The Wrangell sentinel., 1931-08-28
HERR. ENGINEER
 VISITS IN TOWN
Road Maintenance Requires Large Portion of Total Federal
 Appropriations.

William A. Hesse, elected last fall as Territorial Highway Engi- neer. arrived from the north on the spent the week visiting highway Dorothy Alexander Sunday and has projects in this district. TO q Sen tinel reporter MT. Hesse made tine following statements:
 From what I have seen else where in the Territory it seems to me that Wrangell has little to com plain of unless it is that you are not getting all you think you ought to have for roads, but there is no community in the Territory that be- lieves it is getting it's share of roads,
 We started our Territorial pro- gram this year with nearly s109,- 900 less than we had two years ago and that is only half the story. The appropriations exceed the antici- pated revenues by about s300,900 so that what was appropriated for roads is not actually in the treas ury.
 We are rapidly reaching a stand still in our road building activities since the maintenance of existing roads which is always increasing is eating up our funds. Out of an $800,00 appropriation by Congress last year for the Alaska Road Com mission, s627,000 went into main tenance.
 Tt is not alone roads that con cern the Territorial Road Board, but we are obliged to spend money for harbor improvements. flood con uTF n ports. telephone lines and shelter cabins to say nothing nf the main tenance of existing roads and the ever increasing demand for new roads.
 "There has been a3nut $tS0.000 spent for aids to aviation. some of which according to my opinion, have not been justified.
 "The public schools carry an ap- prooriation of s955,0O0 and the Pic neer's Home and Pensions, S34O,OOO and if we are to keep these institu- tions running we cannot go on any spending spree at this time"
 MT. Hesse is greatly interested in keeping up the shelter cabins, built and equipped to give shelter and relief to persons travelling along the territorial trails and highways. All over the territory, he said, have come reports of the wanton de- struction not only of these cabins but of the highway signals, designed to make travel safe and to mark the lines and limits of game re- serves. In this connection MT. Hesse calls attention to the Act passed by the territorial legislature during the 1881 session, as follows:
 Chapter 93, An Act
 H. B. 63.-To punish the destroy ing of shelter cabins and structures, and the destroying. injuring or de- facing of signs or signals posted along public highways giving dis tance, direction, warning or other notice to the public.
 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the Territory of Alaska: Section Any person who shall wilfully destroy, injure or deface any sign or signal or shelter cabin erected near or along any public highway de- signed to aid or inform the travel CTS on such highway as to distances or directions or giving shelter or warning or notice as to grade, curve or crossing, or otherwise designed to make travel safe, or signs designed to mark the lines or limits of game reserves, shall be guilty of a mis- demeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by fine of not more than One Thousand Dollars (S1 ,00O.- 00) or by Imprisonment for not more than one CD year, or by both such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court
 Section 2.-Any person guilty of violating any of the provisions of section 1 of this Act shall be an- swerable in damages for any injury sustained in person or property by any person or corporation as re- suit of such destruction, injury or defacement of any such sign or sig nal as described in section 1 hereof.