Mrs. HANSEN. $25.6 million was appropriated for this activity in 1972. What is your budget estimate for fiscal year 1973?

Mr. SYKES. We are requesting $45 million liquidating cash relating to an obligational program of $53,941,000, which uses up all of the authority that was in the 1970 Highway Trust Fund.

Mrs. HANSEN. Are you trying to increase your authority?

Mr. SYKES. Yes, ma'am. Our highway people are working now with the Bureau of Public Roads to have that increased and it will be in the 1972 Highway Act.

Mrs. HANSEN. What was the unexpended cash balance in this appropriation account as of January 31, 1972.

Mr. SYKES. We can supply that for the record.

(The information follows:)

The unexpended cash balance for "Road construction" as of January 31, 1972, is $13,676,805.

NEED FOR SUPPLEMENTAL

Mrs. HANSEN. Explain in detail why this request is so urgent that it needs to be included in the supplemental request.

Mr. FLEAK. Madam Chairman, I am Robert Fleak, Chief of the Division of Transportation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. We need this supplemental in order to pay for preconstruction planning to accelerate road construction in the next fiscal year. It is logical to do our planning in advance of our construction and that is what the funds are to be made available for this fiscal year, for preconstruction costs.

Mrs. HANSEN. How much of this work will be done in-house and how much by contract?

Mr. FLEAK. I don't have the breakdown of that amount.

Mrs. HANSEN. Please insert a list of whom you are contracting with.
Mr. FLEAK. Yes, ma'am.

Mrs. HANSEN. Do you do any contracts with tribes, for example?
Mr. FLEAK. We contract with consultants to do design work.

(Note: The Department failed to supply the information in time to be inserted in the record.)

ALASKA NATIVE FUND

Mrs. HANSEN. Please insert the item from House Document 92-215, the justifications, and your general statement in the record at this point.

(The item, statement, and justifications follow :)

BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS

ALASKA NATIVE FUND

For payment to the "Alaska Native Fund", as authorized by the Act of December 18, 1971 (Public Law 92-203), $12,500,000.

Payments are made to the natives and native groups of Alaska for settlement of certain lands claims and for other purposes, as authorized by the act of December 18, 1971 (Public Law 92-203).