The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1940-07-08
FALL IN TAX
IN(0hEH HITS
R0ADFUNDS
Hesse Says Urgent Needs
10 Be Well Cared for
Nevertheless

WINE tne dVdllaDlc lulluS d4 e liSNNi
commensurate with the require
mants, the prospects are that the
urgent needs for roads during the
current season will be well cared
fer, in the opinion Of Territorial
Highway Engineer William Hesse,
though all of the appropriated funds
for roads will not under any circum-
stances be available.
The last session Of the Legisla-
ture appropriated 100000 more than
the anticipated revenue and the
actual tax receipts for 1899 fell $3.50
600 below what was expected. The
significant thing is that approp-
Rating money does not put money
in the treasury, Hesse said
I'm view of the fact that the
Territorial tax receipts were nearly
a half a million dollars short in
1899 and with the possibility of
probable greater decline this year,
it is hardly to be expected that the
Administrative Board will risk fac
ing the next year with badly de-
pleted treasury, Hesse said. 1T is
invariably the road funds that suf-
fer in such cases because it is about
the only place where the financial
slack can be taken up. We can in
a pinch build fewer roads but we
cannot educate fewer children nor
can we take care Of but portion
of the pioneers or pay pensions
to some and deny pensions to 9TH
ers.
Curtail Expenditures
THE Territorial Board Of Admin
istration was created, presumably 10
apply the brakes when the treasury
balances seem to demand such ac-
ton and while that Board has
functioned well since its creation
there is a grave doubt as to the
validity of anything that it does.
1t is probably better to curtall ex-
penditures when faced with shrink
ing tax receipts than to impoverish
the treasury even though the le-
gality of such action is doubtful.
THE very fact that we had an
ace in the hole in the way of United
States Government bonds that have
not been shown as cash in the
treasury has enabled us to carry
on this season without any apprec-
liable shock"
Dry Weather
Hesse, who returned last week
from the Westward and Interior
said the gold production this season
would have probably reached an
all time peak had it not been for
the unusually dry weather all over
the placer mining areas that has
continued SO long now that it is
very definite threat to placer min
ing operations. BY reason OF the
season having been a month early
the prospects for long season,
however are good.
While the same condition is gen.
eral all over the interior, the drought
at Nome is probably the most SER
ious since it hampers the largest
single operation. The water stage
on the Yukon River is probably low
er than was ever known before The
ice in the river this spring disin-
tegrated at an unusually low stage
and instead of the water rising as
it usually does after the ice goes
out, it fell because there was no
snow in the hills and no rain. The
low stage of water has exposed all
bars all along the river resulting
in dust storms making the banks
invisible at times and covering the
decks of the river steamers with
dust.
Forest Fires
Forest and tundra fires are wide
spread and make flying precarious
at times Most of the fires in the
Yukon Valley are started by ma
tives who set the grass afire to drive
the muskrats into the water where
they can shoot them. The fire con-
troll service of the Interior Depart
ment is helpless to cope with it
and the only thing that can help is
rain.
1t has been a wonderful break for
road construction since SO much
more can be accomplished in good
weather but m ost of the people