The Wrangell sentinel., 1946-11-29
THROUGH THE SENTINEL TELESCOPE


 Alaska tooK a big step forward in the communication field this week as the Alaska CommunIca- tions System, unit of the U. ;. Army Signal Corps, opened land wire service from Southeast Alaska to central and interior Alaska. II is one of the greatest advances which has been made in the north's his tory toward welding the Panhan !le and interior into one well-knit re- zion. The airplane and Haines cut- off road have done much to cement the two regions in the transporta- tion field Now the and wire con nection brings the next . door reighbor atmosphere.
 Ceremonies opening the circuit were held Tuesday with the Acti Governor. Mayors and Chamber President in Juneau. Fairbanks and Anchorage and ACS officers participating. II is now possible to pick up the telephone in Juneau and talk to Skagway. Haines, Fair banks, Anchorage. Seward a Whittier. Tn the Southeast Wra. sell and Petersburg already have their local connection and befo 9 long the cable will be completed linking these two towns with Jn- neau and Ketchikan. Ultimate plan is to carry the circuit throush to Prince Rupert. Credit and con gratulations should go to t'te Army's Alaska Communications System for doing a bang-up job of providing the Territory with up- D. the-minute communication.
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 When the 18th session of the Territorial legislature meets neat January 27 it will be faced with one of the most trying financial problems any Alaska legislatr eI has had yet to face. The estimated revenue for the next biennium, ex- elusive of the gross revenue, or sales tax, which is ear-marked for veterans. is around three and a half million dollars. Requests f)r funds ara going to run around el- even and a half million dollars, ac- cirding 70 figures submitted to the Budget Board. Lawmakers will ! have the unhappy chore of trying 1 to mak eleven and a half go ] into three and a half, or figure out a way 10 raise some eight mill Ion requested dollars which isn't hay. The path of the Legislator is not entirely strewn with roses.
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 Maritime strike was settled i down the coast this week with the | exception of Puget Sound ports. as this was written. with the result l tat Alaska was still in the thro as of transportation agony. In Sea tile the AFL checkers union still had a dispute and no ships were sailing | out of that port. If it continued n attempt would be made to roI e | slips out of Portland for the Alas ka trade Meanwhile, the Grommet l Reefer, 1O,000-ton relief ship, was making Westward ports. but it wouldn't handle the acute situa- l ton. The smaller Westward towns | were hard hit. Army came to the | immediate rescue of Seward aft r a state of emergency had been de- l rlared there and food was at preLi ium. Through the Red Cross, the i Alaskan Department. under Gener- al Howard Craig, put basic fo d ] supplies in Seward within 24 hours i after being requested by the Gov ernor's office nd Veteran Relief i Committae of Seward It is esii- , mated that it will take two years for some of the Westward towns to recover from the results of the maritime strike if il ends shortly as now anticipated Anchorage and Fairbanks. served by major air lines, were best off of the InteriDr and Westward communities. but t was costing plenty. Effort was be- ing made to relieve the situation further in the Interior by routing meat from Canada over the high Way. Story in last weeks Sentinel O: the arrival of cargo in WrangsE is fairly typical of the situation Tn Southeast Alaska; merchants anu public taking it on the chin.