The Wrangell sentinel., 1940-08-16
NO ALASKA LIBRARY COMPLETE
 WITHOUT THIS ONE

 for summer reading, but, on the whole, for mental relaxation these August days, and with a touch of humor that cant be found in any so-labeIed publication, get a copy of hearings before a subcommittee of the committee on Territories and insular affairs, U s. Senate dealing with Senate bill 3577, sometimes called a. bill for the settlement and development of AlasKa, and better known as "a bill for the assistance and relief of the sayagely persecut- ed people of some of the European totalitarian states, a very appro- priate title given it by Delegate An thony J. Dimond.
 There are more good, deep belly laughs in hearings before a sub- committee etc. .' than in aI- most any purported humorous mag azine you can find on the stands. It isn't intended to be humorous. That, perhaps, is why it is so down right amusing.
 Just to give you an idea, let's say the subcommittee has met pur- suant to call, in the district com mittee room and so on. Senator King Civilian H. of Utah, Chair man of the committee and co-auCh- or of the bill) is summoning wit nesses. Up steps Miss Vera c. Grote of 3 St. Lukes Place, New York. h her favor, let it be said, she admits she isn't an expert. There were lots of so-ealled experts before the com mittee. But Miss GrOte had had a great interest in the settling of Alaska for quite a long time" Miss Grote is in the manufacturing bus mess and has this to. say:
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 We have had experience with customers in Alaska, who have had an opportunity to get in touch with advertising on some of these pro- ducts, write to us and ask us to please send some of our products and also lists of other products, be- cause it is almost impossible for them to buy American products up there because of the lack of trans portation facilities, because the country doesn't warrant it.; there are so few people"
 It would be interesting to know just what kind of products Miss Grote thinks we use in Alaska. But, skipping that, as the committee did, it gives one an idea of some of the reading pleasure to be found in hearings before a subcommittee etc
 Then let's listen briefly to Miss Gretta Gaylord of 6765 Groton St., Forest Hills, Long Island, Miss Gay lord is a topographic designer and gives the committee this enlighten- ing information:
 "As a matter of fact many of the white population of Alaska are de- cendants of the original Russian settlers, who were not Americans coming from the United States, but who were there before America pur- chased Alaska"
 And, commenting on protests filed by virtually every town in the Ter ritory, against making Alaska a dumping ground for European re- fugees, Miss Gaylord says:
 "It appears that the expressions of such small communities as men, tioned above (Juneau, Fairbanks, Wrangell, Cordova, Ketchikan, Val deg, Kodiak and Seward) are devoid of logic since the local interests of small scattered settlements ought not to be used as a yardstick for the urgent requirements of an entire unpopulated and undeveloped terri tory"
 There are many other equally en- Tightening passages which, being devoid of logic" as Miss Gaylord says we are, will give you an anus ing half, hour. You'll find some sparkling testimony by Paul W. Cor don, who used to be with the h. dian Office up here but has now gone international with the Division of Territories; John A. Davis of the Bureau of Mines, who also spent a good many years In Alsaka George W. Folta, former Assistant District Attorney in the First Division and now on the legal staff of the Inter for Department; W. B. Crouch of the Biological Survey, who never lived in Alaska but seems to know what he's talking about, and many others,
 No Alaska library is complete without a copy of hearings before