NEWS LETTER
By MARY LEE COUNCIL
’ Secretary to E. L. (Bob) Bartlett. Delegate to Congress from Alaska
February 5, 1953
ALASKA STATEHOOD
Following his return from the I
recent meeting of the Alaska
Statehood Committee in Juneau
where the committee met with
members of the legislature, Dele
gate Bartlett drafted for intro
duction on February 6 an Alaska
statehood bill which would grant
43.350.000 acres of land and pro
vide an appropriation authoriza
tion of $50 million to the new
state.
The land provisions of Delegate
Bartlett’s measure increase by
20.400.000 acres the land grants
contained in the Senate statehood
version introduced on January 7
by 14 Democratic senators and
Sen. Morse of Oregon, indepen
dent.
The $50 million authorization
request would be used by the
state for state surveys of land
granted to Alaska by the enabling
act, construction and improve
ment of roads and harbors, and
construction of state mental, char
itable, penal and reformatory in
stitutions.
Listed below are the major pro
visions of Delegate Bartlett’s bill
compared with the terms of the
Senate measure.
Delegate Bartlett s bill grants
43,350,000 acres of land to the
new state, while the Senate bill
provides for grants of 22,950,000
acres. The House version would
allow the state as soon as admit
ted to start selecting 40 million
• acres of vacant, unappropriated
and unreserved public lands,
while the Senate bill would grant
20 million acres for this purpose
to be selected five years after ad
mission. Both bills provide for
survey by the Interior Depart
ment of the exterior boundaries
of the areas requested by the state
but the Senate version limits the
sale by the state of such lands in
tracts no larger than 640 acres,
while Bartlett’s bill carries no
- such restriction. Delegate Bart
lett’s bill also eliminates the Sen
ate provision that only up to 12V£
percent royalty on minerals pro
duced on state lands may be re
served to the state.
ALASKA PUBLIC WORKS ACT
The Alaska Public Works Act
would have four years added to
its life through the terms of a bill
scheduled to be introduced this
week by Delegate Bartlett.
The measure, passed in 1949
and authorizing a $70 million
public works program foT the ter
ritory, is due to expire on June
30, 1955. Delegate Bartlett’s bill
would extend that time until
June 30, 1959.
Through the 1953 fiscal year,
Congress appropriated $29,208,
200 for the program leaving a bal
ance of $40,791,800 to be sought
to complete the $70 million auth
orized program scheduled now to
die in 2V2 years unless Delegate
Bartlett’s bill is enacted. President
Truman early in January sub-1
mitted a $15 million request for
the 1954 fiscal year, subject to re
vision by the new administration.
Of the $29,208,200 so far ap
propriated, $5,283,396 have gone
for water projects, $2,754,924 for
sewer projects, $3,747,959 for
streets, $12,436,515 for schools,
$3,490,270 for other buildings,
$208,350 for utilities, $22,100 for
electric projects, $135,000 for
hospitals or health facilities, and
$1,129,686 for expenses of the
program.
OTHER LEGISLATION
Congressman Sfrort, chairman of
the House Armed Services Com
mittee, introduced a bill which
authorizes the appropriation of
$4,517,000 for Alaska Communi
cation System facilities, as fol
lows: Anchorage, $698,000; Bar
row, $262,600; Bethel, $228,900;
Big Delta, $91,200; Cathedral
Bluffs iTok Junction', $436,300;
Cold Bay, $65,500; Cordova,
$2,600; Craig, $15,600; Curry,
$73,500; Fairbanks, $180,300; Gul
kana, $232,000; Haines, $69,400;
Harding Lake, $8,500; He-aly,
$75,000; Johnson River, $8,500;
Ketchikan, $233,500; and Kodiak,
$340,100.
Others are: Kotzebue, $262,000;
Naknek, $53,000; Nome, $162,100;
Northway, $94,800; Palmer - Tok
Junction, $115,000; Petersburg,
$128,200; Seward, $88,500; Sheep
Mountain, $189,000; Sitka, $76,
200; Unalaska, $89,200; Valdez,
$173,500; Whittier, $4,600; and
Wrangell, $50,400.
VISITORS
Bill Boucher of Nome visited
with Delegate Bartlett this week
while in Washington during mid
term leave from the University
of Virginia.
O. A. Margraf, mining man of
Nome, called at Delegate Bart
lett’s office while in the East
recently.
Sen. McCarran Settles
Out of Court In Suit By
Nevada Publisher
LAS VEGAS, Nev., UR — A
$225,000 damage suit against Sen.
Pat McCarran iD-Nevl and 20 Las
Vegas gambling casinos and
hotels has been settled out of
court.
Terms of the mid-trial settle
ment of the suit brought by pub
lisher H. M. Grenspun of the Las
Vegas Sun were not disclosed.
But a reliable source reported
that it was in favor of Grenspun
in a sum estimated at between
$76,000 and $86,000.
Grenspun charged that Sen.
McCarran and the casinos con
spired in violation of anti-trust
laws to discontinue casino and
hotel advertising in the paper be
cause of his published comments
critical o’f McCarran. The charges
were denied by McCarran and
his co-defendants.
Inventory Blanks at Nome Nugget
THE NOME LIQUOR STORE
WE CARRY A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF
FINE LIQUORS, BEER AND WINE
Out-of-Town Orders Carefully Handled
IITTIHWmHHiflW—M—B——Bg— 1
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Ost Leave
For Homer. Enroute to Africa
Mr. and Mrs. Jo’e Ost, who have
been visiting in Nome for several
months from Africa, and caring
for Mrs. L. E. Ost, plan to leave
today for Homer from where they
will return to the States and
Africa when their missionary fur
lough ends. Mr. Ost has shown his
interesting slides of his work in
Africa to several of the civic or
ganizations and churches during
his visit here.
Missing Bush Pilot Is Found
FAIRBANKS, UP)—A1 Wright, a
prominent Alaska bush pilot re
ported missing Thursday, landed
safely at Fort Yukon Friday and
the search for him was'called off.
Wright said he had been forced
down at Beaver by bad weather
and couldn’t notify the Tenth Air
Rescue Squadron because he did
not have a radio.
Often referred to os
"a newspaperman's |
newspaper" the MON I- 2
TOR covers the world
with a network of News f
Bureaus and corre- *
spondents.
Order a special intro
ductory subscription to
day— 3 months for $3.
You'll find the MONI
TOR "must" reading
and as necessary as
your HOME TOWN
PAPER.
The Christian Science Monitor
One, Norway St., Boston 15, Mass., U.S.A.
Please send me an introductory Moni
tor subscription—76 issues. I enclose $3.
(name)
(address)
(city) (zone) (state) j
PB-10
Kodiak Mayor Urges
Continued Leasing Govt.
Vessels for Alaska Trade
WASHINGTON, UP)—'The mayor
of Kodiak urged -Friday that the
government continue to charter
three vessels to the Coastwise
Line and two others to the Alaska
Steamship Co.
The Maritime Board declined
last September to renew the ship
charters to the companies. An ap
peal by Coastwise from the deci
sion is now being heard by Mari
time Examiner A. L. Jordon.
Mayor Lee C. Bettinger testi
fied that Kodiak Island, off the
Alaska mainland, is almost en
tirely 'dependent upon water
borne transportation and that
everything possible should be
done to improve shipping.
Large civilian and military con
struction programs are now under
way that will practically double
the size of Kodiak city, Bettinger
said, adding:
“We must have more .service
than we have had in the past.”
B. H. Parkinson, vice president
and general manager of Coast
wise Line also urged the Maritime
Board to renew charters on the
three Liberty-type ships formerly
operated by his company.
Fairbanksan Driving
Tractor Killed In Collision
With R.R. Locomotive
FAIRBANKS. UPi—Billy Miller,
about 60, was killed outright at a
railroad crossing just nortli of
here Friday When the tractor he
was driving was struck by an
Alaska Railroad locomotive.
Witnesses told investigating of
ficers Miller was driving near the
tracks in the same direction as
the train when he suddenly swung
out to' cross the tracks and was
killed in the collision.
Investigators said the tractor
apparently was making too much
noise and Miller didn’t hear the
approaching train. He was a long
time resident of Fairbanks.
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES
GE WASHING MACHINE GE AUTOMATIC ROASTER
GE MAZDA LAMPS GE VACUUM SWEEPER
GE HOT PLATE THOR GLADIRON
Northern Light & Power Co.
v. . .. ... i . ——. I. .
Tokyo Fireworks Explosion
Kills at Least 21 Persons
TOKYO, UPi—A fireworks fac
tory near Tokyo exploded Satur
day and Japanese police reported
21 known dead, at least 23 in
jured, 110 nearby homes destroy
ed and 150 damaged.
The victims — mostly women
and girls—earlier had been num
bered at between 22 and 25 with
an undetermined number missing.
Bodies and parts of bodies were
strewn all over the scene of the
blast, which shook downtown
Tokyo 15 miles away.
Police said the explosions ap
parently were touched off by ig
nition powder in a concrete ware- *
house.
MASONS TO HOLD ANNUAL
GEO. WASHINGTON PARTY
Anvil Lodge F. & A. M. is en
tertaining next Saturday evening
at the Masonic Temple with their
annual GeoTge Washington Birth
day Party.
Visiting Masons and their fam
ilies as well as Eastern Stars, fam
ilies and escorts have been invited
to the party. It is scheduled to
start at 8:00 p.m., said Boyd Har
wood, W.M.
I
Arctic Sanitary Service
Phone RED 181
Bering Sea Club
Dining Room
Now Open
Dinners Only
4-12 p.m.
Tonight—join the millions who find it’s...
THE OLD SUNNY BROOK COMPANY, LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY