10 CENT*
Photo Shop
Purchased
The Helsel Photo company,
oldest established photo com
pany in Kodiak, was sold this
Wednesday by Cecil Helsel to
Charles Rutkowski and Leif
Norman who will operate it on a
partnership basis with Mr. Nor
man in active charge.
[ Mr. Helsel left Kodiak recent
ly after a short business visit
ind returned to the States and
is at present in Ren#, Nevada.
The deal was handled for him by
his manager of the store, Mrs.
Jeanette Bailey.
Mr. Rutkowski, who has been
itatioDed to the Westward in
the army for the past 17 months
»as recently in Kodiak on fur
lough and is at present in An
chorage. He recently sold his in
terest in the Cheechako club to
Jack Allman, local fire chief.
Mr. Norman is originally from
Seattle and has been in Kodiak
Dearly a year, during which time
te was manager of the Wodling
ei drug store.
The company was originally
started by Harry Becker, now
living on Camano island near
Stanwood, Wash., and was sold
by him on Feb 7, 1941, to Verne
E. Rowley a CAA employe here
it that time. Rowley in turn
»Id it the same month, on Feb.
24, to Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Hel
k], who operated it jointly until
Mrs. Helsel’s death last year.
Mrs. Bailey, who has been
manager for over two years, has
tesigned the position effective
vith the transfer
The company will be known
is the Northland Photo Shop
liereafter, Mr. Norman said yes
terday.
The purchase price, including
real estate, stock and fixtures,
'as $15,000.
Missing Kodiak
Man Found
Seward — Seward was begin
jmg to claim the title to the
Dort of missing men” when a
third man disappeared here re
•ently. He was Jimmy Bunch,
•ho arrived here from Kodiak,
’here he drove taxi. After his
sported disappearance it was
^covered that he had left for
sattle on a boat leaving Sew
»d.
Second man to disappear was
Viliam Bryan, carpenter, who
whed a check at the Northern
kr on Oct. 9 and has not been
*n since by relatives or friends.
Hector Mason Brown, res
wrant owner, disappeared last
Uy and a reward has been of
#ed for months for knowledge
him, dead or alive.
Repeat Performance
Gregory Chanuin, who enjoys
the distinction of being the first
patient ever admitted to the G
M hospital, was admitted this
week again for a new injury to
an ankle. By a strange coninci
dence it was the same ankle, but
a different injury, that brought,
him to Kodiak 4 years ago when
the hospital was just opened.
New Delegate
In Washington
Juneau (Special) — Leaving
Juneau Sunday, E. L. Bartlett,
Alaska’s Delegate (o Congress,
said: “As a lifelong Democrat it
pleased me to see the re election
of President Roosevelt and the
increased Democratic majority
in Congress.
“Before my formal induction
into office I shall spend consider
able time in conference with my
predecessor, Anthony J. Dimond)
to thoroughly familiarize myself
wi h procedure aud details of
the office with which I am some
whal acquainted through serving
as secreta'yto Delegate Dim
ond.
“My chief interest is in the
fullest prosecution of the war and
with plans to extend every poss
ible aid to honorably discharged
war veterans and to endeavor to
secure for Alaska its proper
share of appropriations that will
be made for post war rehabilita
tion.”
With 39 years ot continuous
residence in the Territory Dele
gate Bartlett enters office with
longer residence in Alaska than
any of his predecessors at the
time of their election.
New Police Chief
Sworn In Monday
George Magnusen, police pat
rolman for the past 5 months,
was sworn in Monday as chief of
police, replacing Jack Allman,
who resigned that position but
retained the job of fire chief,
both jobs being formerly com
bined.
Allman’s salary as fire chief
was set by the city council as
$50 monthly plus living quarters
in the fire hall. Magnusen’s sal
ary for the new single position
has not yet been adopted by the
council.
Replacing Magnusen as pat
rolman is George Mahle, who
was also sworn in Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. William Wright
announced this week the open
ing of the Smoke Shop in the
former Dell’s cafe building, re
cently operated by Art Kizer.
Mr. Wright is in charge of the
cardroom and Mrs. Wright will
supervise the lunch counter
Conviction
Is Unheld
Fairbanks—The conviction of
Mrs. Louise Williams Allred on
a charge of embezzling a fur
coat has been affirmed by the
U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals
in San Francisco, according to
word received here.
Mrs. Allred thus must serve
the 10-year sentence imposed by
| District Judge Harry E. Pratt in
Fairbanks last January 21. Mrs.
Allred was taken to the federal
reformatory for women at Alder
son, West Virginia.
The appeal court had fixed
bond of $25,000 when it look
the case on appeal, but the bail
was never posted and Mrs. All
red has remained in the West
Virginia institution.
Mrs Allred was convicted on
a charge of embezzling a fur
coat that had been placed in the
storage vault of the Fairbanks
Agency Company. The date of
her indictment was Sept. 21,
1943, which was 6 days before
unidentified yeggs entered the
vault of the Fairbanks Agency
and chiseled open 90 safe deposit
boxes, escaping with cash and
jewelry in the amount of more
than $65,000. No connection
between the two cases has ever
been brought to light, although
the government’s brief in oppos
ition to the fixing of bail bv the
appeal court called attention to
the vault robbery,
Chairman Names
Bond Canvassers
Bond committees to canvass
the business district as in former
drives were named this week by
O. A. Torgerson for the 6th War
Loan campaign which started
November 15 and runs through
December 16.
Campaigners are:
Mill Bay Road—Ray Martin.
Alaska Way—George Wil
liams, Al Miller.
Brooklyn Avenue — Emil
Knudsen, Ben Kraft.
Harbor Avenue — Wes
Rhoades, William Lamme.
Main Street—James Martz.
Kodiak’s quota for the drive
is $24,000.
By Associated Press
Army Air Forces Hdqts.—
Pacific Ocean Areas—A large
force of B—29’s, probably the
greatest number yet to attack
Japan, bombed industrial tar
gets of Tokyo today (Nov. 24)
as the 20th AAF’s Thanksgiving
day message to Japan it was an
nounced simultaneously by Gen.
Arnold and Deputy Comdr. Mil
(continued on page 9)
Seward Gets Phones
Washington — The Fedem
Communication Commission ha:
granted authority to the Amer
ican Telephone and Telegraph
company to amend its tarriff on
one day’s notice to provide pub
lic toll telephone service between
the United States and Seward
and Whittier in Alaska.
Dawson Residence
Fire-Damaged
The Robert E. Dawson resi
dence in the Carlson Hill addi
tion near the north end of
Brooklyn avenue was damaged
by fire Suturday from an over
heated oil range during the ab
sence of the family.
Mrs Dawson, who is employ
ed at Erskine’s and Mr. Daw
son, employed at Freymueller
Photographers, were both at
work when the fire was discover
ed and although the children
had been home they were away
also at the time. The alarm was
sounded at 3:45 and both fire
trucks responded and water was
drawn from the cit.y hydrant on
Brooklyn avenue. A thick white
smoke poured from under the
building and out the eaves and
handicapped the firemen in find
ing the source of the blaze. No
flames were visible outside at
any time during the fire.
The fire was put out in a few
minutes and investigation dis
closed that the floor by the kit
chen stove was burned through
and most of the burned portion
was centered around the stove
and on the wall behind it. Fire
also burned into the attic. Struc
tural damage was estimated by
Fire Chief Allman as around
$600 and there was also smoke
and water damage to the house
hold furnishings in addition. The
owners carried insurance.
After the fire was thought
thoroughly extingquished Fire
Chief Allman left a man and one
hose line there after the trucks
were returned to the fire hall.
This safety measure proved
worthwhile as the fire broke out
again twice, once in the attic
and once under the building in
burlap wrappings on the water
pipes.
The alarm was turned in by
James Martz who was at his
home in the Erskine addition
shaving when a neighbor ran in
to report the fire. Martz, still
soapy, raced down the hill by
car and reported the fire to the
Marshal’s office.
Giving a hint of suitable
weather for Christinas, snow
and light hail began falling yes
terday. Another sign of Christ
mas was the first Christmas tree
seen this week—in the window
of the Kodiak Variety store.
OPA Cites
Beef Basis
In response to some objection:
to retail ceiling prices recently;
established by the OPA on heel
from the market in Kodiak arid
other Alaska towns, the Juneau
office issued this statement to
day:
“Wire from Alaska OPA re
presentative in Seattle confirms
the fact that price on beef whole
sale to Alaska is up only three
quarters cent to one and three
quarters cent per pound since
Nov. 1941. Pre-Pearl Harbor
price to Alaska butchers for
grade A beef side at Armour?,
22 cents per pound, now 22 ami
three-fourths cents. Nov. 1941
the price of A beef side from
Fryes, another representative
wholesale supplier to AlaSKn,
was also 22 cents, now 22 and
three-fourths cents. When under
the Maximum Price Regulation?
194 the markups on beef priee
to consumers should have been
oniy one or two cents per
pound higher than pre-Pearl
Harbor prices, many prices were
advanced far more than Hub a
mount. Ceiling prices now set
designed to make a liberal al
lowance for this and other ac
quisition and selling expenses^.
Sales volume of butchers ha?
never been higher.”
To this statement the loen?
board added that it made s
check and found “that it cost?
not more than 5 cents pei pound
on top of the invoice price to
land the product here.”
A spokesman for local dealei
said yesterday that a great num
ber of factors involved in Belling
beef here have not beeD consid
ered. He cited the following:
1— Frozen meat cannot pro
duce the percentage of meat us
ually cut.
2— Under new price ceilings
many cuts have to be sold At
what it costs to obtain here.
3— There is no vo ume in i!b *
locality for cheap cuts of meat.
4— Special cuts cannot! he
purchased, dealers must take
whole beef.
Because of these and other
reasons the dealers said they
withdrew beef from the market,
as was done in Cordova, Anehos
age, Sitka, Juneau, and otbet
towns, hoping for an investig
ation and adjustment that wiff
make it possible to resume il?
sale.
Becomes SPAR Cadet
Helen L. Long, formerly im -
ployed in the office at Erskaw^
is now a cadet of the U.S Coast
Guard training school (Spars)
and is stationed at Palm Beaehv
Florida.