The Alaska daily empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1912-1926, 1926-09-21
IN NDIAE'S Want
PENSIONS; PLAN
TREASURY RAID
Alaska Indian Ticket Would
Admit lnc.i@ns to Pioneers
Home. Grab Pension Fund
CBy John Il. Pegues)

tl5S JOnn l.. PcRues
The open avowal of leaders of the
Alaska Native Brotherhood. the In
Alaska which several months ago
boasted ii held the balance of polt-
ical power in the Territory, that
they are determined to force the
payment of pensions to Indians and
make Indians eligible for admittance
to the, Pioneers Home, has caused
Territorial officials to give closer
study than usual to the relationship
age allowances, mothers pensions
and other forms of relief work car
lried on by the local government.
and the Territory's income.
Basing the prediction on the
growth of expenditures for these
purposes during the past ten years.
well posted observers forecast that
another decade will find Alaska pay
ing more out in doles, or relief funds,
than for any other single purpose
unless il be for schools. In fact,
ut has about reached that point at
this time .1 .5ssft.fs,
| Since 1915, up to and including the
appropriations for 1925-27, there has
been made available out of the Ter
ritorial treasury through legislative
appropriations the sum OF $1,0O1, ,1D9
for old age allowances, the Pioneers
Home, dependent children, otherwise
known as mothers pensions, relief
OF destitution, rescue and relief of
lost persons, and not including in
dividual relief bills which, in them
selves, total a not inconsiderable
amount. And this money was almost
If not entirely limited to white resi-.
dents. In some cases Indians have
been taken care of from funds for
relief of the destitute despite the
fact that there are Federal funds
available for them which cannot be
used to relieve destitution or suffer
ing among the whites. But that g
about the only Territorial fund open
to them
survey of the appropriations
made by various Alaska Legislatures
from 1915 to 1925, inclusive shows
that old age allowances, including
the funds for operating and main
tanning the Pioneers Home. account
for the major share of the total.
They alone have cost the Territory
$s.9, 109. The cost of the Pioneers
Home for that 1O-year period was
$5629O9, and for old age allowances
$296.2O0 were appropriated.
The survey indicates that the limit
of cost for operating the Sitka insti.
tuition for aged pioneers was reached
in 1919. In 1915. the Legislature
appropriated $4,000 for 1t. In 1917,
the appropriation jumped to 1900
In 1919 It reached $112.8O4 and has
never fallen below 800 900 In any
'bienniurn since that time. For the
present biennium the Legislature ap-
propriated $1O7. 800. Since 1919 the
Home has virtually been filled to
capacity. therefore, any difference in
the cost OF operation has been and
will continue to be slight since It
can only come from flunctuating
overhead and administrative costs.
But the situation is entirely dif.
ferent In the case OF pensions. Be.
ginning In small way in 1915. this
item OF expense to the Territory had
increased 600 per cent by 1925. In
round figures the appropriations had
jumped by successive STEPS from
100000 in 1915 to $4,000 in 1925.
And In addition to this. only BY the
utmost care. the most careful exam.
nation OF all applications for allow
ances. can 1t be kept to this figure
for the current biennium. The last
Legislature provided that the author.
tiles might issue warrants against
the Territory in excess of that
amount. and that when the fund
made available should be exhausted. :.
any outstanding warrants would re.
main a valid claim against the Ter
ritory until paid by future legislative
grants. Thus 1t can be easily seen
that policy Of indiscriminate grant,
ing Of allowances to persans coming