The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-10-01
ARMY BOSS OF ALASKA
 IN JUNEAU
Strongy Fdyors Portage Bay Cutoff -Chikoot
 May Be Moved
tContinued from Pare One)

Anchorage, General Buckner said, declaring possibly by now the 900 troops there are living in the barracks which two weeks ago were expected to be ready for oc- cupancy within short time.
 General Buckner said also that construction of more barracks will continue. and inimated the SOL dier strength of the Anchorage base will be about 1000 men, pos sibly within a period of about two years
 Move ChilkOot
 When Barracks accommodations are adequate, General Buckiier said the 300 soldiers and officers at Chilkoot Barracks will be moved to Haines.
 General Buckncr cad Haines is of little strategic. value at present., but would assume great strategic importance, however, should the international Highway be built.
 Cutoff Plan
 Relative to the Portage Bay pro ject which would call for two tunnels aggregating about three miles in length, General Buckner said he had very strenuously rec commended" construction of the cutoff, which would eliminate Sew ard as the salt water terminus of the Alaska Railroad.
 "Colonel Ohlson recommends the project and Representative J. Buc,l Snyder (on the House Ways and Means Committee-purse string nolders) has expressed himself favorably on the project, General Buckner declared adding, The tunnel route from Turnagain Arm to Portage Bay would not only have a higher safety factor, eliminating trestles and snow slide dangers, but it would also be shorter route to Anchorage by nearly 5O miles
 Wants Road
 Also strongly recommended by General Buckner is the construc- tion of the 115-mile highway from the Richardson Highway to the Anchorage section.
 "I understand the project is at the head of the Road Commission list on new construction now" Gen. eral Buckner said Tt should be built as soon as possible
 The General declared that the Alaska Railroad, which is already under guard in defense of sabo- tage, constitutes too thin a life line between Anchorage and Fair banks and the highway route is a definite need.
 General Buckner said the 900 men now at Anchorage are made up of infantry, artillery and en- gineers.
 Few Cannon
 Total cannon deienses of Alaska to date are four .75 millimeter guns, Buckner said but added We will have some 155's soon and anti-aircraft guns"
 There are no anti-aircraft guns in the Territory, either with the Army or the Navy.
 Planes Coming
 In mid November, two squadrons of Army planes will go to Anchor age, and about a dozen planes of different types will oe stationed at Fairbanks for experimental pur- poses,'f Buckner said.
 The General said the two pur- suit squadrons will be made up of about 18 pursuit planes and 90 light bomberS.
 one 60O0-foot runway 300 feet wide is now gravelled and rolled at Anchorage, Buckner said, and concrete is probably being laid now"
 
 Among experimental types ol planes to be brought north, Buck ncr hopes, will be a new observa- ton plane that will fly as slow as 30 miles an hour, land at 25 miles an hour, and still be able to speed at over 100 miles an hour.
 Winter Maneuvers
 We expect to do a lot of ex- pcrimenting up here with both men and equipment, General Buckner said. and declared winter maneu- vcrs will be held at Anchorage this season to teach soldiers the north crn woodlands skill in 'siwashing it. in all sorts of weather.
 In addition to the five Chilkoot Barracks dog teams that will be nlushed overland to Fairbanks this winter. Alaska soldiers will be equipped with both skis and snow shoes, Buckner said.
 Besides acquainting soldiers with the North, one of the big problems of Army study will be in using fly ing equipment in all types of weather and under varying land ing field conditions.
 Already lear1led by Army flicrs in Alaska is that narrCW-type land-