founded reports of self-seekers
for their own advantage, be
cause some are prone to trust
folks if they can get something
out of them.
It is wise to find out first be
fore we believe—and find out
direct from the one suspicioned
—before retaliatory measures
are enacted.
-x
Washington News Letter
By Will A. Steel
-A
For several years past there
has been a special select com
mittee to investigate the Alaska
Railroad, composed of Senator
Robert B, Howell, of Nebraska;
Senator John B. Kendrick, of
Wyoming; and Senator John
Thomas, of Idaho. On June 30th,
Senator Kendrick offered a re
solution, which was unanimously
agreed to, as follows: “Resolved,
That Senate Resolution 298,
agreed to July 1, 1930, and con
tinued by resolution of January
16, 1931, authorizing a special
committee to investigate' the op
erations, economic situation, and
prospects of the Alaska Railroad,
hereby is continued in full force
until Dec. 3, 1933.”
The fore part of June the
President signed a joint resolu
tion that suspended annual as
sessment work on mining claims
held by location in the United
States and Alaska “during the
fiscal year from July 1, 1931, to
July 1, 1932.” On June 29th, the
Secretary of the Interior called
attention of Congress that it was
evidently the intent to make the
exemption until noon of July 1,
1932, and thus prevent any
“jumping” between the hours of
midnight on June 30th, and 12
o’clock, noon, July 1. As a result
the Senate immediately passed
another joint resolution to in
clude the disputed twelve hours,
it was then passed by the House
on June 30, and signed that af
ternoon by the President. Quick
action.
* * *
The postmaster at Hot Springs
has resigned and is desirous of
removing from that locality.
Mrs. Claire Pringle has been re
commended and will likely be
appointed as his successor.
* * *
Two of Delegate Wickersham’s
private bills passed the Senate
cn June 30 and have been sign
ed by the President. One directs
the Secretary of the Interior to
pay to Ned Bishop, of Anchorage,
out of the funds of the Alaska
Railroad, the sum of $1,009.10, in
refund of a Liberty bond. This
bond was unnecessarily forfeited
in a railroad tie contract in the
year 1922. The other bill directs
the Secretary of the Treasury to
repay Clyde Sheldon, of Wran
gell, the cum of $250., as the re
mission of a fine paid for fishing
in a closed area, whom it was
later discovered that there was
no fish stream in that area.
* * *
The Federal Radio Commission
has received an application from
the Alaska Radio & Service Co.,
Ketchikan, for construction per
mit to rebuild its station. The
transmitter location is at Mile
Five, Ward’s Cove while the
studio location is at 336 Front
street, Ketchikan. A change in
specified hours is also desired.
* * *
Having previously passed the
Senate, the bill that transfers
authority over the Alaska Road
Commission from the War to
the Interior Department was on
June 27, substituted for the
House bill, and after announce
ment was made in the House
that the procedure has the ap
proval of President Hoover the
bill was quickly passed without
any apparent objection. Almost
any day now the Department of
the Interior will take over its
new duties, even though it be
without any available funds. The
Army bill as passed the House
jfcade an appropriation of $354.
310 for the Alaska Road Com
mission. In the Senate the a
mount was increased $140,000 to
$494,310. Since that time the bill
has been tied up in conference,
the deadlock being over the
House provision requiring the
retirement of 2,000 officers. As
both branches adjourned on
July first over the fourth it may
take a couple of days yet before
the War Department bill is a
greed on and it is known just
what sum the Alaska Road Com
mission is to receive for the cur
rent fiscal year. In any event it
will be much less than the $800,
000 appropriation of last year.
As at present constituted three
army officers are at the head of
the Commission. But as operated
under the Interior Department
these men will be superceded by
Civilians. The Governor of Alas
ka will have supervision over the
Commission, while a present offi
cial, Ike Taylor, will be named
as Acting Chief Engineer. He
will have the active direction oi
the work and will have as his
assistants the present civil per
sonnel, so far as the appropria
tion will permit. The purchasing
agent will be the present Interior
official at Seattle, while the
Disbursing Agent for the Com
mission will be Charles E. Nag
hel, at present financial clerk
for the Public Survey Office, at
Juneau. Secretary of the Inter
ior Wilbur anticipates that che
work of the Commission will
continue smoothily and satisfac
torily, insofar as the decreased
appropriation will permit, and
which would not be entirely sat
isfactory under any adminis
tration. The amount available
v/ill not be sufficiently large to
permit of much new work.
On July 1, in discussing the
House bill to create Federal
home-loan banks, the Senate
adopted one amendment as
follows: “As soon as practicable
the board shall divide the con
tinental United States, Puerto
Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the
Territories of Alaska and Hawaii
into not less than 8 nor more
than 12 districts.”
* * *
The Acting Chief of the Bu
reau of Navigation, Navy De
partment, has notified Delegate
Wickersham that James W Mc
Cauley, of Fairbanks, candidate
^or midshipman, passed the
physical examination and was
admitted to the Naval Academy
at Annapolis on June 28. He had
previously passed the physical
examination at San Francisco
and arrived in Washington on
June 27.
* Sic *
I
The Secretary of Commerce
has issued some additional fish
ery regulations as affecting the
Eristol Bay area, Nushagak dis
j trict, also north Prince of Wales
Island district. ,
* * *
The story comes from Chicago
that Delegate John Troy relaxed
his vigilance over the Alaska
banner for a few minutes dur
ing a demonstration for Govern
or Ritchie of Maryland, on
Thursday night, with the result
that it got into the parade and
v/as “lost” for some time there
after. The standard was finally
discovered sticking up in the
press stand, and of course re
claimed to do valiant service for
Governor Roosevelt.
* * *
Two more members of the U.
3. Geological Survey staff have
gone from the Washington office
to Alaska, to engage in the sum
mer’s work. They are C. P. Mc
Kinley and G. Fitzgerald. The
former will cover the unexplored
region along the Chutlitna Riv
er between Curry and Mt. Mc
Kinley appropriately enough,
while Fitzgerald will penetrate
unexplored parts of Kodiak Is
land. Other members of the bu
reau already in the North in
clude F. H. Moffat and F. H.
Fueshel in the Copper River
area; S. R. Capp with naval fliers
in the Aleutians, and R. H. Sar
gent, working in southeastern
Alaska.
* # #
On June 27, the House, by vole
of 56 ayes and 6 noes, passed the
following bill: “That in order to
prevent monopoly and to insure
the continuance of two or more
operating coal mines in ths Ter
ritory of Alaska adjacent to the
Alaska Railroad, the general
manager of the Alaska Railroad,
v.dth the approval of the Secre
tary of the Interior, is hereby
authorized to purchase coal an
nually for the railroad from two
or more operating companies in
that area at such reasonable
price or prices as may be fixed
and determined by said Secre
tary.”
The bill then went to the Se
nate and was referred to the
Committee on Territories. On
June 30, the Chairman, Senator
Bingham, asked his committee
be discharged from further con
sideration of the bill and that it
be referred to the Special Select
Committee to investigate the
Alaska Railroad, which was done.
Later Chairman Howell for the
new committee, reported favor
able on the bill with the recom
mendation that it do pass with
the following amendment: “Pro
vided, That the prices to be paid
for bituminous'coal per ton shall
not exceed $3.15 for the (b)
grade, and $3.00 for the (cl
grade, and $2.90 for the (f)
grade, as defined in specifica
tions under which coal is now
purchased by the Alaska Rail
load.”
IDEAS FROM AN
OLD FASHIONED
AMERICAN TO THE NEW
-X
Editor, The Alaskan:
When a man is wrong in his
past opinions and comes to see
the error of his way, the best
thing he can do is to admit his
fault and strive to correct it.
This is the task I have before
me. It is not going to be an easy
task, but it must be done. I have
always opposed the southeastern
Alaska pulp sales as a dastardly
betrayal of Alaska and the con
jfidence of the American people.
I have recently seen the light
land will do what I can, in this
letter, to rectify my past indis
cretion.
R. Y. Stuart, one of the men,
or rather the man most qualified
to know what it is all about is
making a valiant attempt, in an
article published in the “Seward
Gateway,” to justify the south
eastern Alaska pulp sales. His
article is well worth the reading
by any and all Alaskans. Not
only is it worth reading; it Is
worth studying! He is very frank
in his statements. He is bidding
for support of the Forest Service,
from Alaskans, by objecting to
the idea of making an inviolable
brown bear paradise of Admiral
ty Island. He Is saying one word
for bruin and twenty for the pulp j
sales. It is an article such as I
have been hoping and praying
that some Forestry official would
write and publish. We were
treated to something similar
about five years ago from the
pen of B. F. Hintzelmann but I
have always been rather chary
'of quoting Mr. Hintzelmann as
official. He not so highly enough J
placed but that his statements
might be repudiated and dis
owned as unauthorized by his |
superior officers. Now we havej
it from the highest authority:
B. Y. Stuart, Chief Forester, |
Washington, D. C. (salary $8,- j
000.00).
I
I will admit that in the read- j
justment of my standards it is,
going to be a struggle to come
to the point of view of the bu- J
reau heads who have been active j
in obstructing the development,
of Alaska. They must certainly
have shriveled up souls and an j
absolute vacuum where their
spnse of proportion should be.!
But then, I am old fashioned! I
have always been laboring under ,
the misconception that I have!
been living under a government,j
primarily interested in the wel-,
fare of people; rich and poor
alike. Not so! says Mr. Stuart, i
The Forestry Department is an
j instrument which has been ac-!
tive in the past and is active to-!
|day in keeping Alaska’s timber,
resources bottled up until such a
time as it is absolutely safe and
fool proof to have some one with
lets of dollars come and make
the harvest.
! When we stop and look back
it certainly is a shame that all
of our country did not have the
benefit of the vision of the
Stuarts and the O’Malleys of to
day when the States were being
(first settled and improved. Take
,my own native State of Cali
fornia for instance. Just see,
v/hat a mess they have made of
things down there. Some five
million people have crowded
within the confines of its bord
ers, with no system or foresight.
Why I have actually seen roads
built in Califonia without cost
ing as much as it takes to make
the survey on one in Alaska. The
poor saps didn’t have any sense
of proportion at all. They built
cities wherever they could get a
crowd togather to sell them land.
Whenever a man had an idea, he
was at liberty to go right ahead
and try it out. Ideas were plenti
ful, some of them worked, more
did not, some made money,
ethers went broke. My dad got ’
married on the strength of his
prospects from forty acres of
spuds and then had to dump his
produce in the bay. Grandad,
had two thousand acres of val
ley land and was land poor when
he died. Twenty years later dad
bought a quarter section of this
same land and paid one hundred
and fifty dollars an* acre and
sold it a year later for two
hundred. Today it is worth two
thousand.
As a kid I went to school with
a bunch of red readed Irish
wildcats named O’Hara—ten or
twelve of them. Their dad was a
crazy mutt and a working fool [
he had a bunch of sand land out I
in the chaparrel country and a
six horse team of mustangs not
much larger than jackrabbits.
The harness was mostly baling
wire. He used this outfit and a
light two horse wagon to cartj
live oak wood into town to trade !
for grub. Feeding his numerous
brood kept him pretty well oc
cupied but every spare moment
he had, he put in yanking the
greasebrush out of the sand.
The sand was so loose and clean
that a child could scoop out a
hole to arms depth without
trouble. I often visited the O’
Hara kids and playing in the
sand was our principle amuse
ment. O’Hara planted almond
trees where he yanked the brush
out. His neighbors laughed at
him—called him “Crazy O’Hara.”
When he died a few years ago
his estate was appraised at three
million.
I saw a good portion of Cali
fornia before it was improved or
rather ruined in the eyes of
conservationests by the unob
structed advent of people; I
strayed to southeastern Alaska
twenty-three years ago and was
so much impressed with the po
tential possibilities of this coun-!
try that I could not be induled
to leave. I never expected this to j
be a farming country but I was j
foolish enough to take seriously'
Monte Bay fool Hall
-X
Candy - Cigars - Soft Drinks
A place to meet your friends
Yakutat, Alaska
Ben Petersen - - Prop.
Juneau Melody House
R.C.A.-Victor
Records - Phonographs - Radios
Mail orders promptly filled
Sales FORD Service
Hardware - General Supplies
Draying
Haines - - Alaska
Erick Oslund - - Proprietor
Carl Bjornstad
General Merchandise
Groceries
Shoes - Gents’ Furnishings
Haines - - Alaska
Hollywood & Beach
SHEET METAL - HEATING
PLUMBING - STOVE REPAID]
Sitka - Alaska
H- J. HoDGI^S l
Dentist
Sitka * - - Alaska
^Vvamc&w, 'PaxVor
(Mrs. Jack Wilson)
SPEGl'A ZLIZIZrSTG IUST
Permanent maws marcels €ic.
Valentine Building,
Juneau, Alaska
$
RESTUNG
ROV Anderson of Minneapolis
vs.
Jack Ryan of Chicago
July 28th at Sons of Norway Hall
Under the auspices of Petersburg Post, American Legion
Workouts at the Sons of Norway Hall — Every Evening
Public is invited.