The Daily Alaska empire., 1945-05-05
PARSONS GIVES
 PUSH TO DRIVE
 FOR UTILITIES
Mayor Casts Deciding Vote on Appointm enf of
 Stuart as Engineer

put his full weight behind his drive for municipal ownership of public utilities, breaking up showdown on immediate action by casting the deciding vote in favor of appoint ing Walter F. Stuart, former Ketch- ikan Public Utilities manager, to the newly created $400-a-month post of Special Utilities Engineer.
 The Juneau City Council had split, three to three, on the question, with Ccuncilmen Harry Lea, Don Skuse and Edward Nielsen casting their votes against the appointment Mayor Parsons had placed Stuart's name in nomination as a first step toward getting an immediate ap- praisal of local utilities
 After the Mayor had demonstrat- cd that he held the balance of power, the full Council went along with him on his request for author ization to commence negotiations with at least two appraisal firms "ioii oiiSii biuo to bC lSlCilCO DdCh to the Council before any agree ments are made. According to best present estimates, appraisal of the Alaska Electric Light and Power Company and the two water com panies will cost the City between $10,o00 and $l5,O00.
 Previous to presentation of the utility question, the Mayor had se- cured the Councils authorization to obtain loans to total not more than S50,000 to meet current city expen- ses into June. Among bills to be met is one of $2l,500 due to be paid the School Board before June 1. An- other $3,000 item is to pay for the Scoopmobile, the purchase of which the Council approved at the special meeting last week.
 More Borrowing
 Mayor Parsons stated that he ex- pected he would have to ask the Councils permission for further bor- rowing when payrolls come due in July and August. The $50,000 loan approved last night is in addition to $10,00O voted by the Council two weeks ago.
 The question of renewing the lease to the City Dock held by the North land Transportation Company was pushed into the background by the utility issue at last evenings lengthy session, which was also featured by a reading of the franchise of the Juneau Water Company Attorney R. E. Robertson, representing the Northland Company, was, however, present at the meeting to present the Steamship firms answer to the City's demand for a monthly rental increase from $500 to $500.
 MT Robertson stated that his company would not agre. to any in- crease over the former rental rate, after which the Council voted to put the issue to arbitration, as pro- vided in the original lease agree ment. City Attorney Howard D. Stabler was named to represent the City on the Board of Arbitration, with MT. Robertson acting for the Northland company. The third ar bitter is to be selected mutually by MT Robertson and MT. Stabler.
 The agreement provides that the rental rate arrived at by the arbit- CTS will be binding on both the City and the steamship company over the next five-year period, from April 21, l945.
 Hospital For Insane
 During a lull in the utilities battle, Harold B. Foss brought be- fore the City Fathers a proposal for action on H.R. l412, bill introduced in Congress by Rep. Homer D. An- gell, of Oregon, for a new $2.500 900 hospital to care for Alaska insane, to be located at Portland, Oregon. The bill, providing for erection and op- eration of the institution under the U. S. Department of the Interior, was introduced in the House of Representative on January IS, 1945, and referred to the Committee on Territories.
 It was immediately decided that the Mayor should address com munication to Alaska Delegate E. L. Bartlett, expressing the opinion of the City administration that the hospital would be better located in the vicinity of Juneau, perhaps at site near Aux Bay previously pro- posed by the Juneau Chamber of (Confinued on Page Two)