would vary as to different com
modities. This arrangement would
"be effective on March 1 of this'
year, the day following delivery of
the ships to the owners by the1
Maritime Commission. Legal au-i
thority for the Maritime Commis
sion to continue government oper-;
ation will expire on February 28.
President Truman has requested
that the Maritime Commission’s
authority in all trades to continue
operations be extended until June
30, but the negotiations now going
on necesarily look forward to pri
vate operation on March 1 because
there is no surety that Congress
will approve the President’s recom
mendation.
“In view of historic opposition
to any kind of subsidy in coastwise
trade, the sympathetic interest oi
Congressmen Jackson, Herter and
Bland in agreeing to accept this
proposal for themselves and in
agreeing to do what they can in
securing Congressional approval is
clearly demonstrated.
“If for any reason an agreement j
were not worked out for govern
ment ships and for government in
surance, the only alternative would
seem to be outright private opera
tion. With respect to that, the car
riers submit that overall rate in
creases on the order of 118 per
cent over and above 1941 rates
will be required.
“Althugh we are told the passen
ger business is a losing business,
the rate of increase with respect
to it will be comparatively small.
It may be fairly assumed the rea
son for that is because Canadian
lines in southeastern Alaska and
airplanes to all sections of Alaska
are offering competition.
“So, while a very slight increase
would be placed on passenger
rates, the overall freight increase
would be considerably more.
“When the statement is made
that a settlement has finally been
reached with respect to the trade
between continental United States
and Puerto Rico at 30 per cent
above prewar level we are inform
ed, not only by the operators but
oy the so-called Plant technical
committee which has just submit
ted us report to the House Mer
chant Marine and Fisheries sub
committee that the Alaska trade is
entirely unique and entirely dif
ferent from and not comparable
wun any other trade anywhere
else, it would seem to a layman
mere must be a basis of compari
son somewhere but we are told
mis is not so. This would seem to
oe by way of instructing us that
rtiasKa has no real argument at
all, and we must pay whatever
cn-rcws might be assessed against
u.-> and in wnatever measure they
rnigiit oe assessed and at whatever
time they might be levied.
“During the war I was told more
than once by operators that the
reason for all the waste and effi
ciency was because of government!
operation and that the era of good
times would return with private
operation.
“And so it will for the operators |
if their proposals are accepted.
But the results in Alaska will not
be good and could be disastrous.
The Alaska businessman, the
miner, the fisherman, the fish
packer, the housewife—all these
and more will be hurt in varying
degrees. At the moment when
are officially told the inflationary
peak has been reached and ev\
passed Alaskans are informed they
must brace themselves for anothc
wave of spiralling costs.
“I have been severely criticized
in some circles for introducing
legislation which would permi
foreign shipping in Alaska waters.
I have been told that enactment o
Such legislation would drive Amer
ican ships from the Territory anc
would subject us after that had re
suited to uncontrolled rates and
no guarantees at all of service.
Frankly, I cannot see what dif
ference there would be between
that and the clear warning given
yesterday that Alaska must accept
the proposed rate increase withou'
question or protest, or do without
shipping.
“The Jackson subcommittee, o'
WALLACE TAXI
\
NOME, ALASKA Phone RED P5
You are invited to attend a
PUBLIC DANCE
A
at the
High School Gym
Saturday, February 8
Admission: Gents $1.00, Ladies 50c
BASKET-BALL GAME at 8:00 P.M.
NOME HI vs. VETS
DANCING at 9:00 P.M.
This Dance is being given to raise funds
to send our High School Basket Ball Team
to the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous Inter
Alaska Basket Ball Tournament.
COME OUT AND SUPPORT
THE HOME TOWN TEAM
L._____A
course, has nothing at all to do|
with fixing rates, and so I desire
to emphasize here than Congress
men Jackson and Bland and Her
ter have not endorsed or have not
attempted to endorse any sugges-,
tions as to rate charges. That is1
entirely up to the U. S. Maritime'
Commission, the regulatory body
created by Congress for that pur
pose.
‘‘In the normal course of events'
and after the shipping companies!
had filed their tariff proposals, the
Territory of Alaska could, if it so
chose, intervene and request sus
pension of rates and a hearing by
the Maritime Commission. That j
choice is still the Territory’s. The
advisability of doing so must be1
weighed against the warning of|
the operator’s attorney yesterday (
that if the Territory does intervene'
and rates are suspended service
will absolutely cease with the Ter-1
ritory being foreclosed of the right1
to appeal in orderly manner.
“Costs of operating steamships
; have obviously gone up through
1 the last few years as have all other
! costs. It takes no trained econo
mist to determine that, but we
| Alaskans have a clear right to
question whether they have climb
ed to the point the operators sug
1 gest. After all, it was only a few
weeks ago the Maritime Commis
sion rejected rate increase propos
j als in the Alaska trade on a com
! parable scale. Now, without furn
.shing any further proof as to the
validity of their figures, the oper
ators have moved to impose their
own will on Alaska without re
straint.
! “My reasoned conclusion is that
! come what may the Territory can
| not accept this without fighting
| back, no matter what the cost may
be. If we yield now without a
struggle, then forevermore we are
at the mercy of those who might
desire to treat us similarly.
“We should act boldly and firm
ly but with moderation. More is at
stake than the continued prosper
ity of any steamship company
The welfare of every last resident
of Alaska is at stake together with
the whole economy of the Terri
tory.
“The Territorial legislature is
now in session, and if, in its wis
dom, it sees fit to carry on this
fight, then the appropriate Terri
torial agencies, existing or to be
created, will be authorized to do
what can be done in protecting
Alaska’s vital interests.”
Subsequent meetings have re
vealed that the ship operators will
not retreat from their position as
outlined above. Delegate Bartlett,
believing it is essential to have at
the earliest possible moment “rea
soned conclusions of legislative
and executive branches of the Ter
ritorial government” as to what he
j should do with respect to the pro
posed legislation and what the po
sition of the Territory will be re
garding the proposed rate increas
es, has sought counsel from the
legislature and the Governor.
COMPENSATION FOR
i ALASKA COMMISSIONERS
A minimum salary of $200 a
! month would be paid to at least
46 United States Commissioners
; in Alaska under the provisions o
I an enabling bill recently introduc
j ed by Delegate Bartlett designed
j to strengthen the present inade
quate fee schedule for commis
i sioners.
At the present time compensa
tion for commissioners is derived
from fees collected in the perform
ance of their duties as justices of
the peace, recorders, coroners, pro
bate judges and notaries public,
and is wholly inadequate for the
cost of living and out of propor
tion to duties performed. Delegate '
Bartlett’s measure provides that a
commissioner shall retain all fees
he receives up to $1250 every
quarter, and if a commissioner’s
fees total less than $200 a month,
the difference will be paid to him
from Treasury funds. If any one
commissioner collects in fees •
$1250 in any one quarter of the
year he shall receive that amount
in the other three quarters should
the fees collected fall below $1250,
thus providing a maximum of
$5000 a year for some commission
ers. Commissioners receiving the
minimum compensation of $200
per month shall be limited to nine
in the First Division, seven in the
Second Division, 15 each in the
Third and Fourth Divisions.
The bill also provides for the ap
pointment by the four district
judges in Alaska of a chief com
missioner who will reside and1
maintain an office in Alaska to in
spect the offices of the various
commissioners and report to the
judges. The chief commissioner,
at the time of his appointment,
must have resided in Alaska for at
least two years and have been ad
mitted to the practice of law in the
! courts of the Territory and have
practiced law in Alaska for at
! least one year.
LAND IN ALASKA
A recent report on public lands
I in the United States revealed that
j approximately 365,000,000 acres in
! Alaska, as of 1944, were owned by
[ the Unitea States and under the
I jurisdiction of various federal
j agencies. Following is a break
j down of the statistics compiled in
1944:
General Land Office, 292,200,000
acres; Navy Department 29,500,
000 acres; Forest Service 20,800,
000 acres; Fish and Wildlife Serv
ice 8,700,000 acres; National Park
Service 6,900,000 acres; War De
| partment 4,900,000 acres; Office of
1 Indian Affairs 2,000,000 acres.
The report stated that the gov
! ernment now owns about 24 per
| cent of the land area in the con
j tinental United States, as compar
ed with approximately 99 per cent
ownership in the Territory. At one
time, the government owned 76
per cent of the land area in con
tinental United States.
RECENT VISITORS TO
DELEGATE'S OFFICE
Ike P. Taylor has been in Wash
ington recently to appear before
the Interior subcommittee of the
House Appropriations Committee
to testify for road funds for Alas
ka. Mr. Taylor is chief engineer of
the Alaska Road Commission ana
lives in Juneau.
Mr. and Mrs. R. F. Lynch of
Anchorage have been recent visit
ors in Washington. Mr. Lynch i.
with The Alaska Railroad and
plans to return to Alaska abou.
March 1.
C. L. Baker of Ophir will be in
Washington for the next six
months or so and made a recent
visit to see Delegate Bartlett.
Robert S. Sanford has been ir
Washington for conferences in
connection with Bureau of Mine,
activities in the Ttrritory which he
heads.
Clyde Ellis, attorney of Anchor
age, is in Washington to attend
meetings of the Amer can Legion
and has called on Delegate Bart
lett.
Mrs. Hattie Peterman of Juneau
has also come to Washington for
the American Legion meeting as
representative of the American
Legion Auxiliary in Alaska.
Mrs. R. E. Robertson of Juneau
has bben a Washington visitor and
SPOUTS
STOCKHOLM, (/P)—Arne An
derson, former holder of the world
mile record, has appealed to the
Swedish athletic association for re
instatement as an amateur. He
and Gunder Haegg were declared
professionals last March on charg
es of accepting money in excess of
their expenses.
NEW YORK, </P)—Ernie Lom
bardi, veteran catcher of the New
York Giants, is on his way to
Mesa, Ariz., for early conditioning
drills after signing his 1947 con
tract. He was the 28th Giant to
sign.
MEXICO CITY, (/P) — Heavy
weight champoin Joe Louis and
Chilean Arturo Godcy; twice a
contender for the world title, meet
for the third time in a ten-round,
no-decision bout tonight inaugur
ating Louis’ Latin-American tour.
Both were pronounced in “good
shape”. Louis has been in training
here for more than a week, while
Godoy arrived only three days
ago. Godoy says the mile and a
half altitude doesn’t bother him,
but Louis admits it affects him
“just a little.” The fight will be in
two-minute rounds instead of the
regulation three.
The champion’s take for the ex
hibition is $50,000 and 40 per cent
of the profits, while Godoy gets a
flat $10,500 and expenses. The
government will receive 15 per
cent of the gross in taxes. The
house is scaled from $2 to $30.
BROOKLYN, (P) — Brookyln’s
list of signed players totaled 17
today with the additions of out
fielders Dick Whitman and Tom
Tatum.
Yesterday the Brooks announced
they had received the signed con
tracts of outfielder Dikie Walker
and infielders Eddie Mikis, Boris
Woyt and Lou Welaj.
BOSTON, (P)—The Red Sox to
day received the signed contract
of catcher Hal Wagener which left
but three key players of the Amer
ican League champions unsigned.
Those three are first baseman
Rudy York, pitcher Tex Ilughson
and all star second sacker Bobby
Doerr.
paul McCarthy now
STATIONED IN JAPAN
Mrs. Bert McCarthy has re
ceived word from her son, Paul,
that he is now stationed at Koku
ra Kyusha Island, Japan. Pvt.
McCarthy writes that he left Seat
tle Jan. 7, landed at Yokahama,
and had a most interesting trip
down along the coast to southern
Japan.
nas called on Delegate Bartlett
auring her stay in the Capital
w*iere she has been staying with
her sister, M ss Margaret Green.
Douglas Gray, of Douglas, has
oeen in Washington on official
ouainess in connection with his
uuties with the Fish and Wildlife
Service.
C. M. Archbold of Ketchikan
was a recent visitor in Washington
representing the American Legion
n a meeting on national defense.
Dr. and Mrs. J. A. Sutherland
of Fairbanks stopped in Washing
ton and visited Delegate Bartlett
during their sojourn in the east.
Wilbur Wester, member from
Anchorage of the Alaska Develop
ment Board, has been in Washing
ton to attend conferences on the
Alaska shipping problem.