Valley Frontiersman
WASHINGTON NEWS-LETTER
By MARY LEE COUNCIL
Secretary to E L. (Bob) Bartlett, Alaska's Delegate to Congress
School Assistance
The office of education of the
federal security agency allocated
$17,486.78 tliis week for assistance
to the cities of Sitka and Nenana
and to the Alaska Board of Edu
cation.
The funds have been provided
as federal assistance for current
expenditures under existing law
which provides financial assist
ance for schools in federally af
fected areas. The total allowed
this week for Alaska includes $ 1
075.67 for Nenana, $7,320.89 for
Sitka, and $9,090.22 for Alaska s
Board of Education.
President Truman through ex
ecutive order has suspended the
eight-hour law as to laborers and
mechanics employed by the de
partment of defense on public
works considered essential to the
national defense.
Canadian Shipping
Presidential approval is await
ed on Delegate Bartlett’s bill
which would allow until June 30
of next year the carriage of pas
sengers on Canadian ships be
tween Haines and Skagway and
other Alaska ports.
Congressional action was com
pleted this week on the legisla
tion and as it went to the White
House the measure also provides
that passengers and freight may
be carried on Canadian vessels
between Hyder and other places
in the Territory and the States.
The House committee on the
merchant marine and fisheries in
reporting the bill some weeks ago
explained the need for the waiver
of law by saying: “Until adequate
American-flag steamship service
can be rendered to Haines and
Skagway at the Canadian end of
the Lynn canal in southeastern
Alaska, these communities may
be suitably served by Canadian
vessels in the regular course of
their operations, if this permis
sion is granted for them to do so.
Except for the much more ex
pensive air transportation there
is no other way for passengers to
move in and out of these com
munities to other points in Alas
ka or the States.
Assessment Work
Through completely unexpected
action the Senate Interior and In
sular Affairs committee met in
special session last week and ap
pro\ed a bill to extend the pres
ent mining claim assessment year
from July 1 until November 1.
The Senate three days later ap
proved the measure which also
includes a provision permanently
changing the year during which
assessment work is to be per
formed from the 12-month period
beginning on the first of July
each calendar year to the 12
month period beginning on the
first of November.
The law affected requires an
expenditure of at least $100 in
labor or improvements of a min
ing nature during each year on
all mining claims located on pub
lic lands in the United States, in
cluding Alaska, with the so-called
assessment year running from
July 1 of one year to July 1 of
the next.
It is impossible to predict whe
ther or not the House will join in
following the Senate’s lead.
Interior Appropriations Bill
The interior department ap
propriation bill is expected to be
reported to the Senate early this
week, according to information
given Delegate Bartlett by Sena
tor Carl Hayden, chairman of the
appropriations subcommittee on
interior.
The Alaska program as ap
proved by the House includes $20 '
million for Alaska roads, $2,600,
000 for road maintenance, $7 mil
lion for the Alaska public works
program, $10,194,141 for Alaska
activities of the bureau of Indian
affairs, $2 million for the Alaska
railroad rehabilitation program,
$763,763 for the bureau of land
management, $2,752,000 for the
geological survey, $401,384 for the
national park service, $512,000 for
the bureau of mines and $1,896,
037 for the fish and wildlife serv
ice. Cuts were sustained in this
program on the House side below
budget requests, especially in the
public works and road programs,
and it is hoped the original funds j
sought will be restored by the ;
Senate.
Medical Services in Indian
Hospitals
Legislation designed to provide
the maximum use of hospitals
administered by the bureau of In
dian affairs by making them a
vailable to non-Indians in areas
( where there are no other hospital
facilities and where they are not
being fully utilized by the Indians
was reported favorably to the
House this week.
In reporting the bill to the
House, the committee on interior
I and insular affairs stated that the
j enactment of the measure “would
i reduce the net cost to the govern
ment of maintaining Indian hos
pitals and would provide a badly
needed service to the non-Indian
population in isolated areas serv
ed only by Indian hospitals. It
also would result in better medi
cal care for the Indians, since the
limited number of Indian patients
is not conducive to obtaining the
best doctors”.
Statehood
Senator O’Mahoney again this
week called upon the Senate to
pass the Alaska and Hawaii state
hood bills.
The occasion arose when Sen
ator Humphrey of Minnesota pre
sented a civil rights program to
the Senate, and the Wyoming
senator, chairman of the senate
interior and insular affairs com
mittee which reported the state
hood bills favorably to the upper
house some weeks ago, asked for
Senator Humphrey’s support.
‘‘The tenor of the senator’s re
marks”, Senator O’Mahoney de
clared, “prompts me to call his
attention and the attention of sen
ators who have been listening to
his speech to the fact that there
are pending upon the calendar of
the Senate—two bills, the so
called statehood bills.
“Both those bills would accord
the full status of citizenship ro
the citizens of Alaska and Hawaii.
In the case of Alaska, of course,
there are many native Eskimos
and Indians who would thereby
be admitted to full status as citi
zens. In the case of Hawaii there
are innumerable citizens of that
territory — Hawaiians, Chinese,
Japanese, and other oriental peo
ples—who, if the territory were
admitted as a state, would be able
to carry to all the oriental world
the knowledge that the United
States means what it says when
it talks of equality among the
various people”.
Senator Humphrey responded
in the affirmative by saying, “I !
will say very frankly that from
my point of view the passage of
those bills would be equivalent
to a revitalization of our foreign
policy, in terms of its effective
ness particularly in the Far East.
I feel that their passage consti
Ri
Just Arrived!!
BLACK and WHITE — COLOR
ALL SIZES
Remember the Day With Pictures
Palmer Drug Store
PALMER VISITOR
Mrs. Charles Olson, the former
Peggy Lou Foster, and baby
daughter. Twyla, of Wrangell. Al- i
aska, are in Palmer for a month’s
visit with her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Ken Foster.
A graduate of Palmer high
school, class of ’48. Mrs. Olson
will spend part of her vacation
renewing acquaintances in town.
tutes a fundamental part of the
weapons of democracy as we try
to throw back the onrush of com
munist ideology".
r
BETTY BLUNCK SUBBING -
AT EXTENSION OFFICE *
Bitty Blunck. back in Pal r
after a year at Marverest college
in Davenport, Iowa, is taking
over Bernice Johnson's secretarial
duties at the extension service >1
fives this month.
Next fall she plans to continue
her studies at the University of
Alaska.
Her mother, Mrs. Henning
Blunek, left Monday for College,
where she will attend the sum
mer session at the university.
Coffey Insures Everything—«
Remember?
1
OF ALL KINDS
Sho-Cards- Truck Lettering
PALMER SIGN CO.
Box 1833—Basement Ptimer Drug
INVEST YOUR MONEY IN STOCKS
II Is Unnecessary to Have Thousands of
Dollars lo Own Slocks
WE RECOMMEND THE PURCHASE
OF THE FOLLOWING:
GREYHOUND BUS LINES . ® 11
GENERAL MOTORS .@ 47 ;
SOCONY VACUUM OIL CO.@ 30
U. S. STEEL CO. @ 40
FLINTKOTE @ 29
All the Above Companies Pay 6 to 10 Percent
Dividend. These Stocks May Be Purchased
in any Amounts from $100 and Up.
WE INVITE INQUIRIES ON ALL STOCKS & BONDS
FIRST ANCHORAGE C0RP.
WIRE SERVICE TO PRINCIPAL MARKETS
PAUL R. FLYNN, Pres. & Mgr.
715 4th AVE. PHONE 49211
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CONVENIENCE
It's hard to describe the con
venience and pleasure that
comes with using modern elec
tric appliances. Cooking on an
up-to-date range, is actually
fun. These things can be yours
with electricity. Phone us to
day for full information.
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Matunuska Electric Association, Inc
Your REA Electric Co-Op in Palmer
"Serving the Valley Since 7942"
PALMER. ALASKA