The Cordova daily times., 1917-02-16
THREE BILLS ID MAKE ALASKA
 BONE DRY

Although the Alaska prohibition bill
 has occupied . prominent place in the newspapers of the territory for some time past, 1t is apparently not known or at least has not been given proml hence that no less than three biIls to make Alaska dry have been intro ouced In congress. including the sen ate bill. introduced by Senator Jones. and which has been passed by both houses of congress and has been signed by the president.
 The first bill. house bill No. ls88s was introduced December ls, 1916. by Delegate Wickersham. In this bill section 35 was designed to take away rom the Alaska fund the license moneys paid into that fund, and turn them over to the territorial treasury. thus depriying the insane fund. school fund and road fund of the sume here tofore annually derived from this source. This measure was submitted to the secretary of war. and 1t is re- ported that he informed the chairman ties that the passage of the bill with or the house committee on territori. section 35 included would undoubtedly ties that the passage of the bill with hamper the work of constructing roads and trails in the territory at least to the extent of the money usually re- ceived by the road commission from the Alaska fund. and might also have deterrent effect upon congress with relation to further appropriations for road work in the territory. Particu- |arly would this be true in the event the territorial legislature failed to make appropriations for this work rom the funds turned into the treas lry by the terms of this measure.
 The house committee evidently took similar view of the situation and the bill was never reported out of con- mittee. On January 22. 1917. Dele gate Wfckersham introduced a second bill. house bill No. 20s61. very slmi. lar In terms to his orieinai measure. but with the objectionable paraxraph ,5 omitted.
 On January 23 Senator Jones. of introduced fin the senate bill practically identical with that
 introduced by Delegate Wickersham he day previous in the house. This Dill. however. contained an additional section. section 30 providing for the of public schools in the territory. This section reads as fol. ows:
 Section 30. That for the purpose of supplying and deficiency in the revenues of the territory of Alaska by reason of the loss of moneys from licenses for the sale of intoxicating liquors. there is hereby appropriated the sum of slOO.0O0 to be expended solely for the establishment and main. tenance of public schools in Alaska. to be expended under the direction of the authority now having the dis position of the Alaska fund"
 The Wickersham bill, No. 2O36l, passed the house and was sent to the senate, but before being acted upon by that body the Jones bill was taken up and passed and in the course of events went to the house and was also passed by that body. thus cut ting off the Wickersham bill entirely.
 The Jones bill and the Wickersham bill both contained provisions permit ting the district judges to grant licen- ses for any period of time less than one year upon q pro rata of the IT, cense fee for one year. but not to ev- tend beyond the first day of January 1918.
 The provisions of the Jones bill re- the appropriation of SlO0. .0OO for the establishment and mainten. ance of schools in the territory is, in the opinion of a number of the mem. bers of the bar. very vague as to how the sum shall be applied. Apparently the sum 30 appropriated will not he available for the use of schools with in incorporated towns. as the moneys from the Alaska fund were for use only for schools outside of incorpor- ated towns. and as the present appro- nriation ia apparently to supplement the school moneys derived from this fund. 1t is believed 1t can be used only for the same purposes to which moneys heretofore derived from this fund have been applied. It is pos. sible that decision of the courts will be sought on this point as without as- sistance from this fund. or through special appropriations from the ter ritorial treasury. the schools in prac- tically every incorporated town will have to be maintained on a material ly decreased scale.