WASHINGTON NEWS-LETTER
BY J. J. ECKLES
Secretary to the Delegate
In a conference had with the Presi
ent on June 16, Senator Schweilen
ach of \\ ashing- ton. Dr Ernest
urtening, Director of the Division, of
lerritories and Island Possessions,
and Delegate Dimond took up three
matters of importance to the Terri
tory.
The three-fold purpose for which
this conference was held was to w-rk
out a means of expediting the begin
ning of construction of the Pacific
Yukon-Alaska Highway" to connect
Alaska with the United States with
a road suitable for motor traffic
through Canada, to lay a- stronger
groundwork for approval of compan
ion bills now pending ioz both' the
House and Senate to promote air
navigation in Alaska and between
Alaska and the United States, and to
- do whatever is possible to harmonize
the 9- point program for development
of the Territory with the tentative
program of he Administration.
The President has not lost interest
in the Highway, and there is good
ground to feel that means of .financ
ing the proposed construction, satis
factory to both the United States
and to Canada, may be developed.
An analysis was ir.ar\ of the bills
introduced by Senator Schwellenhach
and Delegate Dimond which carry an
authorization f r the appropriation of
eight million dollars to provide for
the development of Alaska through
construction and improvement of
roads, air fields, hotels, and schools,
hospitals and village improvements
for the natives of Alaska,, equipment
and facilities for the University of
Alaska, and rehabilitation of The Al
aska Railroad. The Delegate said
that as a result of this conference,
he felt confident that the objection
which the Bureau of Budget had
made to enactment of these Alaska
development bills would be with
drawn.
The Delegate, supported by Sena
tor Schwellenbach and Dr. Graening,
urged the President to ■ immediate,}’
allot from PWA funds at least one
million dollars additional for roads
and air fields to be expended during
the fiscal year 1938. But since under
the present law the Public Works Ad
ministration will expire on June 30,
1937, and the bill to extend the life
of the PWA for two more years has
passed the House but not the Senate,
nothing definite can be done about
these funds at this time.
The President referred to the re
cent allotment of 3737,000 to The Al
aska Railroad of which 3350,000 will
be used to construct a hotel at Mc
Kinley Park. Reference was a’so
made in the general discussion that
followed to the special allotment of
$450,000 from WPA funds made
some weeks ago for construction of
roads and air fields in the Territory.
Two bills were considered by the
House Committee or, the Territories
on June 15. One of these was the
bill introduced by the' Delegate to
provide shbsistence for the Eskimos
and other natives of Alaska through
f
the purchase of all reindeer owned by
others than natives and thereafter
maintaining the reindeer industry as
a strictly native operation under the
direction of the Interior Department,
i Delegate Dimond supported the en
! actment of the bill as introduced in
1 the House, but objected to approval
of the bill as amended in the Senate
on the score that the Senate amend
ments were not in harmony with the
expressed desires and interests of
most of the native reindeer owners.
The amendments are recommended by
the Interior Department. Carl J. Lo
: men of Nome, representing the white
! owners of large herds of deer, was
: present and made a statement favor
: ing enactment of the bill. The Hear
ings were not concluded and will be
I resumed June 22.
The other hill taken up by the com
mittee was. the one to authorize the
Territory to incur bonded indebted
ness in any sum not in excess of two
million dollars to undertake the con
; struction of a number of public
works, including public school build
ings. public hospitals, air fields, roads,
and buildings for the University of
Alaska. Former Senator Dill was
present a' attorney for the Pacific
Coast fish packing interests, to op
pose enactment of the measure. The
bill was passed over for the time in
order to consider the reindeer bill
in'conformity with his plan as out
lined in a speech made on the floor
of the House some days ago. Delegate
Dimond introduced a bill on June 17
to protect the salmon fishery of Alas
ka against the Japanese or other
foreign nationals.
The bill follows the Anti-smuggling
Act of 1935 in its plan to maintain
jurisdiction of the United States over
the waters adjacent to the coast of
Alaska to an off-shore distance of 12
nautical miles. And in addition it
would give the President the right
to declare salmon fishery law-enforce
ment areas in any of the waters ad
jacent to the Alaska coast east of the
international boundary between Rus
sia and Alaska where water is less
than 100 fathoms deep. In any such
fishery law-enforcement area any ves
sels found hovering, together with
nets and gear, which appear to be
fishing for Alaska salmon may be
seized or forfeited. The proposed
law also provides that any salmon ta
ken or packed in contravention to its
provisions may be seized and forfeit
ed if brought into the United States.
One section of the bill provides
that if vessels of another nation arc
used in the taking of Alaska salmon,
a claim for the value of the pack
shall be made upon that nation and
if payment is not made, the United
States will collect sueh amount by
withholding it from payments due
that nation by the United States
from any account. In the case of Ja
pan this deduction could properly
be mad-? from moneys due that na
tion under the seal treaty for salmon
taken by Japanese vessels in the Ber
ing Sea.
i
TAKOTNA ROADHOUSE
Best of Meals and Rooms
Whore everything is homelike and
where you are cordially welcomed.
A tirderr hot-air heating system
supplies warmth to every room.
GOOD DOG HOUSES BATHS
Mrs. Charlie O’Halloran - Prop.
M. S. ALASKAN
PLYING ON THE TAKOTNA RIVER
Capable of Carrying Fifty Tons
When Water Permits
TOR DETAILED INFORMATION WRITE OR SEE
E. W. MILLER
TAKOTNA, ALASKA
INDIAN BUREAU PLANS
TO BUILD NEW HOSPITALS
Construction of a $150,000 Bureau
of Indian Affairs hospital at Bethel
will begin not later than the summer
of 1938 and Indian Affairs hospitais
are to be constructed at Kanakanali
and Tanana at a future date, it was
announced some time ago.
Remodeling and enlargement ol
the hospital at Kotzebue, remodel ol
the hospital at Unalakleet and con
1 struction of a nurses’ clinic anc
1 quarters at Kodiak are also planned
Details of the hospital constructor
program were learned from Dr. H
R. Stamm, architect in charge of the
Office of Indian Affairs. Dr. Stamrr
arrived in Anchorage some time ac
from Fairbanks after a trip through
j out Alaska which has taken him inti
i nearly 25 Alaskan towns and village
including Point Barrow. He is study
ing the Territory in regard to build
conditi t hospital-.
• building sites.
Plans are completed for the Bet in
hospital, which will have the larges
j capacity of any Indian Affairs bos
pita! in Alaska when completed
Plans are being drawn for 33 anc
49-bed capacities, with constructioi
' to be made according to the latter i:
possible.
The Bethel hospital will be com
petely modem, and will be equippec
to handle surgery, medical obstetri
ca. clinical and tubercular cases. I
will have X-ray equipment and wil
be able to handle eye, ear and nose
patients.
Construction may not begin th;
summer but is definitely planned tc
start by at least next summer.
The Point Barrow hospital, which
burned to the ground this spring, will
probably not be constructed this year
because of the difficulty of getting
materials that far north during the
short building season, Dr. Stamm
said.
In ancient China a poitical associa
tion was considered a social evil and
an indication of a rebellious spirit
against the state.
Epitaph on tombstone in Oakland
cemetery. Rome. Ga.—“A true wife
is man's best friend—his dog next.”
Enrollment in both urban and rur
al elementary schools of America is
declining.
Air at sea level has a pressure of
about ont ton per square foot.
DuRand’s Cafe
Good Clean Food.
Everybody Welcome.
FLAT
ALASKA
C. M. WIMANS
(Successor To A. W. Berry)
MEDFRA, ALASKA
GENERAL MERCHANDISE - RAW FURS
We Carry A Good Stock of
LIQUORS - WINE - BEER
“Everything For The Prospector and Trapper”
eye
| NORTHERN COMMERCIAL COMPANY
McGRATH TAKOTNA
tz7
r'
fcw^r?y^«rgg^ ;j -\ ..
,-.a
:
Tte Only Newspaper Published
in Western Alaska South
of Nome and West of
The Government
Railroad
Advertising
is Solicited on the
Basis of a Tremen
dously Wide Area Cover
age and Increasing Circulation
Covering All the News of the
Country from the Yukon
hiver, the Great Kus
kokwim Basin to
Bristol Bay
The Proof
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