The Alaska daily empire., 1920-03-25

The recent attempt to abolish the office of Surveyor General In the Western States and Alaska was frustrated by the united front op posed by the Western Congressmen to the, proposal of the Appropria- tions committee. Special dispatch to the Seattle papers credited Grigs- 1 by of Alaska with having made a | telling argument, which had much marks on that occasion, taken from the Congressional Record of Febru- ary 27. were as follows:
 MIR. CROSBY. Mir. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, l have listened with interest to the statements of the Representatives | from the Western States calling to 1 the attention of the committee the number of millions of acres of un- surveyed land that they have in their respective states, and l must say that everything that they have said applies with great deal more force to the Territory of Alaska, where we have over 300.000,000 acres of unsurveyed lands, and the most i'm portant office that we have in that Territory, the office that is of most assistance to the people as home steaders or miners seeking patents, is the office of the Surveyor Gen eral.
 MIR. WOOD, of Indiana. Is the gentleman aware of the fact that if this provision is adopted it will not take a single bit of the machin- cry away from Alaska or one of the States( so far as the surveys are concerned?
 MIR. GRIGSBY. I understand from the reading of the bill that the entire machinery and all the creri- cal force will be removed. MIR. Wood, of Indiana. All the machinery for the surveys now pro- vided will remain there as long as there is any seeming necessity for it.
 MIR. MAYS. Why should the gen. tleman from Indiana treat Alaska that way and not treat other states in that way? If there is surveying needed, why not leave the surveyors there?
 MIR. WOOD, of Indiana . It will not change the surveying in sin gle state.
 MIR. GRIGSBY. Is there any diff ference in that regard between AL aska and the states?
 MIR. WOOD. of Indiana No. The surveyor shall remain the Sec retary of the Territory, MIR. GRIGSBY. The provisions of the bill are that the entire cler- ical force shall be removed to Wash ington, and all the plats and rec ords shall be removed from the of- fices.
 MIR. WOOD, of Indiana. That is in the discretion of the Secretary of the Interior
 MIR. GRIGSBY. understand that the bill is mandatory in that respect. l did not hear that ques- tion raised when any other gentle men were talking.
 l have had an office across the nall from the Surveyor General of Alaska for two years. and his is the busiest office conducted in Alaska We have over 500,O00 square miles of unsurveyed lands. Tho business is conducted with that of- flee. Whenever man wants to get a homestead, whenever he wants to get a patent for mining claim, he has to do business with that of flee. Almost all the business we have today up there is done in con nection with the bureau down here in Washington, and we have to come down here enough as it is. Now, if l want to get survey for a pat ent for mining claim in Alaska, have to employ deputy mineral surveyor. They are scarcer than hens teeth. l can find a surveyor or a civil engineer in Alaska, but be is not deputy mineral surveyor can make an application to the Surveyor General of Alaska and get him appointed, but under the terms of this bill have got to come down here to Washington to have it done. He has to apply to the commission CT of the land office, and the com missioner does not know him or his character or qualifications. The Surveyor General in Alaska knows