" I j
| WHAT’S THE MATTER j
.WITH ALASKA? 1
..
The following is the second of a
series of articles, dealing with the
^ Northland, which is being published
in the Railway and Marine News and
written by Edmund Ellsworth Sum
* ner:
The chief trouble with Alaska has
always been the lack of understanding
at Washington. Investigating com
mittees, one after the other, have
made their reports upon affairs in the
territory, but for partisan purposes
none of these reports have stated the
facts but have sought to shift the
blame for certain conditions which
may have been complained of at the
time and which they have instigated
^ the investigation of the moment
Carpet baggers have for nearly half
a century been merrily wending their
way Northward. In some cases these
men were not only professional office
seekers but they proved to be dis
honest and unscrupulous. - Rex
Beach’s famous story, “The Spoilers”
is founded upon fact and those facts
are well remembered by the Alaskans
of today as the incidents which took
place at Nome less than twenty years
ago.
As to the blight of conservation,
future history alone will show the
great extent and irretrievable damage
caused by that move. There was nol
one sincere and honorable thought
back of that bureaucratic action, the
^ whole plan being evolved by coal oper
ators of the Atlantic who feared the
opening and intensive development ol
Alaska’s coalfields when they had the
contract for supplying a large amoum
of coal to Pacific localities.
Parenthetically it might here be
mentioned in view of the very recem
and patriotic outbursts over the neces
sity for developing the American mer
chant marine, that for all those years
prior to the war Atlantic coal opera
tors shipped their coal to ports anc
stations in the Pacific in foreign bot
toms, yet, according to the statemen
♦so frequently made by government of
ficials, Alaska had enough coal to sup
ply all those stations, as well as th<
steam and domestic coal for Pacific
coast cities and there were man?
American ships available in the coast
winp trnrfp
Another thing that has been invar
iably suppressed in the reports of th<
investigators has been the incontro
vertible and basic fact that owing t<
conditions too numerous to here men
tion, Alaska can only be developed br
capital, and capital has been and i:
still being hampered and embarrassec
in every possible manner. The cr?
of the time is for efficiency, elimina
tion of waste and various economies
Had Alaska been allowed to work ou
its own industrial development, i
would today be able to exert a grea
influence on these various questions
Had the plans of ten years ago beei
worked out there would have been i
great coaling station at Dutch Harbor
a great smelter at some convenien
location on Prince William sound, an<
wood pulp mills in various localities
Take for illustration the coalinj
station at Dutch Harbor. All steam
ships plying between the Orient am
the Pacific Coast of North Americi
would be required to take but half t.hi
required amount of coal from eithe
port, depending upon Dutch Harbo
to refill the bunkers on a voyage ii
either direction. It is easy to see tha
this would have given increased car
go space in both directions.
Take the smelter as another illus
tration. Today, brought down fron
Alaska are large quantities of coppe:
ore, a certain percentage of which is
copper. The slag or refuse finds its
way into the dumps at the Tacorm
smelter but that wastage had to b<
hauled by steamer or barge from th<
North, and the millions of pounds o:
"mag thus brought down is ascertain
ed by the varying percentage of cop
per contents in the different ship
ments during the last decade.
The smelter would have used J
large quantity of coal and coke am
this would have meant a coking plant
which in turn would have led to othei
industries in the same region. Th<
value or extent of the oil has no
been determined but if there is an^
truth in the statement as to the grea^
value of Alaska’s oil deposits, thei
another great industry has beei
stifled, and during the month jus
ended the Pacific Coast has beer
flooded with publicity about an oi
and gasoline shortage. Surely it takes
no lengthy argument to bring out th<
fact that wood pulp, oil and coal de
yeloped on the most intensive scale
in Alaska would have a wonderful ef
'•'feet upon the 1920 shortage. Of the
wood and coal we know that there are
r -*• almost limitless quantities lying idle
in the Northern territory, with no de
y
j velopment in wood pulp and but a
j very small attempt at development in
the coal measures. We cannot as yet
estimate the extent or value of the
oil, but we can only point out that
oil development has been blocked by
the withering blight of bureaucratic
I mismanagement.
Very recently it was noticed that
the last investigating body had made
its report to Secretary Payne. It has
suggested various things, but no one j
of which is a practical solution of the
problem and we are therefore no
nearer to the business-like develop
ment of the territory than we were be
fore. It is nothing more nor less than
: amusing to learn that this committee
! advocates as one of the remedies the
combining into one company of the
two rival steamship lines operating j
to the territory. Such a combination ,
would have no effect whatsoever, in
fact, it would have practically no re
lation to the common sense, honest
| and practical development of the coal
j and pulp wood.
Mention is merely made of this to
I show how far afield these investigat
ing committees go in making up their
report. It might be well to state that
their suggestion, if followed out,
would be against the Sherman anti
trust law and the Interstate Com
merce Act. Also the steamship com
panies for many years past have had
to combat the statement of the pro
fessional politicians of Alaska that
they were combined. Yet this latest
I
j report suggests and openly advocates
I just such a combination,
j Once they throw open the lands of
!! Alaska to settlement and industrial
' J development on the same identical
plan heretofore adopted in every state
of the United States, and the question
; of transportation need never be dis
' cussed. There will be a boat for
every thousand tons of wood pulp or
' ■ paper or coal or coke. There need
J j be no fear on that score. In place of
discussing steamship transportation
and suppressing the scandal surround
! ing the construction of the govern
: ment railroad, it would be much bet
ter to first provide some new tonnage
for either that railroad or the steam
ships to haul.
And first, last and all the time no
1 tonnage can be produced until Amer
ican business men are permitted to
) operate in Alaska on the same plan
as in the states. No amount of talk
ing will change that fact. No amateur
5 ; investigators can produce carloads of
1 i freight.
Considerable surprise and some re
sentment was expressed by Alaskans
when it became known that Alfred
H. Brooks, of the U. S. Geological
Survey, had been named and had ac
cepted the position as one of the mem
bers of the very rdcent investigating
1 committee. As has been freely sug
1 gested, it is quite evident that the in
’ quiry is being directed more toward
some sort of justification for the gov
1 ernment railroad in Alaska than to
fairly endeavor to investigate and re
r 1
’ {port upon general conditions in the
*! territory of Alaska. The surprising
thing about the Brooks’ acceptance
1 i lies in the fact that he could sit in
j his office at Washington and without
* 1
^! stopping, could" dictate a brief show
ing just what is the trouble with
1 Alaska. For twenty years or more he
" has been making trips to the terri
tory and up to date had always been
accounted a good friend of the terri
' j tcry, whose work in behalf of the
1 development and exploitation of its
mineral resources has been of the
j greatest value. But it should also be
very pointedly brought out at this
- time that this same Alfred H. Brooks
! accepted an appointment in 1912 from
! the Taft administration as a member
*
of the committee to examine all rail
■ road routes, report on possible traf
fic and tonnage and make reccom
■ mendations. One has but to refer to
the official report of President Taft
l made toward the last oC his adminis
[ tration. This report carries the dis
, tinct recommendation cf Mr. Brooks
• covering the railroad routes to be fol
> lowed in th proposed construction.
This report was thrc-wn aside as a
r Tiew administration came into being
- March 4th, 1913, and immediately the
l Alaska Railroad Bill was taken up
l and successfully passed the House
; and Senate and wa3 signed by the
i president in February, 1914. Subse
quent reports of the commission pro
vided for in this bill completely over
turned or disregarded every recom
mendation made by the former com
mission of which Alfred H. Brooks
was a member and, to do him justice,
the best posted man on Alaskan af
fairs on the commission
So Mr. Brooks might refer to Mr.
Payne the lengthy document on Alas
k.i railroad routes which he signed
and very largely prepared in 1912
and T3. This would give Mr. Payne
a very thorough idea of the vast dif
ference existing between the two rail
road reports. The comparison would
also bring out facts regarding har-1
bors of Southern Alaska and all mat
ters pertaining Jo routes, construc
tion costs and possible traffic.
(To Be Continued)
“BROKEN BLOSSOMS” TO
BE REPEATED TONIGHT!
Every art has its golden age, bring
ing those wondrous works that live
on through all the years. And it
seems that a golden age has dawned
for the newest of all arts—the motion
picture screen . The master artist
of the screen has brought to us a
creation of such exquisite wonder and
beauty, of such haunting charm and
purity, that all else seems as of yes
terday.
D. W. Griffith’s “Broken Blossoms,”
taken from a story by Thomas Burke,
is at once the most pitiful, most trag
is, and withal, the most sublime love
story ever told. And in the telling,
the master, Griffith, has wrought
such rare and undreamed of beauties
that a new art, full, rich, boundless,
is revealed.
The musical accompanianment, ren
dered by Mr. Fairman, is the crown
ing, perfect touch. The wierd Orien
tal fantasies, delicate, dreamlike;
the rich harmonies pealing out like
temple bells, the love song of the
lily, the harsh note of hate; these fol-'
low the unfolding scene, enhancing
their beauty and intensifying their
appeal, until we are swept out, upon
a sea of music, into the land of
dreams.
“Broken Blossoms” is repeated for
the last time tonight.
On Friday and Saturday nights,
Enid Bennett in a role that is new
and pleasing, “The Vamp..” Now there
are different kinds of vamps, good,
bad and indifferent, and after seeing
Elnid, the little assistant wardrobe
mistress, in her first attempt at en
ticing the wary male along the prim
rose path, you’ll all agree that Enid
is a pretty good litte vamp.
UNCLAIMED LETTERS
AT LOCAL POSTOFFICE
Anderson, Miss Marie
Adams, Miss Hattie
A.goff, Mr. Sam
Andarakis, Mr. D.
Bagley, Mr. Nick
Basay, Mr. S. A.
Barrens, Mr. A. R.
Beyer, Mrs. Geo.
Cameron, Mr. W. R.
Cc^nelio, Valente
Cook, Mr. D-eLate
DeLander, Mr. John
Don, Mrs. C.
Ellingson, Mr. Martin
Garoff, Mr. George
Garvis, Chas.
Gustafson, Mr. Gustaf
Hand, Eugene
' Hietman, Miss Katie
I
: Hoffman, Miss Katie
Hussey, Michael R. (2)
Jackson, Mr. Tommy
Jenson, Henry
Lee, Arthur
Lewis, Wm. E.
Lindstrom, Herr Ture
Lonsdale, Miss Ella
Lungren, Mr. Jack
MacLean, Mr. Sea
Marshall, Mr. Jack
Martinez, Mr. Marcelo
McDonald, Brs. B.
McKenzie, Mr.
Metcalf, Mrs. E. C.
Parks, Mr. Johnnie
Pieman, Mr. Emele
Porter, Mr. George
Rogers, Mr. J.
Ryan, Jos.
Saha, Ray
Sampson, Bernhard
Seyler, Mr. Clarence
Stoll, Mr. Joseph M.
Stromi, Mr. Wm.
Smith, Mr. Albert
Smart, Jas.
Signal, Mrs. Stella
Sverklie, Mr. W.
Teng, Mr. John
Trzepaez, Mr. S.
Vallletti, Miss Gioe
Vlasoff, Miss Donnel
Please say advertised letters when
calling for the above mail.
0 C. H. SCHEFFLER.
Postmaster.
POCATELLO, Idaho, July 15 (by As
sociated Press).—A1 Knollin, son of a
prominent sheepman of Pocatello, is
proving a record breaker at the Uni
versity of Wisconsin. He won the
hurdle race at the western conference
meet at Ann Arbor and has been elect
ed captain of the track team of the
college for the coming year. Knollin,
a sophomore, is an all-round athlete.
Silk underwear and skirts at Mrs.
Reed’s O-T-O Shop. Windsor hotel.
BLUE FOXES FOR SALE
Fifty pair of very best blue foxes
for sale from our Long Island ranch,
either in pairs or can furnish foxes
of either sex. Can ship in October
or November. Prices given on appli
cation.—Kodiak Fox Farm, Kodiak
Alaska. 6-2w.
New and Second-hand Un-called-for
Suits for sale at Peyser’s Tailor Shop.
Don’t argue. The Club Billiard Hall
carries fresh tobacco. 27-tf
Your eyes fitted. Compound and
stigmatic lenses replaced. See Os
borne.
Restaurant for sale. See Dooley
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
WANTED—Waitress. Apply to Alaskan
Grill.15-tf
WANTED—An Ironing girl. Apply at
Northern Laundry. 15-tf
FOR SALE—Remington Typewriter, No.
10. New. Phone 35-4 rings. 17-tf
FOUND—Key in front of Alaska Public
Utilities office. Owner can secure same
at Times office. 14-tf
FOR SALE—Half or whole Interest In
American Bakery. 12-3t
FOR RENT—An unfurnished three-room
apartment, with steam heat and run
ning water. Apply Northern Hotel. 15tf
WANTED—Two tie makers. Pay fifty
cents straight for both first and second.
Parties to batch themselves. Apply
Blum, O’Neill Co., Cordova or Harry
Christie, Mile 19. tf
FOR SALE—Three-room partly fur
nished house at ocean dock. Phone
167-2 rings. 14-tf
FOR SALE—First-class pool table, in
good condition, Price $150. See F. H.
Foster. 11-ti
FOR RENT—Apartments In the Burk
hart flats. Phone 61. 3-tl
FOR RENT—Furnished cabins.. Applj
to Cordova Abstract & Realty Co. 22-ti
FOR RENT—Furnished Cabins. See
Dooley.
JUST ARRIVED
A NEW LINE OF
GINGHAMS
SILKALINE
SATEEN
AT
AUNTY KEATING’S
WEE SHOP
YOUR FURS MADE TO ORDER
Best work guaranteed. Low- '
est prices. Over 2,000 Alaska
customers. '
R. W. Drew
Tacoma’s Expert Furrelr
11th and B’dw’y, Tacoma, Wash.
I
i
You a Cigar We Can
Guess the Answer!
t'
! i;
Think of the number of let
ters in the name of your favorite
tobacco or cigar.
Double this number.
Add eight.
Divide by two.
Subtract the number you
started with.
Multiply by three.
Add one.
Subtract six.
Come into the Horseshoe, and
if the man at the counter can
not tell you the correct answer
he will treat you to a cigar.
We are as certain of the su
I
perior quality of our cigars and
tobacco as we are of solving
this problem.
E. L. HARWOOD, Prop.
I
^_ 4*
i
A LOOK IN THE MIRROR
after you have used our cold cream, talcum
powder and other toilet requisite will show
what wonderful complexion improvments
they are. 7 heir continued use will improve
even the most obstinate complexion and pre
serve the finest one. A visit will show why our
toilet wares are the preference of the daintest
women.
NO iTHERN DRUG CO,
THE DRUG STORE OF ALASKA
“Service” is Our Motto
CHIROPRACTIC
RECOGNIZED
BY THE FOLLOWING BENEFIT ORDERS IN ACCEPTING THE
SIGNATURES OF CHIROPRACTORS IN THE PAYMENT OF THEIR
CLAIMS.
Accident Fihe and Life Corporation, Ltd., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Aetna Life Insurance Co., Cleveland, Ohio.
Atlas Casualty Co.
Brotherhood Accident Co., Boston, Massachusetts.
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen.
Business Men’s Accident Association of America.
Commercial Accident Co., Springfield, Illinois.
Danes Brotherhood Camp No. 139, Viborg, South Dakota.
Eastern Casualty Co.
Fraternal Order of Eagles.
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Insurance Department.
Knights of Pythias.
Loyal Order of Moose.
Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., New York.
Mutual Benefit Health and Accident Association, Omaha, Nebraska.
National Travelers’ Benefit Association.
Old Line Accident Insurance Co., Lincoln, Nebraska.
Order of Railway Conductors.
Prudential Insurance Company.
Royal Indemnity Co., 84 William Street, New York City.
The Employers’ Liability Assurance Corporation, London, England,
Montreal Canada.
The Fidelity and Casualty Co., Dallas, Texas.
The Maccabees’ Great Camp of Ohio.
The Maccabees, New York.
The Merchants Life and Casualty Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation, Ltd., New York City.
The Order of United Commercial Travelers, Columbus, Ohio.
The Pullman Company.
The Traveler’s Insurance Co., Hartford, Connecticut.
The War Risk Insurance Bureau of the Treasury Department.
United Association of Journeyman Plumbers and Steam Fitters,
United States and Canada.
Western Accident Insurance Co.
Wisconsin Accident and Health Insurance Co.
AND FORTY OTHERS. LIST ON FILE AT MY OFFICE.
THANKING YOU
NORTHERN HOTEL CECIL J. WIGHT
11 a. m. to 8:30 p. m. ELLA W. WIGHT
After August 1st, Mickelson-Currier Building. Chiropractors.
1 _
CORDOVA BEVERAGE AND
DAIRY COMPANY
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL
CORDOVA, ALASKA
_________
Distributors of Ice Cream Manufacturers from
BLUE STAR DAIRY MILK Fresh Milk and Cream
From Certified Cows We specialize in family trade
—
BUSINESS HOURS: 8 A. M. TO 7 P. M.
MY LINE IN
HOWARD, HAMILTON AND ELGIN
WATCHES
IS NOW COMPLETE-*—THOSE WATCHES HAVE STANDARD
PRICES AND ARE SOLD HERE AT THE SAME PRICE AS ALL
OVER THE STATES
PAUL BLCEDHORN’S
Jeweler and Watchmaker. Phone 132
I
WHOLESALE RETAIL j
Prompt Attention Given to Small as Well as
Large Orders
CORDOVA MILL & LUMBER COMPANY
Phone 5 P. 0. Box 218
THE NORTHERN CLUB
FRED HAEF, PROP.
POOL, CARDS, TOBACCO
Soft Drinks of All Kinds
♦
The Popular Corner
PHONE 47 CORDOVA, ALASKA