During the school year 1928-29, 69 schools were maintained in districts outside of incorporated cities; 3 special schools also were maintained. The following statistical table contains detailed information regarding the enrollment and cost of these schools: 'Teachers' living quarters provided. 1,835, 3521, 534, 65 3 3, 370. 00 1 1,670. 76 790.69 11, 479. 90 2 371.81 2, 147. 38 1, 223. 74 2, 023. 22 311, 358. 89 1,687. 47 Part of expenditures cover rental, painting, repair, or purchase of school building. An estimate. Treasurer's report not received. 504.95 262.80 2 197.25 898.46 2 694. 70 274.55 2 702.65 5,993. 30 2,016. 35 1, 344. 77 1,420.99 2,921. 68 1,424.89 2,652. 10 2, 390. 12 18.74 158 5. 18 147 7.8 169 6.8 157 1 1,576. 28 16.5 152 1 1,697. 57 2, 461. 45 1,851. 71 2,081. 23 2,342.49 11.82 176 8.64 178 4.97 (9) 1 1,753. 55 211, 216. 77 Statistics of schools outside incorporated cities, 1928-29—Continued 1 Teachers' living quarters provided. 1, 494. 162347.53 13, 615. 45 2591.85 4,207.30 313,060, 00 21, 374. 75 111, 555, 00 337.53 111, 541. 73 1,784. 10 1 1, 383. 02 11, 856. 43 1, 256. 42 39 143, 717. 47 50, 190. 67 193, 908. 14 ? Part of expenditures cover rental, painting, repair, or purchase of school building. An estimate. Treasurer's report not received. Special schools. • 5 months. 79 months. $ School closed; teacher ill. CITIZENSHIP NIGHT SCHOOLS For the purpose of preparing foreigners for citizenship night schools were maintained in six communities during the school year 1928-29. One community maintained two such schools to better serve the need. A total of 186 students were enrolled. Of this number, 45 were aliens; 79 were declarants, or holders of first papers; 26 were petitioners, or applicants for second papers; and 36 were citizens of the United States. The total cost of maintenance of citizenship night schools was $2,665. 9 6.37 157 1,841.69 48 32. 45 172 39 36.62 177 4, 434.75 31 24.66 166 1,892 53 2702.96 2,244. @ 2,724 38 1,808.41 3, 112 85 The subjects taught were arithmetic, English (grammar, reading, spelling, penmanship), United States history, and civics. Twenty-four nationalities were represented in the enrollment, as The following statistical table covers the details of enrollment, attendance, instructors, and cost: 12 instructors divided between themselves the work and salary of 1 instructor. AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE AND SCHOOL OF MINES The past year has been a period of interesting developments in the building of the college. The land-grant college may properly be called the State's general utility educational factor. Its scope of endeavor must be to render an efficient service to every productive. industry domiciled within its border. To the regular four years' courses in agriculture, business administration, chemistry, civil engineering, general science, geology and mining, home economics, mining engineering, and metallurgy, there have been added courses in education under the following groupings: English and language, mathematics and natural science, business administration, and home economics. There is also offered a nonspecialized two years' course for teachers. In the college enrollment the following States are represented: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington. The Territorial legislature also passed a bill accepting the benefits of the provisions of the Hatch Act and the Smith-Lever Act as extended to Alaska by Congress. A failure, however, to include in the appropriation for the college an item of $15,000 to enable the col lege to equip the experimental station of the Department of Agriculture now located on the campus precludes the college from taking over this station at present, as planned by the department, and receiving the benefits of the Hatch Act. The Smith-Lever Act for extension work in agriculture and home economics will not become operative until July 1, 1930. The appropriation for the college for the biennium 1929-1931 is $105,000. A bill providing $2,000 for acquiring the skeletal remains of prehistoric animals was passed. The Territorial legislature also provided for a scholarship of two years' free dormitory rent to one member of each high-school graduating class in the Territory beginning with the year 1929. The awarding of these scholarships is based upon class standing. The library now contains 10,560 bound volumes. Through the courtesy of Mrs. Alfred H. Brooks the library of her husband, the late Dr. Alfred H. Brooks, becomes the property of the college. It consists of 2,250 bound volumes and several thousand bulletins and pamphlets. Under the agreement with Mrs. Brooks the library is kept in fireproof storage until it can be placed in a fireproof library building. The student loan fund founded by the Anchorage Woman's Club now amounts to $802.88. The Margaret R. Phipps scholarship of $600 each year for four years was awarded upon competitive examination to John R. Wilcox, of Valdez. One thousand two hundred dollars has been paid to Mr. Wilcox. The fund of $1,000 given by Mrs. E. Sternberger, of Greensboro, N. C., to assist worthy students, has an unexpended balance of $166.66. A prize fund of $250 given by Col. James Gordon Steese is held for award in accordance with the directions of the donor. A fund which must total $750 before it can be used was started by Mr. Edwin W. Orvis, of New York City, by a contribution of $150. Other contributors are Mr. Archie Shiels, of South Bellingham, Wash., $150; Mr. Oscar Breedman, of Chitina, Alaska, $100. The Alaska Railroad has authorized a round trip for a single fare available to students attending the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines. The authorization became operative March 1, 1929. The Department of the Interior, upon the recommendation of the governor, prepared a bill granting to the Territory 100,000 acres of agricultural land for the college, to be sold as provided in the bill and the proceeds to be a permanent fund for the college. This bill was passed by Congress and has been accepted by the Territorial legislature. The Bureau of Biological Survey under cooperative arrangement with the college has made very satisfactory progress with its studies in crossbreeding reindeer and caribou. It is also conducting feeding experiments with reindeer to determine the feasibility of "topping off" reindeer before the slaughtering season during later summer. Carrying capacity studies to determine actual acreage requirements of reindeer on various types of forage, and plant studies to ascertain the effect of climate on forage growth, have been initiated. In order to determine the digestive reaction of the reindeer to different natural forage types, digestive samples and forage samples are being collected for chemical analysis. In connection with the Biological Survey projects, six pasture areas totaling 813 acres have been fenced with net wire and an additional area of 432 acres is now in process of fencing. A herd of 18 caribou and reindeer is now pastured, and seven fawns were born this year. During the summer of 1929 it is planned to add 24 reindeer and 12 caribou to the herd. In cooperation with the Alaska Game Commission, three buffalo are also pastured in these corrals. The cooperative work with the United States Bureau of Mines ever since the Fairbanks station of the bureau was moved to the college has been highly satisfactory. Mineral determinations are made free of charge, and for assays a nominal charge only is made. During the fiscal year 1928-29 the following service was rendered: Custom assays made Official assays and analyses__ 742 33 195 324 In performing the above work the following determinations were made: Aluminum, 2; antimony, 4; arsenic, 4; coal, 5; cobalt, 2; chromium, 2; copper, 26; iron, 2; lead, 21; magnesium, 2; mercury, 2; molybdenum, 2; nickel, 1; platinum, 20; water, 8; zinc, 6; gold and silver, 885, requiring 1,110 fusions or scorifications and 911 cupellations. In cooperation with the Bureau of Education and upon the request of the Commissioner of Education for the United States, a course in reindeer management has been offered during the present year. Five natives, of whom four are Eskimo, have been taking this work. The college is strategically situated for carrying on seismological observations in liaison with other observatories throughout the world. The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey is now completing an especially designed seismograph for this service, and this instrument will be installed at the college during the fall of 1929. During the past winter scientific observations of the aurora were inaugurated. The preliminary observations were conducted by V. R. Fuller, professor of physics. The International Geodetic and Geophysical Union at its general assembly in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1927 emphasized the need for auroral observation in Alaska; and during April, 1929, the National Research Council, at Washington, D. C., indorsed the establishment of such an observatory at the college. The rapid commercial development of radio communication affords an immediate practical aspect to the investigation. Otto William Geist is now on a two years' expedition to St. Lawrence Island collecting anthropological and ethnological specimens for the college. Previous collections made by Mr. Geist in the Bering Sea area have enriched the college museum collection by more than 7,000 items. As a result of his work the college will have an exceptional collection of Arctic specimens, and in addition there will be much duplicate material for exchange purposes with other museums. Unfortunately this collection can not be properly exhibited until the college secures a fireproof museum building. |