Nenana Steam Laundry
OUR EQUIPMENT COMPLETE DLnnp 7Q
WORK EQUAL TO THE BEST TltOne id
J. F. BENNETT.
GEORGE RICH
BLAINKFIELD EXPRESS
CONNECTING WITH FAIRBANKS TRAIN.
PASSENGERS BAGGAGE MAIL
Clean Dry Wood for Sale Hauling of All Kind*
OFFICE AT THE TERMINAL.
Prompt Reliable Satisfactory
STOVES OF ANY KIND MADE TO ORDER
All Workmanthip Guaranteed Pertaining to Heating or Plumbing.
The Nenana Sheet Metal Works street.
Prospectors
.Farmers
Trappers
Tourists
The Nenana district offers oppor
tunities for prospecting, farming, and
trapping that are unequaled in any
other section of Alaska.
Gold placers of known value, close
to Nenana, are producing annually sub
stantial amounts, and there are scores
of streams within the district on which
little or no prospecting lias been done.
These streams, until a 9hort time ago
almost inaccessible, are now easily
reached by means of the new Govern
ment Railroad, and undoubtedly soon
will be the scene of mueh mining ac
tivity.
Farming in the Nenana district has
the advantage of a growing season fully
ten days longer than that of any other
section of Interior Alaska. There is
much desirable land in-the district open
to homesteaders, and marketing possi
bilities are being expanded steadily.
Fur-bearing animals of the Nenana
and adjacent districts are noted for the
fine quality of their fur, and trappers
annually bring large numbers of pelts
to Nenana and receive for them higher
prices than are obtained for the average
furs of other districts.
Game of all kinds abounds in the
Nenana district, there are scores of
trout streams easy of access, and the
scenic wonders of the district are un
surpassed. The district is the natural
gateway to Mt. McKinley National
Park, and close to Nenana may be
viewed the largest coal ledges in the
world.
Detailed information regarding the
resources and possibilities of the Ne
nana district n:ay be obtained from the
Nenana
Commercial
Club
CLUB in
PLAN 10 SPEED
ALASKA REFORM
The chief business before the
meeting of the Nenana Commercial
dub at Union hall last night was
the introduction and approval of a
plan, submitted by Commisisoner R.
S. McDonald, for the betterment of
Alaskan representation at Washing
ton, the proposal being ably sel
forth in a written statement of con
ditions and suggested remedial ac
tion through which it may be possi
ble to secure a larger measure ol
attention at th? national capital
The club will submit the plan t(
other commercial bodies throughou
the Territory and endeavor to se
cure co-operation in putting the pro
posed reform across.
The plan of Mr. McDonald, a
presented by him, is as follows:
If the assumption is warrante*
that Alaska is enormously rich ii
its possession of great stores o
precious and the more useful metals
of immense tracts of timber, coal
and oil lands, of forests plentifull
stocked with game and fur-bearin
animals, and waters containing whai
under a system of reasonably san
conservation, would constitute an ir
exhaustible supply of the finest fisl
why is it that its population is d(
creasing and its prosperity as stead
• ly waning?
1 What has happened to make Alas
|ka the unfortunate exception from
that progressiveness which has char
acterized, during the past twenty
i years, every other portion of the
United States?
Why has it not received from
i the United States Government more
jof that intelligent and efficient pa
ternalism such as, reclaiming im
imense tracts of prolific orchards
jand grain fields from waste acreage,
has returned big dividends in na
tional wealth and the well-being of
| millions of its citizens? Such pa
ternalism as, if it were as intelli
; gently bestowed in Alaska as it has
been in the deserts, would vastly
jincrease the annual output of the
j Territory. .
j Possibly the answers to these ques
tions may indicate a remedy for the
; unfortunate condition they imply.
! To those in touch wdth the Alas
: kan situation the richness of the
| Territory will be admitted without
; mental reservation, and they are
! equally sure that it is being depopu
lated. Others interested in the truth
j of the hypothesis are referred to
i Government reports as to the poten
tialities of the timber, coal, and oil
lands, the development of which has
hardly commenced, and to the cus
toms reports as to the exports of
metals, fish, and fur. From these
■latter they will learn that the value
• of the gold, silver, copper, and fisn
shipped from Alaska during the pasi
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twenty years was more than one
hundred times the $7,200,000 paid
Russia for the Territory. On the
other hand, the census reports will
inform them that the white popula
tion of Alaska in 1910 was approxi
mately 40,000, while the most-relia
ble figures available today indicate
it is now less than 30,000.
Before essaying answers to these
questions it would be well to con
sider what would be the procedure
of a big corporation handling Alaska
as a development project.
; It may be assumed that its first
step would be, by investigation, to
estimate the prospective financial
returns—immediate and continuing.
Then would be determined the cost
necessary to insure these returns.
If the investigation indicated that
there would be certain profits, and
‘that these profits warranted a large
preliminary expenditure, there would
■ be no hesitancy on the part of the
corporation in making the outlay.
■ The work would then be initiated
•
under the most capable management
; available. But, and herein the cor
poration's policy would differ from
1 that of the Government, that man
i agement would be conducted on the
' ground instead of at long range—
, by interested workers conversant
, with local conditions and problems
r rather than, 5,000 miles away, by
t bureau officials handicapped by lack
of technical knowledge.
And it is this difference in the |
system of management, spelling for
Alaska stagnation instead of prog
ress, that largely accounts for the
decrease in population and prosperi
ty and the small measure of intel
ligent help that has been bestowed
by the Government. For, unless we
have little or no faith in our system
of government through representa
tives elected by the people, we must
and should assume that Congress is
conscientiously desirous of helping
and, if the way had been clearly
pointed, would have taken in the
past such steps as would have helped
rather than hinder the Territory.
The way to help has not been clear
ly defined, however, nor has there
yet been evolved and pursued any
method whereby Congress could be
given that complete understanding
of its task that is essential to suc
cessful accomplishment.
The fault, as usual in such cases,
! mav confidently be ascribed to lack
i
of proper representation of the gov
erned at the seat of government,
i Alaska’s delegate, with no vote in
the house, is only very occasionally
igiven, under sufferance, the oppor
tunity of making himself heard.
: Frequently he is opposed in com
'mittees by lobbyists for private in
; terests, and if these be sufficiently
numerous, the fact that the dele
i
‘gate is the elected spokesman of
ithe people of the Territory is apt
•to be overlooked. Certain it is thal
■lie is not given opportunity to taki
up all of even the more importanl
I.
issues.
i
i It was with a realization of tin
I fact that Congress had but litth
'time to devote to the delegate tha
home rule was asked for, in th<
hope that the Territory could thei
adequately manage its own affairs
but when the enabling act wa
passed it was found that the legis
lature was so hedged around wit!
restrictions that little change in tin
system of management had been ef
feeted. The prerogatives of chie
importance to a state (or territory
were proscribed and only througl
memorials to Congerss, which migh
or might not sometime be accorde
attention, could Alaska’s real need
be voiced. Laws passed by the lee
islature must remain in a state o
incertitude as to their constitutior
ality for an indefinite time, awaitin
the sanction of Congress, and th
doubt and indecision there enger
dered has caused the legislature t
be regarded writh scant deference.
To this handicap of a lack c
opportunity to properly represent it
needs where help should be fort!
coming must be added the burde
that continuously is being impose
on the Territory through the mil
representations of irresponsible wri'
ers. For, in spite of the educi
tional efforts of commercial orgai
COLISEUM
EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG FAMOUS PLAYERS FEATURE
AND BURTON HOLMES TRAVELOGUE FOR PROGRAM
SUNDAY NIGHT.
Paramount-Burton Holmes Travel Pictures
Offer*
A SPLENDID TRIP THROUGH THE CHIEF CITIES OF
THE ISLAND OF CEYLON.
Daniel Frohman Presents
THE CHARMING SCREEN STAR
Marguerite Clark
IN A PICTURIZATION OF HER GREAT STAGE SUCCESS
Snow White
IN SEVEN ACTS OF POWER AND CHARM.
MUSIC-VIOLIN. PIANO AND DRUMS
General Admission 50 cents Reserved Seats 75c
I SOLDIERS AND CHILDREN 25c.
SHOW STARTS AT EIGHT O’CLOCK.
*
izations throughout the Territory, it
seems to be quite impossible to ■
eradicate the idea, prevalent in the
States, that a year’s residence in 1
Alaska should entitle one to a Car
negie medal for bravery. While it'
is the simple truth that life in anv
one of the towns of Alaska is no
mote exciting than that in towns of
[similar size in the States, differing
!only in the fact that the Alaskan
; town probably affords more of the
[comforts achieved through modern
[conveniences, many newspaper and
i magazine writers appear obsessed
■with the idea that to be believed
[they must so represent the daily life
, as to make each hour furnish ma
terial for an episode in the most
I thrilling movie serial. While this
may be excusable in a fiction novel,
it is poor propaganda for the in
ducement of immigration, and it
also furnishes at least some slight
excuse for the neglect of the coun
try by the Government.
Assuming, then, that Congress is
just as willing to embark in a good
business venture for the United
States as a private corporation would
be for its own benefit, the induce
ment for a more extended invest
ment in Alaska lies in the fact that
the Territory's exports have totaled
nearly a billion dollars, in spite of
the fact that the money spent on
its development has been, by com
parison, negligible. Should investi
gation prove this inducement suffi
cient. there would then arise the
question of the form of management
that might be depended on to insure
success, and it is in this particular
that change of method is suggested.
It has been proven by the in
fallible test of experience that the
[Territory cannot be adequately
• served through the delegate anti
[legislature alone, as each is tor
|heavily handicapped by the enforced
restriction of activity. Not to dis
1 place the delegate or legislature, bu1
to act in conjunction with both, i1
[is now suggested that there be ap
i
llllllllllllllllllllllllil
pointed a commission of twelve men,
three appointed from each judicial
division of the Territory, and that
this commission meet in Washington
during a session of Congress, with
the House Committee on Territories,
or a committee especially appointed
for the purpose. Provided arrange
ments were made for frequent joint
meetings, it is believed that Con
.gress could be enlightened at one
session as to the be.-t method of
adequately developing Alaska more
thoroughly than is possiblt by the
present system if continued indefi
nitely.
The expense of the experiment
[Would be nominal if compared to
!the beneficial results that might be
{confidently expected. It would put
an end to haphazard administration
and substitute sane business man
agement, thereby eliminating the
waste of money occasioned in the
past through unintelligent bureau
administration. If Congress can be
prevailed upon to grant the commit
tee hearings, the Territory could
well afford to bear the expense of
sending the commission—provided,
however, that this was well selected.
Politics should, of course, have no
part in this selection, and the meth
od suggested at this time is that
the commissioners should be ap
pointed on the nomination of the
commercial bodies of the Territory
By this method there would be rea
jsonable certainty that only men who
'had the real interests of the Terri
itory at heart would be chosen.
' J NOTICE OF CHANGE OF REG0RDIN6 PRECINCTS
J§ According to a recently issued Court Order by
;! Judge Chas. E. Bunnell, the Nenana Mining and Re
o I cording District has been enlarged to take in the Bon
§ nifield and Totatlanika Districts.
! Miners and Prospectors of these districts will be
1 enabled by this change to do their recording and
| transact other business at Nenana, which is within
| easy reach of their mining activities.
1 NENANA COMMERCIAL CLUB.
| J. R. Bowen, President. R. J. Diven, Secretary.
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