The daily Alaska citizen., 1919-09-14
THE ROAD SITUATION
~ aldez Miner. ]

COuntered This year appropriation was tor only 100000 dollars The average for all appropriations since 1900 to 1918 is S255,OOO. During that period the mileage was much less than it is now. At the present time the terri tory has 1880 miles to look after with n- creased prices for labor, supplies and the feed for teams The $lOOOOO covers this vast network of roads at the rate of about S2O per mile, a sum so small as to be insignificant
 This small appropriation will compel the commission to defer work on many miles of road which are badly i'll need of repair, and which are of the greatest importance to the people of Alaska several roads being main highways of communication between one dis. trCt and another.
 There has never been q case where the road commission has failed to ask for a req sonable and justiflable amount for the Alaska road work, but owing to the contention among Aaskans themselves and the ignorance of con gress1nen ill regards to the conditions in the territory, these appropriations have always been trimmed to the quick by a false eCOno- my.
 In March of this year the road commis- sion sent a statement to Washington to the effect that if it did not receive an apprOpria- ton quickly the Naldez-I7airbanks road would suffer loss of $55OOOO and other roads would add S35OOOO to this amount in year. Decpite the showing made the commission re- ceived but SlOO,OOO and the loss, owing to an unprecedented year of rain and floods will approximate the proportion the available funds bear to the $384OO requested.
 The constant kicking and criticism of the road commission by well-meaning but impru- dent citizens of Alaska has greatly retarded the work of the organization While tele- grams of CenSure sent to the secretary Ot war may relieve the feelings of the senders and possibly change the personnel of the com cause feeling of indecision and reticenCe to proceed with the road work among those res ponsible for the appropriations. It must be remembered that congress IS much in the same state as an Alaskan having much property at the national capitol. Charges of mismange- ment and waste of funds would cause the average Alaskan to halt work being done in Washington until he could investigate and disprove the charges, and so 1t is with the appropriations.
 If congress or any other body becomes convinced that the amounts appropriated are only going to be wasted they are liable to cut out the road work altogether. General Rich ardsOn stated that every time he went to Washington he found that instead of being allowed to confine his efforts to secure funds for working purposes he was placed on the defensive and was obliged to spend lot of his time contradicting statements made by Alaskans who were not road builders, and who travelled over the road but seldom. When such matters come up before congressional committee the effect IS obvious and painful.
 The commission is asking for %19OOO for maintenance and improvements of roads and trails in Alaska next year, $335 ,OOO is for the Richardson road One item is for $65, ,OOO to build the road in the hills away from the river, to avoid further expenditures repairing wash outs Only by concerted efforts on the part of our citizens can we hope to secure this appropriation.
 The past season has shown the harm done to Valdez by the road being out of com mission Mails have been held up travel di- verted to the Copper River railway and freight for Teikhell and roadhouses along the route handled once or twice between this point and Wortmans The town has lost thousands of dollars in trade. Auto parties have been forced to ship their cars over the railway at a great expense, and signal corps cars have been routed to the interior via Cordova.