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TYPEWRITER PAPER IS
ON SALE BY THE NEWS
A shipment of typewriter paper,
of the standard American brand,
has just been unpacked at The News
office, where it is on sale by the
box or in any other quantity desired.
• The sizes include both legal and
letter and the weights range from
- # -"
the lightest to heavy.
The paper was bought right and
is being sold at a close margin of
profit.
The News also has unprinted en
velopes for sale by the box and by
the package—all sizes, from baroni
al to legal, white and colored, and
bond and' wove.
I —
Nenana, Where Baila and Blvera Meet
w
Y
Prospectors
F armers
Trappers
Tourists
j ! 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 has been done.
These streams, until a short time ago
almost inaccessible, are now easily
reached by means of the new Govern
ment Railroad, and undoubtedly soon
will be the scene of much 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. v
Detailed information regarding the
resources and possibilities of the Ne
nana district may be obtained from the
Nenana
Commercial
Club
Introduction.
The Alaska Advisory Committee,
made up of representatives of the
Interior, Postoflice, and Agricultural
departments, was appointed by and j
at the request of Hon. John Barton |
Payne, secretary of the interior; its
purpose being to advise the secre
tary of the interior as to what im
mediate steps can be taken to bet
ter conditions in Alaska, what in- j
dustries can be developed, and re-:
sources exploited to give employ-j
ment to a resident population which,
in turn, will give a home market1
for Alaska products,
j The committee has examined a
large mass of data bearing upon
Alaska in the files of the various
Government departments, including
the records and hearings of several
previous Alaska investigations. In
formal conference were also held
in Seattle with many persons inter
ested in the development of Alaska,
including mining, canning, timber,
transportation, and commercial in
terests, as well as representatives
of the Alaskan Engineering com
mission and of other Government
departments. About a month was
: devoted to the inquiry, and the re
port and recommendations of the
! committee follow, the arrangement
being (1) a summary of most im- j
portant recommendation, (2) brief
statements of the industrial condi
tions in Alaska, and (3) detailed
i
recommendations arranged by topics.j
Principal Recommendations,
i The canvass of the Alaska situa- \
tion leads the committee to make:
many recommendations for the im- j
provement of industrial conditions:
within the Territory, and these are |
' fully set forth in later sections of ^
this report. The most important
and urgent of these recommenda-1
tions are briefly stated as follows: j
1. Lowering of ocean freight and
passenger rates and improvement of
transportation and mail service thru
economies introduced by combina
tion of two existing steamship lines
iinto one.
; 2. Concentration and co-ordina
tion of Federal control of Alaska
lands and resources by obtaining
'legislative authority for an Alaska
Development board, and, pending
this, by the appointment of an Inter
departmental Alaska committee,
j 3. Co-ordination of Federal road
i construction, and the development
: of a plan for a comprehensive sys-1
item of roads and trails to serve the
■ entire Territory. Also the request
jing of an appropriation of at least
;one million dollars for the inaugura
tion of this system.
4. Investigation of the commer
I
;cial feasibility of smelting Alaska
'copper ores within the Territory.
J 5. The immediate development of
an Alaska pulp-wood industry, and
addtional surveys of timber and wa
ter power looking to the largest pos
sible development 'of this industry.
INDUSTRIAL CONDITIONS AND
RESOURCES.
Population.
The white population of Alaska,
39,000 in 1910, increased by 1915
to about 50,000. From 1915 to
1918, owing to war conditions, the
population declined, but in 1919 the
tide set northward again and there
was a slight increase, which prob
ably will continue in 1920. The
present white population of the Ter
ritory is estimated to be 36,000, in
addition to about 25,000 natives,
some, of whom are civilized. The
industrial population of the Terri
tory exceeds 40,000. The loss in
population during the period of the
war was due to: (1) men entering
the military service, estimated to
number 3,000, (2) high wages in
the States, (3) the decrease in num
ber of men employed in mining. In
1915, about 9,600 mSn were em
ployed in the Alaska mining indus
try, as compared with about 4,500
in 1919.
The committee believes that un
der present industrial conditions it
is undesirable to make special effort
to attract men without capital to
Alaska. It would be a mistake to
draw to Alaska a greater number ;
of men than can be absorbed by;
the existing industrial development. .
What Alaska needs is the develop-.
ment of industries to give employ-1
ment to labor and thus to attract
a population that, in turn, will give |
a market for local products.
Industries and Commerce.
Alaska's basal industries are and
always will be mining and fishing,
but the Territory includes large re
sources in pulp wood, some timber
suitable for export, extensive rein
deer pastures, and lesser areas suit
able for stock raising. There are
large areas of arable lands in the
Territory, but .these will be used
!
principally to supply the local popu
lation attracted by other industries, j
The total value of Alaska's min- |
eral, fish, and for products, etc., ■
(1867-1919, is $949,000,000. Alas
ka’s most prosperous year was 1916,1
when the value of her total products
.was $89,350,000. The value of all
Alaska products in 1919 was about
j $71,000,000.
Value of Merchandise lmpo-ted
Into Alaska.
From
From Foreign \
;Year— United States Countries
.1914 ... $21,610,000 $ 663,000
11915 . 23,293,000 501,000
11916 . ... . 30,385,000 1,544,000;
j 1917 . 39,836,000 1,196,000
j 1918 . 40,412,000 1,175,000
1919 . 37,476,000 1,449,000
In 1919, 25 American vessels (net
■ tonnage 32,444) and 5 Canadian
I |
vessels (net tonnage) 4,870 were
operated as common carriers to Alas
ka ports. These carried 295,490
tons of freight and 32,803 passen
gers northbound and 278,199 tons
of freight and 31.717 passengers
soutHbounil. A total or 370 private
vessels (over 20 tons) were oper
ated in the Alaska service during1
1919, having an aggregate net ton
nage of 118,169. Mr. Robert
Semmes estimates that these private
vessels _ carried a total of 465,000
tons of freight (north and south
bound).
| Nine river steamers were operated
on the Alaska Yukon and its tribu- ,
taries in the summer of 1919. These
carried a total of 9,691 tons of
freight, of which 1,906 tons was
for the Alaskan Engineering com
mission. Besides the local passen
gers, of which no record is availa
ble, a total of 1,369 in and out
bound passengers were carried by
the steamers. One steamer was op
erated or. the Kuskokwim river dur
ing the summer of 1919 and carried
a total of about 800 tons of freight.,
Mining.
Alaska mines have produced min- j
erals to the total value of $483,- j
000,000, of which $311,000,000 is j
the value of the gold output. In
1914, $19,066,000 worth of miner
als were produced; in 1919, $19,
1700,000. During the war there was
‘an abnormally large output of cop
jper, which in 1916 brought the value
j of the total mineral output up to
j
! $48,637,000.
Alaska gold mining, like that of
the rest of the world, has been cur
tailed because of economic condi
tions imposed by the war. As a con
sequence. the value of the Alaska
gold output has steadily declined
from $17,242,000 in 1916 to about
$9,550,000 in 1919. Gold mining
has long been the principal Alaska i
industry, for though it has employed
far less men than the fisheries, yet
the prospectors and miners, unlike
I the fishermen, were all permanent
residents of the Territory. In the
COLISEUM
TONIGHT
PATHE NEWS—PICTORIAL
THE WORLD BEFORE YOUR EYES
SHOWING THE LATE WAR NEWS AND CURRENT EVENTS
OF THE WORLD.
TRIANGLE PLAYS PRESENTS
Louise Glaum
IN
LOVE OR JUSTICE
HOW A MAN’S REDEMPTION IS BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE
CONSTANCY AND DEVOTION OF A WOMAN.
MUSIC—VIOLIN AND PIANO.
General Admission 50 cents Reserved Seats 75c
SOLDIERS AND CHILDREN, 25c
NO WAR TAX
SHOW STARTS AT EIGHT O’CLOCK.
Nenana Steam Laundry
OUR EQUIPMENT COMPLETE Dl <70
WORK EQUAL TO THE BEST rllOIie #J
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.
past, over *H) percent of the popula- j
tion has been directly or indirectly \
employed by the gold mining indus- i
try. Therefore the decline in gold ;
mining has been the principal cause j
of Alaska’s loss of population and
the discouragement of her residents.
In 1916, $4,000 men were engaged
in placer mining; in 1919 only
2,000. A revival of gold mining
would undoubtedly greatly increase
the prosperity of the Territory.
The total placer gold produced -
in Alaska has a value of $218,000,- j
000. Much of this has been won j
from the rich bonanza deposits j
whose exploitation requires little ]
capital. It is not impossible that j
other rich placers will be found, but j
the only certain reserves of placer j
gold are in the extensive deposits J
of auriferous gravels containing j
comparatively small gold values. ]
These must be exploited by mechan- j
ical methods, involving large invest- j
ments. Including in the reserves
only the auriferous gravels of which
some test has been made and which
are believed to carry enough gob
to warrant exploitation under pre
war economic conditions, the geo
logical survey estimates that the Al
aska placer gold reserves have a
value of between $240,0000,000 and
$360,000,000..
(To Be Continued.)
Birth Announcement Cards at the
News Office.
Pioneers of Alaska
Nenana Igloo No. 17
MEETS AT UNION HALL
FIRST MONDAY OF MONTH
AT 8:00 P. M.
Visiting Members Always
Welcome.
Frank Rourke, Martin Nath,
Secretary. President.
If Comfort, Economy and the
Environments of Home
Appeal to You,
STOP AT THE
MONTANA
SPECIAL RATES BY WEEK
OR MONTH.
CARLSON’S
BROAD PASS
ROADHOUSE
42 Miles from End of Steel.
GOOD ACCOMMODATIONS
KENNELS IN CONNECTION
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I Miners and Prospectors! [
i NOTICE OF CHAN6E OF RECORDING PRECINCTS I
1 According to a recently issued Court Order by 5
| Judge Chas. E. Bunnell, the Nenana Mining and Re- |
| cording District has been enlarged to take in the Bon- |
| nifield and Totatlanika Districts. |
| Miners and Prospectors of these districts will be §
| enabled by this change to do their recording and |
| transact other business at Nenana, which is within |
§ easy reach of their mining activities. * f
J NENANA COMMERCIAL CLUB.. |
| J. R. Bowen, President. R. J. Diven, Secretary, §
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