The Wrangell sentinel., 1955-05-27
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PINT PROGRESS

In town fore part OI lHe "eof was c. Girard Davidson of the Pa cific Northern Timber Company and an associate, Ted Miller of the Davidson and Nicolorie law flrn with offices in Portland and Wash ington, D. C. Miller is from tht Washington office and will spend several months in the Territory keeping an eye on PINT and othel project5 which the firm represents while Davidson attends a confer ence of the American Town Pian- ners Institute under the Foreign Operations Administration schedul ed for Italy. in June.
 While here Davidson closed op' tions on land tracts in the Shoe maker Bay area where the com pany is planning construction of lumber plant and probable pull mill estimated to cost several mil lion. The enterprise is headed by Robert Johnson, prominent Oregon 1umberman.
 Asiue from a comma here and there, Davidson reported Pacific Northern S bill to acquire 45 acres of tidelands in Zimovia Strait near Shoemaker Bay was making excel lent progress in Congress-. Mea- sure's through the House and has a sub committee endorsement ill the Senate. There's some difference in the bill which passed the House and the one now before the Senate but probably it will be ironed out by amendment and conference. Davidson, an old hand at the busi- ness as a former Assistant Secre- tary of the Interior, facetiously re- ported that somebody found a com ma in the wrong place among other things.
 First construction at the pro- posed site will be a stud mill, the Pacific Northern official told the Chamber of Commerce luncheon meeting Tuesday. The plant will cut eight-foot. studding two by fours for shipment to the midwest. Negotiations are under way with various rail and water carriers for getting the product to market. Routing via Prince Rupert is being considered among the plans. Daily output is expected to be about five carloads railroad cars that is.
 
 ticipated, there'll be some activity around here, possibly in July.
 A Rough, Rough Sketch
 City Council got a rough sketch Tuesday evening of what it can anticipate in it's $250O investment in an engineering power survey. It was a bit rough.
 Howard Harstad of Harstad and Associates, engineering firm em- ployed by the city to make a sur vey of Pats lake, Conch lake, a. cross the strait, for possible hydro electric development, and a study rates, advised the Council that it was his conclusion the city should buy a new diesel engine, up the rates a neat 12 per cent and elim- mate the present 10-day 10 per cent discount to pay for it. After somebody figured couple of light bills under the proposal enthusi- asm dropped to a new low.
 The engineer said Pats lake had a potential of 300 kilowatts and initial cost of producing it would be $321, ,00O. Didn't think it was worth following up because of linn ited capacity. Conch, or known on the map as Kunk lake, he said had real potential He figured the lower lake would produce 1500 kw at a cost of $974,0O0 for installa- tion. Adjoining Anita lake, tun- neled in, would assure unlimited power. It was also pointed out that s974,000 is almost a million simo. Icons.
 Harstad recommended the Coun. cil buy q new diesel at cost of $105,000 and issue some bonds tc pay for it under the 12 per cent increase plan mentioned above.
 The meeting adjourned and En gineer Harstad went back to hi. Seattle office to complete his re port