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The Cordova Daily Times
VOLUME TWO. NUMBER 331. CORDOVA, AkASKA, FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 1916. PRICE TEN CENTS.
■ INTEREST ALASKA COAL LEASING PLAN
¥
^“Considerable interest in the Alas
ka cbal leasing plan is being mani
fested by prospective applicants for
leases, especially in the Matanuska
field, where early and most favorable
transportation facilities are assured,"
Says Commissioner Clay Tollman, of
the general land office, in his annual
report to the secretary of the in
terior.
‘‘Although it is believed the coal
in the Nenana field will be mined
largely for local consumption, it is
apparent that with the coming of the
railroad there will be many applica
tions for leases, and it would, there
fore. be desirable to designate leasing
units in this field early in the next
summer. The field work In the Mat
nnuska and Nenana fields will be
completed this season, and the field
work in the Bering field probably will
be completed, although unusual fogs
and cloudy weather in that section
have interfered considerably with the
making of the necessary observations,
resulting in some absolutely unavoid
able delays.”
Commissioner Tallman states that
up to June 30, 1915, the coal land sur
veys in the north included 15,000
acres In the Bering River field, 19.000
I acres in the Nenana field and 60.000
1 acres in the Matanuska field. During
the year public land surveys were ex
i tended over 90,000 acres of agricultu
ral lands in the Cook Inlet district
:
northeasterly of Knik. The survey of ■
the townsite of Wrangell was com-11
pleted and the new townsite of An- <
. chorage was laid out. Additions to i
the townsite of Anchorage and Sew
ard, the two water terminals of the j
railroad, are now under survey. h
Existing Surveys Sufficient. ]i
"No additional surveys in the Cop- 1
per river region will be necessary in
the near future," the commissioner i
says. "Personal inspection indicates
conclusively that existing surveys are 1
sufficient to meet all reasonable re- '
qulrements of settlement in that dls
! trlct for several years, nor is there
any demand for an extension of the
surveys in the vicinity of Fairbanks.
"It is. however, highly desirable
that land surveys precede the govern
ment railroad in parts of the Susitna
and Tanana valleys. The railroad
will open an immense area to agricul
tural and mineral development.
"Several hundred settlers have al
ready gone upon the surveyed lands
in the Cook Inlet district, where Boil
and climate conditions are especially
favorable to agricultural and cattle
raising industries. It is reliably re
ported that similar climatic conditions
| obtain in many parts of the valley of
the Susitna and its tributaries.
"One of the principal factors, if not
the chief factor, in the development
of a new and practically little known
country is the public land survey. Its
very existence is an invitation and
vhat It stands for an inspiration to
he homeseeker, the prospector and
ithers of the advance guard of devel
ipment.
Advantage In Survey*.
“The advantage to the government
tnd to the settler of the establishment]
if surveys on the ground prior to set- j
lenient are obvious. Existing sur- j
eys with those to be completed this
all embrace all desirable agricultural
and? in the immediate Cook Inlet
listrict. They should, however, be
ixtended next season westward to the
3usitna and up its valley along the
ine of loiation of the railroad.
“While the Tanana valley, on ac
count of its remoteness at present
rom markets and the consequent
treater cost of developmem. Is not
jeing settled upon to any large ex
ent, it is unquestionably destined to
pecome, with the advent of cheaper
ransportation facilities, one of the
treat grain producing valleys of the
-ountry, and it would be highly deslr
ible to extend next summer public
and surveys northerly from the Ne
lana coal fields along the line of lo
;ation of the railroad to the Tanana
-iver and thence along the river, ex
panding the surveys each subsequent
mason as settlement may warrant.
"It also seems probable that the
general land office will be called upon
next season to survey other town
dtes and reservations along the line
pf the government railroad, and in
addition the examination of isolated |
homestead surveys, and the execution ■
of fragmentary surveys will be con
tinned as the necessities dictate. In
order to meet the requirements of
survey along the lines herein indi- ;
rated, provision should be made for
the employment of nine field parties. \
"The usual yearly allotment to
Alaska from the appropriation for sur- •
veying the public lands is $25,000. On
account of demands on this appropria
tion in the other surveying districts it
would appear probable that this allot-'(
ment could be considerably increased j 1
next season. ' 1
“It is therefore recommended that f
Congress be asked for a special ap- i
propriation of $50,000 for the survey f
of public lands in Alaska, to be made <
continuously available until expended, i
After the exhaustion of the special 1
appropriation it is believed that thO f
usual yearly allotment from the gen- 1
eral appropriation will be sufficient 1
to meet the requirements of survey 1
in the future." 1
Legislation covering lands in conti
nental Cnited States recommended by
Commissioner Tallman include the i
stock raising homestead bill, provid
ing for patenting 040 acres of land
suitable for grazing to one entrvman. i
the water power bill, covering leases
of water powers in the public lands,
and the general leasing bill, covering 1
lands chiefly valuable for coal, oil.
nhosphates and potash.
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IN SEATTLE
SEATTLE, Jnn. 7. — G. N. Skinner,
of the Port Blakely mill, and C. B.
Lamont, former assistant to the pre
sident of the Seattle Construct ion and
Drvdock Company, have organize 1 a
new shipbuilding concern to locate in
this city. The new company is said
to have the hacking of Charles E.
Peabody, John T. Heffeman and
Joshua Green. It is plJnned to build
a plant as large. If not larger, than
the Seattle Constrnction Company,
and to enter into active competition
with the latter company in the mat
ter of ship building contracts. The
recent sentiment of the community
to the fact that a good deal of lucra
tive business is being lost In Seattle,
and the new concern hopes to remedy
those conditions. The newly organ
ized Anderson concern, which has
just secured a contract for the con
struction of a big steamer, has virtu
ally admitted that it is unahte to se
cure the funds to go ahead with the
enterprise, and the projected company
•will take over the contracts and, as
sets of the Anderson concern.
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» FAIRBANKS, lari The worst
storm in years has been raging
throughout the interior for several
days. There has been a heavy fall of
snow, accompanied by a high wind.
Although no serious damage resulted
here, but points down the river were
not so fortunate. At St. Michael there
was considerable property loss. The
American Yukon Navigation Com
pany's warehouse was completely de
molished by the tide, which also
swept away the old North American
Trading & Transportation Company’s
warehouse. The A. Y. N. building was
blown over and four or five oil tanks
wrecked.
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» LOOKS AFTER
I
EL PASO, Jan. 7. — The federal
authorities have placed a military
guard around the house occupied by
’ Huerta, as it is thought that his ill
ness may be a hoax. The government
Is anxious to inject no further dis
turbing elements into the Mexican
situation, and Huerta will be re
turned to the military prison as soon
as his condition warrants.
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The steamer Alameda is due from
4 Seward tomorrow morning about 8
o’clock. She loaded 330 tons of cop
per ore on her way to the westward
and will take 670 tons more tomorrow,
leaving here for Seattle about 6
o'clock in the evening.
I
WASHINGTON, Jan. 77. — Secre
tary Garrison made public in connec
tion with his annual report the spe
cial national defence report prepared
at his request by the war college di
vision of the general staff. It shows
that the army itself considers that
as a proper military policy to secure ,
continental United States from attack
it is necessary to have a mobile army
of 1,500,001) fully or partially trained
men. It makes the following speci
fic recommendations for the organi
zation it believes necessary:
Regular Army — With the colors, |
121,000; reserves at end of eight year
enlistment period, 379,000; total, 500,
000.
Continental Army — Under training
three months a year for each three
years, 500.000; on furlough, subject
to three months additional training
before taking the field, 500,000.
Organized Militia — No provision
beyond annual appropriation of $7,
900,000 and repeal of all acts requir
ing state soldiers to be received into
United States service in advance ol
any other force in time of war.
Urand total, regular and continen
tal. 1,500,000.
In estimating the cost of this es
tablishment the report figures as fol
lows for the first year: Regular army,
$25S.96ii,000; continentals, $87,500,
J 000; militia. $7,000,000; total, $363.
460,000.
In addition to these figures Seere
I tary Garrison points out in a digest j
of the special report an annual ex-!
pense of $20,000,000 for each o' four J
years would be necessary for harbor1
defences and reserve materials would
I cost for the first year alone $119,
768,786, making the grand total for'
the first year $503,228,786.
BIG NAVY YARDS
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WASHINGTON, Jan. 7. — The tes
timony of Rear Admiral Homer R.
Standford, chief of the bureau of
yards of docks in the navy depart
ment, before the house committee on
military affairs, yesterday has occa
sioned considerable comment among
the congressmen concerning the pre
paredness of the nation to resist an
invasion. The big navy yards at New
York, Boston, Norfolk, Mare Island
! and at other places are not even de
i pendable in theory, not to speak of
being dependable in fact, according to
the admiral. The only deep water
naval station in the whole country
that is in theory properly located so
that ships of all drafts could use it,
and which is so situated as to make
j it possible to successfully defend it,
I is the yard on Puget Sound. Stand
ford said that the biggest battleships
would find no difficulty in entering
the Sound and reaching a haven in the
docks at the navy yard at Bremerton.
Speaking of the navy yard at Brook
lyn. N. Y., considered the moat im
portant in the country, the ■vtr'irnl
said: “While the Puget Sound yard
Is in my opinion the befit, on the ether
hand I regard the situation at New
York c>3 rather serious.”
ALASKANS ARE MEMBERS
! SEATTLE CHAMBER
i SEATTLE. Jan. 7. — Scotty Mian, j
v*ho returned recently from France.
I where he went in charge of a hunch
of Nome sled dogs, bought by the
French government for army pur
poses, left today for a visit to Cali
fornia. Scotty's people live in Berls
ely and he will visit with them before
returning north on the first boat in'
the spring.
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[ T
BE ATTENDED
! L !
BERLIN, Jan. 7. — graulein Hues
gen and Frau Ahrend, the two Chris
tian Scientists recently sentenced to
prison for being responsible for the
death of two Berlin actresses, have
appealed from the judgment of the
trial court. Local legal authorities,
however, predict a certain affirma
tion of the judgment, basing their
view on opinions already handed down
by the imperial supreme court in
similar cases. In each of these the
court held that the assumption of the
treatment of the patient and the
failure to call in a physician consti
j fates gross negligence.
CHURCH WAR S
NEW OFFICERS
The Society of Church Workers of
the Presbyterian cburch, at their re
gular business meeting last Wednes
day afternoon, elected officers for the
ensuing year as follows. Mrs. T. M.
Hunt, president; Mrs. Hub Bollinger,
vice-president; Mrs. Sam Hedges,
secretary and treasurer.
A bible study class was organized,
with Mr. Henley as president, and
Mrs. Czarwlnka vice-president. A
social literary club was also organized
with the same officers as the Church
Workers for six months.
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VIENNA, Jan. 7. — Enormous sums
of money have been collected in Aus
tria- Hungary for charitable purposes
during the war. No reliable figures
on the total obtained are yet avail
able, but estimates place it as high
as 1140,000,000 crowns (approximately
$4S,(J00,000). Much of this money has
been applied already, but large sums
are still available for the needs of
those for whom it was collected.
i
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LONDON, Jan. 7. — After the cabi
net ministers made an earnest appeal
to the trade union congress to defer
demands for increased wages until
after the war on the ground of ra
tional economy, the suggestion came
from the unions that the ministers
themselves might set an example in
economy by giving up part of their
salaries, which in some offices are
princely. It was indicated in parlia
ment that such a movement was con
templated by the ministers. But now
a leading Liberal paper makes an in
genious defence of the old scale of •
salaries. '
“It is an old saying,'* the paper 1
argues, “that a minister who gives 1
his whole attention to the ration's '
affairs has little time for his own, and €
in the case of some cabinet ministers
a sudden drop of a third to a half of
their incomes would create private, i
financial problems, and therefore 1
some distraction of mind. Ministers <
are supposed to be of importance to t
the nation’s business, and distraction t
of mind is therefore a thing to be c
avoided. It is not at all likely this t
consideration may prevail.”
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ML MAGNATE
IN SIGHT
NEW YORK, Jan. 7. — Chairman
Iray, of the hoard of directors of the
Jnited States Steel Corporation, in a
mhlic statement issued yesterday
aid that the war was going to end
nuch sooner than the ordinary per
on anticipated. He asserted that all
if the belligerents were starving for
nen and money, and that they would
ie unable to continue the stupendous
truggle much longer, as they would
ie both physically and financially ex
laimted Mr. Gray declared that at
mart all of the nations at war were
lesirous of war and that their people
vere sick of the conflict, and that it
vould not take much longer before
>roperly worded suggestions from
teutral countries would be favorably
•eceived by the contestants, and
mace negotiations commenced. Gary
’elt confident that the war would not*
ast beyond the coming summer, if
t went that far.
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i NIL
NOT m TO
LONDON, Jan. 7. — It has been de
cided by the government to exclude
Ireland from the working of Asquith's
uodified conscription bill. The fight
V." eliminating Ireland was opened in
he House of Commons by Simon, the
'ormer home secretary, who declared
hat as the nation had decided to
;rant Ireland home rule, that the
spirit of the lalter act should not be
,-iolated by inflicting compulsory en
istment on its people. After a spirit
’d debate. Premier Asquith an
nounced that the government was
■ illing to grant the demands of Si
non The bill as introduced does not
• pply to married men of military age,
jut only to bachelors and widowers
.• ho have no dependent children. The
igc limits are 18 to 41.
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SEATTLE, Jan.'7. — C. Hughes and
ohn T. Heffernan were yesterday
'lected members of the Alaska hu
eau of the Seattle Chamber of f’om
nerce. Governor Strong, Delegate
Vickersham and Will H. Parrv were
lected honorary members.
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Mr. and Mrs. M. P. Slas. N. S.
Smart, Fred T. Smart. M L Stickney,
3. M. Olson, B. F. Cor > el I and H.
'ummings were passen’pr- on this
nornlng's train for Ohitinn TVv
ook seventeen head of horses and
onsiderable equipment wl*h them for
he Valdez Creek Mines Oo’”pa->y.
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The steamer Admiral V ~r.t sell1*
rom Seattle tonight.
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