Valdez daily prospector., 1916-10-30

that fund be provided for this purpose and that the U. s. Com: missioner in the several precincts bel . to use the same when nec- essary for these purposes. |.
 Public and Territorial Schools. 1,
 We have visited the public schools of Valdez and found them to be con- ducted in a very satisfactory man. ner, maintaining a high standard Of work, considering the lack of proper facilities and limited amount ot funds at their disposal.
 We are advised the Territorial gov ernment has no jurisdiction over schools other than that delegated the Governor in the Nelson bill. As the several municipalities throughout the Territory find the funds secured thru | municipal taxation inadequate for the proper maintenance of the public schools and the fact that several chil-' dren are attending these schools whose parents are not residents or taxpayers of the municipalities, we would respectfully petition Congress to grant the Territorial Legislature the power to enact legislation where by a part of the Territorial funds could be used for the maintenance of public schools.
 The Grand Jury commends the work of the Alaska Division of the Bureau of Education, Department Of the Interior, among the natives of Alaska.
 The successful introduction of the reindeer industry among the natives of western and northwestern Alaska making a self-sustaining and pastoral people from a race of poverty strick- en fishers and hunters, through an endless chain of apprenticeship sys- tenn, which has already resulted In making them owners of fifty thou sand reindeer valued at more than one million dollars, proves that the officials connected with this division are men who understand the needs of natives in Alaska, and know how to secure results from inadequate ap- propriations.
 Since there yet remain native vil- lages in certain localities in this Dis trict, which have not been supplied with reindeer because of inadequate funds, we respectfully recommend that Congress increase the present an nual appropriation from $5,OOO toI $1O,OOO. We also recommend that Congress appropriate for the use of the Alaska Division of the Bureau of Education at least $25,000 as a re- imbursable fund to be used in assist ing natives of Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet and other regions not suit able for reindeer, in the establish ment of practical industrial enter prises. The results secured from the efforts already made along these lines, in spite of lack of funds, have denl- onstrated beyond doubt that an ade- quate reimbursable fund would en- able this Division to reach and help many needy natives in a way to make them self-sustaiping people. ~ We also recommend that Congress increase the appropriation for educa- tion of natives of Alaska to an amount which will enable the Alaska Division of the Bureau of Education to establish a practical industrial training school for the natives of this district. and thus remove the need of sending native children to the Indian Schools in the States, where many of them become unfitted for the life in Alaska.
 We also recommend that the apprO- priation for medical relief of the na- tives of Alaska be increased to an amount sufficient to enable this divi- sion to erect at least one tubercular sanitorium for natives in this district.
 Mail Service.
 i During the past summer a weekly mail service of two hundred pound limit first class mail per trip, was maintained between Valdez and Fair banks via auto stake. Seattle mail arrived in Fairbanks from seven to ten days sooner over this route than mail routed via Skagway and the Yu- kOn River route. On account of this great saving in time, and the route being all American and not going around through foreign territory we would respectfully recommend to the Postal Department that all or as much as possible of the interior mail be sent via this overland route during the summer months.
 The country adjacent to Bristol Bay has large population during the cannery season. and this section is served by only one mail steamer per month. During the past summer this one steamer on account of being laid up for repairs delivered only one mail to these people in a period of over three months. We would re- spectfully recommend a more fre- quent mail service for this section.
 From Valdez to Willow Creek, at the intersection of the COrdova- Fair