Evening star., 1936-04-26
Marked Progress Made in
Recent Years in Judicial
Affairs.

Recent Years in Judicial
Affairs.
many extraneous duties. including the
tying OF nuptial knots for romantic
couples, administering oaths to atlantis
and performing other routine" legal
services.
If the customary itinerary is fol-
lowed the court will sail from Valdez
the latter part of May toward the vast
fishing grounds of the Bering Sea, by
way of the Aleutian Islands and way
points.
The first stop probably will be
Seward. on the Kenai Peninsula,
where the Alaskan Railroad has its
terminus. After few days at
Seward, during which hearings may
be held before grand or petit juries,
the Haida will cleave her way through
Resurrection Bay and into the Pacific
Ocean and thence south to Seldovia,
on Kachemak Bay, overlooking Cook
Inlet and near the formidable active
volcanoes. Katnai. Iliamna and
Mageik, on the Alaskan Peninsula.
The cutter must anchor about q
mile out in the bay at Seldovia The
court will take to the ships launch
and upon arrival at the village will be
escorted to an available court room
usually the town dance hall. Two days
will be spent in settling Seldovia's
legal problems.
The court then will proceed past
the Bering Islands to Kodiak Island,
where Baranoff ruled with an iron
hand in the days of RuSsia's despotic
sway.
A Russian church on hill is re-
minder Of those days.
THE good people Of Seldovia in
variably entertain the members
Of the court to the limit of their
| families. and If the Judge is so dis
/ posed, he will be guest of honor on
trout fishing expedition on nearby
/ stream.
| From Seldovia the cutter-court will
| head westerly into the Kupreanof
/ Straits. which lie between Kodiak Is
/ land and the Alaskan Peninsula. and
then southeasterly to Unga, tiny is
land formerly the site of Russian
settlement.
Unga, in the heart of broad fish
ing ground, has its legal difficulties
in common with the rest of the world,
| and for day or so the court will
hold busy but informal sessions in
the Office of the United States COM
missioner. Most of the customers"
will come to Unga by boat from far
points-as did the Eskimo in the row
boat.
The cutter then will thread her
way through Umnak Pass to Unalaska,
far to the west. In this former Rus
sian village, still boasting its Russian
cathedral, court will be convened in
the parlor of the United States mar
shals Office, where luncheon undoubt-
edly will be served to the distin-
guished guests by group of house
wives of the village
The vessel will turn north from
UnalaSka, proceeding along the Alas
kan Peninsula into Bristol Bay, which
empties into the Bering Sea.
Anchoring at the mouth of the
Naknek River. the cutter will trans
fer its passengers to a launch for an
| 1l-mile journey south to the town of
Naknek, center of a prosperous SAL
mon canning industry.
Because the school house is the
only suitable meeting place, Naknek
school children will receive a holiday
| and their building will be turned
over to the court for the day. Judge
Hellenthal will sit on the teachers
platform and litigants and spectators
will occupy the benches. More than
likely lunch will be served to every
body by the wife of the town marshal.
THE court will move on to Dilling-
ham, where the launch again will
be used on 15-mile journey through
the shallow water. Here, too, the
school house will be utilized.
Then north again, across the Arctic
Circle, to Kotsebue. former Indian
settlement, where the journey prob
ably will come to an end.
The whole trip of the floating
court" will consume about two months.
When the court first was estab-
lished it was found that lack Of
lawyers in the fishing villages COM
tAl yunrk nf tho fri
bunal. There was no one to prepare
briefs, present pleas, make arguments
or otherwise to represent the inter-
ests of petitioners or defendants.
To meet this problem the court was
authorized to appoint defense attor-
neys, who were taken along on the
cruise at the expense Of the Federal
Government. The attorneys had lit
tie time to acquaint themselves with
the problems Of their clients and JUS
tice must have suffered to a certain
extent.
With the improvement Of educa-
tional facilities and the rapid advance
ment of civilization in Alaska since the
United States acquired supervision Of
the country, lawyers have become
widely available there and court
appointed attorneys no longer are re-
quired.
WITH the inroads of civilization has
w come a disappearance of ancient
customs Of the natives in favor Of
modern modes Of living.
,xA. -A- u - a. L..