The native nonwhite groups have remained relatively stable in recent years. The so-called whites increased 130 percent during the 1940-50 decennium, while the nonwhites increased 4.3 percent. The Alaska Development Board estimated Alaska's current population as of December 31, 1952, at about 160,000.16 Approximately 94 percent of Alaska's population consists of native born, and therefore United States citizens.17 Six percent are foreign born, many or most of whom may be citizens. Population density is greatest in the southeast section in which are located the cities of Ketchikan, Sitka, and Juneau; but the city of Anchorage, located in south-central Alaska, has the largest population in the Territory; in 1950 it numbered 11,254. The inland area around Fairbanks, in east-central Alaska, experienced heavy population increases during and after World War II; and the city of Fairbanks itself is roughly equal to Juneau in population.18 Hawaii's 1950 population contained the following racial distribution, according to the Bureau of the Census: 19 Approximately 22,000 of the total were members of the Armed Forces.20 About 87 percent of the total are United States citizens.21 The following racial distribution table was prepared from estimates released by the Territory of Hawaii, Bureau of Health Statistics. They include civilian population and do not reflect the military personnel stationed in the Territory. The accuracy of the estimates has been challenged in testimony before congressional committees.22 The white group made up 24.5 percent of Hawaii's population in 1940, and the combined total of the three principal Oriental groups made up 56.5 percent. The Hawaiians, including part Hawaiians, comprised 15.2 percent.26 The 1950 census, as indicated above, showed a white population of 23 percent, a combined Oriental population of 55.6 percent, and a Hawaiian population of 17.2 percent. Sixty-nine percent of Hawaii's population live in urban areas and 31 percent in rural areas. Honolulu, the principal city, had a 1950 population of 248,034, or 49 percent of the total of the Territory. The island of Oahu, on which Honolulu is located, had a population of 353,020, or 70 percent of the total for the Territory.27 16 Biennial Report of the Alaska Development Board, 1951-52, p. 9. 17 Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1953, p. 931. 18 Telephone conversation with Mr. H. B. Mitchell of the Bureau of the Census. 19 U. S. Bureau of the Census, 1950 Population Report P-B52, p. 52-13. 20 U. S. Bureau of the Census, series P-25, No. 76 (July 22, 1953). 21 U. S. Congress, House, 83d Cong., 1st sess., Rept. No. 109, p. 11. 22 Congressional Record, Apr. 23, 1953, p. A2260; ibid., July 20, 1953, p. A4725-26. 22 Ibid. 24 Annual Report of the Governor of Hawaii to the Secretary of the Interior, 1952, p. 55. 25 Ibid. 26 U. S. Bureau of the Census, 1950 Population Census Report P-B52, p. 52-13. 27 U. S. Bureau of the Census, 1950 Population Census Report P-A52, pp. 52-56, 52-58. The following is a comparison of Alaska and Hawaii in population and density per square mile with 12 of the least populous mainland States.28 The primary economic structures of both upon natural resources. Alaska's greatest mineral deposits, and in the sea around it. major natural resource. Alaska and Hawaii are dependent wealth is in vast and incalculable The soil continues to be Hawaii's Agriculture. Alaska has an estimated 2 million acres of arable land,29 of which only about 14,000 are "improved." 30 There were, in 1950, 525 farms encompassing 421,799 acres. Farm property was valued at $6,544,000, or about $15 per farm acre.31 The value of products sold in 1950, including crops, livestock, fur animals and pelt, poultry, and dairy products, was approximately $1,572,000.32 Hawaii has about 308,580 acres under "intensive" cultivation.33 That figure represents the near maximum potential because of terrain and rainfall factors. There were 5,750 farms in 1950, encompassing 2,432,069 acres. Farm property was valued at $195,277,000, or about $80 an acre.34 The value of agricultural products sold in 1951 was approximately $273,852,000. That included a sugar crop of $136,052,000; a pineapple crop of $100 million; a diversified livestock and crop yield of $35 million; and a coffee crop valued at $2,800,000.35 Fisheries.-Fishing is Alaska's major industry at present. In 1950, a so-called off year, the catch was 263,302,000 pounds, which had a sale value of more than $96,201,000.36 Since Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867 at a price of $7,200,000, fish valued at $2,225,711,100 has been shipped to the United States.37 A total of 27,544 persons, including 6,604 natives, were engaged in the Alaska fisheries in 1950.38 Hawaii has a relatively small inshore fishing industry and an increasing deep-sea fishing industry. Total catch for fiscal 1950-51 was 19,219,884 pounds, valued at $3,963,614.39 The Governor of Hawaii reported fishing industry production up 20 percent in fiscal 1952.40 Minerals.-Alaska has yielded a billion dollars in minerals since its purchase. Approximately two-thirds of the total was in gold. Mineral deposits occur in 28 Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1952, pp, 8, 12, 14; S. Rept. No. 315, 82d Cong., 1st sess., p. 44. 29 Information on the Territory of Alaska submitted to the Secretary-General of United Nations pursuant to article 73 (e) of the charter, 1947, p. 10. 30 Alaska Statehood, Alaska Statehood Commission, 1952, p. 30. 31 Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1952, p. 605. 32 Alaska Statehood, Alaska Statehood Commission, 1952, p. 31. 33 Annual Report of the Governor of Hawaii, 1952, p. 5. 34 Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1952, p. 605. 35 Hawaii Facts and Figures, Chamber of Commerce of Honolulu, 1951, ch. III. 36 Alaska Statehood, Alaska Statehood Commission, 1952, p. 32-33. 37 Biennial Report of the Alaska Development Board, 1951-52, p. 6. 38 Annual Report of the Governor of Alaska, 1951, p. 33. 39 Hawaii Facts and Figures, op. cit., p. 36. 40 Annual Report of the Governor of Hawaii, 1952, p. 6. great variety and over a wide area. The average mineral production in Alaska in recent years is $18 million annually, with a 1950 production of $17,852,000.41 Gold-289,272 troy ounces-accounted for $10,125,000 of the 1950 yield. Second was coal, of which 412,000 short tons were marketed for $3,033,000.42 Other minerals found in Alaska include antimony, copper, lead, mercury, platinum metals, construction materials, silver, tin, tungsten, zinc, iron, cobalt, manganese, nickel, titanium, cadmium, petroleum, natural gas, and others.43 The mining industry employed 2,262 persons during 1950.44 Hawaii has no known metallic mineral deposits. $1,775,000 were quarried in the Territory in 1950.45 Lime and stone valued at Timber.-Alaska's coastal and interior forests are estimated at 375,000 square miles. The potential annual cut is 1 billion board-feet. Only a small fraction of that figure has ever been processed in any 1 year since cutting operations began in 1878.46 Two national forests, lying along the southeastern coast, cover about 5.5 percent of the total area of the Territory. Estimated timber stands in these 2 reserved forests alone total about 85 billion board-feet. Timber cut from the 2 areas in fiscal 1950 totaled 60 million board-feet.47 A number of mills operate in the vast unreserved interior forests. Commercial sales of timber from the interior have varied from 24 to 29 million board-feet annually in recent years.48 More than one-fourth of the total land area of Hawaii is under forest-reserve status, but there is little income from forest products. The forest-reserve area is set up primarily as a safeguard for water resources needed for domestic and agricultural use. 49 Waterpower.-Bureau of Reclamation engineers have found hydroelectric power sites in Alaska capable of producing more than 50 billion kilowatt-hours of energy annually. The total installed capacity of hydroelectric powerplants, as of 1949, was about 32,000 kilowatt-hours. The capacity of nonhydroelectric plants, as of the same date, was about 45,000 kilowatt-hours.50 Hydroelectric power resources in Hawaii are of minor value. But the islands have 8 electricity generating firms which in 1949 produced about 600 million kilowatt-hours of energy 51 Transportation.-Alaska's road system consists of a system of main roads connecting major points and various local roads connecting isolated inhabited areas. The territory had about 3,700 miles of highways in 1952.52 The principal islands of the Hawaiian group contain 2,033 miles of public roads, streets, and highways. Primary highways comprise 633 miles; secondary highways, 660 miles; and local roads, 740 miles. 53 The Alaska Railroad, owned and operated by the Federal Government, consists of 539.7 miles of main and branch lines. The White Pass and Yukon route, owned by Canadian capital, operates 20.4 miles of track in Alaska.54 The Oahu Railroad & Land Company provides the only railroad facilities in Hawaii, operating in Honolulu's industrial district and connecting it with the principal piers.55 Both Alaska and Hawaii have extensively developed and widely used air and water transportation facilities. Employment.-Alaska in fiscal 1952 had an employment of 19,707 in January and 45,938 in August, the lowest and peak months, respectively.56 For the same year, Hawaii had an average monthly employment of 184,600.57 41 Biennial Report of the Alaska Development Board, 1950-52, p. 6; Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1952, p. 691. 42 Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1952, p. 691. 43 Biennial Report of the Alaska Development Board, 1951-52, p. 6, 15. 44 Annual Report of the Governor of Alaska, 1951, p. 60. 45 Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1952, p. 691. 46 Information on the Territory of Alaska transmitted to the Secretary-General of United Nations pursuant to article 73 (e) of the charter, 1949, pp. 37-38. 47 Annual Report of the Governor of Alaska, 1951, p. 36. 48 Mid-Century Alaska, United States Department of the Interior, Office of Territories, 1952, p. 126. 49 Annual Report of the Governor of Hawaii, 1952, p. 6. 50 Information on the Territory of Alaska transmitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations prusuant to article 73 (e) of the charter, 1949, pp. 44-45. 51 Information on the Territory of Hawaii transmitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations pursuant to article 73 (e) of the charter, 1949, p. 27. 52 Biennial Report of the Alaska Development Board, 1951-52, p. 10. 53 Information on the Territory of Hawaii transmitted to the Secretary-General of United Nations pursuant to article 73 (e) of the charter, 1948, p. 68. 54 Mid-Century Alaska, United States Department of the Interior, 1952, p. 27. 55 Hawaii Facts and Figures, 1951, p. 56. 56 Biennial Report of the Alaska Development Board, 1951-52, p. 13. 57 Annual Report of the Governor of Hawaii, 1952, p. 41. 1 Annual Report of United States Commissioner of Internal Revenue, 1952, p. 154. Local taxation.-For fiscal 1951, the Alaska Department of Taxation collected a gross total of $11,256,202.58 Hawaii, for the same year, collected $70,193,110.59 The fiscal 1952 total for Alaska was $15,100,543;60 for Hawaii, it was $75,464,407.61 Exports and imports.-Exports of Alaskan products in 1947 (the last year for which figures for both Alaska and Hawaii were collated by the Statistical Abstract), totaled $125,548,863, while imports amounted to $117,311,766. For the same year, Hawaii's exports were $236,432,720 and its imports $349,627,410.62 Although the Statistical Abstract is deficient for later years for each Territory, in the case of Hawaii figures for 1951 are available in the Governor's 1952 report. In fiscal 1951 Hawaii exported products worth $238,740,000; its imports were valued at $400,831,000. For Alaska and Hawaii alike, trade almost exclusively was with the continental United States.63 Finance.-Expenditures of the Territorial government of Alaska for fiscal 1952 totaled $20,769,638.64 Expenditures of Hawaii's Territorial government for the same year amounted to $95,398,225.65 Hawaii's cost of county government, as distinct from Territorial expenditures, in fiscal 1952 was $62,346,534.66 Alaska has no county government. Estimates of the added cost of statehood for Alaska range from $7 million to $11,500,000 per annum.67 Estimates of increased costs for Hawaii under statehood are lacking; little doubt has been expressed that Hawaii easily could afford statehood. In 1949 the Alaskan Legislature adopted a modern tax system presumed capable of supporting the Territorial government. Rates of income, inheritance, gross receipts, and tobacco levies are about on a level with those in the States. Other rates are below the national average.68 Hawaii has a tax system which includes every major type of tax found among the States.69 Education. Alaska's Territorial government operates 88 public schools and the University of Alaska. In addition, the Federal Government maintains schools in about 100 native villages where no Territorial schools exist. The Territorial public schools are supported largely by appropriations from the Territorial treasury. The 26 incorporated schools in the Territory are reimbursed to 75-85 percent of their operating expenses; support of schools outside incorporated districts is furnished entirely by the Territorial Legislature; the funds are distributed through the office of the Territorial Commissioner of Education." The total number of children in Alaska receiving education in fiscal 1952 was 21,171.71 58 Annual Report of the Governor of Alaska, 1951, p. 28. 67 U. S. Congress, Senate, 83d Cong., 1st sess., hearing before the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs on S. 50 and S. 224, August 1953, p. 178-186. 68 U. S. Congress, Senate, 82d Cong., 1st sess., Rept. 315, p. 36-38. 69 Hawaii Facts and Figures, 1951, p. 46. 70 Mid-Century Alaska, U. S. Department of the Interior, 1952, p. 55-58. 71 Annual Report of the Governor of Alaska, 1952, p. 35. 72 Ibid., p. 37. The Territory of Hawaii operates 195 public schools and the University of Hawaii, also a land-grant school. There is one standard for all public schools, rural and urban. Enrollment in the public schools in January 1952 was 96,837. The university, which awards the Ph. D. as well as the lesser degrees, had a 1951 enrollment of 5,755.73 Government. Both Alaska and Hawaii are incorporated Territories of the United States. Acquired by purchase from Russia in 1867, Alaska was almost entirely neglected until 1884. An act of Congress in the latter year set up machinery for a district government to be regulated by the Secretary of the Interior. The organizational setup was expanded in 1900 to meet the demands of an expanded population. Alaska was authorized in 1906 to elect a nonvoting Delegate to Congress. The incorporated Territory of Alaska was created by the Organic Act of August 24, 1912. Both Territorial governments are divided into executive, legislative, and judicial branches, with the executive power vested in a governor, appointed by the President with Senate approval. After 88 years of independence, first as a monarchy and later as a republic, Hawaii was annexed by treaty to the United States in 1898. The government of the Territory was established by the Hawaiian Organic Act of April 30, 1900, which still serves as its charter. Citizens of both Alaska and Hawaii are citizens of the United States. They may vote for local officers and their Territorial Delegates to Congress. They do not have a vote in national elections. The Territorial governors are appointed for 4-year terms by the President with the approval of the Senate. Administrative officers are appointed by the governors with the approval of either or both houses of the Territorial Legislature, in the case of Alaska; as for Hawaii, confirmation by the Territorial Senate alone is required. The governors have veto power, both total and item, but these vetoes can be overridden by a two-thirds vote of all members to which each legislative house is entitled. Both Alaska and Hawaii have bicameral legislatures. Alaska's Senate has 16 members and Hawaii's 15. The Alaska House of Representatives consists of 24 members, whereas Hawaii's has 30. The Alaska judiciary consists of a district court with four divisions, similar (but not identical) in jurisdiction to a United States district court. The district court is presided over by judges appointed by the President and the Senate for 4-year terms. Appeals are taken to the United States circuit court of appeals at San Francisco. The probate and magistrate courts, inferior Territorial bodies, are presided over by commissioners appointed by the district judges. Hawaii has Territorial and Federal courts. Similar to State judicial organization, the Territorial system consists of a supreme court, circuit courts, and inferior courts created by the legislature. The Federal court is a United States district court, consisting of two judges. Federal appeals are also taken to the United States circuit court of appeals at San Francisco.74 73 Hawaii Facts and Figures, 1951, p. 22-24; Annual Report of the Governor of Hawaii, 1952, p. 57. 74 Library of Congress, Legislative Reference Service, the Government of American Territories-A Brief Outline of Status, Government, and Voting Rights of the More Important Territories, by William R. Tansill, revised September 14, 1953. |