TO:
TKT RESIDENTS OF THE MATANUSKA
VALLEY
Many have Inquired as t o the
success of ny recent trip to
Juneau at which tine it vas ny
pleasure to attend the territori
al Democratic convention™ To go
into detail as to how the var
ious items we of the valley
had on our "”UST" program were
accomplished is a long s 'copy hut
I will bo glad to go into fur
ther detail if any one wishes
to see mo about them.
It is ir.y pleasure to report that
the first*resolution passed was
in r. ~ard to school bus transport*
ation. %c opposition was strong
but f'i'om a decided minority.
T’ne ir orgument v;o s decided!y
weak and I found that there is a
definite pride .in- this Alaska
colony and a sympathetic under
standing v;ith the people v;ho arc
building their homes horo and it
v;as remarked from the floor tha.t
regardless of much unfavorable
publicity the fafct' remained hat
the people and th: children of
the valley v/ore 'a. very tangible
•aSsot to Ala.sk-' . :ard] of
money spent on them they v;cro
worth much more to the territory
then thjy h-.d cost, hr ...nthony
E.Karnes in a n vs pa per it^m
attache".! the a-xp^ns- of die
valley educational system and
denied th; t any formal offer had
boon made to turn over the school
to the territory forthe sun of
one dollar. Lott^rs available
here in Palmer shorn that this
off^r has boon made and acknow
1 e dge d by hr .Kamo s .
The mast definite result of my
trip'vc-s the resolution asking
for flood control old for the
residents of hetenuske c The re
solution vm.s referred to the
Territoricl engineer I'r . Hesse.
After 0 conference ritli hr.Hesse
xro found o report from the V.'cr
Dcp. rtment unfavorable to the
project. It '-res pointed out
that tho t.r Department he d pro
posed changing the current of
the katanuska river v'hich accord
Ins to other engineers who h;vo
studied the problem is neither
desirable or feasible. Novcvor
this took the project out of the
hands of the Federal Flood con
trol Agency and the only altor
n. tivo v;as to attonpt to obtaim
a r.'A.A. grrnt for tho work.
The engineers office promised
taonty-fivo {23) percent of the
ron'y necessary to start nnrk
and a wire v;as sent to ’.ashingtori
Dif. to obtain additional federal
money to complete the work.
Fatanuska has informed me that
they have already received a wire
requesting the availability of
materials to st rt tho vrork as
coon as the frost is out of the
ground. An inquiry hrs been
made'to me il it "’111 be possible
to secure enough local labor for
the job and I have assured them
thr t in as much as the project
will not probably got under way
until the crops ere put in that
there will bo all tho labor
necessary here from the valley.
At this time I wish to ccknowlodgc
the vote of thanks tendered me
by th~ residents of LTa.tanuska.
A loc:1 option plan for a herd
lav -:r a. adopted by tho Convention
and plr.eed a.; r pirn?: in the Dem
ocratic pi .tforn. The resolu
tion vt s ref erred to the logis
lc.turo -hen it meets visa in
structions to vote its passage.
A resolution was offered and
accepted for raccommendation to
thelegislature for tlio passage ■
of r Territorial Credit Union
Lev as approved by our Federal
statutes. I'uch favorable com
rr.or.t rr.s made in regard to credit
unions and there ’vaa ret one dis
senting vote against the measure.
A resolution was approved for the
instruction of our legislature to
as]" for the investigation of the
rates of the Alesha Railroad and
the Ala. skf S.S.Lines’.
The plan proposed by Delegate
Dimond for tho gradual elimina
tion of Fish traps was overwhelm
ingly endorsed.
(continued next page.)