| Summary: | Visiting Alaskan Tells Of Northland's Food Scarcity. Visiting Alaskan Tells of Northland's Food Scarcity BY DAVE DRYDEN Just how acute the probem of securing food in strike-bound Alaska is can be realized by bu few persons in "the states," according to Glen Franklin, manager of the Alaskan Polar Bears hockey team, in Spokane today on a nationwide barnstorming tour. "When we left Fairbanks three weeks ago," Franklin said, "butter was almost an unheard of luxury. What little could be found was selling at from 60 cents to a dollar a pound. And as for meat —a T-bone steak that could be hidden under a postage stamp sold for upwards of a dollar. In fact, the boys thought they were robbing a Seattle resaurant owner when they paid 35 cents for a steak dinner with all the fixings." NOT ONLY PROBLEM Food shortage isn't the only problem facing the Alaskans, Franklin declared. There is also the problem of transportation to and from the United States. In order to bring his crew of players into the country, he resorted to every known means of transportation. "We were driven by dog team from Fairbanks to the airport," he said, "from there we flew to Whitehorse but were forced down by a snowstorm. From Whitehorse we made our way to Skagway by means of one of the few remaining narrow gauge railways in the world and from Skagway we took a Canadian boat to Vancouver." For three members of Franklin's crew of hockey specialists, this trip marks the first time they have been outside of Alaska. One of these, a native Eskimo, is finding it hard to adjust himself to American customs—especially wearing "Most of his life," Franklin explained, "this boy has worn mukluks (a boot made of reindeer hide) and when he was faced with the problem of daily wearing American oxfords, he nearly elected to return to Alaska." The team will meet the Spokane All-Stars in a return engagement at the Ice Arena Wednesday night. They defeated the Spokane All- Star team 6 to 1 Sunday.
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