The Wrangell sentinel. (Wrangell, Alaska) 1909-current, 1949-07-01
THROUGH
THE SENTINEL
PERISCOPE

Tony Schwamm, of Petersburg
has been appointed Director of the
newly Created Division of Aero
nautics of the Alaska Aeronautics
and Communications Commission
He will have headquarters at An
chorage and will take office as
soon as he can arrange his affairs
to leave Petersburg. He and Mrs.
Schwamm have been fortunate in
already having obtained a house
in Anchorage, which is no small
chore.
New Director Sehwamm is vet
eran of Alaska aviation. He came
north about l 8 years ago from Los
Angeles where he operated a flying
school, and was first associated
with Sheldon Simmons who then
operated Alaska Always, forerun-
ner of today's Alaska Coastal out
of Juneau. Simmons, incidentally.
is an original member of the Aero
nautics Commission which was
created in 1897, and for years
served as its Secretary. Sehwamm
later established Petersburg Air
Service, now Alaska Island, and
operated in the Wrangell-Pe
burg district until World War II
when he became an officer in the
Navy and was in command of the
flight wing at Port Althorp. He is
widely known in aviation circles
throughout the Territory.
The new Department of Avia-
tion was created by the last Leg
islature within the Aeronautice
Commission and has wide latitude
in building, operating, maintain
ing and generally supervising avi
alton In the Territory in coopera-
tion with the Civil Aeronautics Ad-
ministration and other federal
agencies. Up to one-third of the
money collected from the motor
fuel tax is diverted to the new de-
partment and it is authorized to
accept such federal monies as may
be available for the Territory. AS
Director of the division Schwamm
will serve as executive officer of /
the Commission Salary is fixed at
$1,000 year.
X + = = +
Decision handed down by FEEDER
al Judge George w. Folta last
week unfolding the validity of the
Territorial income tax law is ex-
pected to have a beneficial effect
on the Territory's depleted general
fund in the month ahead. Income
taxes for the six months since the
first of the year should start to
come in in substantial amounts
during July now that the act is
upheld. Heretofore. taxpayers held
off paying pending the court de-
cision. Although the case is car
ried to the appellate court, taxpay-
ers no longer get the benefit of
the doubt and will have to pay or
be subject to penalty. The tax is
10 per cent of the amount paid
the federal government under the
Internal Revenue Code.
In unfolding the law, Judge
Folta ruled the special session of
the Legislature, called just prior
to the regular session illegal on
6tOuhuo lndI IutIt 10 llO law llA-
ing the term of members of the
Legislature other than the Organic
Act implies that they take office
when they convene in Juneau in
regular session following their ell
lection. In other words he held
the members of the 18th Legisla-
''ture were members of the Legisla-
ture to be called into session until
their term expired with the con-
vening of the 18th Legislature and
their successors sworn in Aside
from defining who are members
of the Legislature in the event of
and future special sessions, the
ruling will have no particular eff
feet on the actions of the special
session as its principal piece of
business was enactment of the in
come tax law which was reenacted
at the regular session and is now
the law of the land Only three
lother acts were passed at the spe-
rcial = adopting the new Compiled
Laws, buying five typewriters and
boosting ecbers' per diem from sew
en- dollars a day to fifteen. OF
CONTINUED on page four)