The Daily Alaska empire., 1947-01-28
INA FEARS NEl
 SHIPPER BRIGGS
 TELL HIS BLA 5

Juneau Merchant Association members gathered l.s- night in ,hs Gold Room og Jhe Bzrauo1 Hotel to hear lrcm Phillip C. Briggs, President CT tuc Briggs Steamship Corporation just how his plans have taen made, and how they will be put into operation.
 The local merchants learned that Briggs and his shipping company were a practical business venture, conceived on facts and figures and the long ingrown history of Seattle control of the Alaska shipping trade.
 Regular seven day freight ser vice will be inaugurated by Briggs in early March between Prince Ru- pert and Juneau, with a refriger- ated 450 ton vessel Stops will be made at Ketchikan, Wrangell and Petersburg on the way.
 The service will carry cargo ship ments rom Midwest and Eastern manufacturing centers at rates which will average 20 percent cheap CT than prevailing rates from Se- attle. In addition will be savings at Prince Rupert, where there will be no demurrage, waiting or drayage charges Freight will be shipped by rail through Canada from a cen trally located Midwest carloading outfit in pool cars and transferred directly from the cars into the ships hold.
 Briggs stated that his ship can carry 450 tons each trip, which will mean a yearly cargo total of IS to 20 thousand tons. Southbound, the ship will pick up shipments of cold storage fish.
 At present, Briggs said that the company's one ship will be unable to make Sitka, Skagway or Pelican. If business warrants, a second veS- sel will be added next fall, and pos silly a third later.
 In answer to questions from his audience, Briggs stated that he will operate a union ship. If the sailors union strikes on the Pacific Coast, his men will walk off, too.
 Crew Of Alaslans
 In this connection, Briggs stated that he hopes eventually to have a crew composed solely Of Alaskans who will be serving closer to their homes than would crew mam6ers from the States.
 Asked if protests from Seattle longshoremen could halt the un- loading of the Briggs ship in AL 2skan ports, the answer was no. It. Comdr. Ed Chester sand that the Seattle unions cannot prevent the unloading of ships in Alaska whether loaded in Portland e Prince Rupert
 Chester s9-bc briefly at the s sion in Eis position a Isagts na- tive Of t1e Cogeluor of Alasza With the recent background of sz weeks spent in Seattle and Porte land attempting to free selee- bound goods for shipment to Alaska in November and December, Comde. Chester stated that Alaskans can- not clean house ill. Seattle.
 Plferage has risen to serious heights and drayage and waiting charges in that port have become a custom over a period Of 40 and more years. The costs are paid ul- timately by the Alaskan consumer in higher prices.
 Competition is the only thing that will change Seattle, and it will do it by forcing the businessmen there to clean up the situation themselves. Already. he said, some steps are being taken.
 But. said Chester, we should not merely use the Prince Rupert or Portland routes as opening wedges to force Seattle to reform and then drop them for a return to ship ments solely from there.
 Competition Necessary
 Competition from more than one shipping port is the thing that will lower Alaskan prices. The lower prices, the more buying power; the more buying power, the more trade, the more business for everybody. JMA President Claude Smith sum- med up the meeting last night with a final statement: Tt depends on the merchants of Juneau and Southeast Alaska where we go from here"