The Nenana News
Application made September 28,
1916, at the Postoffice at Nenana,
Alaska, for entry as second-class
mail matter, under the act of
March 2, 1879, by the Nenana
Printing Co.
ISSUED EVERY SATURDAY
BY THE
NENANA PRINTING COMPANY.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
Per month, in advance.$ 1.00
Per year, in advance.—.. 10.00
All subscriptions payable in ad
vance.
Copy for advertisements or business
from Fairbanks may be left at
the News-Miner Office, Fairbanks,
Alaska.
Nenana, Alaska, September 23, 1916.
ON OUR WAY.
We would have beer, with you
before if we could have made it.
but we couldn’t. We would be with
you stronger in plant and invest
ment today if we were not so fai
away from the printing material
shops of the Outside, but we are
here strong enough to help some
and get through the first winter, and
in the spring we can grow as great
as conditions merit.
Every town wants and needs a
newspaper, and there are plenty
newspapers always ready to sup
ply the demand, or to be created
as soon as the excuse offers. Ne
r.ana will have other newspapers in
time, but we are here first and it
is a safe bet that no other news
paper will try to split this field witn
us until such time as the field of
fers better grazing than it doe=
today. We are here to go through
your first winter with you and share
in whatever good or bad it offers,
and winter time nowhere in In
terior Alaska offers much to news
papers. However, there is no ques
tion in our minds but that we will
find the people of Nenana as loyal
to us as we are to them and a?
generous in their patronage as we
deserve or as the people can be,
which is all we ask.
There’s no use in our starting out
w:th a long line of apologies for
imperfections. We are forced by lack
of accommodations and office room
to have this issue printed in Fair
banks, but next issue will be print
ed from our own office in Nenar.a.
At the start we may have to draw
occasionally upon the better mechan
ical facilities of Fairbanks to help
us out, but this will last no long
er than necessary, for we can do
all our own work in our own town
and office.
We thmk well of Nenana and its
people and want them to think well
of us. We are prepared to earn
by hard work and honest efforts the
good will and loyalty of the people
here. Incidentally we might men
tion that so long as our work meets
with the approval of the people of
Nenana we don’t care much what
the people of other sections of Alas
ka think of us. We will be for
Nenana first, last and all the time,
for other camps in Alaska can nev
er amount to much—they are too
far away from Nenana for that.
-o-O-o
THE FUTURE OF NENANA.
We believe that we car. look as
far into the future as can anyone
elae. Nobody knows what will hap
pen next year, but we of Nenana
know better what to expect from
Nenana next year than do the people
of any other part of Alaska, unless
Anchorage be the exception, knew
about what will happen to the sei ;
sections in the way of prosperity.
Nenana has a bright future and
the people here expect to win rich
es and success at a marvelous speed,
we among the number. At the same
time it is well not to overrate the
ehanoes, or build upward Iron the]
oxciting tilt the town-lot buyers from j
Fairbanks gave Nenana at the lot
sale. The way they went one would
think that it is only a matter of
a day or two until Nenana rivals
Greater New York—we know better
than that. Had the boomers been
content to hold their prices down
to what the Railway Commission ex- ^
pected for the lots, every man in i
Nenana would own a lot or more to
day and there would be a solid !
oasis of value to every lot owned
here. We hope that every lot in
Nenana is worth from $20,000 to
$50,000, but we can’t make ourselves
: believe that they are; nor can we
make ourselves believe that Nenana
' is going to be benefitted by any
loom methods. Either Nenana is a
sensible business proposition, or it
is not; unless some sense is con
' sidered in property valuations and
the upbuilding of Nenana, foolish
I days are coming to us, and no
Xenanaite wants to see them come,
i Nenana can see into the future
for at least three years, barring
i foolish action upon the part of our
people or accident which cannot now
be foreseen. There will be three
years of railway and shop eonstruc
ition working from Nenana, and we
.an see what that will mean. Ev
er y branch of business can find room
■and excuse in Nenana during that
| time, but it will be foolish to cause
three places of the same kind of
! business to grow where none grew
j before and where there is no busi
ness excuse for the existence of
more than one place of business
in that class. A multiplicity of
! business houses of the same class
do not create bus.ness—the workmen
and residents of a town furnish the
demand and the business houses sup
ply the demand—wherever the sup
ply exceeds the demand, there is
.-low movement of goods from the
unnecessary extra business houses.
As many houses of a kind as wish
: to come will be welcome, because
1 there is no way to keep them away,
, but the incoming business houses
which add to a number of their
! class which needs and demands no
increase in numbers need expect
1 no sympathy from Nenana if they
do not get rich quickly.
This winter will be quieter than
.text winter will be Next year, if
all goes well and Congress votes
1 the money expected and the labor
1 suply offers there will be probably
1,500 men on the railroad payrolls
j at Nenana, Including the heads of de
| partments and clerks, and all will
be paid in Nenana and spend some
of their money here. The wages will
not be the highest ever paid in the
North, but they will be all that
the Commissioner can obtain from
the Government from the workers.
If we are iucky all those who are
not perfectly satisfied to work for
the wages the Government will pay
.nere will keep away from Nenana,
and there will be nothing but a con
tended payroll and prosperity here,
and we look for that. Next winter
there will be more work done in
Nenana than there will be this win"
ter—trouble among the stevedores
on the Outside and inability to get
supplies here during the seaaon of
navigation will shorten the work
that would have been done this win
ter had more supplies been obtain
abie during the season. Natural
conditions will mean natural results
in Nenana, just as they do else
where—all we have to do is consider
th ngs from a logical standpoint and
expect nothing greater than has ev
er been advertised from Nenana
j by responsible authorities.
What Nenana may look to as a
feeder aside from direct railway
connections remains for time to de
termine. We can never be a great
manufacturing center, for there is
nothing here to manufacture that
e can see. The railway may de
velop mining ground that we know
not of. and will bring the Nenana
coal to market, although it is a
coal that will have to be treated
by a simple process before it is of
i
great commercial value, being now
one-third water. The government
may be trusted to look to this,
however, and every little bit of new
business will hein. The only thing
ff*
we muat avoid is overplaying our
possibilities and fooling ourselves.
We do not need to care or worry
how much outsiders fool themselves
or how great they make N'enana look
to themselves, but we must keep our
heads on our shoulders. We will
be here all the time history is a
making, and will really know what
is what if we really try to. It
will be good enough for all of us,
if we play the game as best and
as sensibly as we can—if others
come as others may and set into the
game and immediately start to shoot
the limit out of sight and reason,
they needn’t blame us if they lose
or if it doesn’t come the way they
make it look. It won’t be our fault.
There shouldn’t be a "knocker"
in Nenana. The town can’t afford
them, and they should be discourag
ed from the start. W’e are what
we are and what we are going to
be, we of N’enana, and we don’t want
to think that we are or are going
to be greater than we are. We are
good enough, at the worst.
POLITICAL DAYS.
This is the open season for poli
ticians, and it is surprising to see
what a great number of them have
just discovered that Xenana has
votes and that Xenanaites should
be told how to cast their votes.
They are neglecting their business
and homes and coming here to help
us to not go wrong and vote for the
other fellow, and to tell us that
our future depends upon sending
them to salaried jobs at Jnneau or
Washington.
Lest we forget, it is due us to
remind you that Xenana is a gov
ernment town, the work of the pres
ent Administration. What it will be
f the present Administration is re
turned to power we can figure from
that Administration’s past actions,
but we cannot figure what would be
the result if the Administration
changes. However, there's no need
to worry over the matter of chang
ing Administrations. We can’t help a
change being made nor can we help
to retain any Administration in pow
er. All we can do, and we should
do that, is to be loyal to the pres
ent Administration and just as loyal
to the next Administration, no mat
ter what its poltiical complexion
may be, for our success depends
to a great measure upon the Xa
tional government and its considera
tion of Xenana. We cannot, how
ever, see that the future of Xenana
depends upon any one man now run
ning for office in Alaska. If it does,
our future is based upon sand and
theory.
-o-U-o
COMMISSIONER RIGGS.
Commissioner Riggs, the Interior
representative of the Alaska Railway
Commission, is a loyal Xenanaite,
and is on the job all the time.
He sees in Xenana a town that will
be in part a monument to himself,
and his heart is with Nenana in
every way. If he can help us to it,
there is nothing too good for Ne
nana. Congress puts a limit upon
his potlaching for i£, and he can
not exceed that limit. He is going
as far as he can, and is simply one
of us—a roughneck commissioner
who won’t wear a white collar when
Mrs. Riggs isn’t around, and who
does not feel that he is better than
the men who are helping him to
!build this railway, whether those
imen are working with a shovel or
!a par..
We ought to give all our loyalty
to Commissioner Tom Riggs and
look upon him as our best friend,
for that is just what he is trying
• to be.
--—o-O-o
James Winn, one of the first resi*
dents of Juneau, died in that city
recently at the age of 76 years.
For the past year he has been com
pletely paralysed.
CLUB PROMISES
TO E GREAT
TOWN FACTOR
SEN ANA COMMERCIAL CLUB IS
ORGANIZED AND WILL PLAY
IMPORTANT PART IN HIS
TORY OF THE TOWN.
BURNS TEMPORARY
CHAIRMAN OF CLUB
NENANA, INTERIOR’S FUEL
DEPOT," IS THE SLOGAN OF >
THE CLUB; PERMANENT OR
GANIZATION LATER.
Like all live towns of the United
States, and especially Alaska, Ne
nana has a chamber of commerce,
the official name of which is “The
Nenana Commercial Club.” As yet,
the permanent organization hae not
been perfected but it will be with
in the next few weeks, and the
residents of the town will be expect
ed to turn in and do its part in
boosting the welfare of all. At
present Commissioner Robert E.
Burns is the temporary chairman of
the club and is one of the moving
spirits in launching this part of ^
the municipal spirit.
For several years, Fairbanks has
had one of the most progressive
eommerciai organizations in the
North, and as a result the town
has gained many benefits that it *
would not have obtained otherwise.
The same has applied in other Alas
kan towns, but to a lesser degree.
In addition to boosting the in
dustries and welfare o fN'enana,
the commercial club will take a
prominent part in seeing that all
visitors of note are properly en
tertained, and those who are re
sponsible for its inception request
earnestly that it be given the hearty
support of the business people and
other residents.
"Nenana, Interior’s Fuel Depot,”
is the slogan of the club and prob
ably will be accepted after the
permanent officers have been chos
en.
To a representative of the News,
Commissioner Burns stated that
among other thingB, the club would
start immediately to use its influence
to better transportation conditions,
to obtain the best possible rates for
the merchants.
It will also investigate, as fat
aa possible, the conditions in the
aountry surrounding tjie town of
Nenana, with a view to assisting
in the development. The club will
also work in conjunction with the
townsite manager and will serve as
an official organization, represent
ing the citizens, with which the in
dustrial department of the Alaskan
Engineering commission may deal.
In the near future, the club will
publish some literature descriptive
of the country and advising pros
pective settlers as to the true con
dit ons of the district.
Terrible Mishap.
Bess—Isn’t it just awful about
Clara?
Jess—Why. what’s the trouble?
Bess—You know how she used to
hang on Dick’s every word?
Jess—Yes.
Bess—W’ell, the other day he
broke it.
The News is indebted for assist
ance in getting out its first .ssue
to Edward G. Morrissey, city editor
of the Fairbanks News-Mirver, who
i acted in the same capacity for this,
the initial ssue of the Nenana
1 News, the first newspaper published
in Nenana, Alaska.
Prof. C. C. Georgeson. head of the
agricultural experimental stations in
1 Alaska, has been granted the de
1 gree of Doctor of Science by the
University of Alaska.
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Everything You Want
Groceries
Cigars
Liquors
Tobacco
Hay, Oats, Feed
Hardware, Building Paper
Corrugated Iron
Nails Tools Untensils
Stoves Ranges
Enamelware Graniteware
Aluminumware
Mishawaka Boots
and Shoes
Corona Typewriters
Dodge Bros. Motor Cars
Most Complete Stock of General
Merchandise in the North
NORTHERN COMMERCIAL CO.
Fairbanks Chena
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!
1
20 YEARS
Of Square Dealing In The North
Should be a positive guarantee that you could
make no mistake in selecting our firm to buy
Diamonds, Jewelry, Watches, “Solid Silverware,”
Clocks, “Silverplated Ware,” Umbrellas, "Silver
Deposit Ware,” Pens, Gut Glass, Optical
goods. Art 6oods, Hand Bags,
and such goods from. Or, if your watch or jew
elry needs looking after OUR REPAIR DEPART
ment is equipped to give you QUICK and SAT
ISFACTORY service.
MONEY BACK
If Not Satisfied
SUTER’S, The Live Jeweler
NOTE:—Our Mr. Larsen will be with you on or
about the 27th September with a representative
assortment of goods from our stock.