The Wrangell sentinel., 1945-07-20
THROUGH THE SENTINEL PERISCOPE

This column. often critic oT the Office of Price Administration. this week losses an orchid 10 that much cussed and discussed govern ment agency commonly known as the OPA Some weeks ago OPA clamped a ceiling on seine caught fish; did nothing about trap caught The resultant cries vera louder than that gasuo-intesunal business in Eetchikau True. OPA| had q point-trap caught fish us ualy go to the eannery on con tarct: are not turned into the fresh fish market But OPA over looked the human element. learn ed to its dismay chat trap caught fish were being turned from can uery-oWned traps into the fresh fish market. Meanwhile. seiners were hamsirung with a ceiling. For once OPA got human itself. l Assayed the results Of its ilI-con- l ceived regulations. backed up and l took the ceiling off seiners. Cast 1 a medal for OPA-one government l agency with courage to admit q l mistake and publicly correct it. l
 
 And while we're at il. We might as well give a pat on the back To the Alaska office of the War Lab or Board As recouuted in this cUl- umn last week, VILE had slashed machinists wages iu Petersburg from $15O an hour 10 S140 with the result that Fryer Machine . shop, with four boats being read 1. jed for the fishing season on it's work list, was forced 10 close is l machinists refused to take the cut. | Responding to strong protest. l WLB recOnsidered. studied the . situation anew. It's officials con . ceded the abrupt wage cut, almost . without notice. may have been an l error made in haste. After thor . Ough re-study, WLB, like OPA. i had the courage To back up: let | the $1.50 wage stand in Peters burg. Fryer's plant was back on an even keel: four fish boat own CTS who could hare lost their en- tire season were smiling again their boats would be in shape to get out there after them again.
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 Visit of Smaller War Plants Corporation officials to Alaska may result in definite impetus to the Alaska development program. primarily because SWPC is in position to act and the officials in the party have authority to put words into action. As this was written the party had visited Ket- [ hikan Wrangeu. Juneau and the westward and some had returned ! to their Seattle base. Harry Jones regional loan agent for SWPC and . for many years a Washington state banker, gave a hint of the possible results when he said
 ''We found some good projects in our tour I'm sure we'll locate more Alaska small business needs help We've got the money, so | don't see why We can't do some business.
 So successful has SWPC opera ted in the States that recently congress EALEnuEu WlG CUT IDUla a- tions life and gave it another 300 million dollars with which to car " on it's program. Originally set . up to see that smaller war plants got some of the war business, it ! proved so successful that its scope is spreading to include all small business which can be war con nected. With the tapering off of war necessity, SWPC is lowering it's sights to cover all small com mercial enterprise.
 Headed by Jesse Robison, Sec Tetary of the corporation, the par ty was made up of Howard Me Gowan, regional director and for mer Hearst neWspaperman; Bill Biesman, Chicago and Seattle in dustrialist and Banker Jones. Fortnight, two-fisted Loan Agent Jones. with a lifetime in banking is the man who spends the money, or puts the final o. k on making the loan, after shrewd Bill Bies man finds out what makes a bus mess tick, or whether it can tick successfully.
 Biesman and Jones will be swinging back through the Ter ritory to go thoroughly into every project which to them looks good, and worthy of the support of SWPC Meanwhile, Secretary Robi- son and Regional Director McGow- an will have made arrangements for setting up an office in Alaska, probably in Juneau to facilitate business in the Territory. It locks very much as if Alaskans will get 4o l,,o,.. CNUDT uall within the