SECRETARY OF
INTERIOR ON
AIMACOAL
In a special dispatch to the Seattle
Pcst-Intellingencer of February 2 ap
pears an outline of the views of Sec
retary Lane of the department of the
interior relative to the coal and oil
land bill now before congress and
upon which the conferees of both
houses recently agreed. It is as fol
lows:
Attempts to develop Alaska coal
lands under a leasing system having
proved a failure under the law en
acted in 1914 for the purpose, a sys
tem of both outright sales and leases
is now about to be adopted. Secre
tary Lane, admitting the failure of the
leasing system, has so recommended.
Necessary legislation is attached to
a general coal, oil and gas bill which,
after years of effort, today reached a
point of agreement that promises pas
sage before the session ends March
4th.
In a letter to Scott Ferris, chair
man of the house committee on public
lands, Secretary Lane makes the re
quest. After reciting that a year ago
he wrote to Mr. Ferris urging that
Alaska be left out of the pending bill,
inasmuch as leasing law for that ter
ritory had not been properly tested,
Secretary Lane says:
Present Law Unsatisfactory.
"Since the above letters were writ
ten mere nas Deen iurtner oppor
tunity to learn whether the Alaska
ccal leasing bill is suitable to condi
tions in the territory, and I have con
cluded that it is not entirely so. There
has been but little inquiry for these
lands and only limited development.
"Pour leases were granted under
the present law and but two of those
were able to finance the small opera
tions thus far begun. After further
study of the situation I have come to
the conclusion that the field would
bo more inviting to coal operators if
title were granted as in the states,
especially since Alaska’s operations
are so far away from bases of labor
ard supply.
"I therefore recommend that Alas
ka be placed on the same footing as
the states in the pending bill, and
that operators in that field have the
sejno choice of lease and purchase as
is accorded elsewhere. Otherwise
Alaska coal fields will remain in a dis
advantageous position.
"The territory of Alaska is now
included in the oil provisions of the
bill, thus giving it the same law as
the states, which will be an advant
age in the administration of the law,
because the same rulings would apply
to both states and territorities and
will obviate the necessity of admin
istering and construing two different
laws on the same subject.
"I am, therefore, of the opinion that
not only would it be in the interest of
the development of Alaska coal lands
to have the provisions of the pending
bill made applicable to Alaska, but it
would also be conducive to the good
administration of the laws.”
Announcement was made a few
days ago by the shipping board that
tlrroe former Japanese vessels, the
Kunajlrl, Rangoon and Myoglsan, had
been assigned to the navy for uae in
carrying coal from the Atlantic to
the Pacific coast for the big fleet that
is to be on the Pacific next summer.
The navy always refused to use
state of Washington coal in its ships,
it maintains that the state's soft
coals are not of sufficiently high
standard for the purpose. Merchant
ships of all nations and other gov
ernment ships of this nation have
used state of Washington coal and
found it acceptable but not the navy.
Numerous tests have demonstrated
that coal of the Matanuska field in
Alaska does meet navy requirements.
The navy admits the fact. The extent
and character of the coal areas in
tiie Matanuska field have been known
for many years. But coal is not com
ing out of the Matanuska field.
Thus, with the world short of sea
tonnage, ships have to be diverted
from highly necessary purposes to
carry coal from Virginia ports to the
Pacific to supply the ships of the
navy that are about to be sent to
that coast.
Under date of November 20 last,
Delegate Wickersham of Alaska, ap
plied to the commissioner of the gen
eral land office for information as to
the operations under the leasing law.
Under date of January 6, seven weeks
later, Mr. Wickersham received a re
ply from the commissioner saying:
“You are advised as follows: (1)
There are three coal land leases in
force in Alaska at this time; (2)
three tracts are either being mined
or prospected under the leases; (3)
one lease of 2,420 acres of land in the
Bering river field; two leases of 1,400
and 1,440 acres in the Matanuska field,
and none in the Nenana field are
being worked or prospected; (4)
nomoo r\f Inacooo • Porinnr Htrnr finlrl
Falcon Joslin, assigned to Bering
River Coal Company, New York
building, Seattle, Wash.; Matanuska
field, Oliver La Duke and associates,
and Lars Netland, who assigned to the
Chickaloon Coal > Company, Alaska
building, San Francisco, Cal. The first
named lease was made June 8, 1918,
and embraces blocks Nos. 18, 19, 20,
22, 23 and 24, of the Bering river
field, and the other leases were exe
cuted as of February 1, 1917, the first
embracing blocks Nos. 2 and 3, the
second embracing blocks 10 and 11 In
the Matanuska field.
“I have no extra copies of any of
these leases, but you will find the
form, which was substantially fol
lowed, printed in the taclofed circu
lar, containing coal land leasing law
and regulations. I also inclose a cir
cular regarding the part of the Ne
nana field which has been surveyed
and offered for lease. One applica
tion to lease lands in this field was
filed, but was withdrawn after publi
cation of notice of the same.
“My present information is that the
La Duke et al leassees have mined
some coal, but that mining is tempor
arily suspended. Their mine is dist
ant a few miles from the government
railroad, necessitating a haul by
wagon or sled which adds to the cost
of mining. The Cchickaloon Com
pany has not progressed beyond the
prospecting stage in development
under its lease, although I am told
that considerable money has been ex
pended by it in the work. The
Bering river lessee is engaged, as I
understand it, in prospective work
preliminary to opening up a mine on
the land.”
FOOD CONTROL
IS ABOLISHED
IN TERRITORY
A letter addressed to the divisional,
district and local federal food admin
istrators, members of the Btaff and
newspapers of Alaska, dated Febru
ary 6, is as follows:
“The federal food administration
for Alaska will come to an end Feb
ruary 15, 1919. On that day the of
fices in Juneau will close, as will all
of the offices of the divisional dis
trict and local food administrators.
“A majority of the food rules and
regulations applicable over the Unit
ed States have been rescinded. Those
still in force and effect must be ob
served. The enforcement,, of the re
maining regulations wiiljiSe carried
on from the office of the United States
food administration at Washington,
D. C.
“All United States food adminis
tration rules and regulations appli
cable to the territory of Alaska have
been removed. There are now no re
strictions in Alaska, in so far as the
United States food administration is
concerned, upon food dealers, fisher
men, cannerymen, and others who,
during the war, were under license
and control by the United States food
administration.
i ne remaraaDie success or me
federal food administration in Alaska
is due in a large measure to the
patriotic and voluntary support of all
food dealers, consumers, proprietors
of hotels and restaurant^ and others
handling and dealing in' food com
modities. All of the requests made
during the past year were cheerfully
complied with.
“The women of the territory de
serve much credit for the way in
which they not only observed all our
requests for conservation of food, but
did active work in order that the es
sential foods might be saved.
“I cannot praise and compliment
too highly all of the divisional, dis
trict, and local federal food adminis
trators, and members of the staff, of
Alaska and their deputies and assist
ants, for the splendid yak they per
formed in carrying‘out pro
gram during the war.
“They all worked purely from patri
otic motives and performed a great
service. I extend to them my sincere
thanks and appreciation for their ef
forts. It has been a pleasure to carry
on the work, so successfully termin
ated, with such hearty, patriotic and
efficient co-operation.
“Also, I wish to express my deep
appreciation and gratitude to the
newspapers of the territory for their
loyal co-operation. Their columns
have always been at the disposal of
the food administration in putting
over the food program. The editors
have at all times given space in their
papers to the food administration.
Without their aid we should have
labored under a great handicap.
With very kind regards, I am, sin
cerely your,
S. R. BRADLEY,
Federal Food Administrator
for Alaska.
AMERICANS WILL ENJOY
HUNS'FAVORITE SPORT
COBLENZ, Jan. 6 (correspondence
of the Associated Press.)—Judging by
the number of letters from German
civilians of the American occupied
area asking for special permits to
carry firearms for hunting purposes,
the wild bor,rs in Rhenish Prussia are
more numerous this season than In
many years. In fact, several letters
written to the headquarters of the
Third American army stated that the
wild boar menace this winter vvas
greater than any other year in Ger
man history
Every day from various parts of the
occupied teiritory letters pour into
Coblenz from German civilians who
have been deprived of their usual
winter sporr by the American decree
forbidding civilians to have p isses
sion of either rifles or revolvers. In
nearly every case the letters agree
that the wild boars are overrunning
the country, destroying crops and eat
ing certain winter-growing plants
which should be preserved for the
horses and cattle.
One letter stated that in the region
of Trier the boars had become so bold
that children of the farmers on their
way to school had been badly fright
ened and had to run for their lives
when a wild hog appeared in the road
and chased the youngsters to a nearby
farm house.
So far no permits for German civil
ians to hunt wild boars have been
issued. Third army officers say that
if there is any wild hog shooting to be
done, American soldiers will do it.
The American officers do not quite
understand why there have been no
complaints about the boar menace ex
cept from those Germans who want to
hunt- idhrll
-♦
The Daily Times job plant is
well equipped for all classe of com
mercial printing.
There’s a Reason Why
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