The Daily Alaska empire., 1943-03-18

chldng the fact that the salary provided for the Commissioner was inadequate. pointing out that other elective officials receive s5,00o per year.
 In the letter the Governor also objected to the office being made elective. claiming he should have been given the appcintive power.
 The letter. written March IS, 1eil. two. years ago today ended by saying that although there was amale room for vctoiny the bill, he was allowing it to become a law because it represented the "only gain that labor has made in the Fifteenth Territorial Legislature. |"
 Sharpe Attacked
 The veto message then deserted the bill to attack present Commis- sioner Walter P Sharpe because he has not sponsored any legisla- ton at the present session.
 The Governor went on to point cut that since Sharpe campaigned for a s3.600 a year job, he should not get an increase. The Governor once urged a higher salary for the job. but says things have changed now. that with war and the clos ing of gold mines, the consolidation of canneries, plus the fact that Sharpe does not consider the col lection of wage claims a part oi the duties of the job. he won't have enough to do to justify the raise;
 In fact, tho Governor p0in.s out, If the amount of work which can be seen in the next two years were of any criterion for the aplcun. of pay to which he was entitled, a 50 or 60 percent reduction in salary would be much more appropriate and equitable
 Federal Agencies Here
 In addition, the Governor said newly established Federal agencies the War Labor Board and the War Manpower Commission-have come in to take over a large part of the governmental labor field.
 Those who spoke against the Governors veto were of the opin- ion that the message meant that the Governor would probably veto any appropriation for the Depart ment, therefor nullifying the De- partment for two years.
 Senator N. R. Walker said that the good features of the bill should also be remembered and that the Department has done a great deal of good even with certain weak nesses. If this veto is sustained, D he said, it means wiping off the books a Department that labor has fought for all of the years that l can remember
 T am very sorry that we did not try to amend it's weaknesses" he said, but does that justify tearing this law out of the books?
 If the Governor did not approve of this bill, he would take the same action in the general appropria- tions bill"
 Gordon Talks
 Senator Frank Gordon accused Walker of sbeclouding the issue. ' He said the appropriation should be included in the general bill, and the salary in a special and sepaf- ate bill.
 President o. D. Cochran sa d that he was afraid if the Senate didn't pass this bill, there wouldn't be any labor bill.
 Senator A. P. Walker said he opposed the increase in salary be- cause he didn't think the Legisla- ture had the right. to raise the sal- ary. He backed the Governors veto generally.
 Senator Ed Coffey pointed out that Senator A. P Walker has in- troduced a bill giving the Commis- sioner of Labor the right to collect wage claims. Attorney General Ro- den has ruled that the present law does not give the Commissioner that authority) Coffey also point cd out that the Governor suggest cd an increase in salary for the Commissioner. He said if the veto were sustained, the same thing merely included in the general ap- propria ioas b.ll would be vetoed, merely because the Governor says