The Wrangell sentinel., 1947-04-04
THROUGH THE SENTINEL RERISCOPE

Buy a bottle and save the Ter. ritory!"
 That may well become the slo- gan of Alaska before another two years is up.
 The 18th Legislature, just be- fore it collapsed last week, passeo a general appropriations bill cali ing for expenditure of $8,476, 309.94. It approved special appro priations, plus earmarked funds, calling for enough more to make (, grand total of $1O,091, ,412.38. A gainst that neat little bunch Of hay the Territory has estimated revenue for the biennium from all sources of $6,2S6,000. This includes the additional revenue eXpected from raising the tax on liquor, tacking another ten and four cents on canned salmon, boosting the motor fuel tax and other odds and ends tOtaling an estimated $1,S55,- GOO. In other words, has anybody got an extra three million eight hundred thousand they wOul like to toss in the kitty?
 Biggest return from taxes added by the Legislature is from liquo4 which is expected to yield around $9OO,0O0 additional in the next two years The additional case tax on salmon is estimated to bring in an added $375,000, based on an average season. It is pretty ob- vious that unless the salmon come in unheard of hordes Alashans will have to do an awful lot of guz9ling to balance the budget.
 Meanwhile, what the Legislature really did was pass the buck toI the Board of Administration. It i5 the duty of that body to see that Territorial outgo does not exceed income Thus, he lawmakers, while passing the biggest appropriation bill in Alaska history, failed inI their job of balancing the budget and now it's up to the Board ofl administration to keep the lid on.
 The House passed by almost un- animOus vote an income tax which would have brought in suffieieutI revenue but the Senate drowned a-I gain on any kind of income tax as it did likewise to the general pro perty tax. However, there was one optimist. It was Senate Finance Chairman Joe Green who predicted there would be sufficient money come in to meet the appropria- tions. Joe apparently had undying faith in that additional dollar
  of Alaskans.
 # * # * * Despite adverse report by t h e legislative comittee which inspect ed the Pioneers Home, the present board in charge of the Home was confirmed They are Charles Car ter and Henry Roden of Juneau and Jack Conway of Sitka. The committee report recommended they be ousted on grounds that conditions were bad at the Home, but the majority of the lawmak- CTS, most of whom went along on the Sitka trip, couldn't see it, so the Pioneers Home board can try again. Among complaints in the bill of particulars against the in- stltution were that bedbugS appear to be year round plague; that the doctor paid no attention to the food and sanitary conditions; thal beds needed more blankets; that there was food waste and improper diet. Off the record it was reported the cook was tight, but he prob ably was only doing his bit to bol- ster Territorial revenues.
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 Governor Ernest Gruening left Wednesday for Washington where he has been called to appear be- fore Congressional committees onI Alaska matters. Tomorrow night he will be the guest of Interior Secretary Krug at the Jefferson Day dinner in Washington al which President Truman Will speak
 Having been thrown the ball by the Legislature, the Board of Ad- ministration began doing some thing with it this week. It's first first move after considerable figur- ing; Freeze al, Territorial expend- iture other than that necessary for routine functioning. Official notice was going out to all depart ments and agencies, mo spending. It means that for the present, at least, and probably for the next two years, no new school construc. tion despite the $300,O0O the big hearted Legislature gave the De- partment of Education; no $165,- 900 for hospitals; no $5O,OOO for a new compilation of the TerritorfaI