LITTLE SUSITNA WITHDRAWAL OPPOSED
DEGAUSE OF VAST DEVELOPMENT PLANS
The future fate of the Anchor
age area is now in the hand of
Secretary of Interior Oscar Chap
man. Transcript of the testimony
offered by the United States
Army, Alaska Command, and by
organizations and individuals of
the Anchorage area in the hear
ing last Friday on the military’s
request to withdraw 86.000 acres
of the Little Susitna area across
Knik Arm for an anti-aircraft im
pact zone has been sent to Wash
ington. An early decision has
been promised.
Over 100 persons were present
at the seven and one-half hour
hearing. Testimony for and
against withdrawal was given by
approximately 25.
Army Has Solid Case
Brig General William M. Miley.
commander of U. S. Army troops
in Alaska, and Col. R. P Tarr. Jr.
presented the case for the army.
Point by point they built up a
strong case for the withdrawal,
predicating their case on the need
of firing range to insure defense
of Elmendorf AFB and the Anch
orage area and their inability to
find a suitable target area any
place else in central Alaska.
Briefly. Col. Tarr described the
tactical importance of the two
batteries of 120 mm anti-aircraft
artillery, each battery of which
consists of two gun emplacements
costing $500,000 each or a total
of $2 million. The weapon is a
new one perfected since World
War II .and the batteries were
sent to Alaska piece by piece over
a two-year period until all parts
had arrived by last November. So
far they have not been fired once.
Loss to the defense potential
through this delay in training on
firing these new weapons is mani
fest, Col. Tarr declared.
Search for a suitable site for
the impact area has been going on
for over two years, he added. One
after one, possible cites had to be
discarded because of tactical I'ea
sons; objections of the Alaska
Road Commission, CAA, FWS,
and other federal and Territorial
agencies. Movement of the equip
ment over existing roads and
bridges was forbidden by ARC
because of the 6900 ton weight.
Vlovement to a site served by the
Alaska Railroad was ruled out by
excessive costs of transportation
cited by the railroad—$200,000
per year. Thus movement of the
equipment any distance from the
immediate Anchorage defense
area was effectively stymied.
Then the army started looking
around the Anchorage area. To
the east were Chugach Moun
tains, but there was a highly de
veloped recreation area and min
ing interests. Besides, the cloud
cover during 160 days of the
year, the turbulence of air, and
the lack of visibility from the
south ruled this area out on tacti
cal grounds. Several other pos
sible sites, including a range
across Turnagain Arm, had to be
passed over because of existing
flight lanes.
Zone By-Passes Big Lake
Even the original plans for the
Little Susitna area brought ob
jections from FWS and the
Bureau of Land Management on
the basis of highly developed re
creational areas at Big Lake and
around Goose Bay and a valuble
stand of birch. Original plans for
120 degree arc firing range were
pared down. As planned now the
impact zone describes a 50 degree
arc with 30.000 yard radii and 27,
000 yards across the outer rim
that extends slightly beyond the
Little Susitna River. The north
side of the impact zone is in ex
cess of 500 yards south and west
of the Goose Bay dock area, and
the western end of Big Lake is
5,500 yards away. Col. Tarr said
that firing will be limited to two
six-week periods, one of which
will follow the hunting season be
ginning October 15. The other
period begins April 15 and will
end June 1, thus making way for
the fishing season. Access to the
area at all other times will be per
mitted under management of the
area by the Bureau of Land Man
agement.
A five-year withdrawal is re
quested by the Army; but Col.
Tarr added. “If we feel renewal
is necessary after five years, we
will attempt it: if we do not need
it, we will cancel it.
“In all earnestness,” he ques
tioned in closing the Army case,
“are the objections of sufficient
importance when weighed against
the need of the Army to warrant
denial at this time? ’
Too Many Withdrawals
Leading the list of objectors
was the Republican candidate for
Delegate to Congress Bob Reeve.
Using the same speech he gave in
Palmer last spring, he based his
case on the evils of withdrawals,
citing an exhaustive point by
point record of withdrawals in
Alaska. He claimed that fifty mil
lion acres had already been re
served for the military in Alaska.
“We must take positive steps
to stop this withdrawal of our
lands if we are to progress,” he
[ said. “We must also take steps
to have ' these withdrawn lands
returned.
“Anchorage is a dead end
town,” he added, “It is a one
crop community—federal. There
is only one remaining outlet
where we can expand and build
our economy on a lasting basis
and that is the Susitna area with
its vast potential for agriculture,
timber, and recreation.”
Turnagain Site Proposed
The Anchorage Times’ Bob At
wood emceed the Anchorage
Chamber of Commerce case
against withdrawal. He preceded
the testimony wth the dramatic
assembly of a “withdrawal puz
zle map” of the Anchorage area.
Piece after piece representing
withdrawals for moose reserves,
classification, military purposes,
CAA, Matanuska Valley Colony,
Indian reservations, power cites,
and many others was placed on a
bare map coverng only the pri
mary physical outlines of an area
bounded by the Talkeetnas, the
Chugach range, the Little Susit
na River, and midway down the
Kenai Peninsula.
The final wedge shaped piece,
representing the proposed Susitna
withdrawal left only a tiny white
space that was Anchorage, now
hemmed in on all sides.
This visual drama led up to the
Anchorage C of C’s counter pro
posal. Lifting the wedge-shaped
piece from the Susitna area, At- j
wood fitted it in across Turna-!
gain Arm, with the outer arc fit-1
ting tightly against the northern |
shore of a vast moose reserve on
Kenai Peninsula and the firing
point of the wedge on an Alaska
Railroad gravel pit near Furow
Creek, some two or three miles
south of downtown Anchorage.
Then came the testimony to j
bolster the Chamber case against |
Susitna withdrawal and for the
alternate plan. Witness after wit
ness was called by Atwood. He
cross-examined many of these
witnesses to establish facts impor
tant to his case.
Petroleum Potentialities
Ralph Brown of the Alaska De
velopment Board submitted that
the new site was preferable to
the Susitna area not only be
cause it was almost entirely over
water, but because the impact
area could be increased to a 90
degree angle with the east term
inus near Hope.
Brown said that the vast with
drawn areas in Alaska were cit
ed by Senators opposing State
hood in the last Congress. They
doubted that there was enough
good land left to insure Alaska a
healthy economy. He said that
military land grabs in Alaska
were all out of propor tion to
those in the states. Fifty-two mil
lion acres have been withdrawn
by the military in Alaska, he said,
against 20,750,000 acres in the en
tire continental United States.
Development of a potential pe
troleum reserve in the Cook inlet
area was cited by Brown as a
specific and positive reason for
opposing the proposed withdraw
al. The Cook Inlet area is one of
the three in Alaska that geolo
gists believe rich in untapped
petroleum reserves, he said. Three
companies are investigating these1
possibilities in the Cook Inlet area
this summer.
Frowns On 5-Year Limit
Delegate E. L. Bartlett conced
ed that some withdrawals are de
sirable and some not. In line with
a bill he presented to Congress
last March, he added that with
drawals should be granted for
only five years, with renewals
granted only after a public hear
ing to establish continued r£ed.
He said the Secretary of Interior
had opposed his bill because it
would compel all agencies, even
those having installations of a
permanent nature, to submit to
a hearing every five years. Bart
lett opined that this would be a
healthy innovation.
Power to Dwarf Eklutna *
Testimony from Joseph Mor
gan of the Bureau of Reclama
tion brought out details of the
proposed Susitna power project,
notably the development of
Devil’s Canyon. The 400,000 kw
capacity at this site would dwarf
Eklutna, he said, and would make
possible the development of
100.000-200,000 acres of the most
fertile farm land in Alaska. It
would also furnish power for
huge industrial developments in
the area.
Is the proposed dam within the
withdrawal area? the military
asked. No, but the transmission
line cuts across it, and it would
cost S3 million to by-pass it.
Has Congress appropriated
money for this project? (No. but
money has been appropriated for
surveys.) What is the estimated
cost of the entire Devil’s Canyon
project? ($240 million.) What is
the earliest possible date that
the transmission line could be in
operation? (1953.) That's all the
Army wanted to know from Mr,
Morgan.
Mrs. Justine Parks, when she
talked against withdrawal for the
Matanuska Electric Assn., added
a pertinent point to Morgan’s
testimony. That S240 million
would not be a gift: it would be
a loan, and every penny would
be paid with interest by the elec
tric co-operatives of Alaska. Mrs.
Park’s testimony lent credence to
the proposition that settlement of
the proposed withdrawal area was
imminent. Already MEA has ex
tended its lines to Knik. she said,
and expedience has shown that as
soon as power lines approach an
area, people flock in to settle,
area as the natural extension of
She described the withdrawal
the rich Matanuska Valley agri
cultural area.
Cheap Freight to New Site
Testimony for the Anchorage
Chamber's case was continued by
Elroy Hinman, of the Alaska
Railroad. He admitted the feasi
blity of a railroad crossing across
Knik Arm with a savings of time
and mileage on the direct An
chorage-Fairbanks run. Building
up the Chamber's alternate pro
posal. he quoted $75 per car as
the one-way railroad price of
transporting the anti-aircraft guns
from Elmendorf AFB to a siding
near the gravel pit. the proposed
Turnagain Arm firing site. The
Army pricked up its ears: earlier
the Army had been told it would
cost $25,000 for two-way trans
portation of the equipment on six
cars. The new quotation amount
ed to only $900.
Bridge Across Knik Arm
E. J. White, district engineer
of the Alaska Road Commission
conceded that a bridge across
Knik Arm was feasible, although
no such project was included
within the broad six-year plan
for ARC. He tossed off a $3-5 mil
lion guess on cost of the proposed
structure when queried by the
Army. He also admitted that a
three-mile road to the gravel site
would not be difficult, that it
could be done in three weeks ex
cept that there were no funds for
such a road. Yes, he told Atwood,
ARC could build the road if
somebody else provided the funds.
Rich Croplands, wild hay
Vast areas of rich farm land
in the withdrawal area and be
yond it were described by Ed
Baldwin and Max Shellabarger,
farmer and guide who claimed
that he put up wild hay for his
cattle. Shellabarger said that land
was as rich as that in the Matan
uska Valley and lots more of it
opened up beyond the Susitna
withdrawal area. Closing off the
later, he observed, would effec
tively seal the development of
this land.
Ben Culver described the phen
omenal rise of real estate values
in the Anchorage area because
there is no room to expand. Land
around the Anchorage area is
selling for $2,000 acres, he said,
and even recent homesteaders are
selling out for $1,000 per acre.
He admitted that the area south
of Anchorage and'near the pro
posed gravel pit firing site was
being settled rapidly. "It’s now or
never,” he added, “In another five
years the Army won’t be able to
get in there.”
Mayor Maynard Taylor, An
chorage City Manager Robert
Sharp, and. Anchorage Planning
Commission Chairman Elmer
Rasmuson added even more testi1
mony regarding the need for the
Little Susitna area to make room
for Anchorage’s phenomenal de
velopment.
Ocean Dock at Goose Bay
One of the most spectacular
pictures regarding development
of areas bordering on Knik Arm
was presented by Alfred Owen,
president of the Anchorage long-1
shoreman’s union local. He pic-!
tured Goose Bay as a huge port
for ocean vessels. He said that
the limited warfage facilities of j
Anchorage’s ocean dock area!
would necessitate the diversion of !
this huge ocean traffic to the j
more favorable Goose Bay area, j
Military Holds Fast
At the close of the hearing mil
itary officials conceded that a
Turnagain Arm location might
have advantages over the area of
their choice. They were unwilling j
however, to drop their original re
quest. General Miley pointed out
that time is of the essence, that
further delays in working out ob
I jections to the new area could
! result in further delays in the
: needed firing practice that con
stitutes 25 percent of the milit
ary’s defense potential for the
Anchorage area.
CAA may have grave objec
tions to the new site, although an
official of one commercial airline
testified that flight zones across
the firing area could be changed
easily for the short periods in
volved.
SMALL BUSINESS
WAGE CONTROL TO
CONTINUE IN ALASKA
(SPECIAL) — Wage controls
continue to apply to virtually all
small businesses in Alaska ac
cording to a statement issued to
day in Seattle by J. B. Gilling
ham. chairman of the Regional
Wage Stabilization Board.
He explained Congress recently
amended the Defense Production
Act by exempting, effective July
29, small business establishments;
employing eight or less workers.
I Gillingham pointed out, however.\
| that the Act authorized the Presi
! dent to exclude from this exemp
tion occupations, industries or
] areas in which removal of wage
j controls on small businesses
would have unstabilizing effects.
“The decision was made in
f■ M.
m
WASILLA GRANGE
HAM DINNER
Another one of those gour
met special ham dinners at
the Wasilla Community Hall
is in the offing. The Wasilla
Grange has set the date for
Saturday, August 16. First
call for dinner will be at 5:30
p.m. Everybody in the Valley
is welcome.
Washington, D. C„ that wage con
trols on small business should not
be lifted in Alaska at this time,"
Gillingham said. “Consequently,
no enterprise in Alaska is exempt
from wage board regulations on
the basis of the size of its work
force.”
Rusty Dow started working
for the Bureau of Reclamation
this wek at Eklutna Project
headquarters. She will be cart
i--—- ~ —
NEW BABIES
Engebretson
A premature baby girl weigh
ing only four pounds and three
ounces was placed in an incubator
at Valley Hospital at eight o’clock
Tuesday morning, August 5, just
a few hours after she had been
born at Glenallen.
The tiny infant is the daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Arnold J. Enge
bretson of Glenallen.
Knoebler
Mr. and Mrs, Albert Knoebler
became proud parents of their
first daughter, third child, at Val
ley Hospital Sunday, August 3.
The little girl, named Verna Col
leen, weighed six pounds and
three ounces.
ing the Bureau mail back and
forth, operating a truck, and
running the mimeograph ma
chine.
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