WASHINGTON NEWS LETTER
By MART LEE COUNCIL
&acratary Tc E L (Bob* Barllatl Alaska's Dalagata to Congrats
1SS3 Appropriation Requetit
Appropriation Committee heal -
ngs are now under way to consi- j
ier the President’s 1953 fiscal
year appropriation requests;
which include estimates totalling
(140.778525 for federal activitas
n Alaska
The program for the Territory,
exclusive of requests for mili
tary public ..orks which will be
sent to the Hill later in the year,
seeks multi-million dollar appro
priations fo r Alaska Public
Works, construction of roads, re
habilitation of the southern end
of The Alaska Railroad, contin
uation of the health investigation
and agricultural research plans,
further exploration for oil in Na
val Petroleum Reserve No. 4 and
50 new deputy marshals for the
Territory.
The Interior Department's bud
get is the largest with $88,585 -
393 earmarked for the 1953 fiscal
year. The second largest appro
priation request sought is for the
Civil Aeronautics Administration
in the amount of $19,617,875. fol
lowed by requests for the Depart
ment of Defense (other than mili
tary public works) totalling
$13,358,500. The Agriculture De
partment with requests for $6.
174.912 comes next, followed by
appropriations of S5.614.945 for
the Post Office Department.,
$4,317,000 for the Treasury De
partment. $1,285,000 for the De
partment of Justice, $1,260,000
for the Federal Security Agency
and S264.900 for the Judiciary.
Department of the Interior
The bulk of the $88,585,393 re
quest for Alaska activities of the
Interior Department is program-!
med for functions under the Of-!
fice of Territories totalling S57,- j
038-360 and including $20 million J
for the Alaska Public Works pro
gram. S17 million for road con
struction, $16 million for Aiask3
Railroad rehabilitation. $3 318.000
for road maintenance, $559,600
for the care and custody of Alas
• :__ C-1117fin fnr thp CloV
ernor's office and S48i000 for ex-'
penses of the legislature.
The intention of the Adminis-1
‘.ration to maintain the southern
end of The Alaska Railroad from
Seward to Portage is reflected in
the request for $9,094,000 for re
construction of the 62-mile sec
tion of track "to meet vital de
fense needs for continued opera
tion.” The remaining $6,906,000
for Alaska Railroad activities
would be used for freight equip
ment and facilities.
Asphalt surfacing of the Alas
ka Glenn and Richardson High
ways in the amount of $11,800-000
will continue if the $17 million
for Alaska roads is granted. Con
struction work on the Taylor
Highway in the amount of $540.
000 would continue, as would
work on the Richardson High
way-Mt. McKinley Park Road in
the sum of $500,000. The Cordova
Richardson Highway road would
have an allocation of SoaO.OOO if
the budget requests prevail in
Congress, with a new bridge
across the Chena at Fairbanks at
the cost of $700,000 assured
should the request for funds to
replace the present structure be
allowed The Alaska Road Com
allow ea. seeking $960,000
mission is siso seeKing >
for its plan to widen the road be
tween Fort Richardson and An
chorage to a four-lane highway.
The remainder of the request .
sought for local farm- industrial
and military access roads m the
amount of $400,000, improvement
of existing roads and
the total sum of $1,250,000 an.
preparation of plans, $300,000.
In asking for $3-318,000 for road
maintenance, the Alaska Road
Commission plans to P
Thompson Pass on the Richard
son Highway open du*2!}g
the winter of 19o2-1953. e
funds this year were allocated
from the military. The mainten
ance funds would be aPPliedV*
summer maintenance of Alaska s
highway system in the amount o
*9 597 245, with winter mainten
fnce totaling 5660.440 The re
mainder. $80,315, of the money
sought would be used for shop
faThe bureau of Reclamation is
seeking $13,250-000 with $13 mil
lion to be applied to the Eklulna
hydroelectric project and $250.
juOO for general surveys and in
; vestigations at Lake Dorothy near
| Juneau. Swan Lake near Ketchi
kan. the Devil’s River project on
the Susitna River. Blue Lake it
Sitka and Beaver and Wicker
sham Creeks near Fairbanks.
The Alaska Native Service hos
j pita] at Anchorage would be com
pleted if the Bureau of Indian
Affairs’ requests for its Alaska
activities are allowed with anti
r.pated January. 1953. occupancy
anticipated, and a vastly increas
ed employment placement pro
gram for aiding Eskimo, Indians
and Aleuts would be put into op
eration The total amount sought
bv the Bureau for Alaska comes
to $12,380,579 with $5,358,070
sought for health, $2,894,344 ask
ed for education and $631,079 re
quested for welfare services. The
remaining requests include $18,
716 for maintaining law and or
der, $557,300 for placement ser
vices. $10,800 for forest and range
lands. $91,540 for agricultural and
industrial assistance, $8,210 for
development of arts and crafts.
$64-920 for management of Indian
trust property. $375,000 for repair
to buildings and utilities- $1.9i0,
600 for construction and $400,000
for general administrative ex
penses.
The Geological Survey is seek
ing $2,455,000 and the Fish and
Wildlife Service $1-787.720. The
largest request of the Survey
would go for topographic sur
veys in the amount of $1,375,000,
followed by $745,000 for geo
logical and mineral surveys and
! mapping. $281,500 for water re
I source investigation. $30 000 for
j land classification. $8,500 for su
' uervision of mining, oil and gas
| leases and $15,000 for general ad
i mininstration.
The Fish and Wildlife Service's
j total request of $1,787,720 inclu
j des $873,218 for administration of
j fish laws. $366,453 for game law
I enforcement, $81-480 for preda
tory control. $72,192 for mammal
I and bird reservations, $178,298
i for research on fish and fisheries,
$10,335 for research on birds and
! mammals. $28,413 for exploration,
| development and utilization of
i fishery resources. $60,000 for con
i struction of fish facilities and
$117.331 for general administra
tion.
The Bureau of Land Manage-;
mont is seeking SI <1.000 for ca
{ dastral surveys out of the S839.
it'll sought ior us nia^Kd ivoo as-.
c-al year activities. Other items re- j
i quested are $36,000 for lease and,
i disposal of lands and mineral re- j
I sources. $197,000 for land classi
fication, S120.000 for forest man-j
| agement. $224,260 for fire protec-j
i tion. an estimated $75,000 for fire i
suppression and $65,900 for gen- j
-ral administration.
The Bureau of Mines' Alaska
program totals $409,440, the Na
tional Park Service is seeking
$351-849 for its functions in the
Territory and the Interior De
partment's budget includes $23,
285 for the Alaska Field Staff.
Commerce Department
The major portion of the $19.
617,375 appropriation sought by
the Department of Commerce is
for the Civil Aeronautics Admini
stration in the amount of $13,
240. 287 to be allocated as follows.
$11,550,031 for salaries and ex
penses, $470,000 for maintenance
and operation of the Anchorage
and Fairbanks airports, $1,070,
000 for air navigation facilities
and $150,256 for the Federal Aid
Airport program. Other Com
merce r^oartment requests are
for the Civil Aeronautics Board
in the amount of $113,000; the
Coast and Geodetic Survey, $2,
707:J00; forest highways under
the Bureau of Public Roads, $1,-1
754,000; and the Weather Bureau.,
$1,802,888.
Department of Defense
In seeking $8 1/2 million for
oil exploration in Naval Petro
leum Reserve No. 4, the Presi
dent’s budget message stated. "In
tensive geological and geophysi
cal work and drilling have loca
ted oil and natural gas in variou;
partg of the reserve and give en
couragement to the possibility
; that further exploration may dis
cover uU and gas in larger quan
tities.” Other Alaska activities
of the Department of Defense. th»
total request bring S’3.358.500
include f4.H35.000 for operation
ami maintenance of the Alaska
I Communication System and $23.
1500 for maintenance work a*
Vo*#» harbor The Picsident has
stated he expects to seek fund.- ■
for Navy-. Army and Air Force
public work* projects throughout
the country-, but authonration
legislation must be- passed first.
Department of Agriculture
The loan program for the Rural
Electrification Administration of
an estimated $5 270.000 for Alaska
i projects leads the activities of the i
1 Agriculture Department in ap- |
propriation requests of $6,474.- i
912 for Alaska. Other funds j
Washington Newsletter Gal 3
-ought are $59,858 for Extension
Service work and $116,635 for
Experiment Station work, with
the agricultural research program \
earmarked at $270,000. The Pro
duction and Marketing branch of
the Department would receive
$44 639 under the requests made, j
with $130,000 going to the Far
mers Home Administration. For
est Service funds sought in the
amount of $583,780 are broken
down into $362,000 for forest pro- i
tectiuf) and management. $.'»1 7.ai
f<*r research an I $170,000 foi
road*
PoU Office and Treasury D*pti
The Post Office Di partrr.ent if
necking an estimated $5,614,943
fur airmail, star route and power
boat services, with the Treasury
Department asking S4.317.000 for
its Alaska activities.
If allowed, the Post Office De
partment** request would be di
vided among its three activitie?
as follow*: $3 900.000 for airmail
service. $1.603 945 for power boat
■service and $111,000 for star
routes.
The Coast Guard would receive
S3.979 000 under the Treasury De
partment's Alaska program with
Customs obtaining $223,000 and
the Bureau of Internal Revenue
$115,000.
Justice and Judiciary
Funds for the employment ol
50 additional deputy marshals for
Alaska are sought in the Depart
ment of Justice budget. The total
requests for the Department
amount to $1,285,000 with $735.
.100 allocated to the offices of the
United States Marshals and At
torneys in the Territory, $500.
000 for support of prisoners anc:
$50 000 for witness fees.
Appropriations in the amount
of $264 iKIO for operating the ju
diciary in Alaska are asked for
the 1953 fiscal year The overall
figure is broken down into $60.
JOO f«*r the judges of the District
Court, $46,000 for clerks. $40,000
for commissioner fees. $87,000 for
lurors fees. $5,000 for miscella
neous expense*. $22,000 for court
npoitcrs and $4,900 for referee
' salaries and expenses.
Federal Security Agency
The remaining funds sought
; for federal activities in the Ter
ritory would go to the Federal
j Security agency in the total sum
j if $1,260,000 of which $1,230,000
would be used for the continua
| tion of disease and sanitation
control in cooperation with the
territorial Department of Health
and $30,000 for vocational rc
I habilitation.
Housing
The President’s budget message
especially mentioned the housing
situation in Alaska and stated
that he plans at a later date to
j seek a supplemental appropria
tion of $1,125,000 to bring the
Alaska Housing Authority ro
volving fund up to the $15 mil
lion limit authorized by Congress.
To date $13.875 000 has been ap
priated.
OUTSIDE FOR BUSINESS
AND VACATION
Mu . Carl Men and Mr and
Mrs Robert Meier left by North
west Airlines Tuesday of this
week, for Seattle.
Robert will purchase* a new
truck and dnve it back to Pal
mer via the Alaska Highway. The
two Mrs. Meiers will remain in
Seattle for a vacation and return
oy plane sometime next month
NORTHERN
NEON
zzm corp.
SIGHS
Trucks, Cars Lettered
Manufacturers of
Neon Signs, Marauees,
Store Fronts and Tube
Lighting
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