The Wrangell sentinel., 1949-03-25
THROUGH THE SENTINEL PERISCOPE

Members of the 18th Territoria Legislature were about to pack their bags in Juneau and head for home after lawmaking for TT days IT in the special and 60 days in the regular session. That is most of them were. Some were toss ing their luggage aboard a Wash ington, D. C. bound plane to go back to testify before the Senate committee on Interior and Insular Affairs in behalf of Governor Gruening's confirmation for an other four-year term as the Terri tory's Chief Executive. Hearing on the Governors nomination was set for next Wednesday, March 30, before Senator Joseph O'Mahoneys committed The Governor would be going, too. He planned to leave on Sunday.
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 During the long grind, the 18th had come. up with a sizeable book of new and amended laws which promised to prove beneficial to the Territory and Irepare 1t for state hood. The Governor could relax back of his safety belt as his plane droned eastward with a smile of satisfaction and beam of achieve ment. His entire program for which he had battled for nine long years had been enacted and had become the law of the land. His insistanee through the years that Alaskans should try to solve some of their problems, and share the burden, rather than looking always to the Federal government had born fruit, The Legislature had enacted his basic tax program in toto-a net income tax, a real and personal property tax law and a uniform business license tax law, subject to repeal by Congress of the present Federal business license tax. This was self -sufficiency. determinatio to care for ones self. This was the road to statehood, the Governor had said. The representatives of the people finally agreed with him. Alaska, at long last, appeared to be statehood bound. At any rate, Alaskans could say to Congress-: Here's proof that we can take care of ourselves; pay our own way. You give us an enabling act, We'll do the rest"
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 In addition to the tax program, which along with the basic taxes includes a levy of one per cent. on raw fish, quadrupled boost in the trap tax and a levy on tobacco and pinball machines. the Legislature pointing to statehood, set up statehood committee of Il members to be appointed by the Governor. Its duty will be to study the machinery of statehood to look into setups in various states and be prepared to make a. report to the constitutional convention when Congress authorizes it so that the delegates to the convention will have intelligent information on which to draw up a state constl- tuition under which Alaska with it's unique conditions can function efficiently. An appropriation of $80,0O0 was made for this purpose, a cheap enough price for statenood and an opportunity to become first class citizens.
 It looked, too, as if the 18th Legislature had balanced its bud get, the largest in the Territory's s history. It had appropriated around $18,000,00O, of which approximate ly 100000 was in the general appropriation bill and the balance in special appropriations, mainly for schools. Careful estimates of anticipated revenues under the new laws plus those already on the stat ute books indicated the money would be forthcoming to pay the Territory's bills and carry out the provisions of the laws during the coming two years. On this score a great deal of credit should go to Chairman James Nolan of the Way' and Means committee of the House and Chairman John Butrovich oi the Senate Finance committee They and their committees had worked long, hard and in close harmony from the very beginning of the session to arrive at sol