The Kusko times., 1937-05-07
IContfnued from page D

AN@NA4A4A4AGu rum
 in Fairbanks. l mention these two air services. because they have writ ten carbon copies Of a letter written to me by Dr. Van Ackeren, head of the Juneau office, refusing payment for three emergency mercy flights to Mt Village from Pimute, on the grounds that the bureau has no funds For such a purpose" Another letter. writ by Dr. Corthell of Mt. Village to Miss Kathleen Saden Of Pimute of which he sent me a carbon copy. makes ths same assertion. quote this letter i7 full:
 Mt Village. Alaska. March 9, 1g37. Miss Saden, teacher, Pimute, Alaska
 Dear Miss Saden: This IS to let you know that the following patients from Pimute are ready to return to Pimute: Joseph Pitka, Sims Peter6ff Edward Chinka-baby with bad eye.
 These patients have no means of returning to Pimute, and it Is my understanding that the government does not have funds for his purpose. We therefore request that you advise the relatives of these patients ard urge them to send a team for them.
 Sincerely. Dr. NJ. F. Corthell. GO Indian Office, Juneau; Father Prange, Holy Cross
 Nevertheless. there is a certain formality called authorization re- quired end insisted upon, whenever 9 native neeGs disqualification from an outlying district. The procedure is as follows: 4 request for author ization to transport a sick native at bureau exPense Is wired to Juneau. The Juneau office may refuse point blank, or 1t will take fhe matter Tn hand. If the latter. then the proDos- ed trip is let on bids, and is awarded to the lowest bidder. This takes from two to four days when every thing goes we'll, and the patient can wait until the money deal IS closed. Then if the patient Is still alive few dollars have been saved by the moth erlv bureau: If the Dat5ent dies shortly after arrival at the hospital. expenses have been further cut; If the patient die befopa the plane reaches him. the entire trip and hos pitalization are saved with the bur eau that much ahead.
 Bureau Funds
 Presumably then, the bureau does have a fund for this purpose in spite Of official statements to the contrary. Otherwise all this fnssing around with authorizations. and actual al- Iotments on bids for the service, even after the actual transportation of the patient to the hospital specified, the obligation of such an expense Is re- pudiated on the ground that the bur eau has no funds for his purpose In proof of this please consult the Star Air Service of Anchorage, which Is trying, so far vainly, to col lect on just such 'auth0rized services in f936 as well as in 1887.
 Three of these services involve myself. and concern the case of Jo- seph Pitka. referred to in the above letter; Frederick Vaska, and Mrs. Jake Aloysius with Johnny Vaska- not Edward Chinka, as in the above quoted letter Of Dr. Corthel. The case of Sims Peteroff is identically the same except that it involves the P.A.A. of Fairbanks, instead of the Star Air Serylce of Anchorage.
 These eases were so urgent, that the delay of first Sartering for the lowest rate could noe~ be permitted. Sims Peteroff mad broken leg with protrudinp bones. a shattered ankle. and Q cut artery. Soft weather pre- vented the crossing of 36 miles of tundra for five days after Tis aeci- dent, during which time, the breSk was being cared for by the Pimute teacher to the best of her ability. On the fifth day native succeeded in making his way across to kalskag on the Kuskokwim, with an sos for the nearest plane to Pimute. Billy Knox of he PA.A tready at MeGrafh to fly the mail to Bethel,) was the n-,l-- ,,iln+ nr +ho kuSknL-Nrirn rns+