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PUBLIC ROADS ADMINISTRATION

District No. 11 with headquarters at Juneau has charge of the construction and maintenance of all roads under the Forest Highway System in and adjacent to the National Forests. Federal appropriations totaling $11,135,549 have been made available for this purpose. In addition $418,552.52 Territorial Highway funds have been made available by the Territorial Bureau of Road Commissioners, making a total of $11,554,101.52 in appropriations for Forest Highways up to June 30, 1945. Of this amount, $261,349.69 was expended during the past year. The total mileage at present under maintenance by Public Roads Administration is 262.562 miles.

The Federal Highway Act of 1944 makes $1,500,000 available for Alaska Forest Highways for 3 years. The first year's apportionment has been authorized but is not available for expenditure until after the end of the war, or at such time as Congress may decide. During the past year surveys and plans for postwar construction have been completed for a number of projects in order to be in readiness for the time when the funds are available for expenditure.

Public Roads Administration during the past year expended $67,033.75 on Access Road Projects in connection with defense activities, funds having been made available under the Defense Highway Act of 1941. In addition $15,000 cooperative funds were expended under Defense Access Project, funds being made available by the community in which the project was located.

TERRITORIAL BOARD OF ROAD COMMISSIONERS

The Territorial Board of Road Commissioners, with the highway engineer as executive officer, expends the funds appropriated by the Territorial Legislature for roads and public works; it is also charged with the administration of the Alaska Highway Traffic Act, which provides a uniform system of traffic and highway regulations.

Expenditures during the year were for maintenance of roads, trails, landing fields, seaplane floats, shelter cabins and land telephone lines. There were no new road projects in this period due to lack of funds and inability of the Alaska Road Commission to participate in any new construction of a nonmilitary value. However, two projects were started, one assisting the city of Douglas to make a rock fill in its harbor, and the assistance to the city of Wrangell in building a sea wall.

SELECTIVE SERVICE

Of the 31,500 registrants in the Territory, approximately 5,000 men have either enlisted or been inducted. The inductions for the Territory have been reduced due to calling men between the ages of 18

and 29 only. With the discharge of servicemen, the 24 local boards and the headquarters office have been busy compiling all records of the returning veterans for the War Manpower Commission Reemployment Committeemen connected with each local board and the Veterans' Administration Office in Juneau. At the present time approximately 450 soldiers have been discharged who were registered with the Selective Service in Alaska.

SOCIAL WELFARE

AMERICAN RED CROSS

Red Cross services to the armed forces in Alaska during 1945 included welfare and recreation work, clubs, clubmobiles, and canteen service. Sixteen recreation clubs, 4 clubmobiles, 5 canteens were in operation, and Home Service was extended to many servicemen and their families as well as to civilians. In addition, the Disaster Service was called upon to help in the Yukon Valley flood in June of 1945.

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WELFARE

Public welfare activities in the Territory are centered in the Department of Public Welfare, with the exception of the administration of the Pioneers' Home and relief expenditures made by the United States District Judges from the Alaska Fund.

Old-age assistance. This program is administered on the basis of a cooperative plan between the Territory and the Social Security Board. The average monthly grant during the past year was $33.25. A total of $534,138 was expended for this program during the year-an increase of $1,428 from 1944. The number of persons receiving grants on June 30, 1945, was 1,321, a decrease of 79 from the previous year.

General relief.-Provision is made by the Territory for food, shelter, clothing, fuel, medical, and hospital care for the needy, sick and unfortunate who are temporarily unable to provide for themselves. During the year, assistance given to 645 persons amounted to $49,742.85 for food, shelter, etc., and $110,244.38 for hospital and medical care.

Child welfare services.-The Territory has two separate and distinct child welfare programs, the Juvenile Code administration and Aid to Dependent Children. In addition, this Division in cooperation with the United States Children's Bureau of the Department of Labor administers a child welfare services program designed to establish, extend and strengthen services to children throughout Alaska. Federal funds for administration, available under the Social Security Act, approximate $11,000 annually. During the year 270 children

were assisted and a total of $66,024.87 was expended. On June 30, 1945, 95 children were being aided by the Mothers' Allowance fund. Defense, health, and welfare activities.-Assistance has been extended to dependent families of enemy aliens evacuated from Alaska or interned by military necessity. On June 30 there were 15 active cases of this type, representing 48 persons. Approximately $600 per month is being made available to the cases requiring assistance.

Child care program. This program, instituted in 1944 with the assistance of Lanham Act funds, was continued in 1945 to help in providing additional labor in the salmon canneries of Alaska by establishing and supervising child care centers in order to permit mothers to be available for employment. By June 30, 7 centers had been set up and more than 200 children were enrolled. Local cooperation and interest was especially keen this year for the continuance of the centers.

ALASKA PIONEERS' HOME

The Alaska Pioneers' Home at Sitka, with its auxiliary unit at Goddard Hot Springs, had 173 residents at the end of the fiscal year. Any worthy person incapable of self-support, who has been a resident of Alaska for 5 years and has no relative legally liable for his support, may be admitted to the Home upon application approved by the Board of Trustees, of which the Governor is chairman. This Home, wholly supported by the Territory, has been in continuous operation since 1913 and contains a completely equipped hospital unit. Upon cessation of hostilities an annex will be added to the modern structure at Sitka, and the temporary quarters at Goddard vacated.

SOCIAL SECURITY BOARD

The Social Security Board, a branch of the Federal Security Agency, maintains an office in Juneau. Through its Territorial Director, the Board grants Federal moneys to the Territorial Government to help finance old age assistance benefits and the Aid to Dependent Children law. It also grants funds to the Alaska Unemployment Compensation Commission to pay the complete cost of the administration of the Alaska Unemployment Compensation Law. This Board, in addition, administers the old age and survivors insurance provisions of the Social Security Act in the Territory of Alaska.

UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION COMMISSION

The 1945 Territorial Legislature amended the Alaska Unemployment Compensation Law effective July 1, 1945, by providing for coverage in establishments employing 1 or more presons for any portion of a day, as against 8 or more employees who had worked for a period of at least 20 weeks in the original law. It is estimated

that this will increase the number of workers covered in the Territory by 6,000 to 8,000.

There was a slight decrease in contribution tax collected on pay rolls during 1945, gross contributions being $1,918,689.11, a decrease of $53,362.31 from the previous year. The total amount paid on benefit claims was $34,091, an increase of $5,833 over the fiscal year 1944, of which 72 percent was paid to Alaska claimants.

TERRITORIAL GUARD

During the fiscal year 1944 some of the least active companies of the Guard in southeastern Alaska were disbanded, but new allocations in the western district partly compensated for this loss.

Ten enlisted men from the Alaskan Department, mostly noncommissioned officers, were detailed for a 6-month period to act as instructors for the Guard in the western district. Twenty-five buildings at Nome, which the Army had declared excess, were purchased and are being dismantled and transported to various Guard locations to be used as storehouses for Federal property which has been issued to the Guard, and additional buildings are being purchased at the present time.

Training of men in the school of the soldier and marksmanship continued with splendid results. Numerous preinductees found this instruction very valuable after they entered the armed service.

An outstanding feature of the Guard work during the year has been the prompt and efficient liaison service it has rendered in the western district in locating, reporting and safeguarding grounded Jap balloons, which service has been appreciated and commended by the War Department.

The past year has demonstrated that the Territorial Guard has a definite place and function in the defense of the Territory, especially in the areas bordering on Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean.

TRANSPORTATION

THE ALASKA RAILROAD

The changed war situation in Alaska is reflected in a smaller amount of freight and passenger business being handled in 1945 as compared to the peak year of 1944. Passenger and freight train service were operated regularly between Seward and Fairbanks. Service out of Anchorage to Whittier and to the coal mines in the Matanuska Valley was by mixed train.

Four river boats operated during the season of navigation on the Tanana and Yukon Rivers, furnishing service between Nenana and Marshall.

New construction included the erection of a 60-foot steel bridge; the partial completion of a second steel bridge 200 feet long; two employees' dormitories; a diesel locomotive shop at Anchorage, and one 22,000 gallon water station; and the beginning of construction on a second water station. A contract was let in May for the construction of a new hotel, depot, powerplant, cottages, and auxiliary buildings and facilities at Healy.

Gross operating revenues were $8,603,546.35, or 23.7 percent under 1944. The net income amounted to $1,936,840.79, a reduction of 63 percent under 1944.

Rail line passengers carried totalled 88,998 with a passenger revenue of $448,831.85. Passenger-miles aggregated 9,275,913, a decrease of 1,605,119 miles under 1944. Rail line freight hauled totalled 549,248 tons, with a freight revenue of $7,264,574.36. Net ton-miles of revenue freight moved were 101,785,968, 21.5 percent less than in 1944.

MARINE INSPECTION

The Merchant Marine Inspection Service of the Coast Guard, formerly the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation, has headquarters at Ketchikan. The service's regular duties include the inspection of vessels carrying freight or passengers for hire, the investigation of marine casualties and complaints on vessels, and the examining of candidates for marine licenses and certificates and the issuance of same.

STEAMSHIP COMPANIES

Alaska is served by five steamship companies: the Alaska Steamship Co., the Northland Transportation Co., and the Alaska Transportation Co. of Seattle, the Canadian National Steamships of Vancouver, British Columbia, and the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. of Victoria, British Columbia.

United States vessels operated by private industry have been under the operating control of the War Shipping Administration and statistics on tonnage and passengers handled are not available. The number of passengers carried by the Canadian National Steamships which operates only as far as Ketchikan was 5,355 north-bound and 4,915 south-bound; the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. carried 5,490 northbound passengers and 7,456 south-bound passengers.

VETERANS' ADMINISTRATION

A branch office of the Veterans' Administration, under the Regional Office in Seattle, Wash., was opened in Juneau on December 4, 1944.

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