WASHINGTON NEWS-LETTER
by Iviary Lee Council
Secretary ^ to E. L.. (Bob)
Bartlett, ‘Delegate in Con
gress from Alaska.
ALASKA LEGISLATION INTRODUCED
Measures relating to state
hood for Alaska, set nets in
Alaska waters, land grants to
the Territory, mental health
care and treatment, proceeds
from mineral lands, control,
of fisheries and elimination
of fish traps were among 41
bills introduced by Delegate
Bartlett as the 84th Congress
convened this week.
FISHING BILL
The bill bearing on set
nets would prevent elimina
tion of many sites in Alaska,
such as Cook Inlet where Fish
and Wildlife Service regula
tions in previous years have^
set the distance at a minimum
of 600 feet between each net.
In June of last year Federal
Judge George Folta stated
that set nets are fixed ap
pliances, and the regulating
agency of the Interior depar
tment -interpreted this as
requiring a minimum distance
of 1800 feet between set nets*
Delegate- Bartlett's bill
would except set* nets, stake
nets and.anchored gill nets
from the 1800-foot minimum
requirement and permit the
Fish and Wildlife Service- to
fix minimum distances in ac
cordance* with previous years'
regulations.
STATEHOOD BILL
Delegate Bartlett's Alaska
statehood bill would grant,
with mineral rights, 103,
000 acres of land to the new
state, plus other land and
building grants in the city
of Juneau now used for the
Governors residence, the
federal building and the fed
eral ' jail.. Of this total,
100 million acres would be
selected over a 25-year per
- iod from public domain, 400,
000 acres from Alaska’s na
tional forests for community
development and recreational
areas, 400,000 aoresfrom the
public domain .for the same
purpose, and 2,250,000 for
. state institutions. The bill
provides for exterior surveys
oy T;ne inferior .uepcirweiu
with 'an authorization con
tained in the measure of $15
million for state survey of
lands within the exterior
boundaries arid for construc
tion and improvements of har
bors, The legislation would
bring Alaska under, the feder
al aid 'highway acts and would
authorize road construction
funds to the new state of $17
million for the first fiscal
year after statehood., $13
million for tho second, $9
million for the third,, . $5
million for the fourth, |3
million for the fifth and $1
million for the sixth. Ad
ditional ‘authorization is in
cluded for maintenance funds
for roads of $3 million for
each of the first five fiscal
years after statehood, #2
million for each of the sec
ond five fiscal years and $1
million for each of the third
five fiscal years. Control
of Alaska’s fisheries would
be transferred to the state
except the fur-seal and sea
otter fisheries with 50 per
cent of the proceeds from the
sale of seal skins and sea
otters - to go to the state.
Five percent of the proceeds
from the sale of public lands
by the United States lying
within thv3 state would go to
the state. The state would
assume the care and treatment
of the mentally ill except
that the federal government
would continue this responsi
bility for those receiving
care and treatment at the
time Alaska is admitted into
the Union. The/" Submerged
Lands act of 1953 would be
extended to the' state, and
the measure also spells out
the procedure for the mechan
ics of becoming4 a ‘state,
starting with the‘'calling of
a State constitutional con
vention.
•COAL, OIL, GAS BILL
At the -present time no
proceeds from royalties and
rent from coal lands in Alas
ka are returned in any form
to the Territory but go into
the federal treasury for re
imbursement on railroad con
struction within the Terri
tory. The major portion of
proceeds from oil and gas
leases on the public domain
in the Territory are returned
to the federal treasury with
Alaska receiving . only 371
percent for public ‘ schools
and roads.' Delegate Bart.Lett
this week introduced a bill
which would return to Alaska
---—
90 percent of the mineral
proceeds, including coal, gas
and oil. Of this total,, 37g
percent would go to the Ter
ritory for public roads and
schools and 52| percent to
the Territory for whatever
use the legislature would de
termine.
LAND BILL .
The Territory would be
granted 20,400,000 acres of
land, with mineral rights,
under another bill dropped in
the House hopper this week by
Delegate Bartlett, The lands
\tiich 'would be selected by
the Territory within 25 years
would -be from the public; do
main in the sum of 20 million
acres .with 400,000 acres to
be selected from the national
forests for community find
recreational purposes. .The
Interior- Department would
survey the exterior boundar
ies wit-h a §3 million author*
ization included in the meas
ure to be used for territor
ial surveys of land granted.
Effective two years after ap
proval of the bill provisions
of law reserving school laids
in Alaska would be repealed,
thus allowing the Territory to
select any of these lands de
sired.
MENTAL HEALTH BILL
Delegate Bartlett*3 mental
health bill would transfer
the4* care of Alaska’s ill from
the Department of the Inter
ior to 'the Department of
Health, Education and Wel
fare. It would continue fed
eral responsibility for care
(Cont. on Page 4) *
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