years a ten-million-dollar mine at ten
per cent would pay back the ten mil
lion dollars ot money put into it—and
only that. Everything had to come out
of the mine; so that, at the end of teu
years, the owners would not have had
a dollar in dividends, although they
thought they had ten per cent. To put
that mine upon an actual ten-per-cent
profit basis the mine should have paid
out in the ten years in actual dividends
five and a half million dollars additional
—that is to say, it should have paid its
owners fifteen and a half million dol
lars to make a net profit showing, en
titling it to be called a ten-million
mine, or a million-a-year investment
property. Selling and getting out is
not mining. It is the prospector’s bus
iness to find real mines.
PARTNER WANTED
Experienced fisherman, with good
boat, wants partner for salmon fishing.
Address or see the editor of this paper.
NATION’S OPPORTUNITY
William E. Smythe, the Washington
correspondent of the United Press, who
was one of the newspaper correspon
dents wTho made the trip to Alaska
■with Secretary Fisher, thinks that the
national government should develop Al
aska. He says:
Is Alaska fit to live in? Or is it
simply an iceberg embroidered with
gold nuggets?
Most emphatically is Alaska a fit
country to live in. As a matter of fact,
if reduced to primitive conditions, a
man could get a livlihood easier there
than anywhere else, because of the
abundance of fish and game.
At least 10,000,000 people are living
in Europe under agriculture and fish
eries. Doubtless the same will be the
case in Alaska at some future time.
It must not be inferred that Alaska
is yet ready to receive the millions—
far from it. It has the resources but.
they are undeveloped. It has the sure
promise of agriculture, but it is yet
experimental. It has the potentiaHty
of thriving towns and of one or two
great cities, but they remain to be
awmkened into life.
Remember Alaska is only about a
dozen years old as a reality, of the
American frontier. Before the sensa
tional gold discoveries on the Yukon
it was known only for its seal and sal
mon and for one or two quartz gold
mines.
Moreover, the politics of the last two
national administrations have been dis
tinctly discouraging to development.
Time will show’ the wisdom and neces
sity of these policies, but that they op
erated as a temporary drawback on
the development of the country cannot
be denied.
Alaska lies mostly north of 55 de
grees. So does Denmark, Norway,
Sweden, Finland and half of Russia.
All these are countries of heavy rain
fall, of long, cold winters, of long
days in summer and short, dark days
in the wnnter. So is Alaska.
The northern portion of all those
countries except Denmark see the mid
night sun in summer and almost no
sun at all in winter. So also, does the
most northerly portion of Alaska.
But you should knowr that Alaska is
not only a land of stupendous size, and,
hence, of widely varying climatic con
ditions, but that there are other con
siderations that throw much of it wcil
within the north temperate zone.
Alaska stretches west as much as
north. There are points in Alaska that
are more than half way to the Orient
from San Francisco.
Alaska also reaches an attenuated
arm away down the coast, cutting off
great portions of British Columbia
from the sea. Much of the country
lies actually further north than you
have probably imagined. Final^ the
warm Japanese current laps the coast
for over 1000 miles and greatly modi
fies the cold. The heavy rainfall and
long summers enhance the growth of
vegetation.
If six years ago the coal fields had
been handed over to the claimants,
and if they had promptly sold them to
the millionaire operators, there would
have been railroads, coal bunkers, ships
smelters and booming towns where
such things are not.
There would have been hard-and
fast monopoly of fuel supply and trans
portation and a budding coal 'n luitry
as cruel to labor as that of Pennsyl
vania, too. But—there would have
been development.
The point is that the country is not
yet ready to receive and sustain a large
influx of population, but for no fault
of its own.
The time is coming when the call to
Alaska will be heard throughout the
country and the world, by young
men, gifted with pluck, ambition,
stout heart and sturdy legs. Many a
family of hard working farmers will
go there and acquire property of value
and lay solid foundations of prosperity.
But th^ time is not yet.
The point should be driven hard in
order that no one shall be misled. It
would be easy to get up a stampede to
Alaska. It wrould be infinitely cruel to
do so in advance of conditions which
remain to be created by wise, far
reaching public policies.
Today Alaska is neither the rich
man’s nor the poor man’s opportunity
—not the rich man’s because the na
tion has closed the door on land grab
bing so far as it is possible to do so
under present laws; not the pow man’s
because this land of titantic dimen
sions calls for the expenditure of vast
sums of capital to prepare the way for
development.
Whose opportunity then?
The nation’s.
The same power that is cut' ■>«' ;ie
isthmus can open this wilderness to
the labor and the enterprise of thous
ands on terms that shall yield them
abundant reward at the same time en
rich the nation itself.
Special sale on curios, souvenir goods
and native ware for holiday trade. W.
H. Case, Juneau, Alaska.
Supt. Beattie of the government
schools visited the Hoonah school last
week.
New Stock of
NUGGET
and
OLD
IVORY
Jewelry just arrived—typi
;al of Alaska, and will make beauti
:ul Christmas presents. Cut Glass,
Art China and Silverware, and op
dcal goods. J'jj’M
Paul
BMom
Front Street, Between D & Bradley
The Juneau Steamship Co
U. S. Mail Steamer
STEAMER GEORGIA
Juneau-Sitka Boute—Leaves Ju
for Funter, Hoonah, Gypsum, Tena
kee, Killisnoo, Chatham and Sitka,
8 a. m., Oct. 6, 12, 18, 24, 30; Nov.
5, 11, 17, 23, 29; Dec. 5, 11, 17, 23,
Leaves Juneau for Tyee—8 a. m.,
Oct. 24, Nov. 23, Dec. 23, Jan. 22,
Leaves Juneau for Baranoff—8 a.
m., Oct. 12, 24; Nov. 11, 23; Dec.
11, 23; Jan. 10, 22; Feb. 9, 21;
leaves Juneau for Sanitarium
(Sitka Hot Springs—8 a. m. Oct. 6,
18; Nov. 5, 17; Dec. 5, 17; Jan. 4,
Juneau Skagway Boute—Leaves
Juneau for Pearl Harbor, Eagle Riv
er, Yankee Cove, Sentinel Light Sta
tion, Eldred Rock Light Station,
Comet, Haines, Skagway, 8 a. m.,
Oct. 4, 10, 16, 22, 28; Nov. 3, 9, 15,
WILLIS E. NOWELL, Manager,
THANKSGIVING
XMAS & NEW YEAR
Table Linens
We have a full
stock of table
cloths and lunch
clothes. Some
fine imported
goods—embroid
ered, hemstiched
STUBBINS
Here’s a Rare
Bargain!
Washington Chicken Ranch of six
Acres within the city limits of a thriv
ing county seat town of 5000 inhabit
ants. . Seven-room house with fine
lawn. Beautiful location overlooking
river.
All cleared and planted in orchard.
One thousand chickens.
Two up-to-date poultry houses.
Eight colony houses.
Large bam. Water piped to all
buildings.
Gasoline engine with bone and feed
mill.
This place cleared $2000 last year.
Only ten minutes walk from the heart
of the city.
Price $8500, $6000 cash and balance
time.
This is a fine home tnat will bring a
permanent income. Owner has a fami
ly of growing boys, and must have a
larger place. Address X, care Sour
dough, Douglas, Alaska.