The Alaska daily empire., 1916-07-31
ArTAcK oN ALAsKAN RoADs
(Valdez Miner)

(Vadez Mner)
 A bin introduced in Congress by Delegate WICK ersham. known as House Bl No. 4684 has been re- ported favorably by the HOuee Committee on Ter rtories through the Delegates persstency This bill provides that the legislative assembly the Territory Of Alaska is empowered Go alter, amend, modify or enea inc Act of Congress relating to the construction and maintenance of roads. etc The bill is very short and innocent upon the face of it, but t Is pregnant with possibilities If passed it will enable the legisa- ture abolish the Alaska road commission Co do away with the government appropriations for the construc' ton Of highways in the Territory In this connection the Army and Navy Register says:
 The military authorities have viewed with
 surprise and some indignation. the introduc.
 tion in the House by Delegate Wickersham' Of
 Alaska, of bin (H. R. 464Sl which has been
 under consideration in the House Committee
 on Territories and now is said to be approved
 by that committee. This bill, of innocent
 pharseology, in reality appears to deprive the
 War Department exercised since 1905, of con-
 structing and maintaining roads in Alaska.
 This important work has been under the su-
 pervison of a board of Alaskan road commis-
 sioners of which Colonel w P. Richardson,
 of the infantry arm, Is the head. There have
 been occasional evidences Of plot on the
 part of the people in Alaska to separate the
 War Department from this control of the ex
 penditure of federal funds Tor the improve
 ment or roads in the Territory but the mil
 tary authorities have been able to frustrate all
 efforts in this direction. Indeed during the
 hearings this session before the House mill
 tary committee, it's members manifested
 gratifying appreciation of what had been
 achieved and a determination to retain con-
 tro of this important work The objection
 able pending legislation aims to amend an act
 
 ing a legislative assembly in Alaska so as to
 empower and authorize that body to alter
 amend modify or repeal" the act of Con-
 gress approved in 1905, relating to the
 structon and maintenance of roads among
 other things. I is surmsed that the Alaska
 legislative assembly will, by virtue of author
 ity given in the pending legislation, proceed
 Co repeal the act of Congress or tO so amend
 or modify t to entirely separate War
 Department jurisdiction and the Alaskan road
 commissioners from the control Of road con-
 structOn in Alaska"
 No greater calamity could befan the Territory Of Alaska at this time than the abOlishment of the Alaska Board of Road Commissioners For number of years past u has, through the War Department secured the appropriation of large sums of money for the construction of roads in Alaska. and the work accomplished by it has been of inestimabe value n the development of the country Much has been ac complished as the funds available With the com mission done away with it will that the head quarters for whatever body is placed in charge of the road work will be at Juneau, and this in itself would mean that the money available for road work in the Territory would be cut to less than half the amount that it now annually available and h would mean that politics would govern the appointment Of the road or ficials and that inexperienced men would probably replace the efficient engineers Of the Road Commis sion.
 We believe in full measure of self government the Territory the right of the Territory to regu late the taxes on businesses within its Jurisdiction its fisheries and it's schools. and believe in Alaskans for Alaskan offices; but also believe 1t would be the height of idocy Co cut ourselves off from the aid we are receiving from the federal government in the construction of roads and cut ourselves off we certainly would if the construction work were taken out of the hands of government officials