The Wrangell sentinel., 1949-04-22
THROUGH THE SENTINEL PERISCOPE


 The National Capital next week April 2S, will be the scene of q hearing of vital importance to AL aksa. It is the date set for com mittee consideration of Delegate Bartlett's bill to set up a public works program for the Territory under which the Federal govern ment could match funds with the Territory or Alaska communities in undertaking necessary public pro jects. It could mean for example that schools such as Wrangell's which can participate on a match ing basis in the $75O,000 appro- priated by the last Legislature for aid of schools within municipali- ties could also get Federal aid. If the Bartlett bill becomes law the $28,S46.15 which has been allot- ed to Wrangell from Territorial funds, providing the Wrangell school district will put up 35 cents on the dollar, might well be doubl- ed as the Bartlett bill provides for matching up to 50-5O. The same situation would pertain throughout the Territory. Off to Washington next week will be Dr. James c. Ryan, Commissioner of Education, to appear at the hearings with an appeal for Alaska schools to aid the Territory in the program inaugurated by the Leg islature to rehabilitate the entire Alaska school system. Several Mayors from Alaska also planned to be on hand as the bill would be helpful in other community projects. Among them would be Mayor Waino Hendrickson of Jun eau, who left this week.
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 The publicity department of the Alaska Native Service appeared to be working overtime. The hand outs" appearing in some Alaska papers pointed to one thing-a bigger, better and more elaborate Mt Edgecumbe institution on Ja- ponski Island at Sitka, This sum mer the boarding students at Wrangell Institute would be trans fered to Edgecumbe while repairs and alterations are being made at the Institute. Whether they will ever be transferred back to Wran gell remained to be seen. A year or two ago the older grades at Wran- gell Institute had been transferred to Edgocumbe a short time after ANS If ic:als had assured repre- sentatives of Wrangell that there would be no change in the status of W.angell Institute. The fact was and s that ANS grabbed a bear by the tail when it got Ja- ponski Island from the Navy for covered that while ANS gets one of the biggest appropriations of any civilian agency in Alaska it wasn't enough to have Edgecumbe altered and maintained at the level to which the Indian Office hoped to have it accustomed. The result was that other Indian ser vice in Alaska had suffered. There had not been a dentist in Akulurak on the lower Yukon for three years. A dozen or more ANS schools had been closed because there wasn't enough money to keep them open and at the same time build up the Edgecumbe installation. Ac tually the do good" program at Edgecumbe, entirely laudable. waa making it tough for the outposts. They had to wait while Edge cumbe was being made bigger and better. After all what's a toothache or six at Akulurak compared with getting in position to let go of that bears tail at Edgecumbe.
 There would be no start on the construction of a new Territorial building in Juneau or anywhere else for the next six months or so, the Territorial Board of Ad- ministration announced this week The answer was simple. The. Board said there just wouldn't be enough money coming into the treasury be fore that time from new tax sources to make available the
 
 $660,000 the Legislature had ap propriated for erecting such 2 building. Meanwhile, Fairbanks ha put in bid for the building along with other communities. and Jun eau was busying itself trying to ge the old AB hall site in that towr in shape to present to the Terri tory.
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 Final payment last week in thv Wrangell sawmill to the c. T. Ia kahashi company comes as wei come news to this community. It operation at this time will be z much-needed economic stimular to the entire area. In addition t bringing payroll to the town, i should afford a market to logger and give new impetus to that in ss.s..4s:s*.s-.;.-s++*s. s.:
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