The frontiersman. [volume] (Palmer, Alaska) 1952-2005, 1957-04-11
WASHINGTON
NEWSLETTER

Hundreds of thousands of dol
lars would be available to Alas
ka from coal, oil and gas sales,
royalties, bonuses and rentals II
Delegate Bartlett's bill which
passed the House this week is. en-
acted into law. n
Under 1914 law revenues
from coal lands in Alaska go into
the treasury of the United States
TO reimburse the federal govern
rnent for expenditures in rail-
truad construction in the Territory,
Under the Mineral Leasing Act
'0f 1920, 62s percent of the rev
-enues from oil and gas in AL
.aska go to the federal treasury,
while 37A percent goes to the
Territory for roads and schools
Delegate Bartlett's bill would re-
turn 90 percent of coal revenues
10 the Territory for disposition by
the legislature and return 10
percent to the federal govern
rnent. Revenues from oil and gas
would be divided SO that 3Ts
percent would continue to go to
ahe Territory for schools and
roads, 10 percent to the federal
government and 52R percent to
the Territory for disposition by
the territorial legislature. %
The States now receive, in adj
91ition to the Stu percent from
coal, gas and oil revenues for
school and road purposes 52h
percent of such revenues which
go to their reclamation funds
under a law not applicable to
Alaska.
During the 1856 fiscal year oil
and gas revenues in Alaska
amounted to $468, 616.25 and coal
revenues $65,834.35 If 90 percent
mad been returned to the Terri
dt0Ty under the formula set out
nm delegate Bartlett's bill, Alaska
would have received $48l ,005.53
rather than the $175,731 received
arorn 3715 percent of the oil and
gas revenues. 1T has been esti-
mated by Department of Interior
officials that the revenues from
all and gas in the 1857 fiscal year
may double.
Alaska Statehood
Public hearings on Alaska
statehood legislation by the ter
Eitories subcommittee of the
House Interior and Insular At |
fairs Committee were concluded
March 90 Subject to contrary
when the subcommittee
rrseets this week.
chairman O'Brien gavelled the
hearings to close after three
weeks Of hearings with the stipu-
cation that the request of Con-
gresham Pillion of New York
shat witnesses from number of
executive departments be called
before the subcommittee would be
nat to vote at the next meeting
nf the subcommittee. Congress
IMAM Saylor of Pennsylvania, in
stating that he defied anyone to
show him statehood hearings that
Basve been as fair and impartial
as the ones just concluded" re-
marked that Our genial collea-
sue from New York mfr Pillion) |
could never be satisfied to grant
statehood to anybody until they |
had Is million people, or more |
chan the State of New York.
During the final day of the
hearing, the members of the sub
heard Congressman
Pelly of Washington call for
commonwealth rather than state
mood for Alaska and urge an
nendmcnt to the statehood leg
-aslation deferring until 10 years
after statehood the transfer OF
control of fish and game to the
state from the federal govern
Hne1t.
Under questioning by Delegate
Bartlett, Mr.. Pelly stated, Il
really doubt very much whether
He could get support among rep
resentatives of the other States
TO eliminate federal taxation, and
4 do not favor commonwealth
sTatusi without eliminating the
federal tax income" DR.. Miller
sT Nebraska, who asked for q
rsoll in Alaska on the question OF
Statehood, in stating that much OF
Hais mail in opposition coming
from Juneau mentioned common
vUealth "by the businessmen who
nhink it might be Of some advan-
rage to Them" declared, Il doubt
If they could get away from many
Of the tax burdens they have
Through commonwealth rather
4 n II