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Alaska Moves
Ahead In 1948
This statement summarizes some
of the accomplishments in Alaska
^ during the calendar year 1943, and
indicates steady progress in over
coming the obstacles which have
hitherto hampered the develop
ment of Alaska.
TRANSPORTATION
Shipping: YVhlie there have been
tie-ups and interruptions in ocean
U shipping between the States and
Alaska, these have not been as se
rious as during the previous year,
and progress was made in work
ing out emergency measures to re
lieve the situation in which the
people of Alaska are always plac
ed when ocean shipping is inter
rupted. Barge service by the Alas
ka Railroad and by private opera
tors was started; the air carriers
were granted authority to expand
their services to Alaska during the
■ emergency; it became possible to
use Canadian carriers to a limited
extent; and there was increased
use of overland transportation via
the Alaska Highway.
The Alaska Railroad: In order
that the Railroad might give ade
quate service to the people of in
terior Alaska, and to the military
program in the Territory, Con
I gress approved an extensive re
habilitation program which will
put the Railroad in first-class con
dition. During the year a total of
$21,192,995 was obligated for such
items as improvement of the road
bed, new and heavier rail, addi
tional rolling stock, terminals at
Anchorage and Fairbanks, and for
new buildings and yard improve
ment. Rolling stock having an es
timated value of $2,13,963.66 was
acquired through surplus proper
ty, as follows: Fourteen Diesel lo
comotives, 4 steam locomotives, 6
railway cars, hospital units, 1 rail
way car, motor trailer, 149 box
cars, 24 kitchen cars, 48 refriger
ator cars, 269 gondola cars, 5 fire
control cars, 20 ammunition cars,
15 flat cars, 1 railway engineer’s
coach, 16 railway maintenance
cars, 8 Diesel locom >tve cranes,
and 7 steam locomotive nivir»es.
For the current fiscal year Con
gress appropriated $17,000,000 to
I meet 1948 obligations, plus con
i tract authorization of $12,000,000.
With these funds it is possible to
pu.h ahead rapidly with the rail
road rehabilitation program. Dur
, ing 1948, there were laid 66 miles
of new- 115-pound rail and orders
were placed for delivery by March
| or April, 1949, of sufficient 115
■ pound rail to lay 134 additional
miles. New terminal facilities at
Anchorage and Fairbanks are un
I der construction; additional hous
ing is being provided for employ
ees, and new steel bridges and
I trestles are replacing outworn
wooden structures.
I
Roads: During the year there
was available for the construction
of new roads, and for maintenance
! of existing roads a total of $40,
'017,052, which amount included a
contract authorization of $17,904,
000.
Included in the program, on
which active work is going for
j ward, is the Turnagain Arm Road
a vital link of the through high
! way from Seward and the Kenai
j Peninsula to Anchorage and the
■ main road system of the Territory.
I For this project, funds were se
cured in the total amount of $11,
370,000, of which $7,370,000 is in
, cash and $4,000,000 in contract au
thorization. This road is being
constructed by the Public Roads
Administration under an agree
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ment with this Department. Obli
gations incurred since July 1,
1918. amount to $4,449,631.
Olher new roads now being
built include the Kenai-Lake-Ho
mer Road of which 89 miles have
been cleared and 72 miles sur
face:!, and the Eagle-Fort.v-Mile
Alaska Highway Road on which 56
miles were cleared and 40 mile
' surfaced.
i
The road program now going
ahead includes hard-surfacing the
Richardson Highway, the Glenn
Highway, and the Alaska High
way. Arrangements were made
during 1948 to begin this work
early in 1949.
Maintenance work was perform
ed on 2,575 miles of road and on
80 miles of the Nome Tram Road.
PUBLIC LANDS
Through the restoration to the
public domain of thousands of
, acres of land previously with
drawn for military purposes, re
vision of Department regulations
governing entry on the public do
main, and expansion of the land
classification program, additional
lands were made available for set
tlement and for business pur
i
poses( and land acquisition was
made easier for the individual and
for groups.
Special legislation was secured
to enable naiiv°3 living within
town limits to acquire unrestrict
ed title to their property.
I
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
! Definite progress was made
during 1948 with respect to the es
tablishment of the pulp-paper in
dustry in Alaska. A contract was
entered into between the Forest
Service and private interests cov
1 ering the cutting of timber in the
Tongass National Forest and the
construction of a pulp mill near
! Ketchikan. Negotiations for a sim
ilar project near Sitka are in pro
' cess and it may soon be possible
to enter into a similar contract for
the establishment of a pulp mill
in that area. These developments
are bringing a new industry into
I the Territory, one which will fur
| nish employment to thousands of
residents, both natives and whites.
AVIATION
*
The Eightieth Congress made
$13,500,000 available for the con
srtuction of major air fields at
Anchorage and Fairbanks. These
I are in addition to existing air
i fields, both military and civilian.
! This is a big step forward in avia
tion history in Alaska; one which
! placed the Territory in the fore
front of inter-national air trans
portation by providing for ade
quate facilities along the main
route to the Orient.
HEALTH
With the assistance of a team of
physicians from the American
Medical Association which made
j a survey of Alaska’s medical and
1 health needs, and of the U. S. Pub
f lie Health Service, a health pro
j gram for Alaska was set up. Funds
j were secured from Congress for
j the construction of a hospital for
natives at Anchorage at a total
cost of $6,000,000, of which $75.
000 in cash was made immediately
available for the preparation of
plans and estimates and $5,925,000
was approved as a contract au
' thorization. Construction of this
hospital is expected to begin in the
1 spring of 1949.
Funds were also secured in the
amount of $400,000 for the imme
diate construction of four tuber
culosis isolation units to be oper
ated at four of the Indian Service
hospitals in Alaska.
The U. S. Public Health Service
secured an appropriation of $1,
1 15,000 for use in Alaska. This ap
propriation included $250,000 for
health studies under Arctic condi
tions; $700,000 to be expended
under the general direction of the
T e r r i t o r ial Commissioner of
Health for general public health
programs; and $165,000 for public
health clinics.
U. S. COAST GUARD
After considerable effort on the
oar: of the Delegate from Alaska,
'his Department, the Governor of
the Territory and others, we were
successful in securing the reestab
lishment in Alaska of a headquar
ters for the Coast Guard Service.
PARCEL POST ZONING
Alaska in the past has had to
pay eighth zone rates for parcel
j [>ost shipments between points in
the Territory. In 1948, it was
placed on a more equal footing
with the States in the shipment of
parcel post packages by the ex
tension to the Territory of parcel
post zoning regulations hitherto
effective in the States. This is al
ready enabling Alaskans to es
tablish small mail order business
es and permits Alaskan merchants
to compete with concerns in the
States in the distribution of sup
plies and equipment throughout
the Territory. The new parcel post
regulations will add one more step
to upbuilding Alaska’s economy.
POWER DEVELOPMENT
On July 12, 1948, the Bureau of
Reclamation established an Alas
kan headquarters office in Juneau.
Four days later a field office was
oponed in Anchorage for the pur
pose of preparing an engineering
report on the Lake Eklutna Pro
ject. That report, now completed,
provides for the installation of a
30,000 kilowatt plant. A similar
report, under preparation, covers
a proposed power plant for Doro
thy Lake, 20 miles south of Jun
eau. Besides those two reports, a
general reconnaissance report of
power and water resources in the
entire Territory is nearing com
pletion. These activities spring
from the request by Congress in
connection with the 1949 Appro
priations Act that the Bureau
carry out “engineering and econo
mic investigation, as a basis for
legislation, and for reports there
on, relating to projects for the de
velopment and utilization of the
water power resources of Alaska.”
Now We Have A Complete Line
Of FRESH Airborn
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ALASKA STATES PRODUCE
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TOURIST
m ll CLASS
(FROM ANCHORAGE)
• AIRLINE SEATS .i '
• 3 FLIGHTS WEEKLY
DAILY FIRST CUSS SERVICE
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Information and Reservations
ARCTIC ALASKA TRAVEL SERVICE
C. Dewey Anderson
NORTHWEST
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