The Daily Alaska empire., 1945-02-07
WALKER RAISES LONE VOICE FOR
 SMALL BUSINESS
Amendment 10 Sef then. pIoymenf Coverage
 at Four Is Lost

"A lone voice crying in the Will derness,p was the phrase used by Senator o. D. Cochran this morn- ing to describe Senator N. R. Walkers gallant fight on behalf of smaller business men of the Terri tory when he battled for an amend ment to Senate Bill No. ?, which would have excluded from manda- tory coverage, under the Alaska Unemployment Compensation Act, employers of less than four persons Raising the spectre of ghost towns" as a possible result of en- actment of the Green Bill, bringing all but certain specified groups of employers under the act, Senator Walker declared to the assembled Territorial Senate: This will be tough on small business but will be a boon to the mail order houses He pointed to the returning sol dier as being handed with one hand "a loan of $4,o00 to start a small business;" with the other hand "a pile of reports to fill out" A man, after three or four years in the Army is already well sick of red tape" he declared.
 Concession Made
 Senator Walker conceded the possible discrimination against the three employees" who would not be covered by this amendment, but declared that the businessman, who is the source of prosperity, also deserves protection. Attacking the statement that Senate Bill No. would make simpler the admins tration of the act, he asked: Will it be simple to collect from a trader who may employ one or two per sons at an isolated outpost?" Will it be simple to send an airplane to Point Barrow or Attu to collect S2.70 per $100 of salaries?"
 Small business will not "die gracefully" under this act, but by slow torture he declared.
 # Coffey Talks
 Picking up Senator Walkers re- marks about sending airplanes out to collect, President Edward D. Coffey declared his hope that the measure under discussion would not be taken by the Territorial administrative agency as an invi- tation to send it's employees on sightseeing tours" all over AL aska. That seems to be the first thing on the list" for new em- ployees of a lot of our government offices, he stated
 Some one new arrives from the States, is sent on trips to take a look at even the most remote parts of the Territory, then in month or two quits or transfers back Out side.
 Senator Frank Gordon, declaring himself for the bill" and against the amendment, challenged the re- lationship Senator Walker hac sought to establish between "this bill and ghost towns"
 Cochran Gives Views
 Senator Cochran declared him. self opposed to the fundamental principle underlying the entire Un- employment Compensation Act, but we have it, and I think the single employee is just as much entitled to benefits as the employee who i. one Of eight or more" He citec the plank of the Democratic Party platform, which expresses in favol of extending the coverage of tht act, and declared his intention tC support that platform
 Senators Andy Gundersen ant H. H. McCutcheon stated their con victions that labor is entitled tt the protection it asks in the bill while Senator Allen Shattuck sait that he could see no argumen against reduction of employees re quired to make an employer liable except the possible one of the addi tional work on the part of busi nessmen that would be entaiIed There is no other moral justifica ton" for objection, he said.
 Just previous to rccessing unti