The Daily Alaska empire., 1946-08-06

 ficient ships, would do much to correct the conditicns-inc.udng some labor problems, as better men naturally prefer the better ships.
 No suitable ships for the pas senger traffic, he answered. are available under the Ship Sales Act and the term provided by the Act and price of ships make question able their availability for the Alas ka trade.
 Asked by Coles what solution he has to advance, Scoll said the Alas ka Development Board has formu- lated no recommendations but his own opinion suggests:
 Suggestions Made
 Some form of assistance to provide new ships.
 2-Regulation of competition. per haps by ICC or CAB type certifi- cation Present Alaska competition he said, has shown to be more wasteful than beneficial. Some areas are over served to the detri- ment of others,
 Rehabilitation of labor relations -"Compulsory Arbitration! Scoll agreed with Rep. Blands suggestion that it might be well to make pilfering a felony; also that any U. s. Attorney who does not want to be bothered with prose- cutting apprehended offenders should immediately be removed from of- flee, and that any pilferer should Le beached.
 Remote Control
 First witness of the afternoon session was Waino Hendrickson, Mayor of Juneau. He gave as an instance of increased costs, the re- cent raise in handling charges on Juneau docks. He blamed remote control for large part of the difficulties in the Alaska service and referred especially to the re- cent strike here over S455. Both sides had to consult Seattle, he said, and nothing results.
 Hendrickson said it seems to him that labor relations are better on the Pacific Coast than in Alaska and that it should help to do away with remote control"
 Asked by Chairman Jackson if most of the difficulties have aris- en since the VISA took over the ships, the Mayor replied, yes, since the war" No agreement seems to bind in Alaska, he concluded.
 In his testimony later, ASS Manager Baker declared the oper- ators find remote control just as "regrettable" as Alaskans. He vow ed that in the S4.55 strike here, the company exactly followed out crders of the VISA
 Needed Equipment
 In answer to Rep. Herter as to equipment needed to give good ser vice, Baker repeated postwar plans tka company had formulated and announced a year ago:
 Three modern new big fast pass enger and refrigerator ships to serve Ketchikan, Juneau and Sew ard or Whittier, scoastal-type car go vessels. Service to other ports with the four passenger ships in the present fleet, one new combi- nation smaller ship for Nome ser vice and two more passenger and four more cargo ships if Bristol Bay is to be served.
 The three big passenger ships he estimated to cost between four and five million dollars each. He agreed with Scoll that new, faster ships are needed.
 The Alaska trade is the most seasonal in the world, he said, and it is silly to try to compare its rates with any other service. Its a one way haul
 Airplane Seruice Asset
 
 He answered Coles that airplane service creates business for the ships by developing the Territory. They're an asset, not harmful, to the ship lines. God help Alaska" if it had not been for planes dur ing the 1946 season, he opined.
 J. A. Talbot, President of the Alaska Transportation Company and Alaska development Beard members, offered that longshore re- lations at Ketchikan until this year had been smooth. He asserted that labor should be made as responsible as management, which would result in benefit to both.
 ATCO Manager Swanson esti- mated the cost of labor tie-ups in the Alaska service at one and one-half million dollars a year, at the present occurrence. He oppos- ed subsidy except as a last re- sort, declaring labor leaders would use it for a reason for further ag-' gravations, as costs would come out of the subsidy. He suggested that it would help to divert military car go to commercial bottoms.
 Others who testified during the morning session yesterday besides Banfield and Rivers, were:
 l. r1y