"News of oAmencas
Library and Museum
Juneau
VOL 14 NO 1
KODIAK. ALASKA
MARCH 13. 1954
PRICE 10 C^NTS
Alaska - Hawaii State
hood Bill OK In House
Washington (5*)—'The Sen
ate voted 46 to 43 last Thurs
day to combine the Alaska
Hawaii Statehood Bill into a
single package. This combine
was achieved on a amend
ment offered by Democractic
Senator Clinton Anderson of
New Mexicowhich was strong
ly opposed by the Eisenhower
Administration. The support
of the merg er of the State
hood Bill gained the majority
vote through the efforts of 43
Democrats, 3 Republicans and
1 Independent vote, that of
Wayne Morse of Oregon.
Fourty-one Republicans and
two Democrats opposed the
Bill. The reason for this divi
sion of votes is apparent be.
cause Alaska usually votes
Djnoiritic ail Hivaii nor
mally Republican. In an at
tempt to stall the merging of
the two bills. Republican lead'
er William Kaowlaai ofCili
fornia promised the Alaska
Democrats the Alaska Bill
would be called up at a later
date this month.
The Democrats ' favoring
St tehood for Alaska argued
that the combined bill was the
only chance that the Alaska
Bill wouldhave for action dur
ing this term of Congress.
The Alaska Statehood Bill has
already been bottled up in the
House for a ninemonth period.
The combining of thetwo Bills
lead to a lengthy discussion as
to the possibility of passage in
the House. Some Senators
said the combined Bill meant
eertain defeat of the Bill
while another factor said this
was not necessarily so.
representative tsariettstate
ment on the combined Bill
was; “I felt that Alaska State
hood has not yet perished in
this Congress as certainly it
would have if the Amendment
to combine the Bill had not
carried.” On the other hand
Delegate Farringtonof Hawaii
described the maneuver by
saying, “A serious blow to our
hopes for Statehood. We are
victims of a partisan situation
not of our own making and
over which we of Hawaii have
on control.” However he ad
ded, “The fight will go on.”
Cecil A. Griffin has leased an
area of the City Dock thirty
feet square to install a cold
storage unit 18’ x 18’ to deep
reese son; of the bottom fish
that are a by-product of the
King Crab Industry. Permis
sion wa3 granted Griffin by
the Council, to start the con
struction immediately.
Chart*s H Myars Fined
Something For Nothing
Charles H. Myers, age 44.
was taken into custody by the j
Marshal’s Office on two sepa
rate charges involving the
same offence. The charge un
der which he was held was
held was making false state
ments to obtain unemploy
ment insurance benefits. At
two different times he made
out papers to obtain this in
surance and each instance he
falsefied the request.
The complaint was signed by
W. L. LeMarte, the Field
Representative of the Terri
tory Employment Security
Commission. Aseparate charge
on each instance was filed,
and Myers plead guilty to
both allegations. On the first
count he received 30 days in
jail with 15 days suspended.
On the second count he re
ceived 30 days in jail and a
$25 fine. Fifteen days of this
sentence were suspended and
he will have to pay this fine or
serve it out. Myers is in jail at
the present time serving a city
sentence and these two fede
ral charges will start when
the city charge has been satis
fied.
About 64 cents of every U. S.
dollar of national income goes
to payrolls for employee wages
and salaries.
Hepatitis Epidemic In
Alltak. Half Infected
Population Inoculation
The latest eriidemic to in
vade Kodiak Island is known
professionally as Infectious
Hepatitis or sometimes called
Infectious Jaundise. The di
sease is caused by a virus
which is taken into the body
through the mouth and ex
pelled through the feces. In
so m3 foreign countries where
the human feces is used for
fertilization, v the poisonous
matter is reproduced in the
vegetables as it grows and
thus infects the person that
eats that vegetable.
However, in the United
States and its possessions it is
unlawful to fertilize the land
with human feces and this
cause is almost extinct. It
spreads from person to person
through unhygienic living and
unclean practices in habits.
Hepatitis is most prevalant in
children but in a much milder
form.
A call from Alitak to the
Naval Station brought atten
tion to this little village of 81
inhabitants and doctors from
the Base went to the village
and diagnosed the malady as
Hepatitis. Of the 81 persons
living in Alitak nearly all were
in some stage of the disease.
A call to the States brought
Dr. Leftwick from the Uni
versity of Southern California,
and with Dr. MacFarlsne from
the Naval Station, Cora Ober
Continued on Page 4
Guardianship Of Wells
Heir - In Controversy
! $200,000 Estate.Stake
I Seen Ae A Court Plum
The Wells Case, which for
the past six months has
f eatured the headlines in the
City Council Seek Aid
From US. New Fireball
i The Housing Home Finance
made an inquiry of the City
Council as to the needs of suf
ficient apparatus to adequately
handle a fire in the City of Ko
diak.
j It was discussed at the last
meeting and the Council con
cluded that the City needed a
,new Fire Hall capable of
handling 2-1000 gallon pump
ers, according to th“ statistics
released by the Insurance Un
derwriters of the Territory.
| The new building would cost
$350,000 and the Government
would put up 75X of this
I amount in the construction.
At the present time the City
has one 1000 gallon pumper
and a jeep pumper that would
not be adequate to handle a
fire of any great proportion.
| The Kodiak High School’s
senior class is sponsoring a
play which wiil be hefd in the
j Fort Freely Little Theatre
! March 26 and 27, at 7:30 pm.
I Title of the play is “The
{Absent Minded Professor.”
1 Tickets are on sale as of to
j day. Admission is 50 cents for
I students and a $1 for adults.
Kodiaks Finest And Their Safety Patrol
The Forces of Law and Order with the addition of Safety added are herein depicted.
Police Chief Vickery and his force are responsible for the organization of the School Safety
Patrol which makes the safety for your child and mine in the City. Chief Rolar.d Vickery
Patrolman John Boucher; Patrolman Ovid McKinley; and Patrolman Neil Argy. ront row,
Edmond Hall; Steven Foster; Stanley Austerman; Bill.. Cummings; John Tegstrom; Mike
Dailey and Ray Lohse.
Alaskan Press, takes on a
now aspeeo as of today.
The murder of Cecil M.
Wells on October 7th of last
year; the capture of Johnny
Warren, the colored drummer'
in a Fairbanks Night Club:
his admission in a written
statement saying “Her eyes
lee me to believe she might
appreciate attention”; clan
destine meetings of the two;
intimacies; arrest; arraign
ment and all the rest of the
sordid statements connected
to a case of this kind, and
then the aftermath when
a child is involved, and
Mrs. Diane Wells left a three
and one half year okl boy
Marquam Wells who appar
ently is going to be the pawn
in legal entanglements as to
his guardianship. I
On Thursday March 11, Mrs
Edna Westbrook of Fairbanks
an aunt of the Well’s son, re
quested his guardianship. She
is a sister of the late Cecil4
Wells the wealthy business
man who was murdered in'
Fairbanks. When Mrs. Wells;
left Fairbanks after bond had
been posted, she left Marquan*
with friends of hers by the
name of Mr. and Mrs. Allan
Mansfield on her arrival in
the states.
After Mrs. Westbrook filed
her petition for guardianship
of the child, her attorney
asked that she be give tem
porary custody of the chiid
pending the hearing which is
due to come up March 22.
This request was denied by
Judge Roy L. Herndon who
said the Mansfields should be
given a chance to- prepare a
defense before being com
pelled to give up the child.
Mrs. Westbrook made the
statement that the Mansfield5
were taking “Excellent Care’ ’
of Marquam but the lad was
still a “Stranger among
Strangers” and he would fe©
more at home in Alaska. The
petition also pointed out that
n both the Well’s wills the
the Westbrooks were nomi
ated as Marquams guardians.
Mrs. Diane Wells in one of
her suicide notes asked VI m.
Kueben Tarte, whose hub n 1
is trustee for the Wells estat
to take Marquam and raise
him as her own.” She also
has arrived in Seattle ti
after the boys welfare, bit
Reuben Tarte made the stiti
ment he was willing to Wiive
the custody of the boy U
favor of the faction that i.
able togiveh’ma^51 h)n>