The Daily Alaska empire., 1945-03-21
UNlVERSITY'S CONSTRUCTION FUND SLAShED
Record AI|oeation Made for Operation of
 Institution

 l945-1947 House Ways and Means Bill resulted yesterday afternoon from Senate action on allotments for the University of Alaska.
 University President Charles E. Bunnell was able to hold his own on the Senate floor when it came to battling for administrative ap- propriations for the Fairbanks in- stitution, but sat in resigned si- lence in the upper chamber gallery while the lions share of funds for new construction at the University was knocked out.
 When the Senators had finished with appropriations for the Uni versity, the total of $5l3,840 allo- cated by the House had been pared down to 359340-still the largest allotment ever set up for the insti- tuition, exclusive of building. The economy minded Senate Finance committee lost it's fight to trim another $38,840 from the fund for maintenance of the University's physical plant, Mining Extension and Territorial Scholarships. That sum was left at $174,120 for the biennium. Coupled with the $64, ,12O item for administration expenses, the new record outlay for operation of the University reaches nearly S240, 900, as the solons left it. Minor Whacks
 Minor whacks were taken at funds for extension and experi- mental work, parts of which are used as matching money for various Federal allocations to the Uni yersity. The House had approved two items of that nature-one for S20O0O, the other for $30,000. The Senate trimmed them to $15,000 and Sl8,0O0, respectively, the same as for the preceding biennium.
 When it came to funds for new construction at the University, the Senate left intact proposed items for an Agricultural Experimental Station building, $50,000; and for residences, S35,000 Stricken, how ever, were House appropriations of S60.OOO for the Eilson Building, and $8O,000 for School o1 Mnles. All new construction expenditures are to be made only upon authori- Aation of the Territorial Board of Administration.
 With the University finally fixed up for the next two years, the Senators turned their attention to the Office of the Highway En- gineer. First off they provided a telephone for the new occupant Lf the office, raising the contingent office and travel expense item by $2,000. Tn all, the Senators in- creased the outlay for the Highway engineers aomnlistraJlve eArcnscl by $1,990.
 Road Construction
 | Next item in the bill was the S8O0,OOO House appropriation for construction and maintenance of roads, trails, bridges and aviation facilities-including the Highway Patrol. Finance Committee Chair man Shattuck proposed to cut the fund in half. A hurry call was im- mediately sent out for the highway Engineer-elect, w Leonard Smith, and for the retiring incumbent I wllliam A. Hesse, with the thought expressed by several solons that a good fight between the two would be welcome diversion. That hope was forestalled, however, when Mir Hesse could not be found.
 MT. Smith stated his opinion that a $400O00 fund would permit only maintenance work on present roads and airfields and declared he had asked the House for additional money in the hope that conditions might so improve as to permit new construction He said that more money would be desirable in order to permit the Territory to take ad- vantage of possible extension to Alaska of the Federal Aid Highway Act. Also, he said, expenses of the Highway Patrol would amount to $45,000 for two years, to come out of the appropriation for roads. He closed his testimony by stating he would be satisfied with $600000. | The Senate held the item over until today, in order to hear from MT. Hesse.