Seat In House
Must be Provided
For Alaska
BY GEORGE R. BROWN
From: "San Francisco Examiner"
WASHINGTON,—If Alaska isn’t
going to arrive in Washington
next January—all dressed up and
no place to go—Congress will
have to act fast before adjourn
ment this month to provide a
seat in the House of Representa
tives for the baby State.
Since Alaska, under the Con
stitution, will be entitled to one
member in that body, a law will
probably have to be enacted in
creasing the membership of the
House to 436, now fixed at 435.
Unless the present law is
changed Alaska couldn’t get into
the House, although her two
Senate seats would be assured,
every State being entitled to two.
This little problem, which has
generally escaped attention in the
rejoicing over Alaskan state
hood, perhaps should have been
referred for study to the House
Committee on “Legislative Over
sight!”
The reason why a special law
will have to be passed to assure
membership for Alaska in the
House of Representatives in the
86th Congress to be elected in
November, is that the present
membership of thalf body is
based on the census of 1950, and
there can be no reapportionment
—even if there were time—unt^l
the census of 1960 has been taken
two years hence.
When the question of reappor
tionment under the 1960 is even
tually taken up, there will prob
ably be a strong sentiment in the
House in favor of increasing the
membership of that body, not
only to 436 to take care of Alas
ka, or even 437 to provide for
the eventual admission of Hawaii,
but to a considerably larger
figure.
If the membership of the House
is retained at the present statua
tory figure of 435, the additional
seats would have to be provided
for at the expense of some of the
States that are losing population.
These are the States that will
.favor increasing the total mem
bership of the House. No State
likes to lose voting strength in
the House of Representatives.
To increase the size of the
House above 435 would be a
blunder. The House is already
too large. As a matter of orderly
and constructive business the
membership actually should be
reduced, to not more than 300.
That would make it a much more
effective law making body.
The House has grown amazing
ly. It started in 1789 with 65,
jumped to 103 after the census
of 1790, went then to 213, in 18 70
to 292, to S56 after the census of
1890, to 386 after the census of
1900 and to 435 after the census
of 1910.
This was accomplished by^ an
act of Congress passed on Aug.
8, 1911, fixing the permanent
membership of the House at 433,
with an additional member each
for Arizona and New Mexico
when and if they were admitted
to the Union.
This occurred in 1912, when
both territories became States,
entitled to two Senators, and one
member in the House.
Alaska will be the fifth State
of the Union having only one
Congressman, the others being
Delaware, Nevada, Vermont and
Wyoming.
The apportionment of mem
bers of the House of Representa
tives is most unrealistic.
Alaska’s one Representative in
the 86th Congress will represent
a population (1950 census) of
128,000, as compared with the
13 th Illinois District (Cook
County) whose Congresswoman,
Mrs. Marguerite Stitt Church,
represents a population of 466,064.
Japanese Catch 85%
Of Salmon Allowed In
In Russian Waters
TOKYO, W) — The government
fishery board said Saturday Japa
nese salmon fishing fleets in
Soviet-controlled North Pacific
waters have caught 85 per cent
of the 110,000-ton target set in
an agreement with Russia early
this year.
The agreement provided the
Japanese must end operations
Aug. 10, even though they were
a month late in starting because
of the delayed negotiations.
It has been feared Japan would
not be able to reach the target,
putting itself at a distinct dis
advantage in next year’s negotia
tions.
The fishery board said as of
July 31 the 'Japanese in the
Aleutians near Russia had hauled
in 72,683 tons and those in the
Okhotsk Sea 5,785 tons.
The unreported haul by other
Japanese fishing vessels operat
ing singly, not in fleets, the
fishery board said, should push
the total near 110,000 tons.
$29 • Million Approved
For Military Construction
In Alaska During 1959
Appropriations totalling $29,
592,000 for Alaska were approved
this week by the House in pas
sage of the Military Construction
Appropriation Bill and the Sup
plemental Appropriation Bill for
the 1959 fiscal year.
The bulk of the appropriations
which are scheduled to be con
sidered soon by * the Senate
Appropriations Committee would
go for military construction in
the amount of $29,392,000, in
cluding $480,000 for National
Guard hrmory construction at
Nome, and Unalakleet Air Force
Station, $411,000.
The Supplemental Appropria
tion Bill as passed by the House
includes $200,000 for the opera
tions of the Bureau of Land
Management in Alaska to handle
the increase in oil and gas leases.
The request had amounted to
$270,000, cut by the Appropria
tions Committee to $200,000.
“This amount,” the Committee
stated, “together with proper
utilization of available resources,
should adequately handle the
current backlog of applications.”
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available at The Nome Nugget
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Box 504
Fairbanks Ph. 6000
$1,395,650 For
13 Alaska Airports
Grant agreements covering fed
eral aid in the building or
improving of 13 Alaskan airports
have been announced by the
Civil Aeronautics Administration,
totalling $1,395,650.
In each case, the Territorial
Department of Aviation is the
local sponsor, providing 25% of
the cost, with the CAA supplying
75%. Upon signing of the grant
agreements, the local sponsor can
proceed with construction. The
CAA checks on progress of the
work and approves payment as
the work proceeds.
Included in the grant agree
ments signed are:
At Bethel, $585,000 of federal
money will assist in paving a
runway 4,000 feet long, paving a
taxiway and aircraft parking
apron, installing runway and taxi
way lights, -providing erosion
control, installing an access road
and building a maintenance
and power building.
The Mekoryuk airport on Nuni
vak Island will be gravel sur
faced and receive erosion control
treatment at a cost of $112,500 in
federal funds.
At Red Devil on the Kusko
kwim River a grant of $150,000
has been made for land acquisi
tion, and construction of a 4000
x 150 foot gravel surfaced run
way, aircraft parking apron and
access road.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE NUGGET
Statehood For Alaska To Make Nt>
Difference In Cost-of-Living Allowance
WASHINGTON, Iff) — Defense
personnel in Alaska—military or
civilian—won’t lose their pay
differentials if Alaska votes to ac
cept statehood. Neither would
it make any change in the length
of tours for personnel assigned
there.
This was reported Saturday by
Delegate Bob Bartlett on the
strength of letters and informa
tion received from Defense De
partment liason personnel work
ing with Congress.
Bartlett made public a letter
sent him on behalf of Secretary of
the Army Brucker, which Bart
lett said he was advised also
represented the policy view of
the Defense Department.
“Neither the cost-of-living al
lowances nor the foreign duty
pay as authorized by the Career
Compensation Act of L949 for
military personnel will be af
fected,” the letter said, “because
the law states that members shall
be entitled to additional pay
while serving outside continental
United States or in Alaska.’'
Similar wording, with rx>' ref
erence to Alaska’s governmental
status, was included in the Ap
propriations Act authorizing dif
ferentials for civilian, personnel.
The letter continued:
“The prescribed length of ‘tour
for personnel assigned to Alaska
will not change as a result of
statehood. Such factors as iso
ation from the mainland, separa
tion from dependents or other
family ties, climatic conditions
and other factors which are
considered in establishing duty
tours and special pay are not
altered by statehood.”
“It is not planned to assign
returnees from oversea areas to
Alaska except in case of per
sonnel who entered the service
from that area and who request
specifically such assignment. Nor
is it planned to levy personnel
from Alaska in support of over
seas replacement requirements.”
Bartlett said he had requested
the ruling as the result of ru
mors, apparently originating with
anti-statehood factions, t h a-t
statehood would alter existing
policies.
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