The Daily Alaska empire., 1938-07-02
DIMOND PLANS FURTHER ROADS
 FOR TERRITORY
Delegate Hopes to Get Fed eral Aid to Match Ter
 riorial Balances
COAST AIR MAIL TO
 START BY JANUARY l
Juneau Small Boat Harbor Project Definite for
 Another Year

Airfields and roads continue 10 be the great need in Alaska and a plan is now under consideration whereby furthering road develop ment may be accomplished during the present fiscal year, Delegate Anthony J. Dimond said upon his arrival here this morning aboard the Baranof. The plan, he eX- plained, is to get Federal grants to be matched by unexpended balances in the Territorial roads funds. Whether such a program can be worked out in connection with the new Federal lending and spending legislation is not yet definitely as- certained but serious consideration is being given to such a program now in Washington, he said.
 "Airfields and roads are our cry ing need" he said. They are com- ing gradually and we must bend every effort toward acquiring more of them. Definite progress is now being made on the air mail. We will see within from three to six months the establishment of air mail from Seattle to Juneau, con- meeting with the present service to Fairbanks. I can definitely say that such service from Seattle will be in operation by the first of the year. A sum of $100,000 has been appropriated for starting the serv- ice and there is no question that later it will be enlarged as new equipment, which is difficult to get, is made available
 New Fields Needed
 New and enlarged fields are nec- essary to meet this requirement., he pointed out. It is probable that eventually huge four -motored land nlanes will be flown over the route and to accommodate them it will be necessary to have larger fields at Ketchikan, Juneau and other points where the mail may land, the Delegate explained.
 Ultimately, he said, the program calls for an air mail route up the coast, with branch lines into the Interior. thus giving the entire Ter ritory air mail service. However, that development, he said, would not be immediate.
 Juneau's small boat harbor is definite for another year but this year the project was Host in the shuffle' during the closing days of Congress, the Delegate reported.
 Near Top of List
 "The Juneau project is near the top of the list of War Department undertakings in Alaska" he said, "but I do not believe money will be made available for construction this year. However, there is every as- surance that we will get the money next year. would say that the pro- feet is as definite as anything of that nature can be-"
 Prospects for the International Highway are particularly bright, the Delegate reported. Just before he left Washington he was in con-. ference with President Roosevelt and. the Chief Executive is enthu- siastic about the route, he found. The President hasn't named the American Commission to negotiate with like Commission from Cana da. he reported, but he anticipates that Donald Mcdonald of Fair banks will be a member as probably will be Congressman Warren Mag nuson of Seattle, who fathered the bill creating the Commission setup
 Naval Development
 Though the large appropriation first proposed for naval develop ment in the Territory was not ap- proved by Congress, the Navy is going ahead With defense plans for Alaska, MT. Dimond said, and even tually Alaska will see several bases along the coast fitting into the gen. eral Pacific Coast defense program. The Sitka base is being gradually developed and some work is being done at Kodiak. Also it is under stood that large base will be To- cated in the Aleutians.
 The Bristol Bay fishing situa- tion. he reported, is still the source of dissatisfaction. The agreement with Japan appears to be solving the problem in a temporary way, but the Delegate believes definite legislation will be necessary before the problem is entirely solved. There
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