The Wrangell sentinel., 1954-05-21
THROUGH THE SENTINEL PERISCOPE
See News Story, Right
***ss *

See News Story, Right
 Report from Tokyo first of the week from a Japanese business newspaper that things were look ing up no end with mill whistles just about to blow in both Sitka and Wrangell apparently was just a little premature, 10 put t in a nice way.
 Good old accurate Associated Press. of which The Sentinel is a member, did a little checking. AP learned from T. c. Takahashi, who OWLS the sawmiu known as Alaska Wrangell Mills, Inc, that the sit uation is still as reported a couple of weeks ago in the process of negotiation.
 His exact words were: Just tell them the mill situation is in pro- cess of negotiation. Don't rock the boat"
 MT. Takahashi reiterated that he might have something definite to report in a week or so and said he was working seriously on deal for opening of the Wrangell Mill.
 Relative to the Tokyo report, MT. Takahashi said that reported nego- tiations for Sitka sawmill is wrong.
 Another Outlook
 Meanwhile, Pacific Northern Tim Der Company which has acquired the former Alaska Packers site, optioned some 90 lots from the Town of Wrangell for a projected housing project and plans to make a bid on something over 300,00O acres of timber in this area on June g, has made application to the Federal Power Commission n Washington for preliminary per init to develop a hydroelectrie pow CT project at Virginia Lake, locally known as Mill Creek. Heretofore, Alaska Metals and Power Company, now inactive, has held limited pow CT rights on the location. In getting it's permit Pacific Northern prob ably would have to guarantee AL aska Metals and Power a certain a mount of power, possibly around 45O horsepower. The location IS where the Mill Creek Lumber com pany plant burned down last year.
 It Can Happen Here
 There was a report current as or last night that the 1S-year-old proposal to dredge Wrangell's in ner harbor - around Shakes Is land - had won approval back in Washington. What approval as this is written we are not able to say, but look through the news columns of The Sentinel today and if you run across a story carrying an AP credit line that says the harbor dredging has been approved and by whom you'll know more about 1t than this column does and you can be very sure that it's entirely &C., curate.
 As a little background informa- tion, the project was originally ap- proved about IS years ago for a figure of $187,0O0. Foryears it held a very distinguished place of first spot on the River and Harbors com mittee program. Over the years ap- propriations were lacking with the result that just about everybody in town checked it off as a lost week end, Last summer a representative of the Army Engineers office came to Wrangell with the avowed pur- pose of bringing the inner harbor dredging project up to date. The City Council endeayored to give him the necessary data. He pointed out that the project which origin ally was to cost s1S7,0O0 was now upped to $501,700 due to rising costs.
 Might prove to be quite a hell to Wrangel1's maritime problem.
 Further Dredging
 The program for dredging all the harbor is still being pushed in con- ne. tion with the plan for improve ments of all Alaskas ports Former Mayor Fred G. Hanford, member of the old Territorial rivers and harbors advisory group, was called to Washington this week by Gov Heintzleman to assist in presenting the program before the Rivers and Harbors Congress HanfoTd left Ju neau today and expected to be gone about a week.
 Youth Activity Program
 Considerable interest is being shown in a youth activity program in Wrangell during the summer school vacation with one of tho teachers in charge. tSee communi cation elsewhere in today's paper.
 It strikes us as an excellent ides and no doubt there are many in tho community who would contribute toward a fund to defray expenses of such an undertaking.
 l. W.