281 



service community for over 30 years — hardly a cut and run oper- 

 ation as depicted by our critics. 



The two pulp mills are continually being sniped at as being 

 giant, mindless, foreign entities. May I remind you that the mill 

 employees are Alaskans, working to do their part for the economic 

 well being of America. Stop the mills and associated timber indus- 

 try and great harm will be done to America. The stability of indus- 

 try mentioned has allowed us to put down roots, build homes, edu- 

 cate our children, and establish healthy, thriving communities in a 

 very harsh climate. The past 12-15 years, there has been a growing 

 number of attacks on the timber industry by lock-ups into wilder- 

 ness, with an ongoing demand for more, of good viable timber in 

 the Tongass. Of the remaining timber made available to us, endless 

 legal challenges of every timber sale confronts us. It takes at least 

 two or three years to prepare a timber sale by the Forest Service, 

 then two or three years in court and finally it is too expensive for 

 the small companies and only the bigger companies can afford the 

 waiting, uncertainty, roller coaster lumber market and high cost of 

 operating in the northern climate. To take back the guarantee of 

 resource timber, as promised in the 1950s, and put us on a catch-as- 

 catch-can offering of timber is not conducive to any long range sur- 

 vival of industry. 



I have heard on C-Span and read in the media that Alaska's con- 

 gressional delegation is one of the most highly regarded and known 

 for their honesty and integrity. Encourage all members of the 

 House and Senate to keep this in mind and support their bills on 

 the Tongass and help us survive here in Alaska. 



Senator Wirth. Thank you very much, Mr. Gile. I want to call 

 everyone's attention to that portion of your statement which will 

 be, we all agree, about the high regard which the Alaska Delega- 

 tion is held. 



Our final witness in this panel is Mr. Tam Murphy. 



STATEMENT OF TAM MURPHY 



Mr. Murphy. My name is Tam Murphy and I am currently presi- 

 dent of Local 62 Ketchikan. I was born and raised here in Ketchi- 

 kan and I have made my living from the timber industry for the 

 last 23 years. I have seen rises and falls of work opportunity in the 

 timber industry and right now the industry can take no more de- 

 creases in job opportunities. The contract the mills have now in 

 southeast Alaska is also a contract for our homes, family and job 

 security, now and in the future. I feel that if the Wirth bill were to 

 pass, loss of job opportunity would follow and all of us in the 

 I.L.W.U. and the timber industry making a living from the forest 

 would be looking for new careers without any compensation from 

 the bill. 



I feel the Alaska bill would give the mills and all of us related to 

 the timber industry for our livelihood a fair chance to stay in the 

 industry. 



Thank you. 



Senator Wirth. Thank you very much. We appreciate all the 

 members of this panel. 



Senator Burns. May I ask a question? 



