The Wrangell sentinel., 1940-03-22
.DIMOND SHOWS TRAVEL AIDS NEED IN ALASKA

IIHuulk 1lV HlHOuH
 WASHINGTON. March 22-When the appropriation bill for the De- partment of the Interior was be- fore the House. Delegate Dimond urged the need for the Alaska items. in the measure. He expressed par. tieular qualification for the inclu=. sion of an item to permit the pur-. chase of two planes for use of the Alaska Game Commission, and cited details Of the rescue of Benton W Davis of the Civil Aeronautics Authority, in which wild-life agents. Grenold Collins and Clarence Rhode. and civilian pilot Dick Miller of An. chorage, participated last month
 Pointing out that the Territory has sufficient natural resources to. properly support several million peo- pie, MT Dimond stated that 1t was his considered judgment that the. population would be steadily and sufficiently increased from year to. year over a period of many years fl We could only secure fairly adequate facilities Of transportation at reas- enable cost to bring people from the States to Alaska and then to provide them with similar facilities within the Territory itself In this eonnec- ton he sad that the facilities needed are of three types-''on the sea. on the land. and in the air The Dele gate said:
 Airfields Needed
 With respect to air travel, what is needed at the present time is an improvement and enlargement of existing airplane landing fields and the construction of some others to take care of traffic within the Ter ritory and also to provide for air transport, including air mail, be- tween the United States and Alaska This entire program could be put in to construction at comparatively slight expense, and it ought to be undertaken without delay.
 With reference to land transpor- tation needs MT. Dimond said:
 Tn my opinion at the present time it is not necessary to subsidize farm settlers or other settlers to- locate and set up their homes in Alaska. If roads and highways are furnished. the settlers will come as fast as we can take care of them. But it is not possible for settlers to lead a comfortable life unless roads are provided. It is no longer practicable for people, particularly women and children, to take up res idence in some remote section where they have not even the simple means of communication with others which is afforded by road. 1 have in mind particularly the Kenai Pen-' insula region of Alaska. In this area the soil is deep and fertile, the climate is comparatively mild, the length of the summer growing season is ample, and the land gener- ally is we'll suited to agriculture. And yet only a handful of people
 
 of transportation, because of lack of roads. I have long urged that a road be built the length of Kenai Peninsula and then connected with the Seward-Moose Pass Highway The construction of such road and of few lateral roads would, in my estimation, lead to the speedy set clement of the entire Kenai Pen-I insula district, which can easily SUD- port several thousand people Again I insist that the settlers do not need any grant or subsidy from the Gov ernment but they do need a road, and truly civilized living is all but impossible without road facilities. The same thing is the case with re- spect to many other regions of AL aska. Roads are need for the de- velopment of mining and for the useI and occupation Of the agricultural and grazing lands of the Territory. 'I
 Against Cutoff
 Scoffing at the suggested change of terminus of the Alaska Railroad 10 Portage Bay, Delegate Dimond said the proposal was clearly fam tastic', and that instead of the change costing million dollars, asI the general manager of the railfoadl has estimated, he has good reason to believe such a move would cost in excess of 10 million dollars. Ac-I cording to the Delegate there is not "the slightest excuse or justification for entertaining such a proposal. He told the House that Tt wouldI wreck the city of Seward"