••ihH.
"News of oAmencd’s Last Frontier9
VOL 10 NO 49
KODIAK, ALASKA FEBRUARY 10, 1951
PRICE 10 CEN rs
Third Division Demos
Under Colleagues’ Fire
By Jim Hutcheson
Juneau (-P)—The Territorial
house erupted twice this week
after two and a half weeks of
deceptive quiet. Both eruptions
poured heat down on the Third
Division’s soiidly Democratic
delegation of seven.
The first blowup came Wed
nesday when all 17 represent
atives of other divisions
ganged up to push through a
recommendation to congress
for reapportioning the pro
posed statehood convention
delegation to avoid openly ex
pressed fears of Third Division
control.
The second one on Thursday
eame over the now famous- or
infamous, as critics call it
memorial to congress and the
United Nations secretary ex
pounding in eloquent Jeffer
sonian terms the right of the
Territory to establish the Re
public of Alaska if statehood
isn’t granted.
The final decision was stalled
off Thursday but not until the
Th rd Division authors of the
memorial had had their ears
battered.
The authors proposed
amending the memorial by
striking out the Republic of
Alaska Clause and making it
a plain memorial for statehood.
They lost on a 13 to 10 vote.
The House majority demanded
it be killed out right so not
even its number remained.
The final vote on killing the
memorial was stalled by man
euvering but both houses
made it plain there would be
no approval of any memorial
setting forth the right of se
cession theory.
One of the telegrams used
most effectively in the debate
was one from Mayor Lee Bet
tinger of Kodiak. Mike Stepo
vich, Fairbanks Republican,
read into the record the de
nunciation by Bettinger, who
described it as an expression
of “immaturity and disloyal
ty.” (See story, adjoining col
umn)
Rail Strike Ends
By the Associated Press
One of the longest, most
costly rail strikes in history is
nearly over. All mail service
has been restored. The Post
office Department has directed
all offices to resume normal
mail service and end all re
strictions. The Army’s threat
to fire striking switchmen is
regarded &s the main factor in
breaking up the 10 day “sick
ness” walkout. (See earlier
story page 5.) . . ...... .
!Vlayor Denounces
Representatives
The seven Democratic Th’rd
Division representatives were
the target of Mayor Lee C.
Bettinger’s wrath Thursday
and were bitterly denounced
for their action last week of
introducing a memorial in the
Territorial House calling for
the establishment of the Re
public of Alaska in the event
statehood was denied by Con
gress.
Mayor Bettinger told the
Chamber of Commerce that
the action of the representa
tives was “treasonous, that
they were not speaking for
me, and that there was not a
man on that list that had done
a thing toward statehood.”
The Chamber of Commerce
went on record as strongly op
posing the memorial. Wires
and letters will be sent to Ju
neau protesting the action. In
urging the C of C to oppose
the measure Bettinger de
clared, “They are not speak
ing for me when they propose
secession. I am proud to be an
American. Their action is one
of the greatest blows state
hood can receive.”
He explained that Congres
sional opponents of statehood
would jump on the Third Div
ision representatives’ memor
ial as evidence that Alaska
was politically immature and
not capable of governing or
administering the affairs of a
state.
Confer On
Housing
A meeting among Ray
Lewis, Los Angeles contractor,
Captain W. F. Wesanen, USN,
district public works officer,
and Mayor Lee C. Bettinger
! was held Thursday to speed
the defense housing project in
the east addition.
Lewis’ trip and the meeting
were for the purpose of deter
, mining the rental costs to be
placed on the single family
units, which will be built, and
to arrive at a tentative alloca
tion of the units to enlisted,
officers and civilian personnel.
! The rental cei.ings deter
jnine the number and type of
i buildings that wiil be built,
I Lewis said.
Construction will probably
i begin this spring pending the
j setting of the price the Alaska
( Housing Authority must pay
the Bureau of Land Manage
I ment for the land deeded it by
■ the city. The AHA then sells
| the land to Lewis and he builds
j and rents the houses.
The single family houses
' will have t.vo and tnrea bed
I rooms. Two-bedroom houses
I will run around 80% and three
j bedroom the remaining 20% of
j the construction.
| Plans must be approved by
| the Navy Department, AHA
j and City belore being sent
I to Washington for final ap
proval. On receipt of approval
there the Secretary of Defense
, will issue a certificate of occu
• pancy.
Every house will have a gar
age and will be insulated for
i Alaskan weather.
Chamber Decides Bears Unwelcome
On This End Of Island
A suggestion, the second in
a montn, that protection of |
bears on Kodiak Island be (
withdrawn because of cattle,
depredation will be taken to!
Juneau this week by Karl;
Brunstad at the request of the j
Kodiak Livestock Growers!
Association. ;
Barker, the suggestion was
made at a fisheries hearing.:
The proposal asks that a line;
be drawn from Viekoda Bay |
to Ugak Bay and that all land
northeast of the line be de
clared open territory for the
killing of bear.
The second suggestion was
made at the Chamber of Com
merce meeting Thursday and
immediately met with the
disapproval of local big game
guides. H. L. “Doc” Rochelle
said the present game laws
were adequate for the pro
tecting cattle.
“Trophy hunters will not
hunt bear if there is a bounty
on them. These big game
hunters bring lots of money
to Kodiak,” Rochelle said.
Coming Tuesday
Dorothy Tyner, rent control
representative for this area,
plans to be in Kodiak from
Wednesday through Saturday,
she notified the MIRROR
yesterday.
Miss Tyner will meet with
landlords and tenants to dis
cuss problems of rent control.
(See earlier story page 3).
The District Court will con
vene at 2 pm Tuesday at the
Union Hail, U. S. Deputy
Marshal Clarence Dizney said
last night.
UFA Sets’51 Prices With
independent Operators
Several independent Kodiak
Island salmon canneries and
the United Fishermen of A
laska have settled fish prices
for the 1951 season, Pat Can
non, UFA president, revealedi
yesterday.
Cannon returned this week!
from Seattle, where he went
to negotiate with the indepen
dents after recent negotiations
with the Alaska Salmon In
dustry representatives in Ko
KHS Team Ready
For Rendezvous
Anchorage (.-Pj—The Kodiak
High School basketball team,
defending champions of the
class R league, and Wasilla
drew byes in the opening
round of play for the Fur
Rendezvous tournament.
Play will begin Friday after
noon with Cordova meeting
Nome and Kodiak Naval Sta
tion High School playing
Valdez.
The Bears will travel to the
tournament by plane. They
have won the championship
in the B division for the past
two years.
Kodiak The KHS Bears
plan to leave Wednesday for
Anchorage, and jyill be ac
companied by CTnrles Pen
rose. their coach. They will
remain away for about a week.
Members of the team who
will go are Alfred Anderson,
Laurence Anderson, Allen
Chernoff, Alexander Fadaoff.
Richard Hartman, Jerry Pear
son, Morris Sargent, Richard
Skinner, Sammie Nelson,
Gene Sundberg. and Robert
Dawson, manager.
Wallaces Buy Bar
Interest Of Partner
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Wallace
have purchased John Bergs
ma’s half interest in the Idle
Hour Bar and are now owners
of the business, it was an
nounced Wednesday.
The transaction was com
pleted Tuesday and the agree
ment was effective im
mediately. Early last year
Wallace and Bergsma pur.
chased the business from Mr.
and Mrs. Max LaLande, now
owners of LaLandes’ Kodiak
Bakery.
! Bergsma plans to join his
family in Renton, Washing
ton. Prior to coming to Kodiak
he was in the dairy business.
Mrs. Walter O’Brien was
hostess to the Catholic Ladies’
Guild Wednesday evening.
diak failed to culminate in an
agreement.
Final acceptance of the
prices depends on balloting of
union members, which began
Wednesday of this week, Can
non said.
These canneries have set
tled prices with the local
union: Whiz-Halferty, Inc.,
Parks Canning Co., Washing
ton Fish and Oyster Co., Is
land Seafoods, Mainland
Fi-heries and Southwest
Fisheries.
Prices are as follows: kings,
$2.50; reds, 82; pinks, 85;
chums, 40; and silvers, 75.
Prices in 1950 were, respec
tively, $2.00, 66, 25, 80, and
60 cents.
Pete Gilmore and Elmer
Harris of the ASI were her*1
last month to negotiate prices'
with the union, and in past
years have signed a contract
with the union. According to
Cannon, they have not con
tacted the union since negotia
tions ended on Jar.., II. At
that time, Cannon said the
following prices were offered'
kings, 2.30; reds, 78i cents,
pinks, cents; chums, 36]
cents; silvers, 71 cents.
In addition to the canneries
named, Cannon said three
other independents agreed
verbally to the prices but have
not submitted the offer in
writing. Among the three is
Ouzinkie Packing Corp., for
merly Grimes Packing
Cannon said that, the in
dustry, which represents
“only the trap canneries in
the Kodiak area with the ex
ception of Libby McNeill and
Libby at Moser Bay, was to
have a meeting Feb. i and
had promised to contact us
immediately but no word was
heard from them before I left
Seattle last Saturday.,J
Cannon added that ‘ ‘it has
always been ASI’s tactics to
stall until the fishing season
has opened in order to force a
lower price. The contracts for
the past several seasons have
been signed after the season
started. ”
The independent canneries
also offered an increase of
12i percent for cannery work
ers, clam workers and pre and
post-season workers, Cannon
said.
Following a meeting with
Whiz-Halferty officials and
the clam diggers in Aberdeen,
1 the union accepted an offer of
15.50 per box for clams, Can
non also announced. This
[price must be ratified by the
i membership.