The Wrangell sentinel., 1947-01-31
THROUGH THE SENTINEL PERTSCOPE

The first Memorial introduced into the House of the 18th session of the Territorial legislature was nut in the hopper by Steve Me Cutcheon. of Anchorage. It urged Congress to immediately enact a statehood bill for Alaska, based on the result of last falls referendum which carried nearly two to one in favor of statehood.
 In the Senate Norman R. Doe Walker introduced a bill asking for a referendum on the fish trap question whether to continue haT- ing traps or abolish them - a controversy almost as old as Alas ka which features every legis- lature
 Continuing. their fight of two years ago. the first definitely anti Governor bill was offered in the Senate this week by anti-Goyernor Ed Coffey and Joe Green. It asked repeal of the Act which created the Alaska Development Board in the last regular session. Governor hating Coffey sat alone in the Senate chamber yesterday after noon while the Governor delivered his message to a joint session oi the Senate and House in the House chamber. Coffey was the only one missing - all the ether Senators attended and the joint session gave Governor Gruening an ovation at the close of his address and ap- plauded his message.
 Green and Coffey, the Governor biater-haters. also tried another cast at their favorite enemy - but the Governor beat them to be draw. They introduced a bill in the Senate to take all funds away from the Territorial Guard = but Ernest Gruening had already rs- commended in his message that the Guard be dispensed with now that the war k officially over.
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 Wrangells Nolan, Representa- tive. made the two most important committees of he House the powerful Ways and Means and the equally important Fisheries Com mittee
 Indication were that the Admin istrator General bill, bill 10 del- egate the duties of the goyern5r to an Administrator General, would be killed in the Housa when several Republicans joined in with the Il votes of the Democratic minority. A similar bill in the Sen ate by Green would turn all duties over to Auditor Frank Boyle unt;f election of an Administrator Gener- al in 194S. Il appeared doomed to failure but revealed the old anti Governor bloc in the Senate, hangover from the last session, was still functioning.
 Territorial Treasurer Oscar o. son was put on the stand in the Senate by Walker to try and prove the Territory was in the red at the end of the year Olson revealed that the Territory had more than half a million dollars still to come in from 1946 taxes - largely from fish traps - and actually, the Treasury balance at present was over a million and a half dollars. Further Treasurer Olson denied the Territory was not now, nor never had been, in the red The move was instigated by Auditor Boyle, who challenged Olson's figures prior to the meeting of the legislature. Walker and Senator Q. D. Cochran of Nome viciously at tackled Olson while he was on the stand and challenged his account ing system glossing it over later with, "of course, this is nothing against you, Oscar"
 Treasurer Olson, non-commital wondered But the rift between the Treasurer and Auditor was now definitely out in the open.
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 Actual revenue taken in by the Territory during the year 1946 to-
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