ALASKA INTERESTS AT
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
i r tin Jed from Page 1.)
* here i.as been great disappoint
ment In Alaska over the fact that the
, budget did not contain an appropria
tion for the continuance of the agri
‘ cultural experiment stations in Alas
ka. When the agricultura bill was
before a subcommittee of the appro
/ priations committee, Delegate Wick
. ersham made a plea to the small com
mittee to include $35,000 for the
maintenance of the Matanuska ex
, perimental station, an(} this was
rather looked upon with favor by the
members of the committee. But the
* effort went for naught when the
*. chairman of the appropriations com
mittee made a request of the sub
committee that no item be included
in the general bill that was not rec
■ ommended by the budget, and that no
increase be made in the bill over its
budget figures. As a consequence the
bill was reported to the House with
out any mention of the $35,000 for
Alaska. W'hen it was under consid
eration in the House Delegate Wick
< ersham offered an amendment to in-:
« elude the sum of $35,000 for the Mat
anuska station, but it wa sdefetead.|
In making his plea for the amend
ment the Delegate ended with these
words; “1 beg the House not to waste
this station. Do not destroy it. It is
the last thing that we have in the
Territory of Alaska in the way of an
agricultural experiment station. It is
not a saving to strike out the $35,000
appropriation, but it i san economy
to insert it. If you take it out youl|
will have to go back there in five or
ten years and re-establish it, and thus
lose your present investment and the
sums necessary to rebuild it. To de
stroy it is waste and not economy.”
The amendment was urged in vigor
ous terms by Representatives La
w Guardia, Colton, Williamson, Sim-,
mons, Burtness, Leavitt and Carter.
It was opposed by Representative
f Stafford, of Wisconsin, and by Repre
sentative Buchanan, of the subcom
mittee, who, however, .fairly set forth
i both sides of the controversy.
Since the new winter mai contracts \
i have gone into effect complaints have
come to Delegate Wickersham from
various sections of Alaska that the
service is not so good as formerly and
that the residents of small communi
• ties are not being satisfactorily
served. These various complaints are
being investigated by the postoffice
officials, and with reference to the
Nenana, Tanana and Ruby service
Assistant Postmaster General Glover
states: “Our representative who in
vestigated the complaint states that
local service to the intermediate
points along the routes was provided
. by dog or horse teams, which, with
the through trips made by aircraft,
Pacific
j International
i
f
Airways
i 'Fly 1b comfort t all paints in
A1 ka in aur four-passenger
cabin plane. Large baggage
compartment separate from tbe
cabin. Equipment for water
i landings.
8ig' seeing trip any tun\
$5.00 pe pa. ?c: >fc
For "atea to Air ka Faints
WIRE
Robdrt H. Romig
•AGENT
Anchorage, Alaska
f
provided a reasonably efficient sup*
pily. As you are aware, contracts
were awarded to airplane companies
for service at their low bids on sev
eral winter routes. This action was
in compliance with the requests of a
:arga number of commercial organ
izations and individuals for this pro
gressive method of transportation.
However, it is apparent there is a
small element residing along the
routes opposed to service by aircraft
and desire continuance of dog teams
in order to keep the trails open. The
department is endeavoring to ..adjust
the matter so as to provide a reason
ably adequate service for all con
cerned.”
The Welch bill, that seeks to reg
ulate the operation of foating can
neries in Alaska, will have a hearing
before the House committee on mer
chant marine and fisheries on Febru
ary 11. A. H„ Bradford, president of
the Associated Fishermen of Alaska,
wires from Seattle that he will be
present to represent his company in
opposition to the bill. The Interna
tional Packing Company has also in
dicated that they will have a repre
sentative present at the hearing to
oppose the bilL
People of Fairbanks write that
they are anxious to have a road built
from their town to Chena Hot
Springs, a distance of 60 miles. It is
maintained that this would lead
through a promising mining section
to a delightful summer resort and
into a section that abounds with fish
and game.
The Seward Chamber of Commerce
has addressed a letter to Senator
Howell, with copies to Secretary of
Interior Wilbur and Delegate Wicker
sham, setting fortht hat for ten years
past Seward merchants have been en
abled to have their goods shipped
from Seattle to Woodrow at a less
cost than to Seward. The freight
would then be hauled by delivery
wagons back to the terminal point.
Now Woodrow has been discontinued
as a shipping point, and the nearest
point beyond is Penrose, 18 miles
from Seward, and .not reachable by
vehicle or any kind of transportation
than by rail or by boat via Kenai
Lake. The change is protested.
The Interior Department supply
bill was reported in the House Janu
ary 25 hy the Democratic appropria
tions committee. For the fiscal year
ending June 30, 1932, the department
has $69,342,606. The budget estimate
for the year ending June 30, 1933,
was $56,705,352. But the committee
has scaled this amount down to $50,
431,432. Alaska has been treated as
follows:: Governor’s salary last year
$7,000, increased by legal enactment
to $10,000; Secretary of the Terri
tory, salary of $3,800 increased to
$5,600; contingent expenses for Gov
ernor’s and Secretary’s offices $14,300,
increased to $17,500; legislative ex
penses, as usual, $46,000.; reindeer ac
tivities, $26,900 this year .increased
to $34,300; care'of insane from $152,
000, increased to $156,000; suppres
sion of liquor traffic among Indiums,
from $16,200 decreased to $12,Odd;
Alaska Railroad, from $1,000,000 this
year to $500,000, in addition to allot
ment received by the railroad during
the next fiscal year. For the educa
tion of natives in Alaska the commit
tee recommends $690,000, which is
$109,000 less than the current
amount. For medical relief in Alaska
there is recommended $287,800, .which
is $37;200 less than the current figure.
For continuation of the investigation
of the mineral .resources, $67,500. For
administration and maintenance of
McKinley National Park the present
sum of $195,000 has been increased
by the committee to $225,100. In ad
dition the usual provision is-made for
geological surveys and .land office ex
penses. The Secretary ofc-tue Interior
sought to have the committee consent
to giving the Alaska Railroad author
ity by inclusion of the following
words:: ‘‘Operation and maintenance
of agricultural experiment stations
heretofore operated by the Depart
ment of Agriculture on the line of the
railroad,” but this was refused.
When Representative .Buchanan,
spoke on the amendment to the agri
cultural bill that would provide for
the continuance of the Matanuska ex
periment station’he said: “It may be
that it is in the interest of the coun
try and the. development of the rail
road, and that, therefore, there would
be a smaller deficiency necessaryvrfor
the operation of the railroad. Let us
aee what Alaska gets under.this bill.
She gets $27*000 from.the Hatch and
Lever extension acts; $25,705 under
the reindeer appropriation; $lGj00Q
for muskox investigation; for the en
forcement of the Alaska game law
there is $10f>,96fi; for forest high
waysways, $350,000; or a- total with
out this Matanuska station of $525,
77. These are the facts. I submit
the question to you.”
SEWARD MAYOR WARNS
AGAINST INVASION OF
ALASKA BY JAPANESE
'tContinued from Huge :2.)
"And yet Alaska has Riven, over a
billion dollars of -wealth to the United
, States.
| “As the Mayor-of the most strate
gically important town in Alaska, I
' appeal for some immediate defensive
protection for Alaska, especially here
at Seward, the ocean terminus of the
Government railroad, the Gateway
Key to Alaska.
“‘A warship in time would save
! nine,' and I believe a few of those one
hundred warships thould be stationed
in these waters immediately to show
; that Alaska will. not be wholly de
fenseless and to relieve her citizens
of anxiety
| “At least cue harbor in Central
| Alaska should be fortified at once,
| to be a safe base in. time of need.
I Years ago a beautiful naval reserve
1 was established near Reward with the
intention of developing it and fortify
ing the harbor entrance, .but there it
lies, withdrawn from homestead entry
for fifteen years,.and yet not a dollar
spent on it. Millions of dollars .for
protecting ever other Territory, but
nut one for.Alaska. Why?”
QUESTIONABLE MOTIVES. {
—- f
•(Anchorage Times.)
Congressman Free, who apparently
is trying to put jtbe Associated-Fish
: ermen of Alaska out of business
through the enactment of legislation
which will prohibit the operation of
floating canneries in Alaska, comes
from California, home of the so-called
fisheries trust which is said to- have
had a lot to do with the .framing of
fisheries legistlation in the past; It
is even hinted that the California
congressman-has me-e than a casual
interest in fisheries operations • in
; Alaska wates. How . ve that--may be.
! reports coming to The Times from
, the westward encourage -the:- belief
that the floating cannery of the As
sociated Fishermen uf ..Alaska is far
I more helpful to the resident fisher
| men of the isolated Bristol Bay -dis
trict than are the Free-supported
| shore canneries which operate there
' and which annually bring large num
bers of Orientals, Filipinos, Mexicans
| and-other cheap labor into the Terri
tory, to the detriment of local .work
j ers.
I -Congressman Free stated that he
spent two months in the Territory iri
Inthe Probate Court for the Bethel
Precinct, Fourth Division, Territory
of Alaska.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS.
Notice is hereby given that all cred
itors having claims against the estate
of Andrew Johnson, doceased, are di
rected to present them, together with
the proper vouchers, to the under
signed, at Bethel, Alaska, within six
months from the date of this notice.
OBCAR SAMUELSON,
Administrator.
Dated at Bethel, Alaska, January 0,
mst.
vestigating conditions, and The Times
recalls that he was in the Territory
several years ago. Remembering
what he had to say about the Alaska
Railroad after he returned to the
States on that occasion, it is net sur
prising now to hear that he is trying
to discourage the building up of a
local industry out in the Bristol Bay
district which is proving really help
ful to resident fishermen.
It is not the contention of The
Times that a floating cannery is any
better than a shore cannery in any
respect; this statement has to do with
a particular floating.cannery and the
manner in which it is operated by a
particular company in a particular
district, and it is the belief of The
Timos»that it would be very unfair to
the operating company of that par
ticular plant and to the many resi
dent fishermen who benefit through
its operations if Congress should en
act apv prohibitory legislation affect
ing theopfirations of the company un
less ample time is given to conform to
such regulations as. may be deemed
necessary four the further safeguard
ing of the salmon fisheries. The pend
ing legislation..has much the appear
FOR SALE
\ '
Ophir
Roadhouse
.Completely - foMAedL v £\
good place for man and
wife: Reasonable terms to ;
rigqht party.
Write or wire to ;
*■ ?. W.' CARLSON,
Ophii-; Alaska.
arice of a deliberate attempt un'ttt>s
part of the big canneries to put -r.
small one out of business.
It is estimated that approximately
$500,000,000 is spent each year by
American families on concerts, lec
tures and theaters, other than the
movies.
Are yew a Kwsko Tiwea sn'escrAcnC
Why not join the merry throng'!
j Notary Public ■
!
I
{ Takotr.a, Alaska
i
4
Pioneer
Shop — ?
v
Blacksmith •
Machine'and
all kinds^of
Sheet Metal
Work
Safetys
Stoves 11
‘ ROBERT LOWRIE
Proprietor