The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-08-19
COMMISSIONS REPORT IS
 ENCOURAGING.

The final printed report of the Amerlcah sec ton of the International Highway Commission on the proposed road between Blaine, Wash and Falr- banks just distributed by Delegate Dmond, with the permission of President Roosevelt to whom it was made is most encouraging document to Alaskans and others who have endorsed the great nroiect The Commissioners Herbert H. Rice, na- tionaly known automobile executive of Detroit, Ernest Walker Sawyer, former Special Assistant to the General Manager of the Alaska Railroad ana Mai Malcolm Elliott, former President of the Al aska Road Commission, have set forth the grounds for their recommendations and conclusion in great detail Into the investigations as well as into the compilation and preparation of data for the report vast amount of work had to be done. The project, as a result of it. ought to receive new impetus that should carry it forward from the prospect to the development stage.
 The printed report contains 116 pages It em- braces nine separate chapters and six appendices It is profusely illustrated with reproductions of photographs taken along the undeveloped as well as the deveoped portions of the suggested routes and has large-scale map showing the road as protected and its connections with Federal alo highways in the States and with Mexican and Gen. tral American roads.
 The history of the project, description of the proposed route costs of construction justification of the project financing present state of develop ment, and a brief resume follow a short chapter of introduction and the Commissioners conclusions and recommendations. The appendices contain the data upon which the discussions are based. The chapter financing is brief and to the point Because of its very considerable interest to Alaska it is reproduced herewith
 Detailed consideration of possible agree ments between the United States and Can- ada relating to raising the funds to defray the cost of the entire project is not within the scope of the inquiries made by the Commissioners. The preliminary discussions touched but briefly and informally on this subject, it did not appear to either the American or Canadian side that compre- hensive and formal consideration of this problem authorized
 Financing of road construction and other public works in Alaska has been largely at Federal expense. The report of the Alaska Road Commission for the fiscal year 1892 shows that the funds for such work under that agency have been as follows:
 Direct Federal appropriations in-
 cluding increase of compensa-
 tion for roads and trails in
 National Parks .-s SIP, ,75o74o.47 Federal taxes collected in Alaska
 and automatically allotted to
 road work Alaska Fund" ...-. 3,828,61252 Territorial appropriations and
 miscellaneous contri bu tons
 from local sources ............~... ,770,461 30
 Total SIS ,349 ,814.29 Thus it is seen that tof total of about $l8350O00 the local contribution has been about $5600OO0 or. roughly, 30 per cent.
 Since the proposed international high way is continental in scope it is considered that liberal proportion of it's costs should be defrayed by Federal funds has been been done the transcontinental and other Federal-aid highways in the sparsey settled States" In view of the preponder- ating Federal responsibility for the develop ment of Alaska Federal contribution of 90 per cent toward the cost of constructing the Alaska end of the proposed international highway is not considered unreasonable In fact the assumption of the entire burden by the Federal Government should be given consideration
 .For example, the current status of Fed eral-aid road construction in Nevada, as of February 28. 1881, was follows:
 Under construction:
 Total estimated cost .-..sl .005. .734.41
 Federal-aid allotted .-..-....~.. 87l, ,7z023 Thus the Federal proportion is approximately 87 per cent of the total
 The position thus taken by the Commission solidy based A highway of the proposed typ surely cannot be classed other than within tn qualifications set forth by law for Federalad high way funds The route within Alaska is almos wholly through land owned by the Federal Govern ment and from which not cent of revenue is 0 can be had by the Territory so long as title to does not pass into private ownership For tha reason it is not unfair to expect the Federal Gov ernment to provide almost all of the constructio