The Daily Alaska empire., 1943-01-27

cost bonus. Several city schools, in the more prosperous cities such as Ketchikan, Juneau, Anchorage and Fairbanks, gave $200 to $500 in creases. However, many of the small cities felt unable to afford to do this. and their teachers are still working under the 1887 salary scale which is entirely too low
 "A corresponding situation, al- though on a smaller scale, applies to tho nay of clerical employees in val4cus Territorial government of sices At the time they were adopt ed and appropriated for, the wage scales for Territorial clerical, steno- graphic and secretarial employees were undoubtedly adequate, but they are so no longer.
 Tn this connection I desire to call your attention to two statutes, Chapters 4l and 5l of the 1885 Ses- sion Laws, which aggravate this problem. Chapter Al forbids any employee of the Territory or of any municipality, whose average salary is $200 a month, to engage in any additional employment. While most school teachers salaries fall under the s200 month salary, some, in- cluding principals and superintend- ents, who earn a little more, are by that law prevented from adding to their earnings by work after hours or over weekends. Chapter 5l similarly forbids the employ ment of a husband or wife when either earns more than $200 a month in government service. War has created a great shortage here of workers in every field, and these two laws, whatever may have been their value when they were adopted, are now tying the Territorial gov- ernments hands and intensifying its difficulties
 Need Tax Reform"
 If the Legislature after con- sideration of all phases of the sit uation decides that new sources of revenue must be uncovered, the method by which these are to be found is problem for the Leg islature to solve In my message two years ago to the Fifteenth Legislature, I went comprehensively into the whole matter of territorial taxes. I do not wish to take your time by repeating my views. I felt then, and I feel now, that the pro- gram proposed was thoroughly sound and desirable. Not only has my view not changed but l feel that the situation that has de- veloped in the past two years has increasingly justified my criticism of our existing tax patchwork and my conviction that tax reform is the first step toward Territorial prog ress. If any of the ten new mem bers of the present Legislature are interested, copies of that message are available.
 ! T have one additional comment concerning the general property tax which proposed in my last mes- sage, a tax designed to add no bur- den whatsoever to present taxpayers in incorporated towns, but merely to reach, those who have always escaped this tax by building outside of incorporated town limits. But entirely apart from the revenue. raising aspects of this tax and the elimination of the present unjust discrimination against city taxpay- CTS, there is an important and time ly reform element in this measure A nominal tax would bring back into use the patented mining and agri- cultural land, the owners of whict have disappeared. This land cannot now be utilized and tends increas' ingly to paralyze progress and de velopment in Alaska. This IS no' a new idea, but it is even more pertinent now than previously be- cause after the war many of tht soldiers now here, and others, VII come back to live here. The Alcar highway will bring in new settlers While the boys in uniform are fight ing out at the fronts and riskint their. lives. those who stay behint should be planning what may b' done to help reestablish the soldier in civil life. This would be on, aspect of setting our territoria house in order, and there are othe such aspects. Vision and statesman ship would suggest taking though of the morrow and adopting con