SAVE YOUR DOLLARS | ,
The present high prices of all commodities make the dollar cheap In other
words, you can buy less for a dollar to-day than you could a year ago ^ i
| 1 his condition will not alwavs prevail and the time will come again when the
| dollar saved to-day will purchase twice as much food ' 1
| and clothing as at the present
I Prepare now by opening a savings account with the First Bank of Cordova and by saving consistently reap the benefit of the increased !
value of your dollar when conditions are again normal. ' e a- d
THE FIRST BANK OF CORDOVA
SECURITY SERVICE -> SATISFACTION
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4♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦44444444
4 $21,061,283 IN ONE MONTH 4
4 IS ALASKA RECORD 4
♦ Alaska’s marvelous output tor ♦
4 the month of October, 1917: 4
♦ Value 4
♦ Fish .$16,322,484 4
♦ Copper . 2,813,129 4
4 Gold and silver . 1,607,675 4
♦ Oils . 165.077 4
♦ Furs . 47,872 4
♦ Fish meal . 30,873 4
♦ 'Tin ore . 27.625 4
♦ Lead . 17,644 4
4 Fertilizer . 6,000 4
♦ Marble . 3,840 4
4 Chrome ore. ■ 3,718 4
♦ Animal and bird speci- 4
■4 mens . 3,200 4
♦ Graphite . 3,018 4
♦ Stearine . 2,031 ♦
♦ Antimony . 1,733 4
4 Curios . 1,701 4
♦ Bones and horns . 868 4
♦ Jewelry . 853 4
♦ Animals . 750 4
♦ Vegetables. 519 4
♦ Ivory, etc . 423 4
♦ Reindeer . 248 4
4 4
♦ Total .$21,061,283 4
•♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
By J. L. M’PHERSON,
Manager Alaska Bureau, Seattle
Chamber of Commerce and Com
mercial Club.
Alaska, our frontier wonderland
the land of gold, has become in the
hour of national need the land of the
world’s cheapest food supply, and ai
important source of metals essentia
to the manufacture of munitions.
The fiftieth anniversary of the pui
chase of Alaska occurred on Octobe
18. Alaska celebrated her birthda;
month by sending out to the work
during the month of October food an<
metal products totaling in value $21
639,545, more than three times th
purchase price paid Russia.
Of this great total, gold and silve
aggregated only $1,600,000. Metals ha
a value of about $3,000,000, while foo
supplies totaled In value about $17
000,000. Metals included copper, ai
timony, lead, tin, tungsten, graphit
and chrome ore, while the food su]
plies embraced fish of many kinds
both canned, smoked, pickled and pr
pared by other methods; oils, stea
ine, vegetables and reindeer meat
any one item of which contains mi
ferial for a most instructive article.
Only a Beginning.
Those who know in part of Aask
realize that this remarkable showin
is only the beginning and that tl
story of production for 1917 will b
greatly exceeded by that of the years
to come.
|
Is Alaska receiving the benefit from
this wonderful production? Unfor
tunately, no. A country that can pro
duce and ship to the outer world
products in one month of a value far
greater than all of Seattle's industries,
is capable of a great and prosperous
development and of supporting a large
population. We are simply creaming
the rich resources of Alaska without,
doing anything toward replenishing or
assuring a continuation of the rich
outflow.
The intensive development that
should be encouraged and fostered,
especially at this time of rich and
great production, is lacking, with the
result that Alaska is not building up
with the industries and permanent
population essential to the prosperity
and rational development of the
Northland.
The cause of this nondevelopment is
bureaucratic restriction, a monopolis
tic condition that is inimical to all that
is good and that tends to the rational
development of Alaska. The type of
men and women who were responsible
for the building of our great West,
are not going to Alaska, a land of
extremely hard physical and climatic
conditions, where they are subjected
to a policy of bureaucratic restriction
never before practiced in a democra
tic country
Last year one of these pioneers
found a piece of land in the Kagle
river valley, southeastern Alaska, on
which he decided to make a home for
himself and family. As all of this
portion of Alaska is embraced in the
Tongass Forest Reserve, under the
jurisdiction of the bureau of forestry,
he made his application to the forest
supervisor for the segregation of a
homestead.
The bureau sent one of its survey
ors who marked out and segregated
about. 100 acres of land The pioneer
sent for his family and started to
make a frontier home for himself.
Evidently, when the report of this
government agent reached some of the
numerous higher-ups, which string like
an endless chain from Alaska to
Washington, they decided that this
homestead was altogether too large
for any one man to own. So, last
year there arrived at thjs Alaska
home a second govirnment surveyor
who proceeded to cut the homestead
to thirty-nine
One of , nces.
This is only one of innumerable in
stances of the restrictive activities of
all the federal bureaus having to do
with Aiaskan affairs. They are sim
ply trying to stifle development and
force into their hands the absolute
control of Alaska's resources. If Al
aska is to be developed as a govern
ment reserve, peopled only by govern
ment agents and employes, there could
he no criticism against such a policy,
hut we all know that ultimately, under
such conditions, great and powerful
private monopolies, through political
or other influences, will secure to
themselves the exploitation of these
great resources.
The excuse for such a policy of re
striction is that the Alaskans are not
capable of properly conserving their
resources for posterity.
It is certain that the Alaskans, with
bountiful supplies of fuel and paper
pulp, would not misapply conservation
by importing these much required
necessities from foreign countries as
they are now compelled to do, and
they would see to it that encourage
ment was offered to the pioneer, for
they know that under such a policy
Alaska would be peopled by a citizen
ry typified by one or those pioneer
Alaskan mothers who recently said
to the writer:
“My boys are helping: one is a
major of engineers with General
Pershing in France; the other is at
the Presidio, on his way, while 1 have
had a busy year in making a suc
cesful farm out of the old homestead
I recently bought.” (Title to this
tract of land had been secured before
the restrictive policy of our govern
ment went into effect.)
Alaska’s rich resources should to
day support a population of at least
400,000 instead of the 75,000 natives
and whites, whose land is producing
a greater per capita weath of output
than that of any country in the
world’s history. Every true American
ilMilliHIbiM'llbl'IlBlllIKliy;:;! iiiijttfllR;fi.itjilililli.,!..li'.'C' '
should lend his or her influence to the
bringing about of a policy of govern
mental encouragement toward the pio
neers of Alaska that will result In
making the Northland the home of a
strong and prosperous people.
The development of Alaska, so im
portant to the nation, will assist
greatly in the rapid development of
Seattle as the metropolis of the Pa
cific coast. “Enlightened economic
interest" as well as patriotic concern
therefore inspires the demand for
needed legislation.
The restrictive laws now in force,
preventing development, are regarded
by all impartial students of lAaska's
needs as being just as absurd as were
the objections of the congressmen
who opposed the purchase of Alaska,
calling it “Seward’s Folly.”
I vourml^.* S§Sa*
! *° PAY Dllil PAM
J LyZiTl ^shp“ £5
,1 If' - , ;' ot Kra'>is or Jeakv
,1 pair !rf ?s wnsdess to wearJa
( «?aS2*s'
, same tough rubbed °tha?CtUa,ly -the
GOODRICH Automobil^T-m°
I ^ving you boots that will . T CS’
any others made M„k_ Outwear
Hipae
3^s^P,op
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Seattle Cordova Anchorage
1G19 WESTLAKE XICKELSOX 6: CURRIER BLDG MASOXIC TEMPLE
20jYears Experience Catering to th Wants of Alaskara^^ ~j
All Holiday Goods
Reduced 25 percent
Tonight and Monday you Save Money
Shopping With Us
We ll Have Stacks of New Goods on the
Evans. Come in and Look Them Over
New Shoes
The sizes that we were short of came in
on the Victoria
Beautiful Line of
NEW WAISTS
COLLARS and JABOTS Just Unpacked
———————————————^
DOUGHERTYS
Michelson &^Currier Bldg. C St. near Marshal's Office