The Wrangell sentinel., 1942-07-10

activity in municipal affairs, al- though many of them own real es- tate and maintain homes in the community Result is that Delegate Dimond has introduced an amend ment to the Hatch Act in Congress .in the interest of good government in Anchorage and has received faY- orable reports on il from Interior Secretary Iekes and u. s. Attorney General Riddle.
 ## <
 Like many Alaskans, not con yineed that the present military road the Army is building to Alas ka will be of any great advantage to the Territory, Delegate Dimond has introduced a bill in Congress to build A" route. the western route from Prince George to White horse. via Telegraph Creek. at cost of s25,OO0.000 The route. which the Army is building from Fort St. John in Alberta across central Can ada the Delegate points out is in reality "a service road for airplane travel whereby the western route could be a real military supply highway. Dimond declares in his bill that with the Japs on the Aleu- tians and actual danger that their invasion of Alaska may be extend ed" il is high time to do something about a direct supply line to the Territory.
 #
 As the Japs continue on the Aleutians and the reports of Jap sinkings by American forces indi- cate the heavy concentration Of Nips on the Aleutians. it is not un- timely to harken back to the state ment issued by Delegate Dimond shortly after first news of the seiz- ure Of Kiska and Attn was releas- ed throughout the world. Dimond in Washington said what a lot of Alaskans thought, but were not permitted to say because Of censor ship. We quote him:
 According to Navy press releas- es, the Japanese have occupied Attu Island in the Aleutians and their ships have been seen in the harbor of Kiska Island about two hundred miles easterIy from Attu We are justified in concluding that the enemy is also in possession Of Kiska Island, notable for the fact that it contains a large and good harbor more commodious than any thing to be found in the Hawaiian Islands, at Pago Pago, or in Guam.
 The seizure of these islands by the Japanese ought to be a matter of deep concern to every American.
 Each of these islands, Attu and Kiska, is more than twenty miles long. Attu is at least fifteen miles wide at its greatest extremity, and Kiska six miles. Plenty of ground is available on both islands which could readily be converted into air plane landing fields. Sixty days might be sufficient to do that job. Attu Island is about eight hundred miles westerly from our air and submarine base at Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and Kiska about six hun dred miles distant from Dutch Har- bor. Attu is approximately seven hundred miles from the large Jap anese air and naval base on Para moshiri Island, which is near the northerly end of the Japanese arch ipelago.
 Accordingly, if the Japanese are permitted to remain in possession of Attu or Kiska for any consider able length of time, they will have opportunity to develop airports for the accommodation of a consider able number of planes. Eventually, of course, they must be driven out We could scarcely tolerate the per- manent possession of these islands by the Japanese even during the war. The great hazerd to us which results from the possession of these islands by the Japanese is that they may easily be made the bases for land planes, and we know from re- cent experience that land-based air planes are likely to be decisive in any sea battle which may occur in that or any other area.
 'It is plainly to our interest to drive the Japanese from the Aleu- tians immediately, and to that end to use all necessary power, especial ly air power. Plenty of fighting planes are needed for that job. It chnnId he hnnn ,rrithni,t dnIau