The Wrangell sentinel., 1948-03-19
THROUGH THE SENTINEL PERISCOPE

Congressman Henry M. Scoop Jackson of the second Washington state district which comprises part of King County and in which is located the city of Seattle is a man of considerable courage The Con gressman recently told the Mari time Commission that the existing freight rates to Alaska are too high" That alone was a strong statement from a man who has to figure on getting elected in a dis trict where the Headquarters of the steamship companies operating to Alaska are located But Congress- man Jackson, who headed the Con gressiOnal committee which came 10 Alaska a couple of years ago to study the water transportation question. went further. He said the Commission should make a very careful investigation of the capital structure of the various shipping companies now operating to the Territory. Said he: With the government providing practically all of the investment for present operations with dollar a-year ships. it is quite evident that the only investment required by the companies, with the eXcep- ton of the very few vessels owned by the Alaska Steamship Company and the Alaska Transportation Company, is the furnishing of op- erating capital in an amount neces- sary to carry on the business. The amount of capital for rate making purposes therefore should be held 10 an absolute minimum. He declared further that the Op- erating efficiency of the companies should be examined; that freight and passenger services should be treated separately; that Canadian vessels be permitted to carry pass engers inter-port in Alaska, and that there be more competition in the Alaska trade by permitting other companies to submit propOs- als on the Alaska routes.
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 President Truman's reappoint- ment of Governor Gruening last week has started the antis on the war path in an attempt to stop his l confirmation by the Senate Cap Lathrop blared out in a front page l editorial in his Fairbanks News Miner charging the Governor had failed to work with the Legisla- | lures but had attempted to force through his own tax program. The Juneau Empire, one of the Govern Or's bitterest enemies, got a special l writer on the job in Washington to | predict the Senate would not con firm, it was reported, although | Senator Hugh Butler. who heads | the committee considering thel nomination. was non-cOmmittal l Despite the hoopla what could veryl well happen would be that no ac- tion would be taken on the nomin- 1 ation until after the November el- !! ections when it will be determined | whether the Democrats or RepubI- | cans have control for the next four | years. The Governor is a Democrat | and the present Senate has a Re- publican majority.
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 Alaska statehood was given a l
 
 boost recently when it was unani- mously approved by the House sub ! committee on Territorial and Insu1- , ar Affairs. In winning approval. 1 the original bill introduced by Dele gate Bartlett underwent some al mendment and the Delegate hasl presented new measure to include the changes Major amendments are that the boundary of the new state would extend a distance of one marine league from the coastline; that the state would receive ap- proNimately 12 per cent of the land in Alaska. or around 42 million acre asnd that 36 per cent of the total revenue from the forests would go to the state.
 
 Recent threat of the Alaska Ma tive Service to move it's headquar- ter from Juneau to Anchorage has been followed up by a plan being considered by the Public Road Ad- ministration to take its headquar-l ters up to the Westward city. The cOnsternation in Juneau is second only to the war filters. Without its government payroll Juneau wouldn't be much of a place.
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 Nome again became a disaster city when its only civilian hospital, the Columbus-Maynard, burned down last Friday. Lucky for Nome
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