The Daily Alaska empire., 1949-12-13
Says Bridges luas Member Communist Part
Ikruq's "Reservaiion-izing" Is Blow af Pulp Development; Chapman Says 'Wi|I Garry Or"

patented land in Southeastern Alaska"
 In his order, Krug also reserved 2,300 square miles on the Kobuk river in Alaska for the l50 Eskimos of Shunknak and Kobuk villages, and 75O square miles of the Arctic slope for the 385 Eskimos at Bar LOW.
 The reservations must be ap- proved at tribal elections before they can be established. If they accept the lands, the natives at the same time will relinquish claims to other Alaskan areas. WOULD OPEN REST Krug said the reservations thus would settle land-ownership differ ences that have been hindering Alaska's settlement. The freeing of land outside the reservations from native claims, he said, would open the rest of Alaska to development.
 Oliver La Farge, President of the Association on American Indian Affairs, said in prepared state ment today.
 Secretary Krug's action in estah- fishing three Indian reservations in Alaska is just and proper.
 These Indian groups have long awaited this confirmation of their rights to land and resources tradi- tionally theirs.
 Now that their title is clear, there is hope that they can achieve sound economic basis.
 This is only the first step in dealing justly with the 35,000 In- dians, Eskimos and Aleuts of Alaska.
 "A great many other groups still await just settlement of their rights, and we appeal again to our government, for speedy action to that end"
 The Indian Reorganization Act of 1886 gave the Secretary of the Interior authority to establish re- servations in Alaska.
 ICKES RESERVES
 In 1941 Secretary Ickes estab- lished the 87O-acre Unalakleet re- servation, and in 1943 the 72,000- acre Akutan reservation in the Aleutians, the 1,408, ,000-acre Venetie on the Upper Yukon. the 35,200- acre Karluk on Kodiak Island. the 21 ,200-acre Wales on the Seward Peninsula, and the 3,O00-acre Dio- mede Island Reservation.
 Two other reservations - Shish- maref, 300 acres, and White Noun tain, 1,200 acres--were set up but never approved by the natives.
 Proposals for the creation of 16 more were under consideration when the program begged down because of opposition in Congress.
 Bills were introduced to take away the Interior Secretary's authority to establish reservations, and to turn over all control of Alaska's natives to the Territorial government.
 At Senate hearing, Butler, Chairman of the Senates Interior Committee, said he particularly ob- tecfo1 to tho yTa,,otia Dacorva tior which turned over 1,408,000 acres to 202 natives.
 "A SPECIAL PRIVILEGE" T don't think it is necessary to set aside 2,300 square miles to give special privileges to any group to the exclusion of other people of the country, and it's hindrance to the development of Alaska" Butler said.
 Krug replied that the reserva- tons already established repre- scented less than half of one per- cent of the total land area of Alaska, and were chiefly tundra with little vegetation or other resources.
 He said that solely on the basis of economic need, without regard to the broad claims of the natives. from to 10 percent of Alaska, should be set aside in reservations for the livelihood of the Indians, Aleuts and Eskimos.
 He added bluntly that unless Congress terminated his authority, he would go ahead with the pro- gram.
 His successor, former Undersec- retary Oscar L. Chapman, has indi- cated he will make no major change in the policy followed by Krug- and by Ickes before Krug-despite his personal friendship with his Denver colleague. Brannan.