The Alaska daily empire., 1921-04-04

of one whole, co-ordinated organiza- tion with sufficient funds at it's dis posal to do effective work for the development of an adequate road sys- ' tenn in the Territory at large" Committee Takes Up Bill The Committee on Roads and I Highways. Chairman H. H. Ross. ! took up the study of the proposed new road law this afternoon, having before it the report of the opera tion of the present law during the past two years. Col James G. Steoae and Col. T. c. Gotwals, ranking members of the Alaska Road Com mission, and Mir Sommers were present at the meeting by special invitation and discussed ehe pro- posed changes in the law. Col. Steese pointed out two technical de- fleets in, the draft of the Ross bill and entered into discussion of the measure fully. He said that the experience of the past two years had proven that the present law does provide a workable means or cooperation and it had been the means of securing funds of the De- partment of Agriculture that could nor have been obtained except by cooperative agreements. He stated that the main end that would be ] achieved by the Ross bill, if enacted into law, would be 'emasculation' 1 of the Territorial Road Commission. He did not believe it necessary to amend the existing law to improve ment had been shown. He was in- i clined to doubt the practicability of the manner of cooperation as provided in the Ross bill, through Divisional Commissions. It was ne essary, he said, to have some one speak for the Territory and that no 4 political subdivision smaller than a {, State or Territory would be recog- nized by the Departments in their cooperative agreements
 A. R. c. Assistance
 
 that came to the Alaska Road Com mission and which directly reflected benefits to the Territory as a whole was the fact that the Commission, under cooperative agreements with the Territorial Road Commission was enabled to secure funds to tide 1t over periods between appropria- tions after funds had run low, and thus made it possible for mainten- ance by the Alaska Road Commits sion of it's organization in all parts of the Territory. He cited specific instances of such cases and the ma l teriai benefits in each instance ac- cruing to the Territory.
 Cache Creek Cited
 Col Gotwals, citing the instance l of the construction of the Cache Creek-Talkeetna project along the Alaska Railroad by which the Ter ritory by appropriating $3O,OOO for launching the work early last year, made it possible for the Alaska Road Commission to add $45,000 to the original allotment after it's an nual appropriation was available. The project without such cooperative agreement, could not have been start ed last year. The operators of the district, during the past winter, he said, saved $3O,000 in freight charges on 800 tons of supplies shipped into | Cache Creek, or an amount equal to that expended on the road by the Territory. He also declared had it not been for the Territory's aid un- der cooperative agreements last year the Alaska Road Commission would have been compelled to withdraw en- tirely from the Second Division at that time.
 During the discussion of the mat ter, Chairman Ross explained that 1t was the object of his bill to re- store the road building power in Divisional Commissions instead of centering it in the Territorial Con- mission He stated that the exist ing law had been met with consid- erable criticism in his and other 1 districts