The Daily Alaska empire., 1947-09-16
Plane Service Interruptions
 Are Predicted
PIeff Advises City that Air. field Can't Be Kept
 Open All Winter

tredsy afternoon among city fath- eis. Civil Aeronautics Adminis- tration officials and Pan Ameri- can Airways representatives left the Juneau airport problem still nut in an uncracked shell.
 The immediate problem. as stat cd by Walter P Plett, CAA Alaska Administrator, is the likelihood of air service interruptions during the coming winter. The local airfield, he explained, has only marginal ocrtification of operation for the four-engine aircraft currently in use by Juneau's principal air car ricr, Pan American. Only when the field surface is in good con- dition may the large ships use it. A bit of ice and they are ruled out. Funds available to the CAA for maintenance of the local field are insufficient to keep the field sanded or scraped down to the paving during periods of severe icing
 PAA Alaska Manager John White added that the airline must con- tinue use of the four-engine craft to serve its traffic in the Terri tory and that operation of two types of ships would not be econ omical. He offered to help supply manpower in emergencies, but the CAA is not allowed to accept such help from outside the gov crnmcnt.
 May Cut Maintenance
 Adding to the pro lem for the future, Plett said, is the possibility that the CAA will have to reduce it's maintenance of the Juneau field Northwest Airlines' opera tion to the Orient is adding to the CAA's load in the Aleutians and there is talk of the Armys pull ing out of some Aleutian points, which would leave these fields on the CAAs hands also Since the Aleutian fields are designated at Federal Airway points, they have top priority as far as the CAA is concerned, leaving the chance that funds will have to be diverted to them with the Ju- neau field suffering The local port is classed as a terminal fac ility and is in the low priority group.
 The Navy, which holds title to the local field, and the CAA, which services it, would both like to turn the operation of the air port over to the City, or to the Territory Mayor Waino Hen drickson gave the City's answer to that no funds Most optimis- tic estimates, the Mayor said, in dicate there would be a yearly deficit of sl6,00o in operation of the field-a bigger load than the City of Juneau can assume.
 Possible Way Out
 One possible way out of having the field closed for several days at a time during winter months was suggested by Councilman Burr Johnson, and is to be investigated to see if 1t can be made work able. That is for the City to con- tract with the CAA to maintain the field for a nominal sum dur ing short periods of emergency when the Federal agency would not keep the port open. The City could then accept such assistance as the airlines would be willing 70 give to maintain service in Juneau.
 Both Plett and CAA Counsel II. P. Noggle thought the CAA likely could enter into such an agree ment. Plett advised that he would send his agencys chief maintenance engineer to Juneau soon to determine what would be necessary to make such an agreement work. Emergency con- tracts could then be drawn in ad- vance, ready for signature upon a few hours notice.
 Plett asked, since the Juneau Council seemingly has decided that the City cannot take over the field, that his office be formally noti- fled to that effect. Steps can then be taken to settle the future of the field. He outlined the course of events that is likely then to follow:
 Disposal Process
 II, as now appears, the Navy is determined to dispose of the Ju- neau field, it would list it as sur plus. The CAA would then be ask cd to evaluate the field and recommend for its disposal Ii neither the City nor the Territory would take over and the CAA it. self were not able to, the field would te turned over to a surplus property disposal agency and could hc bought in by public or pri- yate bidder.
 Architect Harold B. Foss brought up the question of an airport ad- ministration building, which has been under consideration for more than two years. He was advised by Plett and Noggle that the City's obtaining title to the building sitt fr ilr al |,