The Wrangell sentinel., 1955-09-02
THROUGH THE SENTINEL PERISCOPE
Public Works in Alaska

x
 Whatever else the recentiy-reces sed Congress may have done o' failed to do for Alaska, it didn't dt too badly by the Alaska Pupll' Works Program. The President 1T his budget asked fer five mllllon The Congress appropriated three million dollars pointing out tha' there were unexpended balances totaling almost two million - Sl'' S36,9OO to be exact. AS a result APW will have $4,836,9OO to carry on it's program during the current fiscal year.
 Under the program the money has been aliocated for the follow- ing projects:
 Sewer at Wrangell, $436,7Oo; school at Douglas, $617, 1000; water system extension at Anchorage s5s1,2OO; 1OO-man dormitory at the University of Alaska, $664,- 900: school at Homer, $479,OOO; 3O- to 40-bed hospital at Seward S725,OOO; school additions at Tal- keetna and North Star, $772,oOO; sewers and streets, Cordova, $224,- 500; high school addition at ket- chikan, $167,OOO, and streets at SKagway, $15O,OOO.
 Since its inception, the- public works program has been a boon te Alaska communities, making pos sib.e public improvements which most of the smaller communities just couldn't finance. Under APW the projects are set up and con structed by the public works az ency. The municipality or district as the case may be, buys them back over a period of years at fifty cents of the dollar value. Few Al aska communities can afford the original outlay, but with the pro- ect constructed they can manage to finance to pay half over period of time It is probable that one of the major reasons there are unex- pended balances in the public works funds is inability of com munities to prove financial worth to assure repayment on the project.
 Dial Phones
 It's probably a bit of nostalgia coupled with age, but there Is something missing about this new modern, efficient dial telephone system now in operation in ouI town. For instance, we twist that little round gadget around and a. round and directly somebody ans wers and invariably it's the person we are trying to reach, or the thing buzzes busy signal. And besides, before doing all this push ing around we have to look up a number.
 Now, children, gather around In the good old days, we just printed the telephone book, and then put it where we couldn't tlnu it. Telephone manipulation was simple matter. One simply picked LID the receiver and said: hey will you ring Campbell Bros.?' ano a sweet-voiced operator would say in reply: Haven't you found that phone book yet? The number is 22 and I'll ring them" If the party we were trying to reach wasn at Campbell Bros. we'd give the operator another situation.
 Say, Elouise," we'd inquire you haven't heard the City Cleri calling from somewhere have you Trying to reach him."
 Reply: He was at the Post Of flee little while ago, but I thini he must have been going to th' bank. Just a sec, I'll ring 'em."
 Or, more of the same. Withou looking in the book, of course, jus pick up the receiver and ask, say Peggy, has so-and-so got a phone?'
 Reply: "Just a minute - no, h. hasn't but I saw him headed to ward the Air Line office a whil ago, I'll ring 'em."
 Can a dial phone do that?
 A few days ago we were takel on an inspection of the new dia phone equipment It's efficienc. plus and, naturally enough, com plete mystery to us. However, il telephonics we understand it's tn last word. Then old nostalgia. Hoy we'll miss those other famous las
 ~s~