The Daily Alaska empire., 1951-10-22
Witnesses Claim Hardships
 On Coast Guard Regulations For Southeast Alaska Waters

Alleging that strict enforcement of Coast Guard regulations and the classification of Southeast Alaska waters as coastal waters rather than inland waters created many hardships in this area, IA vessel owners and members of Ju- neau Sitka and Petersburg Cham bers of Commerce testified at an informal hearing held this morning in the Senate chambers.
 Presiding at the hearing was Rep. Herbert Bonner (D-NC), acting chairman of the House merchant marine and fisheries committee and chairman of the subcommittee on the Coast Guard. Bonner stressed that it was an informal hearing but that the transcript of the meeting would be used by his committee. With Bonner at the hearing were Rep. George Meader CR-Mich) and Rep. w. J. Bryan Dorn ,(D-SC).
 Representing the US. Coast Guard were: Admiral Joseph Greenspun, Capt. F. P. Vetterick, Comdr. E. c. Hawley of Alaska Coast Guard headquarters; It. H. M. Kelsey, Ketchikan; Capt. G. w.. Callbeck, 18th Coast Guard District, San Francisco; and Comdr. Paul Sabonis, Coast Guard headquarters, Washington, DC. Captain Call beck and Comd-. Sahonis are in Juneau o- mold & hearing Wednes- day on Coast Guard regulations.
 Problem Outlined
 Robert Boochever ana Jerry Mo Kinley of the Juneau Chamber out lined the basic problem at the out set of the meeting. Boochever stated that the waters of Southeast Alaska are classified as coastal waters and that stringent inspection rules were adhered to although the boats only travel in protected water ways. He emphasized that he was not objecting to enforcement of proper safety regulations but that by requiring the same standards for Southeast vessels as those ships that travel on the high seas, the Coast Guard was working hardship on owners of sniaif vessels.
 The regulation that requires a barge to be inspected each time it is beached is illogical because for many years barges have been the only means of transporting heavy equipment and supplies to isolated areas where there are no docking facilities, Boochever said. The barges are landed on sandy beaches at low tide, it's cargo removed, and the vessel refloated at high tide. To require that a barge be inspected following each bleaching of this type is an unnecessary hardship, he said.
 1 Witnesses Appear
 That he would have to go into the boat business to stay in the logging business was the statement made by Wally Westfall. Westfall, who operates small logging camps on Baranof Island, said that the prob- lem of taking supplies and heavy equipment to his camps was almost insurmountable. Under Coast i Guard regulations. tug boats ar irving at the camps to tow log rafts are not allowed to carry freight and as a result when planes cannot bring in supplies, his loggers have not had fresh meat or other supplies.
 Westfall said that he has heavy logging equipment stored on the docks in Juneau and because of the stringent enforcement of barge op- erations he has not had any way of transporting the machinery.
 Answering a question raised by Rep. Bonner, Westfall said that he had never known of case where a barge was lost because of beach, ing operations.
 Barge Owner Testifies
 l George Baggen, Jr., said that he and his father have operated a barge in Southeast Alaska waters for the past Is years but that this year due to inspection difficulties the barge has been on the beach He said that the barge, built in 1912, had been in continuous service and had never had an accident Congressman Bonner said. Tn other words, due to the march of progress, the barge that has seen so many years of service is now beached"
 R. J. Sommers testified that he had purchased the car ferry from