The Wrangell sentinel., 1949-12-16
THROUGH THE SENTINEL PERISCOPE

the legislature last session landed in court this week as expected. Ac- ton challenging the act was dis criminatory was brought in the Fourth Division District court at Fairbanks by Luther C. Hess, pio- neer banker, gold miner and for mer member of the legislature, who now lives in Seattle.
 Suit was brought against Tax Commissioner NJ. P. Mullaney to restrain him from collecting the tax, notices for which are being sent out this week. Among attor- neys for Hess Is Senator E. B. Col lins of Fairbanks, now a members of the legislature. Others are Ed ward Medley, pioneer Alaska attor- ney now practicing in Seattle, and H. L. Faulkner of Juneau The test suit alleges the customary things, including that the law is vague, uncertain, indefinite, impossible of reconciliation" and discriminatory against certain classes of property. If the AP report from Fairbanks is correct it also alleges "that un- til the tax is paid there is cloud on the taxpayers property"
 That's one for Ripley's book.
 The suit is the fourth action brought against paying taxes under 1aNyn fnA hxF ture. The income tax hit the courts and was upheld in all its features by the district court in Juneau and is now on appeal to the circuit court in San Francisco where it was argued last week The quad rupled fish trap tax act was taken to court to come out with a de- cision that the big trap tax in- crease would stand but the provi- sion for taxing fish caught in traps was thrown out. The third was fishermen's license taxes, the deci- sion in which was to exempt off shore halibut fishermen.
 Property tax, which leyies 1 per cent on true and full value of all property in the territory with a personal exemption of $2O0, was expected to yield between two and two and a half million during the biennium. First money from this source was due after the forthcom- ing first of January.
 
 The proposed new development Dill being worked mp by the Alaska Field Committee of Interior coupled with the final acts of Julius Krug as Secretary of Interior before he left office December 1 in which he set aside a couple more native res- erVations, has revived the old view ing with alarm attitude in Alaska
 The first Alaska development bill. or something that was allegedly called that, got thorough trounc- Ing from one end of the territory to the other. Primary objection was that it was another colonization bill or an experiment station for so-called orderly development" or. what many called, the direct oppo- site to free enterprise. Now the Dill Is being revamped with the idea Of overcoming some of the more objectionable features, but many Alaskans are still wary when they hear about $250,00O, ,O0O cor porations with government money going to develop the territory and tie 1t up with land withdrawals That, with more land in Indian res- ervations, has set the pot boiling again. What Alaskans on the whole are afraid of is that actual devel- opment of the territory will be curbed rather than enhanced by more government control, and that there will be nothing left for a state if more and more land is mt in reservations of one kind and another.
 Interest in the forthcoming ter. rltorial-wide spring election livenet this week with the filing of Rep Alfred B. Owen of Anchorage a, Labor on the Democratic ticket candidate for Commissioner O owen, who formerly lived in Ko dlak and has been active in Alaskf labor circles for several years, wa, member of the house at the las session of legislature and one O the leaders of the so-called labol bloc. Report is that some of tn, labor groups are not too happy witt incumbent Labor Commissions Henry Benson and propose opposi tion If he seeks reelection. Benso, ia RannhIinn