The Ketchikan miner., 1915-08-26

or the Feueral tax m0nleS collected in Alaska and placed in what is known as the Alaska Fund. The amount that has been appropriated by Con- gress up to the close of last year is $1.64S, 100000, and this has practically all been spent in the Third and Fourth Divisions, but as this money is expended by the War Department for Military purposes it does not en- ter into the question we have under discussion. The Board of Road Com missioners have received and expend- cd from the Federal occupation and license taxes in Alaska the sum of sl, l,203,152.0 This has been expend ed in the different divisions as fol lows:
 First Division $141,3S4.
 Second Divisions 247,43l
 Third Division 3o5,033
 Fourth Division 509,30f
 The Second Division has received nearly twice as much as the First; the Third Division has received Con siderable more than twice as much, and the Fourth Division has received nearly four times the amount of, the First Division. In this connection it must be taken into consideration that the First Division has paid in practically one half of these taxes. Colonel Richardson states that he has recognized these facts. but that his Board for the past several years have assumed that the forest monies would be expended where derived or prac- tically all in the First Division, and would thus tend to balance the expen- ditures for the entire Territory, and yet some papers in the Interior call us hoggish for asking for what we have been confidently expecting and waiting for several yeras and what is conceded to us by all disinterested parties.
 After the Legislature passed the law dividing the Forest Fund, inn mediately introduced the Memorial to the Alaska Road Commission. The members from the other Divisions smiled good naturedly and rather cyrincally and sort of gave me the laugh, but said they would not ser iously object to my getting anything I could from the Road Commission, feeling quite certain I couldn't get anything Thus ins due time the mem- orial passed and was submitted to the Road Commission together with all the letters and petitions and data that I had been collecting during the session on the road and trail ques- tion.
 At the close of the Legislative ses- sion the members from the First Div ision agreed that as there was only $1l ,500 available for this Division it would be best to expend it all on the Charcoal Point road, as there was not enough to divide among the different projects to accomplish any good. They also unanimously sanctioned the suit 10 enjoin the Treasurer from paying out any money from the Forest Fund except in the First Division. There could be no question about the First Division being entitled to less than one fourth of the fund and it would be silly for anyone to contend other wise. There had been a proviso in- serted into the law by Representatives Shoup that in case any parts or sec tions should be void, it did not in validate the remainder, and this pro- tected the Charcoal Point. road in any event. Colonel Richardson was met at Ketchikan willie on his way North by Mayor Beegle, Representa- tive Hickman and number of prom inent citizens and myself and the facts in the matter laid before him, IHu ldlu DclOTe ulu dlI luc udtd I had collected during the Legisla- tive session. The Alaska Road Com mission has agreed to expend $30,- 900 in this Division On the various roads and trails this year, and the Charcoal Point Road will be built by the $11,50O derived from the one fourth of the Forest Fund, under the Supervisor appointed by the Legis- lature, MT. E. c. Austin.
 During the past the placer .gold miners and the dog-team men have done all the shouting about Alaska. both in the Territory and throughout the States and in Washington, D. c. Nine hundred and ninety people ill every thousand in the States, if they can tell you anything about Alaska at all, will describe Alaska as it is around Nome or Fairbanks. There are good politicians and good adver- tisers in the Second and Fourth Div isions and good many of them look