Alaska Legislation
First Session
(Continued from Page One)
tory.
In addition, 10 House-approved
Alaska bills await Senate action in
the second session convening next
January 3, with other legislation
having direct application to the
Territory in various stages of the
legislative process.
Congress gave recognition to the
serious housing problem in Alaska
when it enacted a special bill to
help solve the shortage. It gave
authority to the federal Housing
and Home Finance Agency to in
sure mortgages up to $10,800 for
a dwelling unit instead of the
present $8,100 limitation and per
mitted the Alaska Housing Au-!
thority to initiate housing con- j
struction for sale or rent where
private sponsorship or adequate
private financing is not otherwise
available. Provision was also made
for small loans for housing reha
bilitation in remote areas of native
population with other special fea
tures in the bill. The authorization
measure was backed up later in
the session by the granting of a
$10 million revolving fund for the
Alaska Housing Authority plus a
$75,000 appropriation to expand
the federal Housing and Home Fi
nance Agency’s activities in the
Territory in connection with car
rying out its enlarged duties.
A $70 million public works pro
gram for Alaska authorizing the
General Services Administrator to
construct community facili ties
throughout the Territory was ap
proved. The law, in effect until
June 30, 1955, will allow the con- :
struction of such facilities as
schools, sewers, streets, hospitals
and other public buildings with
the program calling for the public
agencies applying for construction,
such as towns in the Territory, to
share 25 to 75 percent of the cost
of projects constructed. The fed
eral government is thereby guar
anteed a 50 percent overall re
turn of construction funds ex- ,
pended. The last days of the ses- J
sion saw an appropriation of $5
million, $1 million being in cash
and $4' million in contract author
ity, to get the program under way.!
The Alaska housing and public
works acts to assist in the civilian
economy of the Territory were
matched with final-week action by
Congress to holster the defenses of
the Territory. Authorization was
granted and an appropriation
made totalling $96,186,922 in cash
and contract authority which will
see construction of housing for !
troops and other facilities at Eiel- j
son Air Force Base, Fort Richard- ;
son, Whittier. Adak. Kodiak, El-'
mendorf Air Force Base and com
munication and radar facilities
throughout the Territory.
Approval was also given to a
$7,663,212 construction program
for the Alaska Communication Sys
tem, which will see, when the
necessary funds are appropriated,
construction at 31 points through
out Alaska, such as Adak, four lo
cations between Anchorage and
Fairbanks, Anchorage, Bethel, Big
Delta, Cathedral Bluffs, Cape Fan
shaw, Cold Bay, Cordova and
Eielson Field. Projects are also
contemplated for Fairbanks,
Haines, Juneau, Kotzebue, Lena
Point, Mitchell Point, Naknek and
Narrow Point, with others at
N o r t hway, Nome, Petersburg,
Point Agassiz, Portage, Skagway,
Thane, Ketchikan and Kodiak.
Until June 30, 1955, Alaska is
scheduled to receive $200,000 a
year for hospital construction. The
guarantee is contained in legisla
tion amending the present Hospi
tal Survey and Construction Act
which originally authorized the
expenditure of $75 million a year
for construction of non-profit hos
pitals in the States and Territories
allotted on a populaion basis. Un
der the original formula Alaska’s
share would have been only $41,
400 a year. Delegate Bartlett dur
ing the 80th Congress was success
ful in having the minimum placed
at $100,000 a year for allotment to
any Territory or State and sought
to increase this figure to $250,000
at this session. Rather than act on
individual amendments to the or
iginal act, the Congress revised
the law generally and placed the
minimum at $200,000 ana increas
ed the yearly expenditure author
ization to $150 million.
Authorization was given to the
President to negotiate with the Ca
nadian government for the loca
tion survey of a 1400-mile railroad
to connect the railroad system in
British Columbia with The Alaska
Railroad at Fairbanks. The Presi
dent will additionally have au
thority, to conclude an agreement
with the Canadians relative to the
survey and if agreement is reach
ed the President will also have the
necessary authority to have the
survey made.
Three measures designed to aid
in the agricultural problems
among the farmers and home
steaders of Alaska were enacted.
Past, present and future entrymen
will be able to obtain homestead
improvement loans from the
Farmers Home Administration
with security given on mortgage
contracts creating liens against
the land prior to the time the
homesteaders obtain title. The
ceiling for such loans is $12,000
with 10 years to repay, if desired,
at 1 percent interest. A second bill
will allow farmers in the Territory
“CHEERFUL” NEWS TRAVELS FAST!
0t! KENTUCKY
STRAIGHT BOURBON
WHISKEY
C,oa
g BRAND
NATIONAL OISTILLLRS PRODUCTS CORPORATION, NEW YORK, N. Y. • 80 PROOF
to form farm-loan associations in
order to obtain loans through the
Federal Land Bank system. The
! ceiling on loans to any member of
| such associations was placed at
$100,000. The annual amount of
money now authorized for Exten
sion Service in Alaska will be
doubled to $20,000 through Dele
! gate Bartlett’s bill placing Alaska
on a par with the States and Ha
waii.
<To be continued)
— _
Hole In Pocket
Leads To Arrest
SAN FRANCISCO, </P)— Robert
Moreland is in jail because of a
hole in his pocket.
Monday two men held up Tsutomu
Nakamotsu’s cleaning shop, bang
ed him over the he^d and depart
ed with the contents of his cash
register ^mostly small change) and
his clothes.
Police patrolman Ralph McKin
, ley answered the cleaner’s call
and followed trail of dimes and
nickels ($4'5 in -all) to a nearby
dwelling where, he said he found
HALLOWE'EN FIREWORKS
DISPLAY VERY SUCCESSFUL
Hallowe’en turned out Lo be a
clear cold day, just right for the
display of fireworks which was
put on by the merchants of Nome
for the entertainment of the young
people of the community.
For about an hour sky rockets,
roman candles and other brilliant
yl colored displays were sent up
in rapid succession.
The business houses which con
tributed the firew'orks and the
prize for the witch contest prefer
to remain incognito, according to
Nell Muncy, through whose ef
forts the show was put on.
The expression of appreciation
to Mrs. Muncy, she states will be
passed on to the merchants and
she has hinted that possibly an
other show can be planned some
time in the future.
the 18-year-old Moreland — and
Nakamotsu’s overcoat.
Th second man wasn’t around
and had left no trail to be follow
ed.
Mollie \\ hite Bear
Returns to Nome
^Continued from Page One)
and Vera was the recipient of iwo
beautiful electric blankets to take
back to the cold, cold north, and
$150.00 in cash
For realistic touch to the broad
cast, cakes of ice were brought in
and artificial snow fell.
Vera said, “Every minute of my
week in Hollywood was filled with
going places.” Night clubs, thea
ters, NBC studio, shopping, esca
lators and even to seeing the film
ing of “Iroquois Trail” with Rob
erty Montgomery.
Vera left Hollywood yesterday
afternoon at four o’clock while it
was ninety in the shade, arriving
here this morning at nine with
Pan American.
“It was all very wonderful, but
its nice to be back in Nome with
by friends again, although I had
a chance to go to Brooklyn with
my “date,” and another invitation
to go to Palm Springs,” she added.
Sale of
SURPLUS
PROPERTY
Sealed bids will be received ir» the office of the ALASKA DIS
TRICT ENGINEER, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, ANCHORAGE,
ALASKA, until 3:00 P. M., on the 18th day of November, 1949, and
then publicly opened, for the sale of a quantity of items, includ
ing:
Ouonsct Huts of various sizes
Frame Ruildings
Cowin Huts
Miscellaneous shacks and structures
\\ ood tanks
Paint* Maltlmid Roofin'*. Rarhcd Wire, Etc.
.
The property being offered is located near Marks Air Force
Base; also, in the Ordnance-Utilities-Material Yard area, the Old
Hospital Area on the South hank of Snake River, and the Plumbing
Supplies Area northeaast of the North-South runway of Marks Air
Force Base, near Nome, Alaska. It may be inspected at any time, al
though a pass may be required to enter the Main Base.
Successful bidders will be required to remove the buildings
and materials covered by the hid from the premises.
Specifications of sale, bid forms and other information may he
obtained from the Resident Engineer, Nome Alaska, the Air In
stallations Officer, Marks Air Force Base, or the office of the Dis
trict Engineer, Alaska District, Anchorage, Alaska.