The Alaska daily empire., 1921-05-11
STEESE RETURNS FROM INTERIOR;
 PROGRAM GIVEN
Alaska Road Commission Crews Plan Work for Sea
 son on Basis of $500, ,000.

After an absence of several weeks on a general inspection trip, Col. James G. Steese, President of the Alaska Road Commission, returned to his headquarters here on the Admiral Watson this morning. Col. Steese visited Fairbanks, Nenana, Brooks, Anchorage, Seward and Val dez on the trip, holding conferences relative to the work to be done by the Commission this summer and attending a mass meeting at Brooks where the people of that camp set forth their needs for better trans portation facilities.
 Col Steese said that he found things in excellent shape and the Commission construction forces are in readiness for the seasons work, although the organization is being kept down to a large extent by the lack of funds through delay in the passage of the army appropriation bill by Congress Now that the measure has passed the lower House he anticipates early action by the Senate and consequent end to the delay.
 $5O0,000 Season Planned.
 We are lining up to hit the ball hard on a basis of $500,000 for this seasons work" said Col Steese The crews are being held down at present on account of al scarcity of funds which we expect to be overcome within short time. We have some money remaining in the Alaska Fund and that with the money we will receive under CO., operative Agreements with the Ter ritorial Road Commission will tide us over until our own appropria- tion is acted on by Congress. We have assembled our materials and supplies and our superintendents and foremen are on the ground await ing the word to go.
 Open Valdez Road.
 We have given our assurance that the Richardson Highway from Valdez to Fairbanks will be open by July IS and are assembling crews near Valdez to make this assurance good. There are four crews between Valdez and Sheep Creek. The ma tcrials for the suspension bridges across Sheep and Bear creeks have been landed at the sites selected and towers for the Sheep Creek bridge will be erected shortly. All of this work will be pushed to com pletion. A flying crew will be put on the stretch between Wortman and Willow Creek to smooth over the rough spots and get it in shape forl traffic by the time the south end of the highway is opened.
 To Complete Highway.
 Our work this season on the Richardson Highway from Fair banks to Chitina will follow the lines of last year. Some half dozen crews under the direction of Super intendent Dan Jones with greatly increased motor equipment will be- assigned to that district. By the end of the present season we plan to have the road from Fairbanks toI Chitina completed to standard as far as grade and surfacing is con ccrned. There will be a few bridges to be put in which we will hardly reach before the season of 1922 Tho season of 1922 will probably witness the completion of the Val dez end of the Highway to St9ndard D
 Other Work.
 Col. Steese outlined briefly other work planned this season. Fore man John Joslin left Fairbanks 30 he will have a crew on the Ophir- 1acotna route and later on the Ruby-Loan road. Assistant Super intendent Lukens will go from Seat tie to the Kuskokwim on the first trip of the Ozmo and make recon naisances and do other work dur ing the summer from McGrath Foreman Abe McKinnon will start work as soon as possible on the route from Chatanika to Eagle Creek which when completed will give a through route from Circle on tho Yukon to Valdez As soon as possible the final location survey vii! be made on the route from the Government Railroad to the Kan tisl ma district. The Cache Creek TalEcetna work Is already under