FOR TKE BENEFIT OF THOSE NOT ABLE 1
TO ATTEND THE COLONY DAY PROGRAM L'E
HAVE ASKED PERMISSION TO PRINT THE
HIGH LIGHTS OF MR. IRVIN’S TALK
After reviewing briefly conditions
prevailing at the begining of the
Colony and calling attention to the
progress of remanent development
he said in part;
’’not long ago I made a trip over the
Valley. I was agent for no one. I
was just looking around to see what
was going on. It was a delight and
a pleasant surprise to se^ the sla
shing that has been done, the brush
piled and burned and the logs eith
er skidded out or burned on ;the -
spot. All over tiie valley there
are to be seen long rows of slumps
where the bulldozer has pushed them
up into winrows. ri.s few uoys after
making this trip I saw. a chart of
the tracts in the colony, made up
from records on file, showing the
number of acres on each tract that
are slashed and cleared. On two of
the tracts, after three years time,
there are but three acres slashed
and cleared. I didn’t ask whose
tracts they were. I didn't want to
know; I was disappointed. Some one
is lying down on the job. Those
people have something to worry
about. The nan who is not doing
his best to get his land under cul
tivation is not cooperating.
The success of this project depends
on three major points. First the
clearing of land; second the estab
lishing of a workable cooper? tive
marketing association and third,
the availability of a loan agency
for crop production purposes only.
With reference to the first point,
I understand that there is a fund
that has been set aside, for clear
ing land. But the land must be
slushed before it can be cleared.
In this program sufficient land
must be cleared and under cultiva
tion to support the family, the
poultry and the live stock, and in
addition a surplus of produce for
sale to meet obligati ns as they
come due. Every one must do his
best to help himself before expect
ing help from other sources. V/e
cannot expect the Government to ex
tend additional funds to this pro
ject unions we put forth ourbest
effort and it is then found nec
essr.ry to help. They have so
many ether places where funds
are more urgently needed.
Nov; r. word about cooperation.
Cooperation is team work. It is
every one playing, the game and
doing his best. It is the abil
ity to accomplish collectively,
what no person can hope to ac
complish individually. The mem
bers of the Cooperative organi
zation have chosen a fine group
of men to represent then on hhe
board. I am personally acquaint
ed with each of them. In my op
inion they are some of the best
men in the Valley.
The active nanagment of affairs
by the Corporation will gradually
fade out of the picture and you
will have the responsibility of
c-r rryir.g on. In order to pro
duce successfully there must be
some fund available from which
loans may be made to those who
produce. Those who have a de
inite, well thought out product
ion schedule should be able to
borrow sufficient funds.to plant
their crops and carry it through
the period until it can be mar
keted, and the loan repaid.
That should be a branch of the
nroduction Credit Loan organisa
tion.
The University of Alaska, the
Extension Service and the Exper
iment Sta'tions of the University
all are ready and ’-illing to co
operate fully with you to help
solve the problems.
Farming in Alaska is now on a
firm enough foundation that there’
is no doubt of its permanency.
And sq today we are celebrating
another birthday as a group. I
do not call you,colonists any
more; I think of you as settlers.
We pass another mile post on our
road toward becoming a closer
part of life in Alaska.