The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1939-08-23
BY ]. J. ECKLES
Secretary to Delegate DimOnd

WASHINGTON, "A u S IL. -
Especial correspondence - Con
gress and the Administration have
given sympathetic treatment to the
needs of the Territory of Alaska dur
ing the session just adjourned,
Delegate Anthony j. Dimond said
in discussing legislation enacted with
respect to the Territory and the
plans and work of the several Gov
eminent departments functioning in
Alaska since the first of the year
He pointed out that nine of the
bills which he introduced in the
House which are of general interest
and benefit to residents of Alaska
were enacted, or passed both Houses
of Congress and are now awaiting
only the signature of the President
to make them law. This is clear evil
dence that I have continued to have
the understanding cooperation of
my colleagues in the House and the
Members of the Senate in advance
ing legislation for Alaska. Without
that kind of cooperation these bills
would not have been passed. he
continued.
Among the bills passed, the Dele
gate outlined their purposes as fol-
lows:
Boat Service
oYNfNrnrta1 nf tho hill nv, fhn
President to provide adequate pas
senger and freight transportation
service, as well as mail delivery,
from Seward to points on Kodiak
Island, the Alaska Peninsula, and
westward to Unalaska and Umnak
Island, and then to Bristol Bay
points and north to Goodnews Bay,
the Postmaster General was given
authority to contract for steamship
or other powerboat service on the
route for four-year periods, specify
ing that the contractor use in the
service safe and seaworthy" boat
of sufficient size to provide ade-
quate space for mail, passengers, and
freight"
Under previous law the specifica-
tons could only call for vessel
that was suitable to safely carry the
mails. AS result it was necessary
to award the contract to bidder
whose boat was not licensed for
transportation of passengers and
freight, and who has indicated that
it would not be economically feasible
for him to license it under the
safety-at-sea requirements for
public carrier. On this account the
entire region west of Kodiak has
been without scheduled transporta-
ton for either passengers or freight
for more than year The loss and
hardship suffered by residents along
the route has been inestimable. Pub
lie Law No. 1872, 10th Congress.
Retirement of R.R. Employees
Both of the Delegates bills to
amend the Act for retirement of
employees of the Alaska Railroad
were enacted. One of these extends
the retirement benefits of the Act
to employees of the railroad who
work on river boats, and who had
been held excluded from it's pro-
visions because their employment
is made on a contract basis. Public
Law No. 800, 10th Congress. The
other measure gives employees and
annuitants of the railroad the right
to designate the beneficiary who will
receive the paid-in value of their
retirement accounts in the event of
death, instead of requiring the de-
pendants to wait for the account
to be administered with the estate
of the deceased as has been the case.
Under the law as amended the Civil
Service Commission can make pay
ment without delay to whoever is
named as beneficiary by an en-
ployee on his death. This is in har-
mony with Civil Service practice.
Public Law No. 1923, 10th Congress
Ketchikan Water Supply
The act for the protection of the
water-supply of the city of Ketchi-
kan reserves from all forms of To-
cation or entry the land forming the
watershed area of the reservoir
lakes which provide the city with
its water. This removes the posi-
bility of anyone making entry on
the land with a dairy farm or some
other use which would be objec-
tionable for sanitary reasons, for
the purpose of selling out their in
terests as a nuisance value to the
city. Public Law No. 240, 10th Con-
greSS.