42 



Although my concerns include the broader issues and problems of 

 Alaska and the Nation, my immediate purpose in testifying today is to 

 see that Ketchikan and Southeast Alaska are understood and continue as 

 I feel they must. 



After every cycle of boom and bust the analysts probe for cause and 

 effect. Regardless of the source, it was change for good or for worse. 

 The effects may have been mixed, but whether positive or negative we 

 should learn from the experience. Anchorage, the state's largest city 

 only recently has begfun to recover from recession. It was not so long 

 ago that we cannot remember the cutbacks at Boeing in Seattle and the 

 hard times they suffered. In both these instances basic employment 

 was down approximately 5% and considered by most as having a severe 

 impact. The loss in Ketchikan and in Southern Southeast Alaska if 

 Mr. Wirth's bill is enacted could be as high as 28%. It is my firm con- 

 viction that such a loss could not be mitigated, nor in the mid-term 

 supplanted by jobs in other sectors of our economy. 



The City of Ketchikan has recently embarked on a major hospital expan- 

 sion for which we have bonded indebtedness. Many of the social ser- 

 vices and educational opportunities so necessary to attract qualified 

 professionals and families will be lost. Our school system currently 

 attracts and retains quality teachers and administrators who in turn 

 have developed a challenging curriculum overcoming obstacles and 

 circumstances. 



