■ BRIGHT AND NEWSY LETTER
SEATTLE, WASH., April 6, 1920—
At the regular business luncheon of
the Members Council of the chamber.
*. >.A
of commerce this week the principal
topic was ‘“Hie enactment of a com
structive policy to provide for the de
velopment of Alaska.”
J. S. McPherson, manager of the
Alaska bureau of the chamber of com
merce delivered an instructive ad
dress covering the needs of the ter
ritory and wTiat has been done in the
*¥ direction of development and settle
ment. He said that “for fifty-two
years wfe have drifted without any
fixed or constructive policy looking
to the rational development of Alaska
that wrould result in permanent pop
ulation and local industries. After
three years Congress w'as persuaded
to begin the construction of an
Alaskan railway. The project—from
Seward to Fairbanks, with terminals
and branch lines, will comprise 600
miles. The work wrill be completed in
1922. After six years of work it is
realized that the development of traf
fic is necessary to the successful
operation of the railway.
“In the campaign for additional
funds to complete the project I ap
peared before four congressional com
mittees and urged that the railway
would only pay by the creation of
local industries and the settlement of
-tributary country; that such a result
is not possible under the present
policy and that a reversal from re
striction to one of aid and encourage
ment to settlers is necessary. There
is no such thing as frontier develop
ment with the pioneer enmeshed in
red tape—and such is responsible for
the non-development of Alaska. Dur
ing the period of experimentation the
population of Alaska has steadily de
creased. while the output of Alaska’s
great resources has mounted into mil
lions. We have taken from Alaska
nearly a billion dollars and have given
only in return a railway and a few
roads and trails wrhieh tend to make
easier the attraction of Alaska’s
wealth. This is the one end to which
the Alaska bureau of the Seattle
chamber of commerce has worked and
will continue to wrork .until the end. is
• achieved—the. utilization of, Alaska’s
rich resources to create local indus
tries and a permanent and prosperous
3 citizenry.
^ ninutjrtJU ctrtJtio Liictt auuuiu uc luc
center of a prosperous paper industry
have been allowed to rot. The lands
that are susceptible of cultivation
when cleared aggregate over one
hundred thousand square miles. As
; sured of proper steamship and hotel
facilities Alaska will become the tour
| ist Mecca of the continent. To those
pioneers left in the territory I say
that I confidently believe that we
are now at the dawn of a new era
that promises progress. We have the
championship of two men essential
v to successful congressional leadership
in the formation of a construtcive
policy for Alaskan development—the
, ehaifmen of two congressional ''Com
mittees charged with Alaskan legis
lation, Senator New of Indiana and
Chairmen Curry of the House commit
^ tee. Through their efforts a bill for
an appropriation to pay the expense
of construction was reported from the
committee on territories and immedi
ate action was taken by congress
These two men were aided in a ma
terial way by the Washington sena
tors and representatives, who are to
day in a strong and influential posi
tion in congress, and an ever increas
ing number of members of both houses
are actively enlisted in behalf of the
rational development of Alaska. Chair
man Curry summed up this sentiment
in a few words: ‘We are going to
enact a constructive policy and pro
vide for its efficient administration
in Alaska that will result in the util
ization of Alaska’s rich resources, tc
the end of creating local industries
and an increasing and prosperous
citizenry.’ ”
Alexander T. Vogelsang, assistant
secretary of the interior, in reply tc
inquiries from the Alaska bureau o1
* the Seattle chamber of commerce, re
plied: “One million acres of agricul
^tural lands in the territory of Alaskg
have been surveyed and are available
to- entry and patent under the public
land laws. Under the coal land lease
act coal lands in the Bering river
Cook inlet, Matanuska and Nenang
coal fields have been divided inte
leasing blocks and offered for lease
Town sites have been established ape
lets disposed of. The land and engi
neering commission has furnished ad
vice and assistance in finding market;
for the products of the farmers in the
adjacent regions. The departmen
does not consider itself authorized tc
4
aid in the settlement of the country
and developing traffic for the railway
by publishing literature or spending
money in aiding settlers to locate on
the land.”
The volume of commerce for Alaska
is larger than that of any other sec
tion of the world. Figures for 1919
show approximately $1,000 for each
inhabitant. During 1919 24,373 peo
ple were added to the population while
23,902 left. In the two preceding
years 13,000 more left than came in.
The balance of trade for the year
reached $31,000,000. Total imports for
the year amounted to $38,957,259 and
total exports were $70,695,080. Gold
and silver shipped to the states was
$8,636,139.
C. F. Caldwell, president of the
Utica Mining company of Slocan, B.
C., has been in Seattle on his way
I to Alaska. He will go to Hyder to
formulate plans for the construction
of a railroad twenty miles long from
Hyder to Stewart, just over the Can
adian line.
Major C. E. Dole, head of the pur
chasing department of the Alaskan
Engineering commission, announces
that 500 men will be sent to Alaska
this month to work on the Alaska rail
way construction. The first contin
! gent will be sent on the steamship
Victoria which will make a special
voyage carrying large quantities of
material and supplies for the terri
torial railway.
Active work is under way in fit
ting out the fishing fleet for Alaskan
waters. Most of the Southeastern
Alaska canneries expect to decrease
| their pack from one-third to one-half
i from normal. Alaska salmon packed
last year wa 4,3592,201 cases, the
smallest since 1915.
Thursday, April 8 was a busy day
with the Alaska Steamship company,
seeing four of the c ompany’s big
steamships sail for the north. A
large part of their cargos will be can
nery supplies for the opening of *the
| Alaska fishing season. The Alameda
will make all of the regular ports
except Anchorage. The Steamship
Victoria is making a special trip and
will go as far north as Unimak Pass
with cannery hands and supplies. The
freight steamer Latouche will make
the same ports as the Victoria with
freight only. The Redondo will call
at Southeastern Alaska cannery points
with men and supplies. On the Ala
meda wrill be a large crew for the
San. Juan Fishing & Packing com
pany’s cannery near Latouche. Owing
to the ice in Cook’s inlet the sailings
for Anchorage have been postponed
until later in the mouth.
o Advices from Washington state that
a serious effort will be .piade this
summer to obtain a supply of the
Alaska coal for use of the navy on
the Pacific. The navy appropriation
bill carried an itemof one million dol
lar for mining or contracting coal in
Alaska. The whole Matanuska re
gion will be investigated by naval ex
perts. It is not unlikely that naval
engineers will also make a survey of
Dutch Harbor with a view of estab
lishing a permanent coaling base for
use of the navy and the merchant
marine engaged in the Seattle-Orient
al trade.
Milk shakes like mother used to
make at The Club Billiard Hall. 23-tf
Fresh Ever-Ready Flashlight Bat
teries, all sizes. Blum O’Neill Co. 3-tf
Ladies’ and gent’s shoes shined at
The Club Barber Shop. 12-tf
Read the Daily Times for the latest
and most reliable world news.
Job printing at Daily Times office
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
FOR SALE—Complete placer equip
ment, including hydraulic elevators,
donkey engines, electric lighting
plant, 30-inch pipe line, nozzles, etc.
Equipment near Haines Mission,
Alaska. For further information
- write Ladysmith -Smelting i.Corpora
tion, 2105 L. C. Smith building, Se
attle. ' 13-2t
FOR SALE—Four cottages opposite
the school house. Phone 100—2
rings, or see Charles Cochran. 12-tf
FOR SALE—Perfect blue-white man’s
three-fourths karat diamond, worth
$450, will sell for $350; cabinet Sil
vertone phonograph and 112 rec
ords, $125; genuine Persion rug, 6x8,
$100; Burton mandolin, $10. Grant
Caughey, 167—5 rings. 12-tf
FOR SALE—Two pool tables, cash
register and counter, for $200. -Ap
ply Billy’s cafe, under Northen
hotel. 8-6t
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HAVE YOU A BABY
in the house? If so, you should make
this Drug Store your headquarters, as
we carry a full line of articles neces
sary to baby’s comfort and health. We
have Baby Foods, Special Soaps and
Brushes for its tender skin, Talcum
Powders—in fact, everything neces
sarv, .
rjf
NORTHERN DRUG CO.
/ “THE DRUG STORE OF ALASKA”
♦
“SERVICE” is our motto
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
FOR SALE—Five-room house, with
bath and furniture; $1,700. Phone
167-5 rings.
FOR RENT—Furnished cabins. Apply
to Cordova Abstract & Realty Co. 22
FOR SALE—Boat and equipment in
good condition. Apply Castle Inn
hotel, Ocean dock. 29-2w
Peyser’s new hat-blocking outfit is
.in operation. Hats blocked, dyed and
repaired. Phone 188. '
FOR RENT—Bachelor apartments, hot
and cold water; Front street, rear
Empress theater. Phone 185—2
rings. 19-tf
FOR RENT—Furnished room, steam
heated. Apply to Mrs. W. W. Coun
cil. • 17-tf
FOR RENT—Furnished rooms, with
private bath; men only. Apply over
Northern Club 27-tf
FOR RENT-—Furnished cabins. See
Dooley.
H. B. WOLKING & CO.
Licensed
UNDERTAKERS
And
EMBALMERS
Phone 133—3
BEAUTY
Here is a 2-panel
3-ply fir-veneer
door sold at a*com
mon door price.
Send for our free
illustrated home
builders’ 1920 cat
alogue.
Better Millwori,
Sash and Doors”
R o v I G
2229 First Ave. S.
SEATTLE
FRESH FROM OUTSIDE
i |
Beef, Pork, Veal, Mutton and Poultry
Wholesale and Retail
All Orders Given Prompt Attention
northern meat market
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