"News oj oAmericas Last Frontier
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KODIAK, AIASKA MARCH 18, 1941
PR < i 10 CENTS
Inductee From Karluk Drowns In Channel
2 Groups
To Meet
A joint meeting of the Cham
ber of Commerce and the Rotary
Club will be held next Monday
evening in the Wayfarers’ elub
building across from the Russian
church. The meeting has been
called for 7:30
Topic for discussion by the
two groups will be possibilities
for post-war planning, including
steps toward getting a cold stor
age plant under way.
All members of both organiza
tions are urged to be present.
Charges
Answered
Charges made locally by taxi
operators that the actions of the
local OPA board in allocating
tires are responsible for hardship
eases in carrying on their busi
ness were answered today by a
wire from Mildred Hermann,
Alaska director of the OPA at
Juneau. Representations were
made by local drivers to the
M rror and a wire outlining them
wassent to the main office at
Juneau, which replied that tire
and tube quotas throughout
Alaska and the U. S. have been
cat drastically the past year and
that “taxi men should realize
ve have a war to win and only
essential transportation needs
should be met.” .
Sent to Juneau in the wire'
were the following representa
tions:
1. That the local board is
causing hardships by not allot
ting sufficient tires.
2. That local board arbitra
rily decides taxis are unessential
and that previous quota of over
30 tires monthly for KediaK has
been cut to 2 monthly through
prejudice local board.
3. Injustice being done to an
essential defense transportation.
4. One driver said he was
forced to pay $100 each for tires
V> keep in business.
5. Do local boards have right
to decide essentiality of taxis as
group?
6. What are reasons for dras
tic cut in tire allotment?
The answering wire is printed
below in full:
•"Tire and tube quotas for all
Alaska have been sharply reduc
ed during the past year and the
same situation prevails through
out the United States. The rub
ber stockpile is dangerously low.
“Alaska quotas are allotted
•d the basis of population. K'odi
10 Candidates File
Picture Page
For a full page of JP Wire
Photos turn to page 11.
Man Arrested
After Mattress Fire
The 6re department answered
an alarm at 4:50 am yesterday
when a mattress caught fire at
house 331, near the Finnish
Steam Ba hs, occupied by Car
roll Lee and Bill Green. The fire
was discovered by Miss Agnes
Neese who was returning from
work.
Military police arrived at the
scene first and got the two men
out of the smoke-filled house
and dragged the burning mat
tress outside. The floor under
the bed had caught fire and was
extinguished with water before]
the fire truck arrived. i
Carroll Lee. was arrested after
the fire was over on a drunk and
disorderly charge.
The 3-months-old infant of
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Hudson,
teachers at Old Harbor, was ad
mitted to the GM hospital this
week for medical treatment.
The two-apartment building
located next to Rhoades Furni
ture store was sold this week by
Mrs. Agnes Ayers to Mrs. Har
ry Howe for an undisclosed sum.
ak’s quota has not been higher
than 4 tires per month since
July for grade one tires. Quotas
are no longer given on grade
three tires. The local board does
not fix the quota. Each town’s
quota is fixed by the Territorial
rationing executive on the basis
of the total Territorial allot
ment.
“Local boards rule only on
the eligibility of the applicant
and not on the essentiality of
the service and should refuse
tires to any person who violates
any of the regulations. Any per
son claiming to pay $100 for
tires is buying on the black
market.
“We solicit the support of
your paper in putting a stop to
such practices. We can lose this
war through waste of rubber.
Your taxi men should realize
we have a war to win. Only es
sential transportation needs
should be met and pleasure driv
ing should be discontioned as a
patriotic duty.
“Kodiak has an excellent
board and should have the sup
port of the public. Appreciate
your wire.”
With filing for the coming
election of April 4 closing at
midnight next Monday, March
20, first candidates put in their
appearances this week.
First to file was Leo Tyler,
owner of the Kodiak Amuse
ment company, operator of a
musement machines, who signi
fied Monday his intention of
running for councilman. This is
his first appearance in the politi
cal field.
On Wednesday candidates
nominated at a caucus held
Sunday were filed, with nomi
nees for mayor, 4 councilmen
and treasurer.
Put up for mayor is Emil
Knudsen, owner of the Kodiak
Founts in; for councilmen—
Charles Hopp, building con
tractor and former councilman;
Warren A. Taylor, attorney and
former city attorney, who is
also a candidate on the Demo
cratic ticket as territorial repre
sentative in the coming primar
ies; W. A “Pat” Cannon, part
ner in Christy’s Bakery; and
James Martz, manager of the
Island Fountain. For treasurer,
O. A Torgerson, incumbent,
president of the Bank of Kodiak.
For school board the group
nominated Charles Madsen and
E. H. Palmer, Jr.
This group chose the name of
Non-Partisan Party and claims
to be the only political group in
existence whose entire platform
is included in its slogan: “Econ
omy and Harmony in City Gov
ernment”.
At the meeting, with Harry
C. Christopherson officiating as
chairman and Howard L. Keel
er as secretary, no punches were
pulled as every nominee was
thoroughly discussed before the
candidates were chosen. Unlike
most caucuses where candidates
are as a rule chosen from among
those present the Non-Partisan
group scoured the town for
those they felt best suited to
the positions open and 5 of the
candidates were not even pre
sent when their names were
discussed.
Paul Johnson, employed at the
Men’s Store, filed yesterday as
independent candidate for coun
cilman. Charles Madsen an
nounced also yesterday that he
had withdrawn as a candidate
for the school board.
Other filings are expected be
fore the deadline next Monday
at midnight.
Yesterday 227 voters had reg
istered. April 1 is the deadline
for registration.
Mainland
Peak Erupts
Eruption o f Vemaminoff
mountain, about 12 miles from
Chignik, was reported Tuesday
by George Mahle, who makes
his home at Chignik and came
to Kodiak on a short business
trip.
Mr. Mahle said the volcano
rumbled the evening of March 7,
and that before dawn the next
day the eruption began as fire
shot from the cone bright enough
to light up the countryside.
Smoke and fire of the erupting
mountain were accompanied by
ashes that were still falling when
Mr. Mahle left. Chignik on
March 9. He said tne ashes were
not so heavy as the last time
Veniaminoff became active five
years ago. Then the ashes were
thick enough to darken the sun.
Chignik is located on the
mainland southwest toward
Dutch Harbor, about 275 miles
from Kodiak.
Construction Head
Chosen For Church
Paul Raumaker, carpenter,
was chosen superintendent of
construction for the proposed
new Russian church at a meet
ing Thursday night of the build
ing commi ttee and church mem
bers. It was announced that
Mr. Raumaker would be in
charge as supervisor throughout
the construction period.
Date for construction to start
has not been set and will depend
on availability of materials, it
was said.
The Kodiak Bottling Works
was entered through a window,
it is believed sometime earlv
yesterday morning. Reported
as missing were miscellaneous
machine parts.
Outgoing councilmen this year
are James Pierce, E. A. Pearson,
now absent on leave, and W. P.
Smith. The fourth councilmanic
position to be filled is that of W.
F. Lewis, who resigned recently.
Four councilmen will be voted
on with the three with the high
est vote getting the 2-year terms
and the fourth filling the 1-year
position. Hold-over councilmen
are L. K. Wodlinger and Ben
Sholl.
Of the present school board of
Charles Madsen, chairman, Mrs
Louise Coon and Rev. Gregory
Morony, only Mrs. Coon re
mains. Of the two to be voted
on one will be for a 1-year term
and eae for a 3-year ter*.
Believed to have been on ms
way to a boat at Erskine’s dock
in search of a place to sleep, Bill
Wasbrekoff, of Karluk, fell in an
unknown manner into the water?
of the channel and drowned be
fore rescuen- could reach him.
The accident occurred shortly
before 5 o’clock Tuesday morn
ing.
Mr. Wasbrekon had arrived
that day from his home in Kar
luk on the Shuyak, Bob ven
Scheele’s mail boat, in answer to
a call for induction into the
army.
Early that morning Nels
Christianson, aboard the Shu
yak, and Fritz Lorent3on and
Emil Norton, aboard the Kadiak
Fi-beries’ boat tin KFC-OO,
were awakened by the sound of
a splash and cries for help They
got up and put on some elothes
and ran out and reported that
in the moonlight they could
plainly see Wasbrekoff struggling
in the water. The tide in the
channel was flowing north and
they said he was about 60 feet
away from the boats.
Lorentson and Norton launch
ed a dory and rowed out to him.
They said they were almost
within 5 feet of the struggling
man when they reached out
with a pike pole in an attempt
to get hold of him but then he
went down before they could
and did not reappear.
Under the direction of deputy
U. S. Marshal Paul Herring drag
ging operations were undertaken
but the body has not been re
covered.
Mr. Wasbrekoff was formerly
employed at the base as a deck
hand on a dredge. He was mar
ried six months ago and is sur
vived by his widow, Sophie, of
Karluk; and by his father, Mike
Wasbrekoff. of Ouzinkie.
Mail Rates
Going Up
Increased postage rates and
higher fees for money orders,
registered, insured and COD
mail have been announced by
the post office department. The
new rates will be charged on
and after March 26. Races will
be charged as follows:
First Class Mail for Local
Delivery—except that on which
the rate under existing law is 1
cent for each ounce or fraction
thereof and except post and
postal cards, 3 cents for each
ounce or fraction.
Air Mail—from one post office
to another on the mainland of
the U. S., including Alaska, and
from one post office to another
(continued on page 4)