The Daily Alaska empire., 1945-12-12
MYSTERY NOW FREIGHT RATE
 DEEPENING IN DISCUSSED AT SHAVING HERE NFFE MEETING
Don 0'Connor Talks Fol- lowing Election of 0f-
 fieers for 1046

Freight increases proposed by
 Alaska Steamship companies would
 force housing costs in Alaska out of sight" Donald J. O'Connor told members of the National Federation ! of Federal Employees in Juneau this noon at the organization
 regular luncheon meeting in the
 Baranof Hotel Gold Room. O'Connor spoke at the meeting
 following election of 1946 NFFE officers. Election results were
 President, Ava Blackerby, re-
 elected; First Vice. President, A. E..
 Karnes: Second ice-President, R. 1 L. Wolfe; Third Vice President,
 Mrs. Katherine Nordale; Secretary, i R. L. Emil, reelected.
 Stating that representatives of l the three steamship companies 1 petitioning the increased rates had | shown "indisputable' proof of
 heavy operational increases esti-
 mated for 1946 as compared with ! 1889. O'Connor said that the Office
 of Price Administration is pre- i pared to show at the Juneau hear 1 ing that Alaska's population will 1 be somewhat greater in 1946 than i in 1889 and therefore tonnage and
 passenger demands on the steam ] ships will be increased.
 l Self Defeating
 1 Heavy addition to .:le present i freight rates in the Territory would l be self-defeating to the steamship
 companies, the speaker pointed out.
 Reports indicate that Alaska 5
 population would undoubtedly de- | crease following such a move, and i it is highly probable that cannery operators would find Prince Rupert an acceptable substitute for Seattle 1 as a rail head for shipping to the l mid-w west.
 i The Army has spent considerable sums of money developing the rail- road service between Edmonton and
 port facilities at Prince Rupert. If ppresent freight rates remain un-
 change operators may send i freight to the midwest from Prince
 Rupert as cheaply as they now
 send it from Seattle, MT. O'Con- nor said
 Ship company representatives pointed out that stevedoring prices
 had risen about 150 per cent during
 the war years MT. O'Connor stated 1 that much of this is due to over- time necessitated by heavy loading. Steamship companies can expect much of the overtime pay-out to
 be dropped in 1946, when heavy 1 loading will probably be lessened, :" ] he said.
 i With only a very brief time to
 prepare a report for the Jan. 8 <, hearing here, O'Connor said that ! OPA officials would need all the
 cooperation and actual statistical { dSSlSUdilCC POoSlpit. U io OtAAJ N-NS
 ural that business men are re- luctant to estimate their increase or decrease in commerce, but such l information is vital to public well fare at this time" he said. He
 asked that Mr. Blackerby aid in
 recruiting from the NFFE any
 statisticians or accountants who
 may be able to help in compiling information preparatory to the | OPA report at the hearing.
 At the business session an amend
 ment to the NFFE constitution al- lowing the election of three new
 members to the Board of Trustees was approved and adopted. It was announced that the board has au- thorized President Blackerby to
 provide for NFFE representation at
 the freight rate hearing in Juneau. Among several guests attending today's luncheon-meeting were Mrs. !, Dorothy Loftus and the Rev. A. B. Morgan of Fairbanks.