The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, March 31, 1940, Page 5

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” SECOND SECTION " PAGES | TO 8 Gruening S THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE, SUNDAY, MARCH 31, 1940. oV. alning ry IsG Territo = NATION AND Attention of Nation; Delegate Lists Gains Historic Handshake WASHINGTON LOOKS NORTH SAYSDIMOND Fight for Recognifion of Alaska Special Needs Is Being Won By ANTHONY J. DIMOND Delegate to Congress Out of all the tides, and the welter, and the currents and the cross currents, which beat and surge upon our National Government, and amid all of the play and interplay of patriotism and expediency, of pure devotion and blind selfishness, of high endeavor and plain stu- pidity, which always involve the op- eration of that government—or any other government of human beings for that matter—our National Ad- ministration during the past year has found time to think occassion- ally about that part of the United States which is called Alaska and about the 70,000 people who reside therein, and time also to take some action designed “to provide for the common defense and to promote the general welfare” of the people of the" Territory. The great problem confronting the inhabitants of Alaska and thelr | relation with the National Govern- ment is to make Congress and the Executive listen to us, not only to listen to us but to get in the habit of listening to us, and to become actively aware of our existence and of our importance in the national economy. The most encouraging part of our circumstances in our relations with Washington at this time is that Congress and the Exe- cutive are more alive to the conse- quence and value of Alaska than ever before in the history of the Territory. That much is solid gain. Congressional Fisheries Committee Many people may be surprised to hear it said, but, in my judg- ment, one of the most valuable things that has happened to Alaska in the last decade was the visit to the Territory in the summer of 1939 of a Subcommittee of the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, and the hearings by that subcommittee in Alaska itself. Even in Congress the travel of a Committee or Subcommittee of eith- er House is frequently looked upon as a sort of junket, as a pleasure jaunt for the members who may be fortunate enough to be assigned to service thereon. The Commit- tee which came to Alaska last sum- mer was not that kind of a body. It was a “working committee.” The Chairman, Mr. Bland, who is one of the ablest and one of the most in- defatigable Members of the Con- gress, laid out a program for the Committee which provided little time for recreation. In fact, it was only at my urgent insistence that the Committee made the journey from Anchorage to Fairbanks; but 1 think that was one of the most useful things the Committee did because it gave the members an idea of the size and character of Alaska, and the scope and multi- plicity of the problems of Alaska, which otherwise the members could not have possibly obtained. Although the time of the visit of the Committee to the Territory was severely curtailed by the call- ing of the special session of Con- gress to consider neutrality legis- lation, yet a vast deal of work was accomplished and the value of that work will operate to our benefit for many years to come. The particu- lar Members of Congress who served on that Committee have a knowledge and a comprehension of Alaska and the economic difficul- ties which confront those of us who live in Alaska which is bound to be to our benefit as long ,as these men shall serve in the National Legis- lature. Something of benefit to Alaska has already resulted from the Com- mittee’'s hearings in the Territory. That particular something is the provision incorporated in the 1940 fisheries regulations which forbids the conversion of any herring ta- ken from the waters of Southeast- ern Alaska into oil, meal or fertil- izer. Alaska would unquestionably benefit if it were better known to all Members of Congress. Admin- istrative officials may have occas- jon to visit Alaska on business in connection with the operation of the several departments to which they may be assigned, but Members of Congress have no particular oc- casion to visit the Territory unless assigned to a Committee which is authorized to investigate or to in- quire into a particular governmental operation or industrial organization or economic condition, as was the recent case with the House Com- mittee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. Public Buildings During the past year our public | buildings program for Alaska has gone forward at a satisfactory rate | The big public building for Anchor- | age is now nearing completion and | will be ready for occupancy some- | | time in 1940. The smaller, but still fine, public building designed for Wrangell will probably go into | construction within a month from | date. Of course, there is still need | for other public buildings in the Territory; one at Petersburg; an addition to the Capitol at Juneau; and an addition to or an enlarge- | ment of the public building at Ket- chikan. | The addition to the Capitol build- | ing at Juneau has been approved by | the Interdepartmental land is now eligible for appropria- |tion or allotment of funds, while | the other buildings are still under consideration by the committee and | {no approval of them has yet been | | expressed. Public buildings are need- |ed at other places, but they are | not considered eligible under ex- | isting standards. | Rivers and “Yarbers One of the most valuable func- | tions perfor: | ernment of | provemen ‘and the construction of flood con- trol work, and particularly in the | building of small boat harbors to | give safe mooring to small boats. | Our record along that line in the past few years has been an excel- flent one. Within the last twelve "months the flood control project | for Lowell Creek, near Seward, Al- aska, has gone into construction; the Tanana-Chena flood control project for the protection of Fair- banks will go into construction in the spring of this year; work on the harbor improvement project at Nome has been continued; the Ju- neau small boat harbor is now near- ing completion; and the combined flood control and harbor improve- ment project for Skagway is prob- ably finished even as this is written; and the small boat harbor at Val- dez has been completely dredged and is now ready for installation of floats. It seems likely that a further small amount of work will be found necessary in Valdez in order to pro- tect the mouth of the harbor from wave action, but if found necessary, there will be no difficulty in hav- ing that work done. Projects Pending In the first regular session of the current Congress, the House passed all omnibus river and harbor im- ‘provement bill, which is now pend- ing in the Senate, and which au- thorizes the constructiors of the following new Alaska harbor im- provement projects: Wrangell Narrows, $2,731,000. Wrangell small boat harbor, $189,- 000. Metlakatla small boat harbor, $160,000, of which $40,000 must be contributed by local interests. (Continued to Page Two) Alaska is that of im- Committee | ‘med by the Federal Gov- | ts of rivers and harbors | WARNEWS | - FOLLOWED | ~ IN ALASKA 'Inferest as Great Here as | Elsewhere - Territory i Even in Headlines I About as far from the battlefields as it is possible to get, Alaska never- | theless has figured more than once |in the war news. The interest of | Alaskans too is unflagging in the | | details of latest developments in R | Finland, France or the war at sea. Readers in Juneau expect quite | as much war news as readers in the | States. Columns of The Empire have | | carried every important war story | since the firing began last Septem- ber. | Especially in the early days of the | conflict, when developments came fast, hundreds here read important news flashes from bulletins posted | in The Empire's windows. | Empire’s War News | War news files furnished by The | Empire are broadcast several times daily by radio station KINY of Ju-| | neau. “ The war came close to Juneau | | last September 12 when it was an- | nounced that neutrality act provis- | | lons would require that American | | passengers cease traveling on steam- | ers of belligerent nations. Canada | was a belligerent and a Canadian | Pacific steamer was due here that | very afternoon with a long list of | |{American passengers. Arrange- | ments were being made to take off all United States citizens when word | was received from Washington that | |the ruling would not apply except | ’}m war zones, which Alaskan waters | were not considered to be. Provis- ions of the revised neutrality act passed by Congress at the special | session did not change this section |of the law and Americans have continued to travel to and from | Alaska on Canadian boats. Alaska was excited on September 22 by a statement made by Presi- dent Roosevelt at his press confer- ence that a foreign submarine had been reported in Alaskan waters. The report, which placed a sub in | | | idly at dusk and submerging soon after it was sighted,” proved to be in error. | Notified by Runner At the outbreak of the war, Gen- eral Robert E. Wood, President of Sears Roebuck and Chairman of the War Industries Board, was in the northland hunting grizzlies at Burwash Landing. He was notified of the start of hostilities by an In- dian runner and a few days later passed through Juneau as he hur- ried back to the States. Another hunting party interrupt- ed suddenly due to the war was that of the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland, whose yacht Sanspeur was in Cook Inlet when the out- | break of war sent them southward to Vancouver at full steam. Several vessels bound to and from Alaska have been halted by patrol- ling Canadian warships. Eskimo ‘Way up above the Arctic Circle, when the midnight sun goes dark it's quite an event. It's so auspic- ious, in fact, that Eskimos at Noor- vik are still basing their time sys- tem on an eclipse which occurred in 1869. A telegram from Gilbert L. Swen- son, Noorvik Government teacher, to the Office of Indian Affairs here recently requested “information as to the date of an eclipse of the sun affecting this vicinity, an eclipse near enough total so that the stars showa in the daytime.” New Reason The condition which made the date of the eclipse important enough to be worth sending telegrams the length of Alaska is one compara- tively new to the North. Swenson said he had to know to determine the ages of Eskimo old age assist- ance applicants. They couldn't get their pensions unless they could find out when the sun went black. That was the event from which they dated time and their ages. 1869 Eclipse Authenticates Old Age Pensions The eclipse occurred on August 7, 1869, it was discovered by Charles W. Hawkesworth, Assistant to the General Superintendent of the Of- fice of Indian Affairs. He remem- bered having read about the eclipse and found a reference to it in “Al- aska, It's Southern Coast,” by E. Ruhamah Scidmore, a book pub- lished in 1885. Bit of History Professor Davidson of the Coast Survey, for whom Davidson Glacier near Skagway was named, came to Alaska to observe the eclipse. His Clarence Strait “heading south rap- | | of Budget | torial helm since 19 | I C Terrifory; Expenditures of the Territory of Alaska in the present year will be slightly more than $2000,000. The Legislature's appropriation for the biennium 1939-41 was $4,307,390, the largest in Alaska’s history. Burgeoning governmental servic- es, however, have caused no in- crease in the demands by the Ter- ritory upon citizens of Alaska. There is still no general property tax in Alaska, except that levied by municipalities,. The greatest shafe of the cost of government in Alaska is borne by two industries, salmon canning and gold mining. Here is where the Territorial gov- ernment’s money comes from, as outlined in estimates of the Board for the biennium from January 1, 1940: General Fund Miscellaneous items revenue $ Receipts from National Forests in Alaska (75%) Deposit interest fund Deposits by Territorial Boards Alaska Pioneers Home, Mis- cellaneous receipts Escheated estates Inheritance taxes and in- terest Property sales profit taxes Railroad income taxes Receipts from office of Au- ditor of Alaska including Insurance premium taxes Receipts from office of Secretary of the Terri- tory 3 2 Fishermen’s Licensing Law Automobile license and registration law of 15,000 25,000 12,000 10,000 20,000 23,000 5,000 1,750 155,000 observatory was set up at Klukwan. It is related that after he foretold the eclipse and the event occurred as he said it would, Chief Kloh- Kutz offered “his canoes, blankets, and wives if he would tell how he did it.” k A little known fact is that Secre- tary Seward, who purchased Alaska, was in the Territory at the time of the eclipse. He was on the Chil- kat River the day the sun went dark. i 80,000 Liquor—Ilicense fees — less refund to incorporated pitles ... Liquor — stamp tax commissions A Chiropractors Dentists .............. Attorneys-at-Law Undertakers Bakeries .. v Telephone companies Electric light and power —less b 260,000 200 600 1,000 750 500 1,500 TERRITORY Two broad smiles were flashed last December Gov. John W. Troy (right), who had been at the Terri- stepped aside for Ernest Gruen- ing, Alaska’s new Gevernor. Year Is 1939 to December 31, | 5,000 | 2,500 | 80,000 168,000 | VOSSPSR Fairbanks News-Miner cut 5 when osts Money fo Run Budget for $2,000,000 6,000 900 | plants Water works | Salmon canneries (per case tax) Salmon canneries net income) | Clam canneries | Fish salteries Pish traps, (Licenses) Fish traps, (additional tax on fish) Gill nets and stake nets Seines Cold storage plants | Fish oil works and fish fer- tilizer plants Whale oil stations | Laundries | Meat markets Mercantile establishments Mines and mining Dealers in non-alcoholic beverages . 5 Saw mills, (lumber and shingle mills) 1,400,000 (tax on | 60,000 1,000 9,000 180,000 75,000 10,000 14,000 2,000 65,000 20,000 2,000 5,000 4,000 1,250,000 1,500 4,000 | Total $3,976,200 Public School Current Fund | Receipts under school tax law From National Forests in | Alaska (25%) | Prom Alaska Game Com- | mission $ 170,000 5,000 50,000 Total $ 225,000 University of Alaska Current Fund | Federal endowment funds as follows for expendi- tures as required: Morrill Act Smith-Lever Act 100,000 24,000 $ 124,000 $4,325,200 Total Grand Total |Less Federal | funds endowment 124,000 Net, $4,201,200 | And here’s where the money goes. | The budget for the biennium as | passed by the Legislature in March, 11839, is as follows: | Office of Governor Additional salary of Secretary to Governor, $720 per annum, $1.440; (Continued on Page Three) On Ala MAKEREADY FOR FUTURE, IS MESSAGE Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness Objectives in Northland Too By ERNEST GRUENING | Governor of Alaska | The objectives of any community | of Americans citizens are broadly those outlined in our Declaration of Independence: “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Inter- preting these three aspirations in terms of Alaskans, it is reasonable to assume that we desire political equality as an inherent right of a free people, and economic oppor- tunity as a natural derivative of life in our democracy. Political equality which is not fully achieved by residents of a| Territory—such as Alaska—is an ab- | | solute goal attainable with state- | hood. Economic opportunity (the basic ingredient of “the pursuit of hap- piness”) is a relative term in which | ndividual initiative, natural re-| sour community enterprise, pub- | lic spirit, and governmental action are all contributing factors. And if economic opportunity is a rela- tive term it is none the less pretty clearly definable: It means for the American family adequate food, | clothing, shelter and medical care, | the gradual improvement of one’s| standard of living, so that the fam- | ily may have more than the bare necessities, and may look ahead without fear of insecurity. These are individual and family require- | ments, which, multiplied, constitute | the requirements of a geographic or political unit such as Alaska. Alaska’s problem is therefore ob- viously to move in the direction in- | dicated above in terms of its fish- | ermen, miners, trappers and fur| farmers, merchants, professional | | people—teachers, engineers, doctors, lawyers, public servants—industrial, | | transport and clerical workers, and | the rest. And the interest common | to all of these is the improvement | |of living conditions, the increasing | of economic opportunity and the | raising of living standards through- out Alaska. In seeking to achieve this program, certain specific goals | and measures loom up as immed- | iately important and desirable. BETTER COMMUNICATIONS | Air 1. Alaskans are the most air- minded of Americans, and chiefly by their own efforts and initiative have made aviation an indispensable and rapidly growing part of Alas- 'ka’s daily life. Now the Federal Government, through the Ciyil | Aeronautics Administration, is in- stalling aids to air navigation throughout the Territory which will facilitate aviation by making it safer and possible in conditions of poor weather and low visibility. 2. Regular air service from the States to Alaska is essential. It has lagged behind the achievement of | | | | | where which has pioneered into South America and across the At- lantic and Pacific Oceans. Its per- manent establishment for year ‘round service depends on the con- struction of suitable airports near Ketchikan, Juneau, Fairbanks, with alternative fields for emergency. Ef- | forts to secure these major projects | are under way. Meanwhile, how- | ever, regular through service from | Seattle for the summer months is | being sought for sea-planes. Hear- ings to make this possible this com- ing summer have just been held be- | fore the Civil Aeronautics Admin- | istration. There is every reason to| hope for a favorable verdict. The | benefits of regular communlcauonl by air for passengers and air mail | are apparent. They will also result tivity within the Territory | 3. The installation of aids to aer- ial navigation, and the A‘nnslrucuun‘ of great airports at important points, | adequate for sub-stratosphere planes | of long cruising radius, is precmi-! nently a responsibility of the Fed- | eral Government. The building and | improvement of smaller, local air-| ports, designed for air service with- in Alaska Is properly the responsi- bility of the Territorial authorities. Sea The passenger accommodations during the peak season on ships| flylng from Seattle to Alaska are in- sufficient. They have been filled to capacity in recent years. Now with European travel cut off the| pressure will be even greater. Un-| fortunately, there is no immediate | securing additional pas- | ssels, The war has result- ed in a tremendous demand for ev- ery type of ship. Mounting costs | of operation and consequent uncer- tainty have hitherto discouraged long range planning and construc- tion of new vessels by most coast- wise operators. These increased costs | have incidentally created a serious situation by which the Alaska pen- | insula has been deprived, and stands likely to be deprived, of regular pas- senger and freight service for the | major part of the year. To meet this situation Delegate Dimond has been untiringly at work to secure an additional appropriation of Federal funds to enable the Post Office De- partment to seek bids for a larger type of vessel than one which is| adequate merely to carry mails. This is an unprecedented request and if granted will testify to the apprecia- tion in Congress of the special con- ditions requiring this unique type of assistance. As this problem of | insufficient shipping is one beyond the power of Alaskans to remedy immediately, our chief hope lies in continued agitation for increased shipping facilities. | Land Roads are essential to the devel- opment of Alaska. Considering the Territory’s great extent, its sparse population and the relatively high cost of highway maintenance, the Territory has on the whole fared well, as the steadily, if slowly, in- creased road mileage testified. The Federal Government has supplied virtually all the funds for the high- ways that are enjoyed and utilized by the residents of Alaska’s towns and has borne the major part of the maintenance cost. Territorial funds have gone chiefly to making mining properties accessible and permitting their operators to carry on. For a number of years the American commercial aviation else- "~ Continued on Page Four) One of Alaska’s distinctive insti- tutions, an event which has gained worldwide attention, is the Nenana ice pool. The natural interest of those who live in the north in the breakup which signalizes the beginning of river transportation and the com- ing of another season is enhanced by this unique feature of Alaska's life on the borderline of winter and spring. Mathematicians At Work At this season of the year, all over Alaska—and many places Outside, for that matter—men and women are marking up their guesses as to the day, hour and minute the ice will go out of the Tanana River at Nenana. When the ice moves, anytime from April 26 to May 15, a wire trips a | mechanism which stops the clock keeping time on the breakup, and those having money on the minute | divide a cash prize which has in- creased from year to year to around | $100,000. Last year, when the ice went out Nenana Ice Pool G;ellt Guessing Game of North at 1:26 o'clock the afternoon of April 29 eight Alaskans divided a pool of $97,000. Times of the ice pool breakup since 1917 when the Nenana event was started are as follows: 1917—April 30 1918—May 11 1919—May 1920—May 1921—May 1922—May 1923—May 1924—May 1925—May 1926—April 1927—May 1928—May 1929—May 1930—May 1931—May 1932—May 1933—May 1934—April 1935—May 1936—April 1937—May 1938—May 11:30 a.m. . 9:33a.m. 2:33 p.m. 10:46a.m. 6:42a.m. . 1:20 p.m. 2:00 p.m. . 3:10 p.m. 6:32 p.m. 4:03 p.m. 5:42am. 4:25 p.m. 3:41 p.m. 7:03 p.m. 9:23a.m. 10:15 a.m. 7:20 p.m. 2:07 p.m. 1:32p.m. 12:58 p.m. 8:04 p.m. 8:14p.m. 26 13 6 5 8 10 1 8 | 1939—April ... 1:26pm. Important Tomorrow skan Horizon LEGISLATIVE SESSION OF 39 EVENTFUL Walker Liquor Bill Likely fo Be Remembered as Main Highlight Acts setting a minimum wage fot |in greatly increased aviation ac- women workers, raised the exemp- tion from the gross gold tax, es- tablishing standards of weights and measures, amending the unemploy- ment compensation law and pro- viding in a hotly-debated *saloon bill” for sale of hard liquor by the drink were the major pieces of legislation ground through the mill of the Territorial Legislature in its session last year. Two measures which did not pass provided most of the fireworks dur- ing the session. Both were Kkilled by disagreement on the last day of the session, One would have asked Congress to abolish fish traps in Alaska. The other would have set the Territory up in the wholesale liquor business. Big Appropriation ‘The session appropriated $4,307,390 to operate the Territory during the present biennium. ‘The saloon bill, introduced by Sen- ate President Norman Walker of Ketchikan, provided for the sale of hard liquor by the drink under li- censes of $500 and $1,000 depending |upon the population of the place where the dispensary is located, Beer and wine licenses, except for restaurants, went out of date og expiration of the ones existing when the Walker bill went into ef- fect last June 9. Work Done Other memorable legislation the 1939 session: An appropriation of $800,000 for roads. An appropriation of $20,000 for construction of a hospital at Sel- dovia. A liquor referendum bill, under which voters of the Territory will be asked at the next General Elec- uon whether they are for or against ‘Territorial control of liquor. Purchase of Goddard Hot Springs at a cost of $20,000 as an auxiliary Pioneers’ Home. A bill raising the exemption from at | the gross gold tax from $10,000 to $20,000. An appropriation of $70,000 for a University of Alaska building fund. A bill setting a minimum wage of $18 per week for women workers, One Veto Gov. John W. Troy had only one veto for 1939 legislation, and that on . a comparatively unimportant bill which would have appropriated $5,000 to pay bank examiners. The bill was vetoed, the Governor ex« plained, because a companion meas+ ure providing funds for the purpose was defeated. Members of the 1939 Territorial Legislature, all of whom are tech- nically still in office though all Rep~ resentatives and half the Senators will be elected anew before the next session is held next January, are as follows: The Legislators First Division—Senator Norman R. Walker, Ketchikan; Senator Hen- ry Roden, Juneau; Rep. A..P. Wal- ker, Craig; Rep. James V. Davis, Juneau; Rep. J. P. Anderson, Ju- neau; Rep. John McCormick, Ju- neau. Second Division—Senator O. D. Cochran, Nome; Senator Leroy Sul- livan, Nome; Rep. Howard Lyng, Nome; Rep. Garnet Martin, Nome; Rep. Wallace Porter, Haycock; Rep. W. J. Dowd, Kotzebue. Third Division — Senator James Patterson, Valdez; Senator Joe Hofman (deceased), Seward; Rep. Karl Drager, Anchorage; Rep. Har- vey Smith, Anchorage; Rep. Ed- ward Coffey, Anchorage; Rep. H. H. McCutcheon, Anchorage. Fourth Division—Senator Victor C. Rivers, Fairbanks; Senator C. H. LaBoyteaux, Livengood; Rep. Jesse Lander, Fairbanks; Rep. Leo Rogge, Fairbanks; Rep. Charles Spencer, Fairbanks; Rep. Frank S. Gordon, Fairbanks. The Legislature was made up of 23 Democrats and one Republican. The sole representative of the G. O. P. was Senator Leroy Sullivan of Nome. X