The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-12-30
INDECENT FUND FOR TERRITORY
 DIVIDED EQUAL

Receipts from the federal fund for the relief of indigency in this divi. sion for the year 1918 amount to $6,. 539.10 A like amount has been available for each of the other divi. sions so that the total from the fed eral fund for Alaska for relief of indigents for 1918 reaches the sum of $26,156.40.
 | It would seem that this fund should be apportioned with regard to con. ditions existing in the respective divi. sions instead of giving each division the same amount. Comparing condi- tions in this division with the con- ditions in the First division it is found that 1t costs from s215OO to S250.00 to send an indigent from Fair banks to the Pioneers Home at Sit ka az against not to exceed S35OO to transport an indigent from any place in the First division to Sitka In the Third division the cost will average about $55.OO. Tran sportation from the Second division in winter Is of course out of the question but in the summer will amount to about $14000 per individual. The popula. tion of the Second division is prob. ably only one fourth that of the Fourth division yet 1t receives the same allowance as the Fourth. So no matter what way you look at it, even if the cost of supplies is elimin. ated from consideration. the fund for the Fourth division does not go very far.
 There are at present in the Pion eers' Home at Sitka from this divi. sion the following:
 J. Bankston, Rampant; J. C. Boil iver, Fairbanks; J. F. Cryder, Ophir; P. Farrell, Iditarod; Chris. Finlayson, Circle; Michael Harty, Fox; Peter Hughes, Fairbanks; Albert Hughes, Fairbanks; Henry Hendricks, Ruby; Alec Johnson, Fairbanks; D. w, Nc Quade. Eagle; Charles Nelson, Steel Creek; John w. Sullivan, Fairbanks Terrill. Fairbanks; John A. Thomp. Terril. Fairbanks; John A. Thomp. son, Rampant; Ed. Webber, Circle.
 For the year ending Sept. 30, 1918, the Pioneers Home rendered ac- counts to the judge of the district court amounting to $5,96200 cacu- lated at the rate of one dollar per day for each individual in the home from this division. Practically all the fund must be used for other purposes and payments to the Pioneers Home are not compulsory for that institu. tion is provided for by territorial appropriations. but whenever there is an unexpected balance 1t is discre- tionary with the district judge to pay any such balance to the4iOneers' Home for it's maintenance or return it to the treasurer of the United States for redistribution among the four judicial divisions. During the past year the demands upon the in. digent fund have been very heavy and Judge Bunnell has paid to the Pioneers Home only $5O4.S7.
 The heaviest items oi expense have been for transportation and mainton- ance enroute to the home. The total expended in this way amounts to $2,09675.
 But even if it might be possible to devise means for distributing the indigent fund more equitably among the four divisions it is never theless, great assistance to the divi. sion. A Pioneers Home in this divi- sion at some one of our hot springs would eliminate seventy-five per cent of the present transportation expense and would probably be more satis. factory all the way round. It is long trip from here to Sitka; there are many delays; in about half of the cases attendants are necessary and the moving of elderly feeble per sons from the dry climate of the in- terior to the raw damp climate of the coast is not always attended with the best results.
 The marshal's office has rendered invaluable service by keeping down the expense for attendants, for in many instances the deputies have personally taken charge of those go. ing to the home, thereby eliminating the expense for an attendant.