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Senator Wirth. Thank you, Mr. Furrow. 

 Mr. Wharton. 



STATEMENT OF ERIC WHARTON 



Mr. Wharton. My name is Eric Wharton and I am an employee 

 at the Alaska Pulp Corporation. I have not been an Alaska resi- 

 dent for long. This does not mean that I am not interested in what 

 is going on here in Alaska. I am very interested, especially in this 

 new, S. 346, legislation. 



I am in opposition to this new bill for many reasons. I will not 

 give any statistics, nor will my words be elaborate. I want to voice 

 one of my many disagreements, that is the lives that this bill will 

 affect negatively. Let me start with my own. 



My wife is due to have a baby any day now and we have plenty 

 of bills to pay. If this bill were passed it would be like pulling the 

 rug out from under me and my family. There are many families 

 just like mine but that are possibly in a worse position than us. 

 Many people have worked for APC for many years and have been 

 building their retirements and futures here; they have dedicated 

 their lives to the company. Some have larger families than myself. 

 Some have taken out loans or own homes in which they depend 

 upon the steady income of their present positions at AFC to keep 

 up monthly bills. What will happen to all of the families? To 

 uproot kids in school and destroy literally hundreds of peoples' 

 lives is going to be a very devastating effect on all of Sitka. 



We are thankful for Senator Murkowski and his receptiveness to 

 the fact that one of the things this country is based on is stability 

 for the individual. What an upheaval it would cause to pass the 

 Tongass legislation. It is total opposition to what each president 

 has said, and that is more jobs and equal opportunity. I hope I 

 have well represented those that I know wanted to be chosen to 

 speak this day. 



Thank you for your time in hearing the concerns of the people of 

 Sitka. 



Senator Wirth. Thank you, 



Mr. Srna. 



STATEMENT OF TOM SRNA 



Mr. Srna. My name is Tom Srna and I am employed as a mill- 

 wright at Alaska Fulp Corporation. I have been working there and 

 living in Sitka for a little over two years. I am a single parent rais- 

 ing two small children, ages 10 and 7. Sitka is a good place to raise 

 my kids, the school system is excellent and my kids are involved in 

 many activities and are learning about hunting and fishing and 

 about Alaska's wildlife and history. I have joined the Elks and 

 Moose Lodge and have made some good friends here. If the Wirth 

 bill is passed, then the mill will go down and we will be forced to 

 move like hundreds of other families. People will lose their homes, 

 others will go bankrupt. Most will have to go on unemplo)rment or 

 welfare or will have to move south in hope of finding work. 



I will not try to dazzle you with stacks of facts and figures about 

 why you should not close the mills in southeast Alaska. I could not 

 if I tried. I will tell you that you are going to severely affect the 



