The Alaska daily empire., 1924-06-06
ALASKA FISHERIES BILL
IS SIGNED BY COOLIDGE
TEN MILLION DOLLARS REQUIRED
TO COMPLETE TEN THOUSAND mile
SYSTEM OF ROADS NOW LAUNCHED

the transportation system over which
the Alaska Road Commission has in
whole or in part jurisdiction has a
total mileage Of 9626 Ia miles. To
complete it as called for by the
Commissions approved program will
require the expeifditure of ten mil
lion dollars with an annual main-
tenance charge Of s750.000 after
completion, according to state.
ment just issued by Col. James G.
Steese, President. In which the var
ious units comprising the system are
dealt with in some detail.
The mileage in the First Division
IS the smallest in any of the four
making up the Territory. It has so
miles of wagon road some of which
are cooperative projects with the
Territory. and three aud one-half
miles of trail.
The Second Division has 201 miles
of wagon TOAD, s,o45 1.2 miles of
trails, 81 miles of bob-sled road
and 81 miles of tramway. The Third
Division 4Aass ass miles of wagon
road, 1,4Ss 1-2 miles of trails. III IL
miles of bob-sled road. The Fourth
Division shows 62S 3-4 miless of
wagon road, almost as much as the
other three combined, 2.502 Ia miles
of trails, 82f miles of bob-sled roads
and 13 miles of tramway
Work This Season
The work this season Is outlined
by Col Steese in the statement men.
toned heretofore and which fol.
lows:
Taking al adeaiisage Of our author.
ity to obligate funds In advance of
appropriation, and forecasting prob
able available funds from the best
information in Washington, the Al
aska Road Commission drew up a
tentative program of operations last
winter, based upon, million dollar
season. Reqnisitions were prepared
and the necessary "Reminiscences
made during The winter so that on
March 1st orders for delivery of sup
plies were released and everything
started moving to the front over the
ahOHs no oOOn HdA lllt 6DDW HlSHD-
peared in the various districts
breakup protection and spring main
tenance work were started BY May
18th, work was well launched in
every district
'The National Park Service was
assured that it would receive funds
for road construction during the lasi
days of the present session OF Con
gress. But that money Is not yet
available and were the Prak Ser
vice to attempt to handle the Mt.
Mckinley Park job with its own or
ganization, it would be unable to
start preliminary reconnaissance of a
route till later this summer. 1t
could not possibly acquire the neces-I
sary information, make the final loca-
ton, and accumulate the neces-
sary organization and plant till late
next season. No road work could
be accomplished In time to be avail
able for the use of the public until
the summer of 1926. BY that time,
the great number of tourists coming
in over the Alaska Railroad and be-
ing disappointed at not being able
to get into the park would probably
have discredlted the Park on the
Outside so as to hurt future tourist,
travel in the Territory.
Thoroughly realizing this situa
tion, the National Park Service two
years ago asked the Alaska Road
Commission to act as its agent in
the preparation OF The necessary es,
Inmates, in making the necessary sur
veys, in handling the final construc-
tion work, etc. As a result, the AL
aska Road Commission, in connec-
ton with its surveys opened up a.
pack trail across the Park two years
ago, started road construction last
year and this year will open up the
first IL miles to auto traffic by the
first of August. BY the end of next
summer, there will be 35 miles of
auto road and about 150 miles OF
pack trails in the Park. At the
present time there are forty men and
fourteen horses at work on this
job, warehouse and office buildings
have been erected at Mt. Mckinley
Park Station on the Alaska Rail-
road, and two temporary road camps
built.
'In addition to the saving of two
years in time at this critical period
of developing tourist travel, the AL
aska Road Commission can do the
work much cheaper with its exist
ing organization and plant than a
new organization, specially created
for two years job. could do At
lCnntinnnd on PAGE Three