WASHINGTON NEWS-LETTER
By MARY LEE COUNCIL
Secretary to E. L. (Bob) Bartlett, Alaska's Delegate to Congress
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT
APPROPRIATIONS
Alaska’s budget for the 1954
fiscal year has suffered a 28 per
cent overall cut below funds
sought by President Truman-. It
has now been learned this heavy
slash, at first asserted to have
been made at the instance of the
Bureau of Budget, was instead
made within the Department of
the Interior itself and approved
by Secretary McKay.
Although the proposed request
of $553 million for the operation
of the Interior Department
throughout the country amounted
to a 9 percent reduction below the
Truman budget of $607 million.
28 percent—of the difference of
$54 million has been applied to
the Department’s Alaska pro
gram.
President Truman had sought
$83,955,369 for the Alaska activ
ities of the various agencies with
in the Department, reduced by
Secretary McKay to $60,060,676,
with a warning sounded by Chair
man Ben F. Jensen of the House
Appropriations subcommit
tee handling Interior Department
funds that additional reductions I
to the Department's total requests
might well be made by the House
committee when the appropria
tion bill is reported to the House
later this month.
The heaviest burden of the A1
aska reductions is carried by the
Office of Territories having jur
isdiction over the construction
program for roads, the Alaska
Railroad and the Alaska Public
Works. As previously reported,
the slash removes $3,800,000 from
the Truman request of $18,400,000
for construction of roads, $5 mil
lion from the Truman request of
$15 million for the Alaska Pub
lic Works program and $13,592,
000 from the $16,311,000 sought by
the former President for The
Alaska Raifroad. If sustained,
there would be no money for the
Copper River Highway planned
to connect Cordova with the Rich
ardson, Highway, no funds for
rehabilitation of the Seward-Port
age portion of The Alaska Rail
road and for Seward docks, no
money for the proposed new road
from Kasilof to Kenai, a reduction
of $450,000 from the item of re
construction of roads and bridges
and a cut of $250,000 from the
program for paving the Alaska
Highway.
Other items for the Office of
Territories reman the same as
the Truman budget with the ex
ception of $2,000 cut from the
$102,000 request for the Gover
nor's office. The care and custody
of Alaska’s mentally ill would
have $559,600 earmarked for the
1954 fiscal year and $3,400,000 for
maintenance of Alaska’s roads, in
cluding funds for winter main
tainence of Thompson Pass.
Over $1 million was cut from
the Truman Alaska budget of
$11,186,913 for the Bureau of In
dian Affairs. Secretary McKay
has recommended $10,166,820 for
these activities, and it is under
stood that the cut to the item
for hospitals will delay the open
ing of the Alaska Native Service
hospital at Anchorage. Cuts in
construction funds will be applied
to proposed roads and sidewalks
at Mt Edgecumbe, but the cuts
will not affect the proposed class
room additions at Mountain Vil-1
lage and Gambell, new schools
and quarters at Kaltag, Karluk
and Tanacross, and quarters fo^
medical employees at Kotzebue.
Pour of the Interior Depart
ment agencies1 Alaska activities
were not affected by the cut, the
present requests remaining the
same as the Truman budget:
$558,011 for the National Park
Service; $1,553,512 for the Fish
and Wildlife Service^ $474,477 for
the Bureau of Mines; and $13,121,
000 for the Bureau of Reclama
tion, $330,000 of which would go
for surveys and investigations
and $12,791,000 which would be
available should Congress in
crease the authorization for the
Eklutna hydroelectric project
near Anchorage.
However ,three other agencies
in their Alaska operations under
went reductions lowering the
funds sought for the Bureau of
Land Management from $1,055,
500 to $875,700, the Geological
Survey from $2,195,000 to $1,910,
000, and the Office of the Secre
tary for the Alaska Field Staff
from $38,356 to $22,556. .
Veterans Homestead Claims
Legislation to create what
would be known as Veterans’
Alaska Homestead Claims as large
as 2,560 acres to public land and
the national forests in Alaska
was introduced this week by Sen
ator Johnson of Colorado.
The bill would make available
The Butte
MILE 41/2 GLENN HIWAY
FEATURING
MARION MURRAY
With her Hammend Organ
SATURDAY - SUNDAY
ALSO
OUR FAMOUS CHUCK WAGON
Tuesdays 5:30 P. M. - II :00 P. M.
FINE FOOD AND COCKTAILS
EVERY DAY
FRIENDLY COURTEOUS SERVICE
Always Take the
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BETWEEN ANCHORAGE AND FAIRBANKS
Lv. Anchorage
Ar. Fairbanks
8:30 A.M.
8:30 P.M.
Safe, Dependable DAILY Service
THE ALASKA RAILROAD
U OF A STUDENTS TO
REPRESENT EGYPT AT
MODEL UN CONFERENCE
A four student delegation, sup
ported in part by private gifts
and in part from student funds,
left the University campus over
the week-end for Berkeley, Cali
fornia to attend the "Model Unit
ed Nations” conference sponsor
ed by the University of Califor
nia, it was announced here today.
Representatives of student
bodies from leading colleges and
universities throughout the Unit
ed States have been meeting in
recent year to gain experience
in political science and govern
ment as members of a model Un
ited Nations Assembly, each col
lege representing a different
country. Last year the University
of Alaska represented the coun
try of Indo-China. This year U of
A students will represent the
country of Egypt.
certain areas of reserved lands
for entry by veterans excluding
certain areas such as national
parks and monuments, military
and naval reservations and na
tive reservations. .
The measure provides that no
veteran’s claim would be smaller
than 320 acres with no claim con
taining more than 160 acres of
• ar able agricultural land.” The:
claims could be as large as 2,560
acres, “such size and shape being !
determined by the Secretary of
the Interior, taking into account
the type of land, location, and
various uses therefor in order that
the claim shall be an adequate i
fami’v type agricultural, mixed >
agricultural. f,'r f-;—• *—•»•■•■«§, j
or timber unit sufficient to sir*.'
port a family ot seven uii n;
American level of living.” The i
measure would require that no
more than one-tenth of the tim
ber on a timberland claim would
have to be cleared with the re
mainder to be maintained on a
sustained-iyield basis.
The Departments of the Interi
or and Agriculture and the Re
construction Finance Corporation
would provide certain financial j
assistance and loan guarantees. |
Benny Ross Presented
Music Cup Award i
Benny Ross, Palmer high school
junior, and son of Mr. and Mrs.
Lucius Ross, was presented the
music cup for oustanding mem
ber at the conclusion of the two
day Western Alaska School Music
Festival held in Anchorage April
17 and 18.
The massed bands and choruses
of the five participating schools
presented their final concert .
Saturday night under the diret*-*'
tion of Glenn Exum, guest con- ;
ductor from Kellogg, Idaho. Pal- ,
mer High School presented selec
tions by their mixed quartet.
Members of the quartet were
Dorothy Adams, Dolores Foster,
Bennie Ross and Oliver Brewer.
A total of 439 music students
participated in the two-day ro
gram, with 75 from Palmer, 90
from Fairbanks, four from Cor
dova, 20 from Seward and 250
from Anchorage.
Each chorus and band was rat
ed on their own merits, with no
final rating given. The festival
was conducted as a non- com
petetive presentation.
Chorus presentations were un
der the direction of Miss Lois
Thompson.. Leo Gestgo directed
the school band. Both groups were
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ANCHORAGE. ALASKA
LOCAL RESERVISTS RETURN FROM DUTY
Members of three Army units
broke camp and headed home
April 18 following an intensive
15-day training program.
Lt. Col. John J. Lavin, senior
intructor for the citizen soldiers,
announced his satisfaction with
the progress of the three units
very well received and drew
many compliments frm the judges
and audience.
during training. The three groups
were Detachment 1 of Palmer;
709th Transportation Railway
Grand division of Anchorage and
the 396th Engineer Utilities de
tachment from Fort Richardson.
On Thursday the units were
treated to a moose steak dinner
by the commanding ofifcer of
the 709th, Col. J. P. Johnson who
is also general manager of the
Alaska railroad.
T3J
a S’
It could happento you!
Perhaps it did when you were making up your income
tax report. Did you lose an important deduction
receipt? Avoid that trouble next year . . . rent a safe
deposit box at the Malanuska Valley Bank and protect
your important papers and valuables from loss, fire
and theft.
The rental fee is so low on a safe deposit box that
you can't afford to be without this protection..
MATANUSKA VALLEY BANK
Palmer, Alaska
OPEN FRIDAY EVENINGS S—« P.M.
DAILY 10 A.M. — 3 P.M.
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fro help insure
future salmon runs
Research is paving the way to safeguard and possibly increase
salmon runs in Alaskan waters. Since 1946, the Fisheries Research
Institute of the University of Washington has been scientifically
studying the salmon migrations. These important investigations
are under the direction of Dr. William F. Thompson, internationally
recognized for his studies of halibut and Fraser River Sockeye.
These studies led to the restoration of those fisheries.
Alaska salmon packers themselves have financed this
independent, scientific research organization by assessments
on each case of salmon.
Scientific study helps assure perpetuation of salmon runs so
that future generations may enjoy this great harvest from the sea.
f
*
mmmmmm
. • " , : i ■ -
mmmam * J|W '
SEATTLE KETCHIKAN 1. JUNEAU
;• TS ? '■ .. . ’ T v ’
' '_ | 4
HEAR SAM
HAYES, noted
radio commen
tator ... every
Sunday over your
favorite Alaska
station