The Daily Alaska empire., 1937-01-29
DEPARTMENT OF
 TERRITORIES IS
 PROPOSAL MADE
Bill Like One in 74th Con. gress Introduced by
 Vermont Senator
By J. J. ECKLES Secretary to the Delegate

Secretary to the Delegate
 WASHINGTON, Jan. 16.-(Spec- lial Correspondence).- Proposed leg i islation' to create a department ot l the Government to be known as the 1 Department of Territories and Insu- 1 lar Affairs was introduced in the Senate January by Senator Gibson i of Vermont. This is identical with a bill of the same title that he intro duced in the 74th Congress, but on which no action was taken. i The sponsor of the bill believes that its enactment would result in considerable economy through a consolidation of functions now un- dertaken by number of offices and, also, that the interests of the Terri tories and insular possessions would be better served through coordina- tion planned through one Federal department.
 { The proposed department would have jurisdiction over matters of civil government in Hawaii Alaska, | Puert,, Rico, the Virgin Islands, Philippine Islands, Guam, Ameri- 4 can Samoa, Midway, and Wake Is I lands, which are now taken care of in offices in three different depart ments. These departments are the Interior Department, the War De- partment, and the Navy Depart ment.
 Claude M HlrSt, Director Of Edu- cation in the Office of Indian Af- fairs in Alaska, arrived in Wash ington January 13 MT. Hirst will i remain for some days while taking matters pertaining to his official duties up with the Commissioner of Indian Affairs before returning to his office in Juneau.
 I Col. O. F. Ohlson, General Mana ger of The Alaska Railroad, and J. J. Delaney, Examiner of Accounts for the Railroad were in the Dele gates office January l5.
 pr. P. B. Gillespie of Fairbanks. who arrived in Washington Janu
 ary g, was compelled to remain un- til the 18th because of an attack of influenza which started the day of his arrival in the city.
 Assistance to the States and Ter ritories in providing more effective programs of public education is in- tended by S. B 419, bill introduced in the Senate by the Hon. Pat Har- rison, of Mississippi
 The bill authorizes the appropria- tion of 100 million dollars annually to be apportioned among the States and Territories, with an increase of 50 million dollars each year un- til the annual appropriation reach es 300 million dollars, but not to ex- ceed that amount. Provision is made that the apportionment will be bas- ed on the proportion that the num- Der of persons aged 5 to 20 years in each State or Territory bears toi the total population between those ages in all the States and Terri tories.
 The manner in which these funds would be used for public education is left entirely at the discretion of the State or Territorial Legislature, as the bill stipulates that no pro- vision therein shall be construed to delimit the States or Territories in their definition of program of pubic education.
 Figures compiled from the 1850 census indicate that through enact ment of this bill Alaska would re- ceive approximately s39,7OO under the first appropriation authorized for 100 million dollars. The maxi mum that could be received by the Territory through the increase au- thorized in the annual appropria- tion would be about $ll9,000.
 Appointment of B. F. Heintzle- l man to have charge of the Forest Service activities in Alaska, made January g, will meet with general approval in the Territory. MT Hein- tzelman is thoroughly versed in both the theoretical and physical sides of modern forestry practice and his past service in Alaska has given him a knowledge of condi- tions peculiar to the Territory in the work that make his appointment particularly fortunate for Alaska.