ECONOMY SHOWN
IN RAILROAD
EXPENDITURES
ANCHORAGE, June ) (Special to
Daily Times).—If the prices of rail
road material, supplies and equipment
had not increased in the last four
years, the cost of the governments
railway in Alaska, completed, would
not have exceeded $33,874,563.32. The
estimate in 1915 for the construction
of the system was $35,000,000, so if no
change had occurred since then In
market conditions, the total outlay
would have been less than the original
calculation by $1,125,436.68.
Everything required in railroad con
struction-labor, food for mess camps,
tools, rails, lumber forties and bridges,
locomotives and cars for work trains
—advanced continuously during the
progress of the world war until now
cost prices, in many instances, are three
and four times higher than they were
when the building of the government
railroad was first undertaken. Yet
even if there should be no decline in
present high prices, only nine million
odd dollars, in excess of the original
estimate,'will be needed to complete
the federal transportation system. In
other words, while prices generally
are 50 to 400 per cent higher than
formerly, the cost of the government
railroad will be only about 25 per cent
more than the original estimate of
four years ago.
Two Important factors have operat
ed to keep down the average of the
cost of construction. They are the
ownership by the railroad of coal
mines, from which all necessary fuel
supplies are obtained, and the pur
chase at one time in 1917 of a large
quantity of material, supplies and
equipment, some of which is still on
hand.
“In going over the figures of the
cost of the railroad,” said William
Gerig, engineer in charge of the An
chorage division, who has Justf com
pleted a financial statement c I the
outlay necessary to build the fntire
system on the basis of prices It 1915,
“there are two things quite otice
able. One is a saving of $350,0( I that
haB been effected by the comn Ission
in using the coal produced at thi Eska
and Chickaloon mines. If the c< amis
sion, instead of opening and opt sting
these mines, had bought in the itates
and shipped to Seward and Anc wage
the coal it needed in construct! i and
operation, its expenditures woul have
been $350,000 in excess of whs they
are to the presenttime. The >ther
noticeable saving was affected ’ the
purchase of a large quantity < I sup
plies in 1917. If these suppli «, in
stead of having been bought t one
time in 1917, had been purcha id at
various times in 1917, 1918 an< 1919,
their cost, on account of the islng
market during the war, woulc have
been a great deal more than it a Ually
™"-.
Special dinner served from I lit 30
o’clock every day at the City lyery.
I— ^ I 11 I I
,_ ^ s I
ALMOST ANY VACANT RESI- I
DENCE LOT IN TOWN FOR I
DOWN AND MONTHLY [j
PAYMENTS OF |
O O I
B 'PICK out your lot and then I
I CORDOVA ADJUSTMENT CO. I
I I
SACK OF FLOUR
NETS $134,512
FOR RED CROSS
SAN FRANCISCO, June 3 (by As
sociated Press).—John D. McGilvary,
potenate of Islam Temple of San Fran
cisco, has Just received the famous
"Shriners’ Red Cross Sack of Flour”,
started In Islam Temple in May, 1917,
by Historian Clarence F. Pratt. The
sack has traveled 35,000 miles and vis
ited fourteen states, including Ohio,
Alamaba, Iowa, Montana, Virginia,
Wyoming, New Jersey, North Caro
lina Oklahoma, Tennessee, Michigan;
the flour was sold in Honolulu, twice
on the Pacific ocean and in California
sales were held in San Francisco, Oak
land, Fresno and Santa Rosa.
The sack of flour has been sold
twenty-three times in fourteen states,
with an aggregate sale of $134,512.84,
which has been turned over to the
Red Cross.
The largest sale was held by the
Oklahoma Shriners, their total being
$86,675, and Islam Temple at San
Francisco was second, with $28,701.25.
Oklahoma’s challenge to every temple
in North America to pasB their high
mark was never met.
The flour was booked and routed
like a traveling theatrical company,
and on account of the long jumps the
sack had to make to accommodate the
different shriners’ meetings and cere
monials, it was necessary to do all the
booking by telegraph from San Fran
cisco.
The sack was lost two weeks when
it made the journey from Wyoming to
New Jersey, but finally arrived-at the
Shrine Temple at Trenton one hour
before the sale.
Since the first sale in May 1917,
Potentate McGilvary and Historian
Pratt have spent on an average of
one hour per day watching and plan
ning the different sales of the sack.
At Honolulu, the Island Shriners
wove a lauhala covering around the
commercial covering of the flour; at
Helena, Montana, the nobles of A1
geria Temple placed a bearskin over
the Honolulu covering; at Butte, Mon
tana, Bagdad Temple made a copper
fez and band out of native copper.
The Oklahoma Shriners built a minia
ture oil derrick of silver and nickel
and placed It over all the other cover
ings.
The “Shriners' Red Cross Sack of
Flour" excelled the famous Grldley
Civil War sack of flour in two ways.
Mark Twain said that Gridley's largest
Bale was $40,000 at Virginia City, Ne
vada, while Oklahoma Shriners more
than doubled the Virginia City sale.
Gridley’s sack traveled 15,000 miles,
while the Shriners’ sack traveled 35,
000 miles and wore out twelve com
mercial flour sacks.
Home portraits of quality. Agency
Cordova drug store. Scarborough, pho
tographer. 14-tf
Eagle Dance Tonight in Eagle hall.
Empress orchestra. Best floor.
The best and quickest route to Fair
banks and interior points. Burgess
Karstens Auto Line, Chitlna, Alaska.
JUST RECEIVES
A LARGE SHIPMENT OF
LIVE S
Good Friers
FRESH EGGS
FOR SALE
joeTrey
Phone; 22
ff=== -
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.
EMPRESS II
LAST TIME TONIGHT
Douglas '
Fairbanks
In the Five-Act Comedy Drama
“Mr. Fix-It”
LATE PATHE NEWS
TOMORROW—VALESKA SURATT IN ‘RICH MAN’S PLAYTHING’
STEAM HEAT ELECTRIC LIGHTS
Overland Hotel
MRS. J. W. KENNEDY
Chitina, Alaska
POOL TABLE IN CONNECTION '*&•
t BEST BRANDS OF CIGARS KEPT
Old Papers
Suitable for wrapping, underlaying
carpets, etc.
A generous bundle for
25 cents
Cordova Daily Times Office