The Wrangell sentinel., 1945-11-16
THROUGH THE SENTINEL PERISCOPE


 $18.5O but it raised quite a furore around the capital city recently, with freedom of the press, who's who and other issues arising. It is almost universal practice with most of the agencies and Territor. ial offices in Juneau to subscribe to the various newspapers around the Territory to find out what's going on in the communities Such agencies as the Unemployment Compensation Commission and the Public Welfare office have found the papers particularly helpful in revealing information from com munities where no regular repre- sentative is maintained, often saves the cost of a trip by some one into the field, and, incidently, it was around these agencies the storm broke.
 Director Russell Maynard of the Department of Public Welfare sub mitted a voucher to Territorial Auditor Frank A. Boyle in the amount of $15.50 involving sub scriptions to the Ketchikan Chrou- icle and the Alaska Fishing News. Director Robert E. Sheldon sub mitted voucher for $500 for a subscription to the Petersburg Press. Auditor Boyle theTeupon went to the lawbooks. He came up with a refusal to pay the vouchers on grounds the subscriptions could not be justified by the Departments as necessary to carrying on their duties and that it was in fact waste of the public funds. In turn ing down Director Sheldon's vouch- CT for the Press, the Auditor point ed to this particular paper" as not being essential to the business of running UCC. Directors May nard and Sheldon appealed to the Board of Examiners which is made up of the Governor, the Attorney General and the Territorial Treas urer. The Board met, weighed the evidence and ruled as follows:
 'Gt is held that the Department of Public Welfare's voucher under date of July 21, 1945, drawn ill the amount of $15.50 for payment of said departments subscription to the Ketchikan Chronicle and the Alaska Fishing News, covers legal charges against the Territory, law fully incurred by administrative action taken in the exercises or powers and discretion granted ex- clusively in the field of public welfare administration to said de- partment, and that the Director Of the Department of Public Welfare is hereby directed to re-submit said voucher, and the Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to issue warrant as indicated by said vouch- CT in payment of same"
 A similar verdict was given ;n the Petersburg Press case.
 Backing these conclusions was the opinion of Attorney General Rivers who said in part:
 "The Territory as political and business entity can act only through it's authorized agents. The respect i've heads of the several depart ments and offices are the agents respectively authorized to carry on Alaska's business and affairs. Ac- cordingly, if such department head. acting within the course and scope of his agency, orders or ob- tains either goods or services for his department, and other con tracting party performs his part the Territory is bound by the act of it's agent and the agreed charge is a legal charge against the Territory
 And. said the Attorney General:
 'In the legal sense, lawfully authorized acts of department heads are just notwithstanding incidental extravaganza or personal consider alton that may be involved. If a department head is too extravagant or plays too much politics through his office and to the detriment or the service, he should be thrown cut by the people or the appointlve power as the case may be, but his iurisdiction while he is in office and the jurisdiction of his depart ment must remain inviolate."
 The Attorney General cited law at some length, supporting his .op- inion, which summed up, means Auditor Boyle will have to pay the vouchers; even the one for the Petersburg Press which did not support him in the last election If could be that was what the Attorney General was thinking about when he used the words play too much politics through his office"
 At any rate. the freedom of the