The Wrangell sentinel., 1949-05-06
THROUGH THE SENTINEL PERISCOPE

ging in the Territory of Alaska, and not bad job at that-S7,00 a year as Director of the Aeronau- tics Division of the Alaska Aero nautics and Communication Com mission. The new job was created by the last Legislature, enlarging the old AACC which has been in existence since 1887. It's really en- abling legislation which would per nit AACC in behalf of the Ter ritory to take advantage of the Federal Airport Act and other fed eral provisions so that Federal monies would be available to the Territory to expand its airport program. The act itself leaves the matter of hiring a Director of the Division and paying him largely to the discretion of the Commis- sion. However, meanwhile, the Leg islature enacted what is known as the Salary Schedule Act which fixes the salaries of certain Ter ritorial officials. This act set the wage of the Director of Aeronau- tics at $7,O00. The Attorney Gen eral ruled that the salary act is the guiding law of the land and that $7,O0O was the maximum that could be paid the Director of aviation, regardless of what the AACC law said.
 So this is the way it worked. When members of the AACC be- gan studying the new law they found the Director had to be quite capable fellow. He was supposed to knoow aviation from the ground up; four years of that experience had to be in active aviation in AL aska. In short what the act pro- vided for was a $10,000, $12,000 or $15.000 a year executive in the field of aviation, who knew the answers. while the salary act pro vided that he be paid the maxi mum salary of $7,OO0 per year. The boys who could qualify for the job were making more elsewhere and were not interested.
 When the AACC met in Juneau this week to consider ways and means of putting the new act into effect their first discovery was that there were no qualified ap- pltcants for the job. The members did little combing here and there, but came up with the same answer. The men who could qualify under the act were doing a little better at their present posts. Those who might accept couldn't qualify.
 The AACC which is made up of aviation men, Sheldon Simmons of Juneau, Neal Foster of Nome, Jack Carr of Anchorage, and William Lavery of Fairbanks, all indepen- dent operators, with the Governor as Chairman, did the best they could under the circumstances. They prevailed upon Highway En- gineer Frank A. Metcalf, under whose department airport construc- tion and etc. has been in the past, to carry on as Acting Director of the new setup along with his other duties until a qualified Director could be found for the salary paid. They authorized the Highway En. gineer to hire an assistant and such other help as might be found necessary to put the act into ef- feet June 1 so that the approaching construction season would not be lost. Meanwhile, if there's an avia- ton man who thinks he can quail fy under Chapter 123, Session Laws of Alaska, 1949. and is will ing to accept salary of $7,OOO per annum he should direct his ap- plication to the Alaska Aeronautics and Communications Commission Juneau, Alaska. You have to live in Anchorage, brother, where it costs just about twice as much as 1t does in any place in Southeast Alaska.
 Members of the new Board of Accountancy, created by the last Legislature by rewriting the old act, were appointed this week. They are Marshal Crutcher of Kodiak, Elmer G. Johnson of Ketchikan, J. A. Boulet of Fairbanks Clayton Esslinger of Palmer and Charles M. Marler of Ketchikan. CrutcheI and Johnson are Certified PuDllc Accountants and members of the old board. They are appointed for six years. Boulet and Esslinger foi four year terms and Marler for two years. The latter are public accountants, as provided for in tht act, but not CPA's. All are estab- iished in business in the Territory
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 The Haines cutoff from Haine' to the Canadian border will bt paved this summer. Bids are being called for by the Alaska Road Com, mission. This is the route which links with the Alaska Highway through Canada and is considered of strategic military importance.