The Daily Alaska empire., 1947-05-07
TRANSPORTATION
 C05TS TAKEN up
 AT KIWANI5 MEET

Scheduled increases in freight
 rates to Alaska from Seattle
 should make little or no noticeable increase in the retail costs of in dividual items in Juneau, said Jim
 Church today, speaking to his
 fellow members of the Kiwanis
 Club at their noon luncheon in
 the Gold Room of the Baranof
 Hotel.
 The fight against increased freight rates, he suggested, is be-
 ing instigated and waged largely by government officials.
 However, stated Church, if the people of Juneau want regular steamship service, with a mini mum of expensive delay and labor difficulties, it is up to them. Ju- neau dock workers are at present the black sheep among the long shore locals in the Territory, as they are the only group not living up to the All-Alaska agreement for negotiation in Seattle.
 Concerning the proposed Port land-Alaska steamship service, Church brought out that delays waiting to cross the Columbia Riv- CT bar, the added run to Portland, the pilotage charges up the river which will cut down the amount of freight that can be hauled dur ing a given length of time, raise the overall cost.
 Steamship lines serving Alaska, he stated, do not believe in e&-, cessive rates. They do believe in rates to stimulate busi- ness rather than to retard it. Too many business people are eager to make their own percentage of pro- fit and perfectly willing to have someone else take the loss in keep ing prices down.
 New tariff rates, with an aver age increase of 37.5 percent, are going into effect in Alaska on May 2l. Taking the present freight rates and the new rates on certain individual items of groceries and meat, Church explained how the raise would affect retail prices
 The present freight on a can of soup from Seattle to Juneau is 49 of one cent On that item, the freight raise amounts to 42 per cent, which would mean 2 of 8 cent increase in the cost of one can.
 Taking a can of peas, Church showed similar increase. Freight costs on a single can at present are 9 of a cent. Under the new rates, it will be 125 cents per can.
 Increases will be more noticeable in bulky items, such as corn flakes, which from a rate of four cents on one package, will go up to six cents
 There will be a 30 percent in- crease on cold storage meat rates. he stated, which are now at 1.8 cents per pound. However, Xii wanis Ed Shaffer brought out that the actual cost per pound of meat to Juneau is three cents, be- cause of the added wharfage, handling and transfer charges, and charges for boxing and for the weight of the boxes.
 Taking the cost Of a loaf of bread as an example of other fac tors that can influence retail prices, Church pointed out that in Juneau the cost of a one pound leaf is now 18 cents. In Ketchi- kan, however, which has a 23 per cent lower freight rate from the cost per one pound loaf is % cents.
 It is mistaken idea, said Church, that freight rates alone are responsible for high prices in Alaska. The fact is that we are Ii ing in a period of imitation, and all prices are inevitably high.
 Every other phase of transpor- tation has been allowed increased rates without complaint from the public Both local and Seat.tc transfer charges have been in- creased, railroad freight has gone up, and transportation all along the line has increased it's charges. The government has been taking the loss on the Alaska steamship lines out of taxes, and nothing more was said of it. But under private operation, steamship lines can no more operate at a less than n, afI I