The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1950-05-02

velopment. Under HR $751; Alaska takes nothing of
those resources. The Act purports to grant Alaska
four sections in each township, plus 100000
Examination reveals that neither the grants of
bered sections general grants given to Alaska
until rectangular surveys made and approved by
the Department of the Interior.
There are now 2459555 acres of land surveyed in
Alaska This is two-thirds of per cent of the
total of 1865 481 600 acres This means the absolute
maximum acreage the could receive would be
1888 Only the Department of the Interior through
the Bureau of Land Management make and ap-
prove official surveys. The Department complete
and approve surveys at its leisure thereby controlling
the time location and extent of lands passing to the
state.
During the last five years while the Department
Interior has been advocating statehood for Alaska
an average of only 27500 year has been
veyed At this it would take approximately $4,000
years for the obtain full benefits of the grant
g. INDIAN CLAIMS: HR 331 would automatically
subject every of land in the new state to the
cloud of Indian title 1t requires the people of Alaska
condition to statehood to acknowledge the exist
ence of unextnguished Indian title to the very homes
in which they live and to accept state lands subject
to the same unextngushed native rights The courts
have held these rights do exist HR 33 revives
and recreates them.
few exceptions is almost all in the Tongass National
Forest Under the terms of HR 331, the state
receives no lands in this vast area lands
longer useful for forest purposes 1t would receive
of any kind from the sale of forest products
within this until the Indian title is extinguished
or the Indian claims otherwise adjusted
The Forest Service has perpetual cropping plan
for the Tongass National Forest the state will never
receive any of the lands Since only the Federal
eminent can settle the Indian claims and the Secre
tary of Interior advocating that they will be settled
in favor of the Indians or not at all, the prospect
of state income from this is practically NIL
A. FISHERIES: Under HR $751; the control OF
the fisheries will pass to the new state or be retained
by the Department of the Interior as the Secretary
of Interior whoever may at the time may decide
His decision will not be final 1t may be reviewed
and reversed by him his successor at any given
time This is certainly complicated enough but, in
addition the control of fisheries is subject to the
same condition which exists in California and the
Gulf States with to control of oil resources
found below low tide The only difference is that in
Alaska Federal government is already in possession
and control of the fisheries, while in California and
the Gulf States it is just trying take possession
and control of oil resources.
Wouldn't it have saved lot of trouble if Governor
Gruening had explained these defects in HR 331 be-
fore now? Surely he didn't have to wait until the
end of the hearings to read the Bill Was he, along
With the Department of Interior, trying to force HR
,31 down Threats?
We should be glad that the Senate Committee
vas able to hear both sides of the question and to
decide for themselves the merits of the Bill.