The Daily Alaska empire., 1951-01-20

 Starts Work
 Next Monday
Tightening of laws, Re- vdmping of Departments
 Are Now in Prospect

ing of what might be their last ses- sion as a Territorial Legislature.
 Whether the next session is as territorial or state legislature, however, will depend on what hap pens in Congress, not what hap pens here.
 With control of the House solidly in Democratic hands, IA to 10, the evenly divided Senate-with one or two "unpredictables' in each party lineup-looks again like the cham Der in which the big controversies will whirl.
 The first one is likely to be over the election of Senate President. There might also be one over the Senate Secretary's post.
 In the House. reports indicate that Rep. William Egan of Valdez may step up to the speakership if Stanley McCutcheon of Anchorage, the 1949 speaker, chooses to exer- else his majority leadership from the floor. Rep. Warren Taylor of Fairbanks was McCutcheon's right hand man on the floor in 1949, but with Taylor gone this session the Democrats may figure McCutcheon can fill his party leader role better on the floor than in the chair.
 The lineup in the Senate on the election of a President and on the issues that will follow is tough one to predict.
 On the Democratic side, Sen. How ard Lyng of Nome, broke openly with Governor Gruening. with a bitter blast at him after the elec- tion.
 Sen. James Nolan of Wrangell has been definitely opposed to many Democratic majority proposals.
 In the Republican camp. Sens. Anita Garnick of Juneau, Gunnard Engebreth of Anchorage and Percy Ipalook of Wales have supported a number of proposals of the pro Gruening faction in the past.
 Few Favor More Taxes There seems to be little sentiment among legislators for increasing of taxes. Several have expressed the opinion that some ironing out, and tightening up, of present tax laws should suffice. Liquor control pro- posals are another likely prospect.
 Sen. John Butrovich, who is ex- pected to be the Republican leader in the Senate, said he doesn't expect any new taxes and that keeping a tight rein on the budget is the major job.
 Sen. Steve McCutcheon of An- chorage, who is likely to be the Democratic floor leader in the Sen- ate, commented:
 Tt would appear that the most important problem facing the legis- lature is holding the line at appro- priations made in the past bien- nium. However, we should probably try to appropriate more for reve- nue- producing departments The Department of Taxation and the Territorial Attorney Generals of flee"
 McCutcheon said moves to re- locate certain government agencies. in a stream lining effort, probably will be supported by Third Division Legislators. They sought to get some of them, and a new territorial office building. in the Anchorage Palmer sector last session.
 Tt seems odd, for example" said McCutcheon, that the territorial Department of Mines is located in Juneau when all the mining is done in the Second and Fourth Divisions. Similarly, the Department of Agri- culture is in Fairbanks, while the highest percentage of farming is carried on in the Matanuska Valley and the Kenai Peninsula" Tax on Contractors Sen. Gerrit (Heinie) Snider, a newly elected Republican, suggested in Anchorage:
 Why hasn't tax been placed on contractors working in the territory on government projects, as Governor Gruening suggested to the legisla- ture at the start of the l947 ses- sion? Contractors working on gov- ernment projects operate on cost plus fixed fee basis, so 1t would be painless tax, with the contractor passing it on as part of the cost Of operation to Uncle Sam" fOz~ts,.,nl Da0o TUnl