The Nome nugget., 1921-02-26
kETCHIkAN GRAND JURY
 URGES REcASTiNe OF
 TERRITORIAL DIVISIONS

A recommendation aimed Ut the abolition of the present, second Divd- sion of the territory a.d tie establish Southeastern Alaska was the outst;,nd- standing feature of the final report of he grand jury during December term of the IIstrict Court of :he First Division. at Kctchikan- The jury in effect re commended the elimination of the Second Division and n complete recastinE of aii the present divisions with the exception of the Third. un- der the grand jury's supervise plan, the First Division was to comprise all that portion of the present Division No. 1 north of Prince Frederick sound. including al of Baranoff Island and the mainland of Cape Fansfaw. Division No. was to consist of the remainder sections of .he First Division: Divi- sion to remain the same as at pres- ent and Division to conkist of the territory TOW comprised in the Second and Fourth Divisions. The ostcnsi- ble object to be attained by this sum mary choppins up of the territorial division lines was to provide the ket- C'hikan section with a district court ali of it's own--to .he detrlnent of the present Second and Fourth divisions, which, if the scheme were realized. would be amalgamated into one inn mense division of which the legal headquarters would be either at Nome or Fairbanks In either case. this would necessita:e litigants travelling anywhere from seven to fifteen hun dred miles to transact husineFs with the district court and entail an in mensely increased burden of expersc on both the public and government. to say nothing of the delays and difficult ties i1cident to travel in ,t sect.on where transportation is notoriously lacking.
 The scheme received the immed- ia.e endorsement of the ketchikaa newspapers. which cited numerous comparisons of the business. legal and commercial. the population. the number of bootleggers. enc, to prove that Ket- chiknn needed q district court all its very own.
 The first news of the plan. reached Nome d. few days ago thru the med- i,lm of early December copies of the Ketchikan OtSonicIe and was at once bS rsht to thS atteption of the Cham berA ,of commsrcs.' That body with customary promptitude got busy '. once in an effort to block the scheme and p;ussed the following resolution contlemning the effort to eimina ta this division.
 RESOLVED That the Northwest. : ern Chamber of Commerce tNome, hereby condemns the action of the late grand jury. First Division, Alaska. in recommending the eiimia tion of the Second Division and attaching it to the Fourth, as a violen: presumption of authority. as extra judicial, and ex- tra territorial, unjust and detrimental to both of the latter Divisions and to The people thereof: as an attempt to foster a denial of justice in that the additional costs and delays inciden. to litigation would become prohibitivs and render the rights of persons and property insecure: as reflection up- on the good name of our communities and q blow to the tpbui1ding of more than two thirds of the territory, as rich in material resources as any other section thereof
 RESOLVED FURTHER. That the merits of the question of a new Juli- ciaI Division depend upon the necessi- ties in the First Division. unaided h, invidious comparisons with other D. visions. or at their expense.
 RESOLVED FURTHER, That while we grant to the people of other sec tions or divisions the righ. to voicj their respective necassities in the be half mentioned, we claim the same privilege for ourselves, and resent ant