US1BELLI GENERAL MANAGER SEES THREAT TO COAL MINING INDUSTRY
By Paul (Ip) Lien
One of Alaska’s basic indus
tries, coal mining, faces a dim
future according to William
Waugaman. general manager of
Usibelli Coal Mines, Inc., who
just returned from a trip to
Washington, D.C. on company
business.
“Although our own mines at Healy
showed an increase, producing over
600,000 tons of coal last year, we are
now in a position where we could
be wiped out overnight," said
Waugeman.
“This marks the end of mining
minerals as we know it in Alaska.
Gold mining has dwindled down
to practically nothing.
“The Matanuska coal fields are
facing a dilemma at the moment
with the military authorities con
sidering converting coal-fired power
plants to gas on both Ft. Richardson
and Elmendorf Air Force Base.
Could Mean End
“This could mean the end of coal
mining in that area, and whether
this is an advantage remains to be
seen,” said Waugaman.
In reference to the coal mines at
Healy, Waugeman had this to say:
“We now have a payroll of over
a million dollars yearly.
“Gross from this industry at Healy
amounts to over $3,900,000 each year.
“Over two million of this goes to
the Alaska Railroad for transporta
tion alone. The remainder goes to
other supporting industries—equip
ment dealers and merchandising
firms in the Fairbanks area," said
Waugaman.
Power Expert
M. S. (Sam) Umbenhauer. chief
of the power division for the Ralph
M. Parsons Co., and rated as one
of the leading power experts in the
world, in a recent interview gave
this information:
t Safety
Sez:J
Courtesy:
Fairbanks Health and Safety Council
With Spring bustin’ out all
over — REMEMBER, SAFETY
IS ALWAYS IN SEASON!
* * *
Clean-Up, Paint-Up and Keep It
Up, is the theme of the 1962 greater
Fairbanks Clean-Up campaign now
getting underway. Wally Burnett,
Dick Garvin and Bernie Miller,
representing a group of Fairbanks
area business men, are heading the
clean-up program this year.
Their total plans are to be re
vealed in the near future.
One thing they have made clear
—If we are to attract our share of
tourists and tour dollars coming
into Alaska this year we must pre
sent a clean, attractive community.
Clesn-Up, they say. should not be
a one-shot deal. It should start now
and continue until snow flies next
fall . . . Mr- and Mrs. Greater Fair
banks: Will You Cooperate? ? ?
< * * *
TELEVISION: Community Clean
Up will be the subject of the Fair
banks Health and Safety Council
telecast at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 3,
on KTVF. Jim Couch will inter
view Wilbur “Bill” Green, State
Sanitarian for the Northern Region,
and general plans for the greater
Fairbanks area clean-up w'ill be dis
cussed.
The advent of the open Season,
with bare roads and the reactiva
tion of bicycles, tricycles, pedal
scooters and coaster carts by the
younger generation poses greater
responsibilities for the operators of
motor vehicles. Particularly is this
so in the urban complexes of Fair
banks and suburbia, such as Island
Homes—where care are allowed to
be parked on both sides of the
streets and little feet can pedal a
bike or scootc-r into the middle of
the pavement from between parked
cars in a lot less time than even a
very careful driver can brake down
to avoid a tragedy.
I “Mineral resources are the back
bone of your Alaskan economy.
“Actually, as we know it now,
there are no known deposits of
uranium in Alaska.
“Gold mining is on a decline.
“Alaska has some of the largest
fuel reserves which exist anywhere
' in the world. Why not use them?
"According to the Bureau of
Mines there are 94 billion tons of
coal available in Alaska—which is
enough coal to last for five or six
hundred years.
“Even in the states where atomic
! power is now available, it is not
competitive with mine-mouth plants.
No Need to Worry
“What the future will hold—-no
one knows, but why should you
folks in Alaska worry about what
to use when you are sitting on a
coal mine. Eastern states, like Mas
sachusetts, would welcome the op
portunity you folks have. Next to
you Alaskans, they pay the highest
cost for power—and ship their coal
hundreds of miles by railroad.
“In addition to getting cheaper
power, you in Alaska should realize
the importance of bolstering your
own economy—and utilize your own
natural resources.
“Rampart is no dream. One of
these days you will all in this
area enjoy cheap power from that
huge power installation on the Yu
kon River—but what of the imme
diate future?
“Do you still want to pay two or
three times as much for power as
you should?
“If you have any chance what
ever of utilizing your own natural
resources to produce power—by all
means do so.” said Umbenhauer.
Gruening for Resources
“Senator Ernest Gruening has em
phatically gone all out for using our
own natural resources in producing
power—whether it be coal or hydro
electric.
“He has pointed out that if we put
in atomic plants we add very little
to our economy.
“Being in the experimental stage '
'BUFFALO LAND' PUBLISHED
By JIM COUCH
There has just come to our desk
a very interesting pictorial history
of the American Bison by William
D. Berry, whom we have known for
years as one of America’s outstand
ing painters of North American ani
mal life. Now we are enjoying him
as an author, for “Buffalo Land,” a
j forty six page tome containing at
I least one Berry illustration on each
page, is both “written and illus
trated by William D. Berry.”
Bill Berry tells the story of the
rise and fall of America’s first cat
tle—the Bison—dispassionately and
authentically, with both pen and
brush.
His many paintings of the Buffalo
grazing, resting, feeding their young,
fighting off their prime predator—
the wolf—running with their friend
ly neighbor the antelope or travel
ing gingerly through the prairie dog
villages which dot their favorite
plains pastures give the reader the
most complete history of the Ameri
can Bison we have ever found be
tween the covers of a single volume.
Wildlife artist Bill Berry, with
his wife Elizabeth and son Mark,
currently is living on the Nancarrow
homestead near McKinley Park, on
the Denali Highway. Presently “Buf
falo Land” is not available locally,
but we have talked with Dave Ad
ler and he plans to stock the book.
Meanwhile, we understand Bill
Berry does have a limited supply at
his cabin. He can be reached by
mail, care of Bill NanCarrow, Mc
Kinley Park, Alaska.
—even if atomic plants were more
economical — what position would
we be in if a reactor went out when
wre were having 62-below zero
weather like last winter?” said Wau
gaman.
‘‘If you had a break-down on an
experimental atomic plant in cold
weather, thousands of miles away
from sources of parts and informa
tion, you can have a real disaster
in the Fairbanks area.
“One of the objections we have
heard in using coal for fuel is the
cost is too high.
Coal Costs
“In spite of the rising costs of
labor and materials with the 600,
000 ton market, the average price
per ton of coal now is $6.50. In 1953
the price was $9 a ton. Like every
thing else, the more we produce,
the cheaper the cost to the con
sumer.
“With higher production and im
proved mining methods w’hich are
taking place daily, we are now able
to continually drop the price of coal.
“Cost for labor yearly is $1,560,
000, material costs are $2,340,000, and
in addition to this revenue to the
Alaska Railroad amounts to in ex
cess of $1,980,000.
“If nuclear power is introduced
here in lieu of coal-fired plants, you
may readily expect the disappear
ance of the coal mining industry, a
loss in economy in the Fairbanks
area—and we may add—a rise in
economy at Schnectady, N.Y., where
General Electric builds the atomic
plants.
“In addition to the dwindling of
our economy, our own State of Alas
ka and the Federal government
would take a beating in loss of
taxes from all sources.
Tax Example
“One item alone—we now pay to
the State 15 cents a ton for coal
mined at Healy, giving the State in
excess of $90,000 each year.
“We have looked into the possi
bility of shipping coal to Japan,
but the Japanese are basically in
terested in metallurgical (coking)
coal.
“They have all the steam coal
(which we produce) they need.
“Because of our own high cost of
production and transportation we
are unable to compete with others.
“The Japanese have some coal
mines of their own and ship the
remainder of their coal from Aus
tralia.
“The future of the coal mining in
dustry in Alaska basically hinges on
the use of coal for coal-fired steam
plants.
“If other sources of fuel for power
take over—we can kiss the coal
mining industry ‘goodbye,’ ” con
cluded Waugaman.
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