The Daily Alaska empire., 1949-03-15
H0ME5TEADING ACT
 BEFORE SENATE OF U. S. I5 CONDEMNED
Juneau Post 4, American Legion Adopts Resolution
 Protesting lis Adoption

of standing committees being dis patched in record time, the main subject given consideration Mon- day evening by Juneau Post N. 4, The American Legion, was that of a new measure now before the Sem ate of the United States in the na- tional capital.
 After presenting facts pertaining to the measure, known as Senate Bill No. 533, 8lst Congress, the Posts legislative committee, repre- sented by Legionnaire Norman c. Banfield, offered a resolution in condemnation of the proposed mea- sure, and the committees recom- mendations were accepted fy vote of the membership.
 AS set forth in the resolution, 1t became evident to the student of this new proposal that Senate Bill 533 is even more objectionable to the veterans and residents of AL aska than was H. R. 4059, intro duced in the 80th Congress and commonly known as the Lemke Bill.
 Setting forth reasons why this measure is less desirable than the one which preceded it, the commit tee pointed out that under this Act, the minimum of 320 acres could be entered, whereas there are many tracts of lesser size that would make ideal homesteads, but those would not be available being less than the minimum size specified by the act.
 Maximum Acreage
 The maximum of 2560 acres is provided under the act, but the committee takes the position that no one person should be allowed to take such large areas out of public domain, as the result would be virtual notification of the provis- ions of law for acquiring oil and gas leases, placer and lode claims in the areas open to homesteading under this bill.
 Giving statistical resume of other resultant effects, it was point ed out that should the maximum areas be filed upon under this mea- sure, the development of Alaska would be retarded for years to come
 Timber harvesting regulations un- der the act would be so costly as to preclude any hope of feasible operation, and it was further stated that should this bill be enacted, it would prevent for all time the com- ing of the pulp or paper industry to Alaska.
 Complex Administration
 A complex administration of the act is set up with the enforce ment by judicial determination" and the resolution, as adopted, con- tinued to declare; :. it is in- conceivable to Alaskans that the Secretary of the Interior would ever get around to administering this Act or to enforcing any of it's re- strictive provisions.
 Matters dealing with trap lines according to established practices, operative by Indians, Eskimos and white. men for generations, would be disrupted, and conceivably could give title to parts of trap lines now in existence to the holder of a 2,560 acre homestead.
 Expressing satisfaction with the far-sighted policies of the U. s. Forest Service with respect to it's administration of timber land, the committee declared that the econ omic development of the National Forest areas of Alaska depend upon the continuation of those policies, rather than upon the export of timber to the United States for processing into pulp paper and lumber.
 Nullify Policies
 Covering many other details of the proposed measure, the resolu- tion asserted that this bill would defeat and nullify the policies which have proved adaptable to the area.
 Embodied in the resolution as adopted by Juneau Post No. 4, was a reaffirmation of it's condemna- tion of H. R. 4O59 introduced in the 80th Congress, that it go on record as being opposed to any such bill as Senate 533 introduced in the 81st Congress, and that it reiterate its approval of the action of The American Legion, Department of Alaska when in the 1947 Annual Convention the territorial body condemned H. R. 4059, 80th Con- gress.
 The resolution further provided that copies be furnished to the Governor of Alaska, the Delegate to Congress from Alaska, and to the Veterans Administration of the United States, calling attention to action taken throughout Alaska by |