Military Housing
In Alaska Is
“Intolerable”
.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (/P) —
Members of a three-man housing
commission of the defense depart
ment described military housing
conditions in the Anchorage area
today as “intolerable”.
They spent yesterday on the;
task of gathering evidence for use
in drawing up a program to ease :
Alaska’s most pressing post-war
problem—military housing.
The commissioners stated in an
interview, that they are making
Alaska their first overseas stop
because defense secretary Louis I
Johnson labeled it ‘‘a critical |
area.”
The commission members are
chairman Bertram E. Giesecke of
Austin, Texas, an architect; Frank
E. McKinney, Indianapolis bank-;
er; Clarence H. Low, New York ,
real estate man.
Giesecke told reporters Alaska
is being inspected at this time be
cause the commission hoped to
make recommendations early
enough to get prompt congression
al action.
The commissioners inspected
quarters used by the military both
on and off the military post.
Weather permitting, they were
to fly to Kodiak today and to
Ladd field at Fairbanks Sunday.
They plan to return here Monday
and fly to McCord air force base
Wash., Tuesday.
The chairman reported that on
the basis of conditions already ob
served he felt living conditions
for many of the military person- \
nel here was “severe,” with many
rents exorbitant.
“It will be a long time before
any big military base can provide
full housing for all its personnel,”
he declared. “I think some mili
tary families should live in adia
cent civilian communites if peo
ple can catch up with their own
needs. No military establishment
can live alone.”
He described the Alaska situa
tion, complicated by the weather,
as being closely interrelated with
transportation, utilities and build
ing material problems.
(Ed. N >to—Mr. Gie-ecke was in
vited by tiie Chambe- of Com
merce to visit the Nome area and
he declined due to limited time).
Nome Planning I
Commission Meets .
A meeting of the Nome Planning
Commission was held Sunday af
ternoon at the City Hall with all
members present.
They requested that the City
furnish them with figures on the
indebtedness of the city since the
last bond issue and copies of the
proposed expenses and budget for
the coming year.
Crowded conditions of the
school were discussed, subject be
ing opened by Superintendent An- •
gell who reported that fifteen stu
dents dropped out last year or
graduated and that 75 first grad
ers enrolled. He also reported that
there are 328 students in the
school, 285 of which are in the
grades. Various plans of school j
expansion was discussed and the |
matter was placed in the hands of
a committee to report back to the
Board.
Mr. O. S. Weaver, owner of the .
Northern Light and Power Com
pany was asked to express his
opinion on a provision being made (
in the franchise of the company
so that the city could have an op
tion in case of the sale of the light
company. Mr. Weaver stated that
there was no reason why the com
pany could not be bought by the
city as a public utility.
U. OF A. INSTRUCTOR TO HEAD
DEPT OF AGRICULTURE
Clyde G. Sherman, 49, an in
structor at the University of Alas
ka, was appointed recently to re
place George W. Gasser, 74, as
Territorial Commissioned of Agri
culture.
Gasser retired January 1 under
the terms of the Territorial Legis
lature’s retirement act.
Appointment of Sherman was
made by Gov. Ernest Gruening.
Sherman has been a field agent
for the Indian Service, a major in
the U. S. Army Air Force, and a
board members of the Veterans
Administration.
He has also been produce exam
iner under the agriculture com
missioner arid production and
marketing specialist in the Uni
versity of Alaska’s extension divi
sion.
Grapes are produced commer
cially in 41 states of the United
States.
U S. SPENDING CHANGES
PERCENTAGE OF EACH
DOLLAR SPENT
FOOD-DRINK
>1
XlJTOS PARTS
TTothIng
ii _
An AP Ntwifnluw Piciogmph
FEDERAL
RESERVE BOARD
F/GGRES
Truman Requests
$185,000,000 For
Alaskan Projects
(Continued from Page One)
lion dollars.”
The defense appropriations were
not itemized nor the exact amount
of them to be used in Alaska indi- '
cated. |
The President asked $21,000,000
to carry forward the Alaska pub
lic works program for which one
million dollars was appropriated
last year.
He asked for $20,400,00 for con
struction of Alaska roads and
$2,800,000 for maintenance and
operation of roads already con
structed. In addition he asked for
$8,700,000 contract authority for
Alaska road construction.
“Work is continuing on the
hard surfacing program for the
major roads and by the dnd of the
fiscal year it is estimated that ap-j
proximately 570 miles of the j
Richardson, Glenn and Alaska ;
Highways can be completed or
contracted for," the President
said.
“Funds estimated for 1951 will
also permit the completion of a
new road between Kenai Lake and
Homer; the road from the Alaska
Highway to Eagle will be advanc
ed 30 miles, 30 trail roads will be
built; the Turnagain Arm road
will be completed and about 40
miles of the Richardson Highway
Mount McKinley Park road will
be constructed.”
The President said the Tok Cut
off road will be extended 65 miles
during the year.
He asked $31,000,000 for the
Alaska Rrailroad together with
contract authority of $14,000,000.
Among other appropriations re
quested for the year were $6,515,
1 014 for the Alaska Native Service;
$525,000 to pay overtime on the
Alaska Railroad; $463,541 for care
and custody of the insane; improv
ing roads, bridges and trails $210,
000; agriculture extension service
$42,500; for the naval oil reserve
investigations in Naval Reserve
Xu. 4, $3,000,000; research in ag
r i c u 1 tural problems $316,000;
Alaska fisheries and game, $1,281.
500; investigation of mineral re
sources $515,000; fish and wildlife
investigations $246,000: Alaska
Communications System $6,100 -
000: relief to the indigent $4,000;
construction of airports—at Fair
banks and Anchorage $3,200,000;
operation of two ships by the
Alaska Native Service $360,000;
protection of Alaska fur seals
$583,789, health, education and
welfare of Alaska natives $490,764.
The Alaska public works pro
| gram for 1951 ‘contemplates the
letting of construction contracts
amounting to $39,500,000; under
the specific projects developed by
the 1950 survey,” the President
said.
The $21,000,000 asked for the
program would include $12,000,
000 cash, but $4,000,000 would
have to be used to pay contr\cts
entered into this year. The re
mainder would be authority to
contract for $13,000,000 in addi
! tional wrork.
Numerous rivers and harbors
projects weer included for con
struction funds in the national bud
get submitted to Congress today.
The budget, itself, contains only
total amounts for civil functions
of the army engineers.
The list of projects making up
the totals was made public by
chairman Cannon 'D.-Mo.) of the
House appropriations committee.
The projects and amounts
recommended for work during the
To Hold Squadron
Refueling Teste
Over Noiih Pole
WASHINGTON, </P)_1The Air
Force is going to stage bomber re
fueling tests in the sky above the
North Polar ice cap. within war
time striking range of Europe and
Asia.
It announced Friday night that
three refueling squadrons will go
to GooseBay, Labbrador, to spend
a week each on a “training mis
sion designed to increase the effi
ciency of air-to-air refueling.”
The squadrons will leave their
bases at 10-day intervals, from
January9 to February 9.
In Fort Worth, Tex., Maj. Gen.
Roger M. Raney commander of
the 85th Air Force, said the squad
rons will be from the 509th bom
bardment wing at Walker Air
Force Base, Roswell, N. M. The
group is known as the atomic
bomb group because it took part
in the Bikini tests.
Raney said the refueling tech
nique will be the same as that em
ployed by the B-50 Lucky Lady on
its non-stop global flight last year.
The Labrador tests will mark the
first time such refueling has been
done on a squadron basis, he said.
The official announcement did
not specify the type of planes par
12 months beginning next July 1
include:
! Rivers and harbors:
Alaska — Nome harbor $1,156,
j 000; Wrangell Narrows, $750,000.
Editor Insists
I Atomic Blast look
Place: No Evidence
LONDON, (7F>—Editor Kenneth
de Courcy was still exclusive to
day with his story that Russia set
off another atomic explosion
again Saturday night.
Thirty-six hours after he said
the blast occurred, there was no
supporting evidence from any
other source.
Siesmographs—the gadgets that
record the jar of earthquakes—
might or might not record a big
atom blast. None was known to
have been jarred.
De Courcy, editor of the month
ly “Intelligence Digest” and a
f o,r m e r intelligence operative
predicted R u s si a’s first atom
blast. Last week he said there
would be another at mktnlj0kt |afe>
urday in the Soviet Asiatic repab
lic of Kazak.
Just after de Courcy said the
explosion came just after mid
night, Kazakh time, the explosion
.n Kazakh, big republic bordering
the Caspian sea on the northeast,
was detected on the western side
oe the iron curtain “by an advance
method of whic^ the -»re
believed to have no knowlegget*
the editor added.
ticipating in the operation, but
only wartime-built B-29"s have
been equipped as tankers. The B
50’s upsed in tanker squadrons are
equipped to receive the nozaie end
of a retractable “boom” through
which fuel is fed from the tankers.
in Alaska and to Seattle
between
October 15 and March 15
• lake advantage of l’an American's annual tare reduc
tions. Visit cities in Alaska . . . fly to Seattle on busine#*
or pleasure . . . vacation in Hawaii. At these fares yon
>ave enough for extra fun. And bargain tickets are good
until \pri! lo. Fast, frequent 4-engine Clipper service.
TICKETS
GOOD UNTIL
APRIL IS
YOU SAVE ON ECTH
ONE-WAY AND
ROUND-TRIP FARES
j BETWEEN SEATTli KETCHIKAN* JUNEAU j WHITEHORSE* FAIRBANKS
KETCHIKAN* AH lor•». p/ui to.
iiiiucAii °/w 56.00 27.00 T ChWf.-. 2 12 yt>->
juncau r/t 100.80 48.60 ho,< °* l0**
■ ■ ■ ■ — ■ —■ - ■ —— Infontt, fft» -
WHITEHORSE O/W 67.00 M OO
V T. R/T 120.60 26.10
FAiDRANirc °/w 94 00 57.00 *4500 38 00
FAIRBANKS B/T 169 2Q 102.00 81.00 68 40
NOME °/W 125.00 88 00 73.00 ~ 6300 jVot
R/T 225.00 158.40 131.40 113.40 66.40
’INCLUDES CONNECTIONS BETWEEN KETCHIKAN AND ANNETTE ISl "ONE WAY. ROlf* TAM
59o First Ave. — Phone Main 12
Pan American
World Airways \ /
* it ad* Mark, Pmm Amnrunn linrujj, Inc.