THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome. Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER.Editors
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943. at the postoffice at
Nome. Alaska, under the Act of March 3. 1879.
Monday, September 23, 1946
Solving The Backhaul Problem
(Anchorage Daily Times)
The need of a backhaul for transportation systems op
erating to, from and within Alaska has long been recog
nized as one of the factors in high costs.
The Alaska Railroad has the bulk of its business mov
ing north from Seward. But it must return the freight
cars to the southern terminus empty.
The Alaska Steamship line also has heavy freight
loads on northbound voyages, and empty bottoms mak
ing the return.
Airplanes, too, experience the same problem. They
have heavy freight movements from the States to the
Territory, and heavy loads from Anchorage to interior
points. But the planes must return to their southern
base empty.
The only exception seems to be that coming with the
annual migration of seasonal workers to and from Alas
ka. Passenger traffic, however, is usually a small item
in the total business of a transportation company.
At first glance these facts on the one-way haul of the
transportation companies do not seem to line up )yith
the trade figures compiled by federal government agen
cies.
Customs reports show that Alaska has almost always
exported goods of greater value than she has imported,
giving her a favorable trade balance.
It would seem that the southbound trips of the vari
ous transports would entail heavier loads than would
the northbound trips. How come that the problem of
empty boats, trains and planes is most acute when they
are southbound?
The answer seems to lie in the fact that the export
items are chiefly canned salmon and gold. The salmon
pack is taken to the States over a short period, much of
it on steamships chartered and operated for that pur
pose by the packers themselves. Steamers on regular
trips to Alaska have this back-haul only for a few weeks
each year. Once this load has been moved, the bulk of
the Alaska export business has been accomplished for
the year.
The gold does not make a very bulky commodity to
move even during the banner years of gold mining. Un
fortunately for The Alaska Railroad especially, the sea
son’s work could be packed into one or two heavy boxes
and moved out in one box car.
The main industry of Alaska during the war, and
probably until the next war—that of building military
installations—does not create any commodity that can
be shipped to the States.
Under these circumstances it is readily seen that
Alaska can have a favorable trade balance and yet have
only a small amount of freight moving south compared
to that moving north.
Air carriers are especially interested in developing
a backhaul for their planes. They already have a heavy
freight business from the States to Alaska.
The carriers have expressed interest in developing
fresh frozen Alaska fish and berries for export to the
States. Alaska has a cranberry which is the popular lin
gonberry that is now imported to the United States
from Sweden. Its strawberries and raspberries ripen
after the berry season is over in the States. These Alas
ka items would find a ready market were they to be
made available.
Substantial progress in the movement of Alaska fish
to the States was made this week when an American
STILL WAITING FDR HIS SHIP TO COME IN
Airlines plane carried 5,000 pounds of Cordova fish to
Los Angeles.
Further exploration of the potentialities of Alaskan
food products will doubtessly result in new discoveries
of items that can be moved successfully and sold imme
diately.
Economists of the airlines are making inquiries at
present with the view of making these discoveries.
They are rendering Alaska a service that may well lead
to the development of new enterprises as well as lower
tariffs for both passengers and freight.
Activities of Alaska
Develoment Board
Outlined
The activities of the Alaska De
velopment Board since its incep
tion are outlined in a report being
made by the Governor to the De
partment of the Interior this
month.
Numbered high in the list of ac
complishments was the employ
ment of a legal advisor, who is an
expert on maritime affairs, to ren
i resent the Territory in the rat-'
! hearings called by the Maritime
j Commission on petition of the War
) Shipping Administration for the
steamship companies. Through the
efforts of this legal expert, the pe
tition of the steamship companies
to raise the rates 100 percent was
given an open leisurely hearing
instead of being rushed to conclu
sion. As a result of the hearings
i held in Washington, D. C., Alaska
j and Seattle, the petition of the
j steamship companies was disal
lowed and Alaskans were saved
any increase in rates for the time
being. The net saving to all resi
dent of Alaska is difficult to es
timate, but it would be safe to say
it amounts to at least five million
dollars. A coordinated defense
would have been impossible for
all Alaskan residents if the De
velopment Board had not taken
the initiative.
In its efforts to promote the
economic growth of Alaska, the
Development Board has directly
influenced the Associated Frozen
Foods to launch a project for
quick freezing fish and vegetables.
It has interested experienced
resort operators in establishing
tourist lodges in at least two
areas.
Its representatives have ans
wered thousands of inquiries from
prospective investors and settlers
directed either to the Board orig
inally or referred to the Board by
other agencies of Alaska and the
United States.
Its representatives have also
visiting the leading cities of the
United States and contacted per
sonally over two-hundred repre
sentatives of capital and industry
relative to possible investment in
Alaska. These contacts have cov
ered in general the following ac
tivities: pulp and news print, min
| ing, housing, R.F.C. loans, fish
! recreation, veterans, public works,
I tourist lodges and hotels, creosote
j plants, surplus property, small
business, airlines, saw mills, furs,
: curios, fish skin, education, hair
i s e a 1 s , uranium, prospectors’
j schools, stocking streams, state
hood, fellowship, publicity, Cham
ber of Commerce, steamship serv
ice, publication of pamphlets.
While every pulp and newspint
manufacturer in the United States
has been contacted, the bulk of
them still consider costs and other
handicaps too great to warrant in
vestment here at this time. How
ever, two newsprint concerns, one
considering a 200,000-ton a year
operation and the other 120,000
tons a year, have conducted exten
sive surveys in the Territory with
in the past few months and are
currently working up detailed
cost figures. One pulp mill is be
ing seriously considered; two
others will visit the Territory
shortly, and one craft paper mill
and one high alpha dissolving mill
examined the Territory closely
and decided against operation at
this particular time.
Numerous contacts and working
arangements have been establish
ed with saw mill interests, who
have been brought into the Terri
tory by the Forestry Service, and
are enlarging and improving saw
mills in the present communities.
| NATIVE CO-OP STORE
MEETING CONCLUDED
A meeting of Native Co-op 5
heads has just been complete
White Mountain. The folio1
store managers have been ret
ed to their homes by the A1
Airlines. Frank Degnan, Ui
kleet; Sisom Bekolook, Shal
lik; David Saccheus, Moses P
Peter Anayak to Nome for ]
Island. John Paden, the dir<
j of the organized stores was a
senger to Unalakleet.
LEO SEIDENVERG
VISITING IN NOME
Leo Seidenverg, pioneer IS
merchant, has been visiting
his son and family for the
week and returned today to
: chorage where he has his sto
Leo states that his wife is ii
States and he plans to spend
winter out there with her and
they will both return next :
mer to Anchorage.
MRS. DON WIGGINS
VISITING IN NOME
Mrs. Don Wiggins of the 1
Airlines at Fairbanks is vis
in Nome for a few days. Tl'
Mrs. Wiggins’ first real visit
i she is enjoying visiting with r
Nomeites she has meet in
banks enroute to Nome. She i
| guest of Mr. and Mrs. Ric
| Webb.
MRS. JIM McALEE
LEAVES FOR JUNEAU
Mrs. Jim McAlee, secretai
Judge J. Kehoe has been c
! to Juneau by the judge to
him there as the Juneau secr<
| Mildred Maynard is being
[ ried. Mrs. McAlee expects 1
gone until about the first ol
; vember, and states that Jim
| Alee will return with her.
HARRY DODSONS
STOP-OVER IN NOME
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Dodson
have been operating their mi
American River arrived in
over the week-end enroute t
States for the winter.
VETS REGIONAL DIRECTC
HERE FOR FEW DAYS
Harry Palmer Regional D
tor of Veterans arrived in ]
today to assist veterans
problems. He can be cont
I at the Wallace Hotel.
Special efforts have been ma
| contact specialty users of
spruce and birch. A creocote
| is about ready to be establ
i in Wrnagell if the greatest
1 of treated woods, namely
I Alaska Railroad and the
Commission, will give the
pective operators some id<
their annual needs.
In the field of mining. clos<
son has been established wit
Alcoa Mining Company for
limestone operation at Edna
Active assistance has been
to the development of the E
River coal fields, the zinc pro
and a possible uranium de
The idea of prospectors’ s<
and prospectors’ aids has
promoted actively. Efforts ai
ing made to coordinate the
of the Geological Survey, B
of Mines and Territorial Coi
sioner of Mines.
Efforts are being made to
the Alaska Railroad by cri
an Alaska supply of treatec
by establishing a foundry i
rail-belt, a flour mill in the
belt, and by seeking to s
Y.M.C.A. service.
(To be continued)