WASHINGTON NEWSLETTER
By MARY LEE COUNCIL
Secretary to E. L. (Bob) Bartlett, Alaska's Delegate to Congress
1952 LEGISLATION ROUNDUP
Bills enacted into law during
the 1952 congressional session of
especial interest to Alaskans in
cluded a number sponsored by
Delegate Bartlett, including legis
lation permitting until June 30,
1953, the carriage of passengers
on Canada vesels between Haines
and Skagway and other ports in
Alaska and the carriage of freight
and passengers between Hyder
and Alaska ports and points in
the continental United States.
Other bills placed on the statute
books included a law repealing
the Alaska railroads tax, legisla
tion decreasing the amount of
cash required to be kept on hand
by the five national banks in the
Territory, a law increasing to $7,
500 the amount of money United
States Commissioners in Alaska
may retain from fees collected as
annual compensation, legislation
preventing mining claims on
school lands in Alaska, a law in
creasing to $121 a million from $5
million the amount of general
obligation bonds which may be is
sued by the City of Anchorage
for public works, a measure es
tablishing a new formula for the
shipment of explosives to the Ter
ritory, and a law allowing leasing
of property on the Anchorage and
Fairbanks airports for 20-vear
periods instead of 10-year periods
as previously provided.
More School Lunch Funds
Still further bills which became
law during 1952 affecting the
Territory authorized an increase
of $21,500 for agricultural instruc
ton purposes at the University of
Alaska, bringing to a total of $71
500 authorized for this purpose
every year; provided continuation
until June 30, 1953, of the veter
ans direct housing loan program;
established a special formula for
matching funds for civil defense
purposes in Alaska; placed Alaska
and the other territories and pos
sessions on a par with the States
in sharing fully in the school
lunch porgram; permitted suits
to be brought in the Court of
Claims for damages or losses sus
tained under the gold mine clos
ure order of World War II; allow
ed non-Indians to use Bureau of
Indian Affairs hospitals on a pay
ing basis in places where there
are no other hospital facilities
and where the hospitals are not
fully utlized; and provided a for
mula whereby the federal govern
ment would withhold state and
territorial income taxes from its
employees where the laws in the
states and territories impose a
withholding tax from compensa
tion of employees generally. This
last law will have direct applica
tion to Alaska, Hawaii. Oregon
and Vermont.
The Senate ratified the conven
tion setting forth a procedure for
international agreement between
the United States, Japan and
Canada on fisheries in the North
Pacific.
Okays Sale of Small Tracts
Congress enacted and the
President approved several of
Delegate Bartlett’s bills provid
ing for the sale of small tracts of
land in Alaska, 25 acre's to the
Tanana Valley Sportsmen’s As
sociation of Fairbanks for use as
a clubhouse site and for recrea
tonal purposes, 40 acres to the
Victory Bible Camp Ground of
Anchorage in the vicinity of In
dex Lake, and 40 acres to the
Catholic Bishop of Northern Alas
ka for use as a mission site near
Tok Junction.
In making,$400,000 available so '
far this year to Alaska veterans .
for the direct housing loan pro
gram, the Veteran Administration
brought to a total of 83,259,200
the amount so far allocated to
the Territory since the inaugura
tion of the program.
The Office of Education recent
ly allocated $90,000 to Kodiak for
school construction pui*poses un
der legislation providing for
federal financial assistance in the
construction, operation and main
tenance^ of school in areas which
are over-burned by federal activ
ities. Since 1951 when Congress
authorized such assistance, $7,
240.418 has gone to various areas
in Alaska for these purposes.
Other allocations for Alaska dur
ing 1952 included $250,000 to St.
Ann’s hospital in Juneau to aid in
the contemplated 32-bed addition
to the present hosptal. Five loans
were made during the 1952 fiscal
year by the Rural Electrification
Administration totalling $8,508,
000 to serve members of the flilat
anuska Electric Association ($1,
940,000), the Chugach Electric As
sociation, Inc. ($3 million), the
Kodiak Electric Association
($350,000), the Golden Valley
Electric Association, Inc. ($2,815,
000), and Metlakatla ($1,303,000).
Five different companies were
granted a total of $368,149 for
mineral exploration in Alaska for
tin, cobalt, tungsten and copper.
New ANS Hospital
A contract was awarded for
the construction of the Alaska
Native Service hospital at Bethel
to replace the former facility de
stroyed by fire. Last year Con
gress appropriated $3‘a million for
construction and equipment of a
new hospital.
Delegate Bartlett was active in
a number of other matters which
resulted in removal of the threat
to deny the cost-of-living allow
ance to federal employees hired
within Alaska to work in the i
Territory, open hearings schedul-1
ed on the contemplated withdraw-1
al of some 86,000 acre of land in
Susitna Flats for an Army artill
ery range, incentives to increased
coal production through a coord
inated federal program, declara
tion of Wrangell as a disaster
area by the President to enable
granting of liberalized reconstruc
tion loans from the Reconstruc
tion Finance Corporation, lifting
of certain restrictions so far as
Alaska was concerned on the al
lotment of aviation gasoline dur
ing the strike emergency and im
proved Coat Guard regulations in
southeastern Alaska following
congressional hearings held last
fall in the Territory.
C. B. HAMILTON
Word has been received in the
Valley of the death of Mr. C. B.
Hamilton, 92, father of Mrs. Ver
non Fridley, former Palmer resi
dent.
Mr. Hamilton passed away July
17 at Santa Cruz, California and
funeral services were held in
The Her flub
Palmer's Finest Nite Club
PRESENTS
THE ACE VENTRILOQUIST - - -
TED TAYLOR
and his Bad Boy "ELMER"—direct from the Blue Room in
San Francisco
THREE SHOWS NITELY
PLUS
Half Shot Svenson
in the role of a Jonesville miner on pay day
AND THE VALLEY’S FINEST BAND-RECORDING STARS
Retly Jo Starr - Norma Jean
and Waterhole Johnny
Moore's Garage
General Automotive Repair
Crankshaft Grinding
Rebore Service
Post Office Box 789
Palmer, Alaska
SOIL CONSERVATION
BOARD MULLS FARM
DEVELOPMENT LOANS
Clarence Hoffman, chairman of
the Alaska Soil Conservation
Board reports that the board and
advisory committee met in Fair
banks on July 31 and August 1
to discuss their program and fin
ances.
He says that the board stayed
well within its budget for this bi
ennium and has a conservative
budget proposed for the next bi
ennium. One item in the budget
which should be of special in
terest to farmers around Palmer
and Wasilla is a spraying unit for
weed and insect control. If this
item can be obtained, it will be
made available to Soil Conserva
tion District members.
Long-term, low-interest, farm
development loans was an impor
tant subject on the agenda and,
according to Mr. Hoffman, the
board and advisory committee
favor territorial legislation which
would provide such loans. They
also favor federal provision of
additional funds for land clear
ing. The board is informed that
federal officials from Washington
will be visiting the Territory this
month to check on the land clear
ing financing problem.
Hoffman says that the board
resolved to support the vocation
al education program which is be
ing investigated by Palmer School
Board.
Attending the meeting from
Palmer with Hoffman were
Howard Estelle and Vic Falk, Jr.
of the Palmer Soil Conservation
Sub-district, Lynn Wright of the
Wasilla sub-district, Emmett Ell
ington, secretary of the board and
Chas. W. Wilson, Territorial Con
servationist of the Soil Conserva
tion Service. I.M.C. Anderson,
area supervisor for the Farmers
Home Administration from Anch
orage; Clyde Sherman, Territor
ial Commissioner of Agriculture
of Fairbanks, and Lynn Hollist,
associate Extension director of
Fairbanks.
Portland, Oregon. He had visited
the Fridley family in Palmer four
years ago and made many friends
in the Valley at that time.
Elks and Youth Club
They Sponsor Look
Forward to New Lodge
At their regular meeting next
Wednesday local Elks will dis
cuss plans for their new Elks
Lodge.
Plans have been drawn up by
James Scott and selection of site
for the new building is in pro
gress. If everything goes accord
ing to schedule, members hope
that the basement will be started
this fall.
The present Lodge quarters on
the Fair Ground, leased from the
Fair Association, has been the
scene of wholesome youthful ac
tivity every Tuesday evening all
summer. Under Elk sponsorship,
the Teen-Age Roundup was or
ganized late in the school year.
Entirely through their own plan
ning and financing, club members
from the Palmer and Wasilla
areas have had their weekly ses
sions of planned fun and “good
grub.” Most of the meetings have
been held at the Lodge, offered
by the Elks each Tuesday even
ing. Members of the Elks’ youth
committee have been in faithful
attendance, merely in a supervi
sory capacity. Last week club
members had a swim party meet
ing at Barry’s Lake. Juke box
dancing is the most popular activ
ity for the indoor sessions. Ob
servers say that the Charleston,
dance craze of the late 1920s, has
become a popular revival at Teen
Age Roundup parties. Jeannie
McMahon and Gary Verral have
developed the most finished in
terpretation of this old favorite.
The Elks’ youth project has
done much to fill the gap in plan
ned youth recreation in the Val
ley. In offering only meeting
place facilities and guidance if
requested, Elks feel that they are
fostering a healthy organization
in which the youngsters themsel
\
ves assume responsibility for
their own activities.
Provision for continued spon
soring of these youth recreation
opportunities provides additional
impetus to planning for the new
Elks Lodge.
«■ ■ - —
II
FOOD SALE
Ladies of the Church of Lat
ter Day Saints will hold a food
sale at Koslosky’s Saturday,
August 9, beginning at 1 p.m.
GENERAL ELECTRIC APPLIANCES
KEN'S ELECTRIC SUPPLY
Corner Valley St. and Glenn Highway
William W. Head
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT
Announces the establishment of an
office in the
NEW WRIGHT BUILDING, PALMER, ALASKA
for
GENERAL ACCOUNTING PRACTISE
and
SPECIALIZING IN INCOME TAX MATTERS
Enrolled to practice before the Treasury Department
' ^ I
.4
o o~
Here...one week only...
aDi BARRY
Beauty Expert from the famous
Richard Hudnut
Fifth Avenue Beauty Salon!
Do you know about fashion’s newest look?
If you want to find out all about it
. . . and treat yourself to a free DuBarry
Make-up Lesson, as well . . . come in and meet
Miss Jane Doe, well-known Beauty Expert*
direct from New York’s famous Richard
Hudnut Beauty Salon! She’ll teach you how to
apply your make-up in a smooth, professional manner . . . give
you an advance preview of the latest make-up techniques' But—she’s
here for one week only—so call right now for your private appointment with herl'
LOUISE WINN
And—there’ll he a special-size gift of beauty for ,*
you when you come in J ^
Monday, August 11 to tlie 18tli
Bert’s Drug Store
PALMER.ALASKA