The
ALASKA SOURDOUGH
Published for the Sourdough and
the Chechako as well, by A. B. Calla
ham.
Subscription price, $3.00 a year;
Six Months, $1.60; Three Months, $1.00.
Single Copies Ten Cents.
Issued Every Tuesday
Entered at tho Post Office at Doug
las, Alaska, as second class mail mat
ter
Home Office, Old Methodist Church
Building, Douglas, Alaska. Tel. 36.
THE YEAR’S ALASKA ESTIMATES
The annual estimates transmitted to
Congress this month by the Secretary
of the Treasury of appropriations need
ed for the public objects in Alaska are
larger by about $45,000 than those of
last year, and probably larger than in
any year in the history of the terri
tory except when the estimates were
submitted for the construction of the
Alaska telegraphic cable. These esti
mates call for eleven direct apropria
tions for this territory, aggregating
$848,430, as against $803,530 last year.
These appropriations, however, by no
means include all those which will be
applicable, in whole or in part to, Al
aska, since many of the objects of
expenditure in this territory are de
frayed from large general appropria
tions of Congress which are intended
to include federal projects all over the
United States. Neither does the ag
gregate given above include the sala
ries of any public officers execpt those
employed under the fisheries service
and the appropriations for game pro
tection and suppression of the liquor
traffic. If all those parts of general
appropriations aplicable to Alaska were
added to the direct appropriations for
this terirtorv, the total would be in
the neighborhood of two million dollars.
The total revenues colected in Alas
ka, contrary to general belief, are not
more than one-fifth or one-fourth of
the amount of public money which the
government spends every year in the
territory. The total rveuues in Alas
ka during the last fiscal year, exclu
sive only of the local property taxes
collected in the incorporated towns, and
the customs and internal revenue re
ceipts, were only $398,135.
This year’s estimates of the direct,
specific appropriations for Alaska, not
ineluding the ciphers of any officers,
the whole cost of the administration of
justice (which alone is about $500,000 a
year), or any of the large, general ap
propriations which are applicable, in
part, to this terirtory, are as follows:
Fishery regulation .$145,430
Cable & telegraphic impvts 50,000
Investigation of coal. 50.Q00
Care of Insane . 50,000
Game protection . 15,000
Education of natives,. 248,000
Sitka national monument.... 1,000
Marking Alaska boundary.. 150,000
Suppression of liquor traffic 12,000
Reindeer . 12,000
Aids to navigation . 115,000
Total.$848,430
This year’s estimates for fishery reg
ulation are $4000 in excess of last-year;
for education of natives, $48,000 larg
er; and for aids to navigation, $55,000
larger. On the other hand, it was es
timated that the improvements of the
telegraph system would cost $24,000 les
than last year, and the work of mark
ing the Alaska boundary $50,000 less.
Also, no separate estimate was made for
land surveys this year (although no
appropriation of $50,000 was made for
this purpose last year) but a general
appropriation of $450,000 will be appli
cable, in part, to the work of survey
ing lands in Alaska.
It is highly probable that the appro
priations actually made by Congress
at the present session will be largely
in excess of the aggregate amount es
timated above. For example, no esti
mate is included for a special, appro
priation for work on roads and trails'
in addition to the moneys derived, from
tie Alaska fund, although it is quite
probable that Congress will appropri
ate a supplemental amount, as has been
done every year since the road cop*'
mission was established, and for which
the average yearly appropriations for
this period have been $191,666. It :s
to be understood that this is entirely
additional to the moneys applicable to,
the ropd work which come from the
Alaska fund. The Alaska fund, which
virtually is an additional appropria
tion for this territory, amounted this
year to $271,880.
In commenting on this year’s esti
'mates today, Governor Clark said:
“Ever since I have known anything
about conditions in Alaska I havo
found as much reason as anybody else
to complain of the general neglect of
this territory by past congresses, but
it is only fair to say that while many
things have been neglected a few oth
ers have been generously dealt with,
and on the whole the legislative branch
of the government cannot be accused
of any lack of liberality towards this
territory. It is a surprisingly common
subject of remark that Alaska contri
butes much more to the federal treas
ury in the way of taxes than is ex
pended by the government in the terri
tory. The fact is that congress has ev
ery year since the territory was ac
quired expended more public money
in Alaska than has been derived from
Alaska; and for the last several years
the expenditures have been from
four to six times as much as the re
ceipts from all sources in Alaska.”
THE ALASKA MOON
' The concensus of opinion about
town now, says the Fairbanks News
Miner, is to the effect that the reported
eruption of some volcano in the Alas
kan range to the soutth was nothing
more nor less than the moon, and ac
cordingly those who thought they saw
a volcano and who spread the story are
wearing rather sheepish grins.
The moon in this country always is
a peculiar acting body, peculiar to one
who is accustomed to its actions in low
er latitudes. At some times it just
peeps over the souther nhorizon,
skims along a short distance and then
gfioes down, while at other times it al
most forgets to go to bed at all, be
hind the norther horizon, and circles
around the sky for as much as trenty
three hours in a stretch.
Yesterday, the moon was in its first
quarter, and the night before it bare
ly appeared above the southern hori
zon beyond the peaks of the Alaskan
range, and was viscible for only a
short time in the evening before set
tling back out of sight. On the hori
zon the refraction of the air layers al
ways distorts any object, hence it was
that some mistook the luminary for a
volcano eruption. At the fire hall all
the boys noted the peculiar appearance
of the moon, but did not get excited
about "a conical shaped flame rising
and falling,'‘ “a glow on the neighbor
ing peaks/’ nor were they surprised,
wheq, after a short time, the moon dis
apepared behind a low fringe of clouds
along the peaks that "pall of smoke"
hid, itso it was not visible again that
night.
again, much
Last night the moon appeared again,
much to the excitement of some who
thought that the volcano was again in
eruption. Being the second day of the
first quarter, however, the, moon rose a
little higher an dthere was no doubt
about its being the moon on this occas
ion. Hence the excitement subsided
and the sheepish grins appeared.
As was anticipated, Mr. Pinchot
comes out in opposition to the policy of
Mr. Fsher, the able secretary of the
interior. Seward has had the oppor
tunity to hear both of these gentlemen
speak. Mr. Fisher is frank, out spo
ken, bold and self-reliant. He had an
opinion upon the matters which he
came to Alaska to investigate, but like
all big men said he was ready to mo
dify his views and preconceived ideas,
as he gained new light and added in
formation. Mr. Pinchot on the con
trary, was non-communicative to a de
gree, and after his speech delivered
here, one could get no better idea of
his policy or his view of the matter un
der discussion than before his exposi
tion on the subject. Mr. Fisher is es
sentially a leader, Mr. Pinchot mani
festly lacks the initiative. Alaskans
assure a manof the Fisher type. They
may respect the Pinchot type, but they
could never accept him as a leader of
men.—Seward Gateway.
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