Seward seaport record., 1954-12-03
Coastwise Travel Loses Old Glamour
By LOUIS R. HUBER

Passenger-ship service from here to Alaska was ended early last month, with little hope it will be resumed for long, long time.
 If and when it is, "sea trains" rather than regulation passenger ships will be making the runs. The emphasis will be on cargo carried in roll-on roll-off railroad cars and truck trailers.
 New and faster ships built spec ially for this purpose probably will be used. Passengers may be carried only incidentally.
 It won't be the romantic, leisure ly voyage up the sheltered Inside Passage it has been since the turn of the century when Al askas historic gold rushes awaken ed the world to the northlands S scenic beauty.
 All this was revealed in a hear ing conducted here by a subcom- mittee of the House Merchant Mar inc and Fisheries Committee, with Rep. Thor c. Tollefson (R.) of Washington presiding.
 Two factors have whittled pass enger-carrying profits into steady loss for the last remaining carrier l in this field Alaska Steamship Company - the congressman learn ed.
 One was the shifting of passen- ger travel from ships to airplanes; i; the other competition from the U. S. Navy's Military Sea Trans portation Services whose yes. sels carry service men and their l families to and from the Territory
 John R. Moves, spokesman for the Juneau, Alaska, Chamber of Commerce at the hearing, summed up the change:
 II used to know all the shippers and pursers on the Alaska run Now l know all the pilots and stew. ardesseS," he said.
 Only existing passenger service to Alaska now is that of a Canad- ian Company, operating between Vancouver, E. c. and Ketchikan.
 Ending of the U. S, passenger service, which used to serve 50-odd Alaska ports and wound up serv- ing less than a dozen, regularly, will work hardship on the burgeon- ing Alaska tourist industry, wit nesses before the congressional subcommittee testified. Curio shops selling native-made aircraft, es- pecially will be affected.
 Residents. of several small AL askan communities, formerly ser ved by passenger ships, will have to dig deeper to pay the higher air fares when they travel"
 The hearing brought out the fact that an exhaustive study of sea train" operations had been made by New Jersey engineer ing firm. William Wyer and Com pany, last year under the. joint sponsorship of the federal Interior, Commerce and Defense depart ments.
 The Wyer report was com- pleted last May, witnesses said, but it has been held secret by the government agencies.
 Rep. Thomas M. Pelly (R) of Washington, who appeared as a witness before the subcommittee, scored this secrecy and demanded release of the Wver report.
 MT. Pelley told the committee he believes the report contains infor- nation indicating sea trains" can be operated between the Pacific Northwest and Alaska profitably if MSTS competition were elimin- ated.
 Other witnesses also demanded release of the Wyer report.
 Don M. Follett, general manager of the Seattle Chamber of Con- merce, declared: This report ap- parently is an impartial analysis of problems in transportation between the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Had it's contents been available, this hearing might have taken an entirely different direction"
 Alaska Steamship Company of ficials revealed some time ago