The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-08-17
ALASKA'S PUBLIC WORKS RELIEF
 PROGRAM.

The people of Alaska undoubtedly are unit In appreciation of the action of the Administration III making immediately available for expenditure on public works $l 900 on program deslgneo Io relieve unemployment. If at times we nave iet there was too much delay between the allocaton Of this money and making it accessible for expenditure that has been largely been because we realized the limitations imposed by winter weather upon field work in very large section of the Territory Actually Alaska has received the first o the orect public relief works money made available to any part of the country. States, which come under the Federal Aid Highway Act. were allotted $3ooOooooo several years ago. but that was merely In com pance with the National Relief Act NO money has up to now been turned over to any State or Territory under the straight public works rehef section.
 The Territorial program, as far as IL goes' IS sound It does not contain any pork barrel" items. The several projects meritorious They VIII furnish employment of several hundred men TOT the next six weeks. That labor employed on them cal' under the most favorable circumstances, earn sul- ficient to carry it through the winter IS not at all likely If it is proposed to put into effect Tn this work the 30-hour work week for common lapor men, all of whom must live in camps ana pay board seven days every week, will clear not more than $5 or S6 per week during the period Of theI employment Thus, it Is quite evident, that the purpose of the President will be best served by exempting all of these projects from the 3O-hour requirement. and permitting 56-hour work week for the short time remaining in which construction activities can be carried on.
 It is equally clear to everyone that the public works program does not nearly meet the situation If Southeast Alaska the most populous section oi the Territory and the one in which unemployment was most serious last Winter and will probably pc again next Winter, is to escape really serious human
 
 to adopt some projects in this section. Of course there has been allotted to it and parts Of the Third Division the sum of $350,000 for National Forest Highways. Compared to the needs for em- ployment the quantity of labor this will employ is quite negligible, even if every cent of It shouio become available for expenditure next Winter Ano there is talk of earmarking almost one-thrd of the sum for future maintenance costs on the Fores' Highway system If no more than $25O,OoO is te be spent in new work, it will be insufficient te furnish jobs to the unemployed of either Ketchkar or Juneau. thus leaving no provision for hundreds of the enforced idle there and elsewhere throughout the district.
 Unlike vast areas in interior and northern Alaska in this region work in the field is possible almost all If not the whole Winter season. Long after work has ceased in the Fall in the north ano long before it be resumed in the Spring, crews are busily engaged here. Yet to date, there ha' been but $20,OOO aiiotteo Io Puohc "oiAe ieAe here.
 To remedy the situation, it is mperatively necessary for a supplementary program to be sub mitted to the Public Works Administration witt least possible delay. There are numerous projects in Southeast Alaska of equal merit with those al ready programmed and for which funds have beer made available They have the additional advantage of furnishing work longer for more men than is th' case in the listed projects We are certain that Ter ritorial authorities already moving along this line
 Delegate Dimond has worked hard for the inita program He will do equally as much for additiona projects.
 The Administration has shown its appreciation of Alaskas difficulties by its relatively early allot ment of funds for the original program. It vii be found not less responsive for additions to i when they are properly supported as to the neet for unemployment relief and the merit of 'th' projects advocated.