The Daily Alaska empire., 1931-12-30
| INDIAN SUITS
 AUTHORIZED IN
 DELEGATE BILL
Wickersham and Senator Frazier Introduce In-
 dian Relief Measure

WASHINGTON, D. O., Dec. 15.- Special Eorrespondence)-Senatof Frazier, Chairman of the Commit tee on Indian Affairs, and Dele gate Wickersham in the House, have introduced a bill similar to the one that was presented last session but was never reported from committee. The bill Authorizes the Thlingit and Haida Indians of Alaska to bring suit in the United States Court of Claims, and con- 1 ferring jurisdiction upon said court to hear, examine, adjudicate, and enter judgment upon any and all , claims which said Indians may t, have, or claim to have, against the United States"
 When this bill passes it will give the two tribes of Indians, re- siding in Southeast Alaska, the right to have hearing on what claims they may have against the United States for lands or other tribal, community or individual property rights, taken from them by the United States without com pensation thereof, at the time of | the purchase of Alaska from Rus sia The aim of the bill is not to recover any property rights but simply to compensate the Indians in money for the value of such rights as the Court of Claims may decide they are entitled to. In number of instances the Indians of various States have been given the right to sue the Government and in most instances they have received money judgments.
 Former Delegate Dan Sutherland will spend most of the winter look ing after the financial interests of his sister, who conducts a large girls school at Ogontz, Pennsyl- vania He will make an occasional visit to Washington, where Mrs. Sutherland and Donald will re- main until the son finishes school. Mrs. Sutherland has made con- nection with the new firm of Folger, Nolan & Co.,, investment brokers, located in the American Security Building, Fifteenth Street at Pennsylvania Avenue. In his annual report submitted to the President by Secretary of the Interior Wilbur he states that one of the greatest resources of Alaska is it's forests. Thirteen per cent of the National Forest area of the United States is in Alaska, most of it on the southern coast from Ketchikan to Cook Inlet. A billion board feet annually may be harvested each year. Ninety per cent of all production will be usable for paper. Hydroelectric pow CT sites are abundant.
 The annual report of the Sec- retary of War shows that during the fiscal year 1881 the Washing ton-Alaska Military Cable and Tele- graph System handled traffic as follows: Commercial traffic, This line" $289 ,431.43; Other lines" 44,584.51; Cove rnment business, $399, ,628; total, s673,64394 less other line payments $44,584.51- making net credits, $629, ,509 43 This is a net credit of $6,95691 over the previous year. It is further stated that for the past year the Alaska system has been intensively engaged on the project to replace the Alaska cable by radio circuits. The new land transmitter building in Seattle was completed, the exist ing apparatus installed and every thing placed in readiness for in- stallation of transmitters to be de- livered in August 1881. The new transmitter building at Anchorage and the temporary remote receiving building at Ketchikan were com pleted.
 The Delegate will mail to all newspapers in the Territory print ed copies of all general bills he introduces in Congress. A number of bills that have been introduced are among a total of over five thousand presented during the frs. week of the session, few of which have been printed.
 Rev Michael Joseph Kippenbrock, who spent three years as rector of the Episcopal Church at Cor deva, and who came out last Aug ust to take the pastorate of a