PINCHOT’S LATEST VIEW
Veey pertinent, and exceedingly in
teresting is Gifford Pinchot’s article
in the Saturday Evening Post of Aug
ust 26, in answer to a query of his own
propounding, “What Shall We Do
With the Coal in Alaska f’’
In this article Pinchot insists that
he has always been in favor of the im
mediate opening of these fields. Not
even an Alaskan could make a strong
er argument that he for the immediate
throwing onto the market of these vast
fields. “There must be,” he says “a
strong reason why these prodigeous
stores of fuel, in seams measuring,
$some of them, twenty to fifty feet or
more of solid coal—easy to reach, easy
to mine, and easy to sell, should have
remained locked up until now. The
wonder grows when we consider that
Washington, Oregon and California are
without any considerable supply of
high grade fuel of their own, and that
good steam coal sells in San Francisco
for more than three times what it
brings in Uew York. The government
recently paid $28 dollars a ton in Alas
ka for coal it could have bought in
N&wport News for less than three. Yet,
not half a dozen coal mines have been
opened in Alaska, and the combined
product of all of them is altogether in
significant. Here is a situation which
well deserves to be called amazing and
intolerable. Let it be kept clearly in
mind that the non-use of Alaska coal
serves no good purpose whatever. The
less coal is burned in the long Alaska
winters, the greater the drain upon the
forests for fuel. The present indus
tries of the territory are hampered and
restrained by the high cost of fuel;
transportation suffers and the estab
lishment of new industries is discour
aged and deferred. If coal were as
cheap in the market as nature has
made it abundant in the ground the
growth for which Alaska has waited
would now be well begun. ’ ’
Pinchot washes his hands of all re
sponsibility for these “amazing and
intolerable’’ conditious. He would
have it understood, that it is the stub
borness of congress which is to blame
and if not congress, then the Alaska
claimants.
When accounts of the Cordova coal
party filled the eastern press, Pinchot
declared that he had never favored the
tying up of these coal fields, that he
had always been in favor of opening
them. But he is not, in this article,
able to go much farther back than that
for proof of his favoring the putting
of this fuel upon the market.
Mr. Pinchot touches briefly on the
Cunningham claims, refers to the re
cent decision finding them fraudulent,
and does not go very deeply into that
case, but he does admit that the law
under which the claimants ^ere com
pelled to act to be a very difficult one
to work under. The Sourdough agrees
with Secretary Fisher that it is much
better to discuss what may be done,
rather than what has been done, but
the Cunningham case will always seem
to very many Alaskans to be a crime
forced by public sentiment against
those—not Guggenheims either—who
spent thousands of dollars in good
faith in an effort to develop the coun
try. Perhaps regarded in the light
merely of an injury done to those
claimants, which may in future years
redound to the benefit of the country,
and the whole people, the crime may
have been justified, but it will cer
tainly tend to retard the development
of Alaska in that it cannot help but
discourage the investment of capital
in a country where the investor cannot
confidently expect absolute protection.
After all, perhaps, the average Al
askan is far more interested in ob
taining fuel at a price consistent with
the natural advantages of the country,
than with the rights and wrongs of any
particular individual. Pinchot, really,
offers little hope fqr any immediate
escape for Alaska from the inaction
which is due to the divergent views of
the various schools of conservation
ists. For instance, while Pinchot fav
ors the leasing of the coal lands on the
general plan of the Nelson bill, he
gives as his main reason for opposing
that measure, that the royalty allow
ed the government by that bill was
too low. In this, he will receive little
sympathy from Alaskans. Pinchot
favors, and the Nelson bill provided,
for provisions which would limit the
profit of the operator, and therefore,
every dollar of royalty must come out
of the pocket of the consumer. The
resources of a government should be
developed for the benefit of the people
rather than the enrinchment of the
general government.
There is a strong indication in this
article of Pinchots that it will along
time before the various schools of con
servationists get together on the terms
upon which we may burn our own coal,
and that whether, when they have
finally agreed, leasers will be found
who have the capital and are willing
to invest it under the conditions im
posed, is entirely problematical.
Through the entire article runs the
idea that Alaska is the oyster of the
easterner who has toasted his toes at
his fireside, rather than to the pioneer
who conquers the wilderness, and that
the easterner intends to open it at his
leisure.
STEAMSHIP SCHEDULE
Northbound
Sept. 1:—Princess May, Canadian Pa
cfic S.S. Co. City of Seattle, Pacific
Coast S.S. Co.
Sept. 4:—Northwestern, Alaska 8.S. Co.
Sept. 5:—Princess Royal, Canadian Pa
cific S. S. Co.
Sept. 6:—Humboldt, Humboldt S.S. Co
Sept. 7:—Ramona, Pacific Coast 8.S.C0
Howard Ewing, agent, Juneau.
Sept. 9:—Dolphin, Alaska S.S. Co.
Sept. 12:—City of Seattle, Pacific
Coast S. S. Co.
Sept. 13:—Princess May, Canadian Pa
cific S. S. Co.
Sept.- 15:—Jefferson, Alaska S.S. Co.
Sept. 16:—Princess Royal, Canadian
Pacifiic S.S. Co.
Sept. 17:—Humboldt, Humboldt S.S.Co.
Sept. 18:—Ramona, Pacific Coast S.S.
Co.
Co.
Sept. 20:—Dolphin, Alaska S.S. Co.
Sept. 23:—City of Seattle, Pacific
Coast S.S. Co. Princess May, Cana
ian Pacific S.S. Co.
Sept. 24:—Bertha, Alaska Coast S.S.Co.
Sept. 26:—Jefferson, Alaska S.S. Co.
Sept. 27:—Princess Royal, Canadian
Pacific; S. S. Humboldt, Humboldt S.
S. Co.
Sept. 29:—Ramona, Pacific Coast S.S.Co.
Southbound
Sept. 2:—City of Seattle, Princess May.
Sept. 6:—Princess Royal.
Sept. 7:—Humboldt.
Sept. 8:—Ramona.
Sept. 10:—Dolphin.
Sept. 13:—City of Seattle.
Sept. 14:—Princess May.
Sept. 16:—Admiral Sampson.
Sept. 17:—Princess Royal.
Sept. 19:— Ramona.
Sept. 21:—Dolphin.
Sept. 24:—Princess May, City of Seattle.
Sept. 28:—Princess Royal.
Sept. 28:—Humboldt.
Sept. 30:—Ramona.
HARD PROBLEM FOR OEIOER
Geo. Geiger, newly appointed super
intendent of the Copper River and
Northwestern railway, arrived on the;
Alameda and will assume the duties
• of his new position tomorrow. He will
Succeed that splendid man and popular
official J. R. Can Cleve, who recently
tendered his resigation, after several
years of faithful service with this com
pany.
From the record already made by
Mr. Geiger it is evident that his se
lection brings to the new railroad a
high-class man who had intricate prob
lems of traffic and maintenance to
solve, and who required a man of quick
decision, of wise judgment and a giant
of energy.
Mr. Geiger for two years past has
been assistant superintendent of the
Sierra Nevada division of the Southern
Pacific railroad, with headquarters at
Sacramento. In that position he had
to deal largely with wash-outs and
snow blockades, giving him an exper
ience that will prove valuable in his
new position.—Cordova Alaskan.
Reindeer meat has become a staple
diet at Nome.
Tony Dortero has opened up a new
clothing store at Skaway.
The
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