The Nome nugget., 1942-04-06
Vigorous Protests Continue To
 Route of International Highway
In Spite of Fact that the Army Ignores All Protests and Proceeds with Construction Plans Commission
 Members Refuse to be Silenced

Amid charges that choice of the prairie route over the coastal route" was hurried and ill-founded blunder Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes said this week that present plans calls for comple tion within one year" of the Alaska highway" "Ths route" Ickes said twill be protected from the by alpine country impossible for arpanes for at least fifty percent of the time due to coastal ogs and storms
 Saying it was his conviction that the highway lis of the most important of all things waiting to be done Ickes member of cabinet committee handling plans for the road declared this highway must be constructed in hurry After we have fought our way from Pearl Harbor to Peace',' Ickes said, "the highway will be of enormous benefit to Alaska, Can ada and the United States"
 Solve Problems of Alaska Development
 He predicted that the international highway would solve the problems of Alaskan development and set dement, opening up vast of mineral wealth in Alaska hitherto undeveloped because of poor trans portaton. MeanWhile two members of the Alaska ln- ternatOnal Highway Commission protested 10 Presi- dent Roosevelt against the route selected by the United States Canadian Joint Defense Board for the road, contending it is a 'blunder." The commission com posed of both Canadian and American members, was not consulted in the final determination, although If has been studying Alaskan highway plans for years.
 Protesting members of the commission are James w. Carey Seattle consulting engineer, and Donald Mac Donald Fairbanks associate engineer. The two en- gineerS advocated more westerly route near the coastline listing among advantages for such route the folIowing Construction supplies could be landed from the sea at six different points the parallels
 
 than half it's length; 300 of the 1900 miles for such route already is consructed attack the road from carrier-borne aircraft would be extremely difficult due to fog; rain; snow.
 Route Designed Only to Help Canada
 spokesman for the Alaska Committee of the Seat tie Chamber of Commerce branded the prairie route as designed "only to develop Canada, and adding that it is mot an Alaska highway at all"
 "The commissions considered every aspect mclud- ing the military and then recommended that the west ernsroute be seected,' the spokesman said. Eforts were made some time ago to interest the Army, but at that time 1t was declared the road would have no military value. The Army did not become interested until recently after Pearl Harbor, and after conduct ing hurried survey it recommended the eastern route
 "The commissions survey shows that the western route would be the quickest to build and the most ec onomical" the spokesman added Tt also would serve Alaska as connecting links could be constructed to the major cities in Southeastern Alaska, where one third of Alaskas population is centered The eastern route would serve only to develop Canada The spokeS man added that Chambers of Commerce from Los An pees to Fairbanks favor the western route.