The Wrangell sentinel., 1949-08-19
THROUGH
THE SENTINEL
PERISCOPE

The optimism which prevailed
around the Territorial Treasury
last week was short-lived This
week Territorial Treasurer Henry
Roden, who had negotiated a mil
lion dollar advance for the Terri
tory's general fund through the
Seattle Trust and Savings, an
nouneed the deal had been called
Off by the bankers. 1t appears that
as soon as the Treasurer made pub
lie his original agreement. the
pressure boys with interests in AL
aska started working on the Seat
tie bankers with the result that
the bankers had to renege. The
idea seems to be to try and force
a special session of the Alaska
Legislature in an effort to get over
a sales tax and attempt to get re-
peal or modification of some of the
tax laws passed by the last ses-
sion, particularly those which af-
feet their pocketbooks. Elsewhere.
in this family journal, is Mr..
Roden's statement of what happen
ed to the million dollar bubble
Meanwhile, the general fund was
limping along, revenues gaining
slowly on outgo, particularly with
income tax returns showing in
substantial amount 1t was antici-
pated around four million would
be collected from all sources be-
tween now and the end of Janu-
airy, not considering the trap tax,
now in litigation. 1t meant that
early in 1850 the Territory would
be back on its financial feet again.
In the various and sundry court
cases, the Territory won a round
this week when Federal Judge
Folta denied an injunction request
ed against collecting the $50 nom
resident fishermen's license. While
this source would not bring in a
whale of a lot of money, it would
help.
80 #%
About three weeks ago we raised
the old Periscope in the vicinity of
Anan Creek and, even with
couple of ink spots on the glass,
We noted a most remarkable run
of humpback salmon, and told the
world about it, We are now reli-
ably informed it was no mistake
The first day of the open season.
last Monday, we are told by Fish
and Wildlife Service that one
cannery alone - harvest Wran-
CELL to be exact - got 10000 sal
mon out of the area. No figures
were available on what went to
Ketchikan and Petersburg. 1t be-
gins to look as if Wrangell fisher
men and packers who have been
declaring for weeks that Anan had
a real run of salmon sort of hit
the nail on the head.
The Pacific Fisherman, trade
journal of the fishing industry,
has been sampling 100 Alaskans
on various Alaska topics, accord
ing to its August issue. Among
other things it reports it discover
ed that only one out of 100 spoke
out" for the Governor, who. it fur
ther AYERS, has ambitions to be a
u. S. Senator when Alaska attains
statehood Well, if the Governor
ever decides to make a pitch for
that Senate seat, he's got one of
the greatest campaign lines of our
time = are YOU one of the humid
red? The campaign song, too
might well be the old hymn =
There were ninety and nine that
safely laid in the shelter of the
fold, but one was lost in the hills
afar, far away from the gates of
gold"
AS a hundred to one shot, it
strikes us that the way the Gov
ernor's basic tax program rolled
through the last popularly-elected
Legislature, maybe, as the horse
players put it, he was leading the
field.
1t might be just as well for
most of us who are inclined to be
our step during the next couple of
weeks (What a time to try and
be normal with those humpies
flashing at Anan.) At any rate,
we see by the papers that there's
a party in the Territory studying
the Alaska mental health prob
lem" 1t is composed of DR.. Win
fred 0yerholser, DR.. Dale Cameron,
and Seymour Littman, and is sent
north by the Interior Department
to determine the need of q mental
hospital in the Territory to take
the place of Morningside and pos
sibly to set up some mental health
clinics. The party is being chaper-
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