The Alaska daily empire., 1915-07-23
FOREST FUND SUIT DlSAPPROVED BY
 SEWARD PAPER

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 The Seward Gateway thinks the First division delegation in the Legis- lature has "cut its nose off to spite its face" in beginning the suit~to test the legality of the law distributing the forest funds in tho Territorial treasury derived from timber sales and other sources on the Tongass ma. tional forest
 The Gateway says:
 "That the legislative delegation of the First division has cut off it's nose to spite its face when 1t brought suit to have the forestry road funds spent almost entirely in the First division is a statement that can be made after a talk with Col. w. P Richardson, chairman of the Alaska road com mission this morning. Colonel Rich ardson arrived last evening on the Victoria and remained over to look at the condition of affairs in this dis. trict
 Before proceeding with the fores. try funds question 1t is better make haste to say that will be received here and in Iditarod with feelings of the greatest pleasure, and that is that the Seward.Iditarod mail trail will be improved this year for use during the winter The colonel is. unable to say at present how much work will be necessary or how much money will be at his disposal but that some work will be accomplished on the trail is positive statement
 'Now, for the question of the for estry funds appropriations for roads; At its last session the territorial leg islature decided to divide equally be- tween the four divisions of Alaska for road work the funds received by the territory through Washington from the forest reserves. It is admitted that the First division produced most of those funds but the legislature came to the conclusion that all Alas lka should have an equal share in AL aska funds, which seems to be per fectly right. and the decision was ar- rived at to spend the money evenly in all divisions. This would have given this division. if memory is cor rect, about thirty-fve hundred dol lars and would have given the district around Seward something over thousand dollars, again if memory is not at fault.
 ''Now a few days ago some of the representatives in the legislature from the First division filed suit to enjoin the territory from taking any of the funds secured from the forests of the First division for use on the roads of the other divisions Where the trouble comes for the First divi- sion. however. is that the Alaska road commission. of which Colonel Richardson is chairman, had allotted the funds available by the commission for work this year on a basis which took into account the belief that the forestry funds would be used as the legislature had decided to use them. That is. if there was a certain amount of work found necessary in any one of the divisions that amount of work would have to be done whatever the amount might be coming from the forestry funds The Commission took into account the amount of forestry funds allotted to each division by the legislature and made its allotments accordingly Should the suit of the First division succeed and should the greater part of the forestry funds be turned back to the First division it will mean a re-allotment by the Com mission. It will be found necessary to take back soem of the Commission funds allotted to the First division and add them to the amounts allot. ted to the-other divisions to save those other divisions from suffering this of course. means nothing else than that wether the First division people win their suit or not they will gain nothing"
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