times we get it in April. If we get it in April it is all obligated during the current season. If we get it in August we have to be sure it is all obligated by the 1st of July. This would give us a little more flexibility.

I would like to insert a letter from the Governor of Alaska to the Secretary of War, with an inclosure, and also an extract from the annual report of the Governor of Alaska.

Mr. ANTHONY. You may give that to the reporter for insertion in the record.

(The matter referred to is as follows:)

Hon. JOHN W. WEEKS,

Secretary of War, Washington.

JUNEAU, ALASKA, August 26, 1921.

MY DEAR Mr. SECRETARY: The urgent need of Alaska for relief from the longrange rule of multitudinous Federal bureaus is all the more clear to me after a closer study of the situation and knowledge of conditions gained in an official capacity. To all who know and understand the Territory the imperative necessity of coordination and simplification of Alaska government is equally clear. Therefore, it is my earnest hope that pending legislation at Washington, which has as its object a concentration of authority and responsibility, will be enacted into law. Otherwise the development of the Territory will continue to be retarded, as in the past, and be very slow

at best.

The work of the Alaska road commission exemplifies what may be done under a proper system, and I am pleased to commend to you the work of this commission. Operating under an act of Congress approved January 27, 1905, as amended, and reporting to Congress through the Secretary of War, it is the only Federal bureau permanently resident within the Territory and clothed with broad powers of action without reference to Washington. During its 17 years of activity it has constructed and maintained about 6,000 miles of roads and winter trails, reaching to practically all the inhabited districts of the Territory at a total cost for the entire period of $6,000,000.

Recently I made a trip over the military highway from Valdez to Fairbanks, 371 miles, returning over the same highway by way of Chitina and Cordova, and thus was enabled to see what has been accomplished. Moreover, as head of the Territorial road commission, whose work is consolidated with that of the Alaska road commission I have familiarized myself with the general road work in Alaska, and therefore can speak of it informedly. The military highway should not only be kept open and in good condition, but all the other road work in the Territory should go forward uninterruptedly, as it means everything in the development of the Territory.

The president of the Alaska Road Commission, Col. James G. Steese, an officer of the Corps of Engineers holding the distinguished service medal and several foreign decorations for brilliant work during the Great War and an organizer of exceptional ability, has succeeded through efforts within his own department in consolidating under his control all civil activities of the War Department in the Territory. This includes appropriations for roads, bridges, ferries, tramways, trails, river and harbor improvements, and permits for fish traps and other structures on our navigable waters. He has also been detailed as consulting engineer in the Department of Commerce for the sixteenth lighthouse district.

The effective handling of the above public works is vital to the Territory, and the most important and urgent matter that will be before whatever consolidated agency Congress may authorize this next session to replace the many bureaus now in control. I have just learned that the main discussion upon estimates will this year be before the Director of the Budget, newly created, rather than before the committees of Congress this winter.

Therefore, in order that the estimates of the Alaska Road Commission for the next fiscal year may not be sidetracked or overlooked during this reorganization period in the method of handling estimates, I am taking the liberty of presenting the matter to you in this letter. The present status of the road work is well indicated by the inclosed article and editorial from our local paper of last week-the Strollers Weekly. This clipping will save a more lengthy explanation in this letter. (Appended hereto.)

The item "Construction and maintenance of military and post roads, bridges, and trails, Alaska," first appeared in the Army appropriation bill for the fiscal year 1907, though the Alaska Road Commission began operations two years earlier. The item appeared in every Army bill since. Up to 1917, the item was subject to a point of order, though such means were never used to prevent the appropriation. With the commercial development of the Territory the roads originally constructed chiefly for military purposes became more and more important for commercial purposes, particularly as they themselves have made possible the development of commercial activities and industrial enterprises in the regions they traverse.

In 1913 studies were made by the commission of the commercial needs for transportation facilities and recommendations submitted looking to the adoption of a policy that would afford a reasonable measure of relief for the struggling industries of the Territory. It was found that the roads and trails then constructed were saving the inhabitants over $2,000,000 annually in reduced transportation charges.

It was not until 1917, however, that the annual appropriations were increased to $500,000 for that and the succeeding fiscal year. In the Army appropriation act for 1919 definite authority was given to the Secretary of War to submit estimates not only for the “ military and post" roads but for "other roads, bridges, and trails" as well.

The item is therefore no longer subject to a point of order, and it seems to be the duty of the War Department to present to Congress an estimate in accordance with the necessity and importance of the work to be done. The estimate submitted by your department for the fiscal year 1922 amounted to $955,000. The amount appropriated was $425,000.

The estimate submitted by the Alaska Road Commission for 1923 is $1,200,000, based upon the following program for 10 years, resulting from an exhaustive study of the situation during the past 15 months by Col. Steese and his organization:

The above program provides for only 70 miles of new construction per year, and it is very modest both as to amount and unit cost. Allowing $10,000 per mile for new construction, a very low figure these days, we have $7,000,000 for new mileage during the next 10 years. This leaves $3,000,000, or an average of only $300,000 per year, for the repair and maintenance of the existing system of roads and trails and the new mileage to be constructed.

The Alaska advisory committee, representing several executive departments appointed by the Secretary of the Interior, reported that "the construction of wagon roads and trails is one of the most important and urgent needs of Alaska and recommended an appropriation of at least $1,000,000 annually until the completion of an adequate system of roads in Alaska.

Last spring the Interdepartmental Alaska Board recommended the consolidation of all Federal road and trail work in the Territory under the Alaska Road Commission, excepting such work as can be economically performed by other employees of the departments incidentally to their regular duties.

On May 19, 1921, the same body recommended: "That approval be given the general program of road construction submitted by the Alaska Road Commission in its annual report for 1920 and that definite adoption of the proposed program be urged before Congress with a view of providing for feeders to the Government railway, as well as for the general development of the Territory."

The estimate submitted for 1923 is a part of the program referred to in the quotation above. This estimate of $1,200,000 represents the cost of the portion of the work urgently needed that can be economically executed and that should be undertaken with Federal funds during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1923.

I can not too strongly urge the importance of this work at this critical period of reorganization.

With cordial personal regards, I am,

Very sincerely,

(Signed)

SCOTT C. BONE, Governor.

[Stroller's Weekly and Douglas Island News, Juneau, Alaska, Saturday, Aug. 20, 1921.] PIONEER ROAD AGAIN OPEN-REHABILITATION OF RICHARDSON HIGHWAY ACCOMPLISHED BY ALASKA ROAD COMMISSION-INTERESTING ALASKA ROAD-BUILDING HISTORY BY COL. STEESE.

A notable event in Alaska's transportation history occurred July 18, 1921, when Col. James G. Steese, president of the Alaska Road Commission, formally announced at a dinner tendered him in Fairbanks that the Valdez end of the Richardson Highway had been reopened to traffic and would be kept open.

COL. STEESE DRIVES PATHFINDER CAR.

On July 19 Col. Steese drove the pathfinder car out of Fairbanks on his inspection of the work, reached Valdez on July 22, back tracked to Willow Creek, and reached Chitina July 23.

GOV. BONE MAKES RECORD TRIP.

The following week Gov. Scott C. Bone, accompanied by Archdeacon Jenkins and Surveyor General Thiele, made the trip by automobile from Valdez to Fairbanks in three days and back to Chitina in two days.

Thus was restored to traffic the military highway begun in 1900 to afford an all-American route to the Klondike and Yukon gold fields.

MONUMENT TO GEN. RICHARDSON.

The Richardson Highway is the name locally applied to the United States military road extending from Valdez, an open-all-the-year south coast port of Alaska, to Fairbanks, on the Tanana River, the main distributing point for the great Yukon Valley and other interior points of Alaska. It was so named after its builder, Gen. Wilds P. Richardson, United States Army, who was president of the Alaska Road Commission from the date of its organization in 1905 until he was called away, in December, 1917, for overseas service in the Great War. From Valdez to Fairbanks is 371 miles. From Willow Creek, mile 92, there is a connection, 39 miles long, to Chitina, on the Copper River & Northwestern Railroad, at mile 130, from Cordova, another open-all-the-year south coast port.

EARLY HISTORY.

In the summers of 1885, 1898, and 1899 War Department expeditions under Capts. Abercombie and Glenn and Lieuts. Allen and Herron made explorations which collected much valuable data regarding the country and the best routes of travel. For the fiscal year 1901 Congress appropriated $100,000 for military roads and bridges in Alaska, to be expended under the War Department. Practically all of this was spent by Maj. Abercombie on the route leading from Valdez to Eagle (Fort Egbert), but was sufficient only for the construction of a crude pack trail through sections otherwise impassable and the building of some of the most necessary bridges along the route.

ALASKA ROAD COMMISSION.

In the summer of 1904 an appropriation of $25,000 was made for a survey and estimate for a wagon road along this route, followed by a supplemental appropriation of $5,700 in 1905. In 1905, pursuant to an act of Congress approved January 27, 1905, To provide for the construction and maintenance

of roads * * * in the District of Alaska, and for other purposes," the Alaska Road Commission was organized. Prior to December 29, 1917, the commission reported to the Secretary of War through The Adjutant General of the Army. On that date orders were issued by the Secretary of War placing the work under the general supervision of the Chief of Engineers, under whose direction river and harbor improvements and other public works are constructed and maintained. The commission, as reorganized since the close of the war, is now composed of three officers of the Corps of Engineers of the Regular Army, Col. James G. Steese, president; Maj. John C. Gotwals, chief engineer; and Capt. Charles S. Ward, secretary and disbursing officer.

FAIRBANKS BECOMES INNER TERMINUS.

By the time this commission had accumulated sufficient funds to begin active construction, additional developments indicated Fairbanks as the logical inner terminus for the road. Since then the commission has built and maintained at a total cost of about $6,000,000 a system of roads and trails aggregating 6,000 miles, and extending to all parts of inhabited Alaska. The Richardson Highway, however, remains its most important project. By 1909 it was passable for dog teams; by 1911, for a light horse-drawn wagon; and in 1913 the first light automobile made the through trip from the interior to the coast. Late that summer Col. Steese had the good fortune to make a trip over the road in the first auto truck to tackle the overland journey.

DESCRIPTION.

Leaving Fairbanks the Richardson Highway runs eastward up the right, or north, bank of the Tanana River, which it follows more or less closely for 90 miles, to its confluence with the Big Delta. While traveling up the Tanana River a magnificent panorama of the snow-capped summits of the Alaska Range is obtained. Then the route crosses the Tanana (by ferry) above the mouth of the Big Delta and continues up the right, or east, bank of that stream in a southerly direction to the summit of the Alaska Range, through Isabella Pass, at an elevation of over 3,000 feet.

DONNELLY CUT-OFF.

Fifty-nine miles from Fairbanks a winter cut-off leaves the summer route and, crossing the Tanana at Washburn (mouth of the Little Delta), runs in a southeasterly direction across a low, swampy country, impracticable for traffic except when frozen, to a point on the Big Delta about 35 miles from its mouth, where it crosses and rejoins the main summer route. The saving in distance by this cut-off for the winter mail is about 13 miles. Its principal advantages are due to its level character and to the fact that it passes through a section protected from the winter storms. It has been the effort of the commission to have the winter and summer routes coincide as far as possible.

COPPER RIVER VALLEY.

Continuing from Isabella Pass the route descends to the headwaters of the Gulkana River, and runs along the valley and side hills to the eastward of that stream and along a series of beautiful lakes in a general southerly direction to the confluence of the Gulkana and Copper Rivers. Along this section on a clear day one may see off to the eastward a long line of snow-capped mountains, including the smoking cone of Mount Wrangel, an active volcano.

Crossing the Gulkana near its mouth, the route follows the right, or west, bank of the Copper River, gradually diverging from it and crossing the Tazlina, Klutina, and Tonsina Rivers. At Willow Creek the route divides, the shorter branch going down the Copper River Valley to Chitina. The longer branch continues into the valley of the Teikhell, turns westerly through a broken and rugged country, and gradually ascends the Teikhell and Tsaina River gorges to the summit of the Chugach or Coast Range, at Thompson Pass, at an elevation of about 2,750 feet. From here it descends the valley of the Lowe River through Keystone Canyon, then turns off across the Valdez Glacier delta to Valdez. From Gulkana to Valdez much of the old Abercrombie trail is followed.

A TRANSCONTINENTAL ROUTE.

The highway crosses two mountain ranges, as well as several subsidiary divides, numerous rivers and small streams, and embraces in its course practically all the various problems of construction to be dealt with in the Territory. All streams of importance have been bridged except the Salcha and Tanana Rivers, which are crossed by ferry.

CONDITION-SPRING OF 1920.

The total expenditures of the commission for construction and maintenance of the Richardson Highway (410 miles of wagon road and 55 miles of winter sled road) up to June 30, 1920, were $2,750,000, or $5,915 per mile, including 15 years' maintenance. Originally designed as a good country highway or wagon road, the rapidly growing automobile traffic soon led to a demand for a more extensive type of construction. The commission has never professed to build hard-surfaced boulevards, nor would any considerable expenditure for such purpose have been justifiable in view of the limited funds and the urgent needs in so many. localities. Prior to the war the work of placing a gravel surface on sections most needing it was begun, but no general project for surfacing all roads can be carried to completion unless much larger appropriations are provided or assured.

LEAN APPROPRIATIONS DURING WAR.

Due to the extremely small appropriations of the two war years it was impracticable to repair damage between mile 8 and 17 caused by extreme high water in Lowe River. No attempt was made therefore to keep the ValdezWillow Creek section open. Efforts were concentrated on the Chitina-Fairbanks section. By the end of the fiscal year about two-thirds of this 318mile route had received a gravel surface, and in early summer of 1920 an automombile drove through in 22 hours' actual running time. A large part of the remaining one-third of the route was in quite bad shape. Two major bridges, Tazlina and Piledriver, need reconstruction, the ferry across the Salcha River should also be replaced by a bridge, and several minor glacial streams also should be bridged. Some additional side hill relocation is necessary along the Tanana River and between Sourdough and Paxsons.

The Valdez-Willow Creek, section was totally impassable, except for pack animals, at several places, and the entire 92 miles was in a woeful state of disrepair.

REHABILITATION AND IMPROVEMENT.

As soon as increased funds became assured in June, 1920, work of rehabilitation and improvement was vigorously begun. For repair and maintenance in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1921, $252,171.66, or $545 per mile, was spent in compliance with orders from Washington to get the overland route open, keep it open, and bring it all up to standard.

RELOCATION.

Mile 5-11.-Each year different parts of the road across the bottom near Comfort have been washed out by floods in the Lowe River. Much money

has been spent in the past on wing dams and bank revetment without permanent satisfactory results. Survey and clearing have been done preparatory to moving the road back onto the hillside. During reconstruction traffic is using the existing track across the bottom, only sufficient work in the way of removing débris, etc., being done to make it passable.

Mile 14-16.-The road through Keystone Canyon required heavy expenditures every year to repair flood damages, but relocation was too expensive. In 1919 the damage was so great that repair was impossible with the funds available, so the route was closed for two years. The new line involving heavy rock excavation to bench in on the canyon wall has now been completed.

Mile 16-19.-Bridges across Bear Creek and Sheep Creek have been several times washed out; over a mile of road across the bottom was gone and much side-hill bench in steep terminal moraine had become impassable. The entire section has now been rebuilt back on the mountainside or on top of the gravel