Judging from the comments
appearing in the press and in
letters received from individu
als and organizations it is very
probable that the local protest
against the distinctly inhibitive
and highly discriminatory pro
vision of the act will be strong
lf supported during the next le
gislative session.
Included among the answers
so far received is Ihe following
from Dan Sutherland, Alaska
delegate to Congress, in which
he sets forth ih no uncertain
terms his views regarding the
law
The communication, dated
July 11th, reads as follows:
Your communication of July
2nd transmitting a copy of the
resolutions passed by the Hyder
Chamber of Commerce on June
4th with reference to the Alas
ka Workmen’s Compensation
^.Act is at hand.
Although action to correct
the most unusual and unsound
features of the compensation
act of the 1929 legislature does
not lie within my province as
Congres s i o n a 1 Representative
but is strictly a matter for the
Alaska legislature to handle. I
feel that I am warranted in say
ing to you that for several past
sessions of the legislature pro
posals have been made to adopt
a workman's compensation for
the Territory that would be bas
ed upon the modern ideas of
some of the progressive states
but invariably the proposal has
been rejected and we still cling
to the antiquated form of the
original Alaska Compensation
Act.
During the last political cam
paign in the Territory I called
public attention to the ridicu
lous feature that was enacted in
the session of 1927 whereby a
premium was placed upon the
employment of alien workmen
in Alaska industry. Several
candidates for the legislature
announced that they would try
to have that objectionable fea
ture of the law repealed but it is
evident that nothing was done
to correct it at the rocen session.
Thus an alien has every ad
vantage over a citizen when
seeking employment, particular
ly in the mines.
This feature was placed in the
law7 simply because a large num
ber of young aliens are employ
ed in some of the larger quartz
mines of the Territory. Certain
ly a mine operator is going to
employ an alien in preference to
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a citizen when under the law it
costs twice as much to compen
sate for the loss of a citizen’s
life as it does to compensate for
the loss of an alien’s life.
There is a trite saying of Pres
ident Wilson to the effect that
“legislation is generally con
ceived for the benefit of the few
•-'nd not in the interest of
many” and it certainly applies
to some of the actions of the
Alaska legislature. Why on earth
a body of men selected to repre
sent the people of the Territory
should incorporate in their com
pensation act a feature so un
justly adverse to citizenship is
be von d my comprehension.
There were several men in the
• f)27 session who vigorously op
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