I
Northwestern Alaska Chamber of Commerce
Recommendations To The Legislature
1.
The Northwestern Alaska Cham
ber of Commerce approves the
recommendations as sej forth by
the Board of Road Commissioners
in their report dated Dec. 10, 1954.
1. Recommend that the law be
changed so as to allow the Terri
tory the right to sell or lease proj
ects in order to allow the cities
and districts to levy a charge
against the people actually bene
fitting from the project and thus
helping to meet maintenance
costs.
2. Recommend that the Terri
torial Police appropriation be
transferred from the Motor Fuel
Oil Tax Fund to the General
Fund and that all the monies
spent on the Highway Patrol and
Territorial Police in this biennium
be refunded to the Motor Fuel Oil
Tax Fund account.
3. Recommend that the tax on
motor vehicles be increased to
4<4 a gallon but that the increase
should not apply on stationary
engines. This increase to be ear
marked for the Motor Fuel Oil
Tax Fund to be spent on Territor
ial roads.
4. Recommend that appropriate
legislation be passed for covering
the annual motor vehicle license
fees into the Motor Fuel Oil Tax
Fund instead of the General
Fund.
5. Recommend that all receipts
from the Motor Fuel Oil Tax
Fund shall remain in the revMv-,
ing fund and not be diverted into
the General Fund.
6. The Board of Road Commis- i
sioriers strongly urges the Terri- !
torial Legislature not to earmark
any portion of the motor fuel oil
tax funds collected in the Terri
tory for refund to municipalities j
of public utility districts.
7. The Board adopted the fol- j
lowing resolution: WHEREAS the !
Territorial Highway Engineer or j
the Territorial Board of Road ;
Commissioners were not consult- ;
ed in regard to the construction!
of forest development roads, BE
IT RESOLVED that the responsi
bility for maintenance of forest
development r o ads, including
snow removal thereon, shall not
be accepted by the Territory ex
cept in such cases as have been
approved by the Territorial Board
of Road Commissioners after a
study by the Territorial Highway
Engineer. Maintenance of such
roads approved by the Board may
be negotiated for between the
Territorial Highway Engineer and
the United States Forest Service.
8. The Board requests the Alas
ka Road Commission to request
funds for a survey connecting
Bristol Bay to the Alaska High
way System by means of a road
from Dillingham to Illiamna Bay.
9. The Board urges the exten
sion of the Livengood road to
Eureka and then to. Rampart.
10. Whereas the language of the
Act defining #ie work to be un
dertaken under the Motor Fuel
Oil Tax Fund is vague and the
Attorney General’s opinion is also
indefinite; therefore the Board
should adopt the policy that the
merits of each case of flood con
trol support have to be considered
separately, that the Board consid
er that the wording of Section
48-5-1 ACLA 1949 and Chapter
80 SLA 1951 creating the Motor
Fuel Oil Tax Fund for financing
roads, and harbor and water fac
ilities, was meant to serve the
means of road and water trans
portation; and that flood control
has never been indicated as a
proper obligation of the fund by
the Legislature.
2.
We request the Legislature for
special funds for extending the
Nortie Rivfer road to the Kougarok.
3.
We recommend that the Terri
torial Police appropriation be
transferred from the Motor Fuel
Oil Tax Fund to the General Fund
and that all the monies spent on
the Highway Patrol and Terri
torial Police in this biennium be
refunded to the Motor Fuel Oil
Tax Fund.
4.
We request that the Legislature
petition Congress that Alaska be
permitted to participate in the
proposed Federal Road program,
emphasizing that the Teller
Nome - Rampart - Fairbanks road
will ultimately become a link in
the International Highway that
now extends from South America
to Fairbanks.
5.
We request that the Legislature
pass legislation enabling the Ter
ritorial Police to explore the pos
sibilities of establishing a station
in Nome to serve the Second Divi
sion.
6.
We urge the Legislature to re
quest the Department of Interior
to continue to aid the reindeer
industry and assist natives in es
tablishing additional herds in the
Second Division.
7.
We oppose any curtailment of
the existing stateside air service
to Alaska and request the Legis
lature to so memorialize to Con
gress and the President of the
United States.
Be it further resolved that in
stead of any such reduction, pres
ent stateside air terminal status
should be continued, encourage
ment should be given to the air- ;
lines which serve this huge north- !
ern region to improve and in
crease this service and to this
end to bring about greater inter
gration so as to provide through
service between local northern
communities and outside centers
of populations, particularly with
the cities of the Pacific North
west, which are the natural points
of contact with the Northland,
and that all appropriate United
States Government agencies be
urged to promote further studies
of air transportation for this area
in order to provide additional
service as economic conditions
justify and to furnish the Terri
tory with the best possible air
transportation practical.
8.
We urge that the Legislature
memorialize Congress to allow
25 per cent of wages earned in
private industry and wages paid
Territorial employees be tax free,
the same as Federal employees
are granted a 25 per cent tax free
“cost of living” allowance.
9.
We urge that the United States
Commissioner be put on a yearly
salary basis.
10.
To authorize Territorial main
tenance and operation of airports
in or near cities of 600 population
or more.
11.
We recommend that an office
and representative of the Fish
and Wildlife Service be estab
lished in Nome, as at present the
only representative is stationed at
Shungnak and not being familiar
with the balance of vast territory
south of his village.
12.
The Northwest Alaska Cham
ber of Commerce is opposed to
tax exemption to all cooperatives.
‘ 13.
We request the legislature to
correct the present unfair cigar
ette tax law so that all cigarettes
shipped into the Territory will be
taxed at the present rate of 50«*
a carton.
14.
We recommend the Legislature
continue and increase aid to the
Alaska Visitors Association.
* 15.
We recommend that a home for
juvenile delinquents be estab
lished in the Territory of Alaska.
16.
We recommend that a limit be
placed on the amount of unem
ployment compensation payed to
any individual, this limit to be
determined by the number of de
pendents.
We also recommend that the
employee participate in the pay
ments to the fund, and that there
be no increase in the contribution
rate made by the employer.
17.
We recommend that the Legis
lature petition the Department of
Interior to re-establish the Land
Office in Nome.
18.
We recommend that a law be
passed requiring every car owner
to have adequate insurance of lia
bility or post a bond, this being
required before issuing a license.
19.
We recommend that at least a
part-time agent of the Unemploy
ment Security Commission be sta
tioned at Nome.
20.
We urge the passage by Con
gress of a mental health bill for
Alaska, such bill to provide hu
mane and proper care, and that a
hospital for such mental patients
be provided within the Territory
of Alaska.
21.
We request the Legislature to
urge Congress to continue the
dredging of Nome Harbor.
22.
AID TO MINERS}
We urge that Resolution No. 34
of the All-Alaska Chamber of
Commerce, of Tax Incentives for
Miners, be adopted:
WHEREAS the mining industry
of Alaska is at its lowest ebb, and,
WHEREAS every possible in
centive should be provided by the
Federal Government of the Uni
ted States to stimulate this basic
industry in Alaska,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RE
SOLVED that the Nome Chamber
of Commerce does support this
! measure as follows:
Many of our tax rates are still
too high to leave incentive for
; maximum economic effort and in
I itiative.
The overall tax rate on income
of the individual or of the corpor
ation should not in any case ex
ceed 50 percent.
While a start has been made in
an allowance to stockholders on
dividends with respect to taxes
paid by corporations, the principle
should be further extended, and
depletion allowed to a mining
corporation should be carried
through to the stockholder on
some equitable basis.
Substantial improvement has
been made in depreciation provi
sions and in their administration,
but here is still need that the tax
benefit rule should be fully ap
plied.
The limitations on deductibility
of exploration expenses have been
somewhat eased, but such limita
tions should be completely elimi
nated.
Tax exemption should be grant
ed a new mine for three years.
Capital gain should be taxed at
hnore moderate rates.
23.
We recommend an adequate
Prospectors Aid Program.
We recommend that the U£>.
fcleblogical Survey resume* tbe
(Continued on Page- Four)
THREE LOBBYISTS REGISTER
FOR 22ND LEGISLATURE
Only three lobbyists had regis
tered this week with Territorial
Auditor Neil Moore and paid
their fees for sitting in on sessions |
of the 22nd Alaska Legislature, j
Stanton W. Allison of Portland,
Ore., paid a $100 non-resident fee
to represent the Title Insurance
and Trust Company of Alaska.
Edgar Paul Boyko, of Anchor
age, paid a $10 resident fee for:
representing the Chugach Electri
cal Association.
Cledamae Seaman, executive
secretary of the Alaska Territor
ial Federation of Labor, paid $10
to represent the labor group.
BERING SEA
BARBER SHOP
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12 Noon to 9.00 P.M:
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Saturday 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
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DAILY FLIGHTS
( Except Sunday )
TO SEATTLE
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