The Daily Alaska empire., 1950-05-19
Statehood Hopes slipped,
 Says Bartlett
Federal Budget for North- land Listed = Senate
 Trends to Statehood
By CHARLES D. WATKINS

WASHINGTON, May 19 - LR - Alaska's chances of winning state- hood from the present Congress are brightening, in the opinion of the Territory's Delegate in Con- gress. E. L. Bartlett.
 Bartlett said today that while the statehood bill still has to clear many obstacles, he feels there has been distinct trend in the Senate toward approval of the legislation, already passed by the House.
 He told reporter he believes that if the Senate Insular Affairs Com mittee approves the meaure, Sem ate passage will follow. The com mittee plans to take up the bill next week.
 Bartlett added that he thinks the Senate committee soon will approve another bill of importance to Alaska. This is measure authoriz- ing the proposed $2OO00,000 Eklutna power project which would produce 30,0O0 kilowatts of power for the Anchorage area.
 He said the Territory is being well treated by Congress this year, that in addition to appropriations spe- officially marked for Alaska the gen. eral appropriation bill contains close to $10O,0O0,00O for federal &C., tivities in Alaska.
 He listed these specific items as approved by the House as including $31, ,000, ,000 for the Alaska Railroad, $28, ,400,00 in cash and contract authority for road construction, S2,- 6O0,0O0 for road maintenance: S12,- 122,000 for the Indian Bureau; $1,122 .O00 for the Indian revolving fund, $1,873,581 for the Fish and Wildlife Service, $4,000,000 for the Alaska Communication System, 100000 for continuing explora- tion of the Naval Petroleum Re- serve and $9,O0O,O for public works, $815,OOO for the Bureau of Land Management, $250,0OO for water in- vestigations by the Lands Manage ment Bureau, $3,2OO,0O0 for air. ports at Fairbanks and Anchorage, $1,259,0OO for investigation and control of. disease and $260,000 for agricultural research.
 In addition, President Truman re- gently asked an appropriation of $71, ,4O9, ,458 for Army and Air Force public works construction in the Territory. An authorization bill to permit appropriation of $98,611 ,811 for that work is pending in the House.
 In addition authorization for the Anchorage and Fairbanks airports was increased from $13,000000 to $17,OOO,0OO.
 The Delegate said the Alaska Housing Authority has been granted loans for blaming PTS low rental housing units in the Territory. with 15O to be in Anchorage, 75 in Fair banks and 50 in Juneau.
 He said IT community public works projects have been approved under the Alaska Public Works pro- gram. He said this approval will bring about construction of such projects at Wrangell, the University of Alaska, Juneau, Spenard, Noun tain View, Park View, Anchorage, Ketchikan, Skagway. Douglas. Nak- nek, Dillingham;, Chugiak, Homer. Ninilchick, Fairbanks and Peters burg.
 The House wrote into the $9,0OO,-. 900 appropriation to continue the public works program restriction that no project should be approved unless certified by the Secretary of Defense as being in interest of na- tional defense. Bartlett said he would appear before the Senate Appropriations committee next month to ask that the restriction be removed.