The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1950-05-05
MtCUT(HE0N SAYS
AIRPORT fees NOT
PORK 6ARREL|NG'

The legal fee paid Attorney Stan
ley McCqtcheon for services given
the Alaska Department OF Aviation
over the past eight months-to date
amounting to SCOOPS not pork
barrel" cash, he claimed today.
McCutcheon, returning from the
east, met in the office OF Acting
Governor Lew Williams with George
S. Schwamm, department director,
Attorney General j. Gerald Will
Jams. House Representative Marcus
Jensen and Sheldon Simmons, COM
mission member.
The Anchorage attorney. also
president of Alaska Airlines, was
asked to explain, at an informal
meeting, his fee for work connected
with the department since that
body began acquiring airports
throughout the Territory.
The hint that the voucher paid
McCutcheon had been termed pork
barrel" money by the public was
brought out by Jer en-, a member OF
the house investigating committee
which looked into the question after
Juror was raised following a back
fire of the voucher from the audi
cor's office, which questioned its le-
yality.
Fees Matched
Money paid by the department fol-
engineering work, legal fees, ans
acquiring airport sites is matched
by the federal government through
Civil Aeronautics Administration
machinery. Seventy-five percent OF
fees and like costs are paid by the
federal government, the remainder
being stood by the department.
McCutcheon said that if his fees
were "out of line" the CAA would
not approve it, and thus not reim-
burse Alaska on the three to one
basis worked out.
Also explained by McCutcheon
were fees paid Mrs. Irene Ryan OF
Anchorage for engineering work
connected with building of seven
fields. This sum amounted to
S39,535.
Authority to retain counsel was
obtained from the aeronauticS COM
mission by Schwamm," said the
attorney THE job grew begin
aing in - July. I have kept
personal diary ever since August
2 on my activities in connection
with this work and it is open to
anyone"
Lost More Than Gained"
He pointed out some difficulties
encountered in obtaining easements,
buying land, clearing titles, and
other legal matters. which "disrup-
ed my private practice, threw my
firms office out of gear, and forced
us to put all our probate business
in the hands Of another firm"
He explained that what he lost
in probate fees alone amounted to
much more" than he obtained
through the department.
AS an example of legal difficult
ties encountered, he brought up the
Skagway airport project. He said
hat rhubarb patch, raspberry
bushes, and chicken coop on the
site of the proposed airport caused
great trouble in getting it cleared,
and took five days alone just to
clear it up.
At one point in his explanation,
Jensen broke in to say:
1.-The issue with the people," he
said, II believe is not the amount
of money you charged, but the
background on it. The attorney
generals office seemed to have been
bypassed. Why wasn't an attorney
retained by him?"
To this, McCutcheon said he
wished Williams would send man
to do the job.
But" he went on, IF he had
hired a man and staff, it would
have cost the territory much more
than I charged"
Engineering Fees
-
brought up during McCutcheon's
outlining his own voucher, and bat
5ened down by him because I want
to explain my own position first,