1
I
Application made October 30, 1916, at the Postoffice at Nenana, Alaska, lor
entrv as second-class mail matter under the act ol March 2, 1S79, by llie Ne
nana Printing Company. __
Published Weekly by The Nenana Printing Company
Day op Publication Satubday Kditkd by r. G. Southworth. |
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: •
THE NENANA NEWS
Per month; by carrier.S 1.00 Single copies.
Six months, in advance .... 5.00 One year, in advance
Two bits
. 10.00
NENANA, ALASKA, SATURDAY. AUtL 4, 15117
IU\SY TIMES AHEAD
Town building ami railroad:
building in Interior Alaska,
ard alike subject to delay and
embarrassment. The peo]de
of Xanana have had their fill
of trouble this summer and so
have the men who are trying
to eoimert Xenaua with the
coal fields. Delayed appro
priations, labor unrest and un
favorable weather conditions!
have combined to depress busi
ness an l render more difficult
the work of railroad building.
But present signs indicate that
we are nearing the bend in the
road. The return of fair
weather has permitted a re
sumption of work in all depart
ments and quickened the pulse
of business to a degree that lie
tokens more healthy trading
during the remainder of the
season.. We are coming out
of our shells, so to speak, with
a clear sky over our heads
and the task before us of
crowding into a few short
the business of an entire sum
mer.
TIME FOR CONTROL
While it undoubtedly is true
that war conditions have cre
ated an abnormal demand for
many of the products of the
Fnited States, recent, develop
ments indicate that the high
prices prevailing throughout
the country earlier in the year
were, for the most part, due
directly to speculation. There
was no excuse, for instance,
for wheat to soar to dizzy
heights. The slump in the
market, following the annouce
menf that the federal govern
ment had started an investiga
tion, proved conclusively that
the actual supply and demand i
had little to do with the re
cord breaking price quoted
on the stock exchanges. The
decline in the price of potatoes,
which are quoted at two cents
this week, and the fact that
onions art* hardly worth har
vesting in several sections of
l la] country, furnish further
proof that the public was be
in held up by food speculators
when prices were at their high
est a few months aogo.
War conditions furnished the
oppot lunity to speculators to
reap a harvest and they were
not slow to take advantage!
of it, realizing doubtless that!
sooner or later the government
would put it stop to .ill forms
of gambling in the nation's
food supply. Federal price con
trol had to come, and the spec
ulators have hastened its ar
rival, in the form of the so
called food control bill, now
pending in congress.
The unfortunate part of it
is that the government did
not act toiickly enough to save
Alaskans from the -provision
gamesters. At the time our
winter supplies were purchas
ed, the Outside markets were
at their highest, in many in
stances, ami no amount of reg
ulation now will remedy the
condition. Enough supplies
to last the country a year were
purchased long ago, and sell
ing prices established when
the goods reached their desti
nation. Further reductions
Outside will not lower .prices
here now and it is to be hoped
that we will lie just as safe
in the event prices should
he advanced in the States be
fore our present stocks are
exhausted.
* * * *
THE THOU1JLE IN ALASKA
Alaska is not a bad place.
As a matter of fact, this north
ern empire of oqrs is a land of
wonderful opportunities, rapid
ly approaching a period devel
opement which will transform
its rugged mountain ranges
info thickly populated mining
districts and its vast fertile val
leys into prosperous farms and
graising lands with here and
there a new placer camp con
tributing to the wealth of the
country, already recognized as
the richest in natural resources
of any in the world. The
trouble with Alaska just now is
that our affairs are regulated
in such a manner as to retard
the developement of the coun
try. That has been the trouble
for a good many years and it
probably will continue to hand
icap us until Secretary Lane
or others understanding con
ditions as he does, has con
vinced those in authority that
radical changes in administra
tion are necessary to release
Alaska from bondage.
We northerners are up again
st a serious proposition. Many
of us realize it and most of us
know in a general way what
we ought to do to remedy condi
tions. The trouble is that we
are all working at cross pur
poses, each selfishly striving
to promote the interests of
a certain district at the ex
pense of some other district. We
do not seem able to unite for
the common good of the terri
tory, politically, commercially
or in any other way. We are
not getting anywhere,
of us realize it and the most
These conditions have obtain
ed for so long that one rather
expects opposition among the
older towns. They disagree
much as a matter of habit. Hut
it is a matter of keen disap
pointment to find that the An
chorage district the youngest
section of the territory, activelv
engaged in a crusade against
practically everything originat
ing in other parts of the coun
try. It is not a new form of op
position, with new objects and
original arguments; it is mere
ly old-style obstructions from a
new source; an attempt to
hasten the developement of the
new district at the expense of
the older and less aggressive
districts.
We refer to the efforts which
art* being made to prevent the
further expeditnre on the Pair
ba'nks-Valdez post road.
The argument advanced hv
the Anchorage people is that
the money now being expended
on the Fairbanks-Valdez road
should be diverted to the An
chorage section, for the con
struction of wagon roads need
ed by homesteaders and miners
of that part of Alaska; that
the interior country will have
no use for the post road after
the completion of the railroad
and that any further expendi
tures on the highway will be
a needless waste of our road
funds. The argument is with
out logic and shows a lament
able lack of knowledge' of In
terior conditions. The people
of Anchorage will not live to
see tin* abandonment of the
wagon road, no matter how
many railroads are built by tin*
government in Alaska. That
road is the first link in a
chain of highways which
some day will traverse the en
tire territory, from faldez to
Nome and the Koyuknk and
other outlying districts. It has
proven an expensive undertak
in, but the benefits resulting
have made it worth while and
its continued, maintenance and
extension is as important to
the country tributary to the
highway as any roads could be
which Anchorage seeks to
build.
The Anchorage section doubt
less should have roads. The
need of wagon road feeders
along the line of government
railroad was recognized by the
people of the Interior before
Anchorage had been given a
place on the map of Alaska,
and there is reason to believe
that they will be provided in
gooil time. Hut tlu* develop
ment of the country at large
cannot be hastened hy abandon
ing roads in one section in
order that the needs of an
other section may receive at
tention. We all need roads,
the roads we already have and
new onett besides, and we
should bend our efforts to sc*
cttre more liberal appropria
tions rather than seek the
abandonment of projects al
ready started. United action j
is bound to get results.
Elsewhere In Alaska
Dr. It. V. Ellis, who has been]
with the Treadwell Company!
for the past three years re-1
cently closed a contract with]
the Chiehagoff Mining Com-]
pany to take charge of the hos
pital of that company about!
] August the first.
A rock slide occured on the
mountain back of the long dock
at Skagway recently, debris
tearing down the tool house
and scattering the coral on;
the dock. Some of the rocks
hit the office building on the
dock, but no one was injured.
A vast amount of rock and
sand covered the lower end
of the dock.
The Anchorage Times states!
that the mosquitoes are lie-}
coming an unbearable pest ]
in that city, and advocates the
use of oil on the breeding!
grounds in that vicinity for'
the purpose of alleviating the
situation.
I
- I
Ninety-nine sacks of furs,
sent from the interior Alaska
by parcel post to the states
went out from Skagway re- ]
cently on the steamer Sophia.
•T. II. M'Donald, of the Ivenai
Placer Mines Company, operat
ing in the Moose Pass country
states that the big hydraulic
outfit has been freighted to
the property, and forty men
and five teams are busy getting
things in readines to start up.
It is expected that sluicing will
commence this week. The com
pany has its own sawmill and
lias gotten out the lumber and
! constructed 2,000 feet of flume.
The city of Ketchikan has
I passed an ordinance providing
! for licensing of automobiles,
'and regulating the speed of
] such motor driven vehicles and
, bicycles. So person under IS
'years of age may drive an auto,
and the speed of all vehicles is
j limited to 15 miles per hour.
At an entertainment and
I dance given at Seward for the
! benefit of the Red Cross, the
isnni of $300 was raised. One
| hundred and forty-nine dollars
Iliad already been contributed
i by the citizens for member
ship in tide national organi
j zation.
—
A Red Cross dance held at
I Douglas recently netted $70
for the organization.
, _ i
Commissioner DeYane has
i made the following: appoint
j meats for register in each of
jtlie voting precincts in Nnlato
recording prcinct. John \Y.
Dunn, Rubv;J. F. Shropshire,;
jPoormau; Charles E. Hoxie. |
Jr. Long; Fred Labelle, Sprucej
! Peter M'Caig, Greenstone;j
j Frank W. Lyons, XnlatojA. J. j
Stockman Louden.
_ I
Four api>lications for leases
of warehouse sites on the rail-1
road reserve at Wasilla have
been filed with the land and!
industrial department and will
be drawn np shortly. The least's
will probably be for a term of
five years. The concerns which
|bare applied are Howard Wil
[moth, general merchandise and
postmaster at Wasilla ;M’Xally
&Maitlml, lumber dealers of
Anchorage; Oliver G. Herning,
Knik; and a combination of
! Mining, Milling & Power Com
pany and William Martin, all
of the Willow creek district.
Earl Jameson, a former resi
dent of Juneau, where be was
connected with the Alaska Di
spatch, and who later went to
West Virginia where he was
connected with a newspaper
published by former Governor
Clark, of Alaska, is now at the
officers’ training camp at Fort
Benjamin Harrison, Indian
apolis.
Tin* exports from Alaska for
iIk* month of .Turn* exceeded
three million dollars, according
to the report of the customs
authorities recently issued. Of
these copper ores, fish and
generaal exports amounted to
more than two and one half
millions, while gold bullion,
gold and silver ore amounted
to a little more than a half
million.
L. ITidnrich, an insane man
from I'nalaska, in charge of
1'nited States Deputy Marshal
C. \V. Mossan, crawled thru a
port hole in his stateroom on
the Mariposa while that vessel
was between Seward and Val
dez and was drowned. Fndu
rieh was in irons when he made
his escape, and was being tak
en to the Morningside Sanitar
ium.
Fish and (Janie ( lull is the
name of an organization re
wliicli has for its object the
game resources of that section
of the territory.
Charles L. Qttndloch, one
of the old-timers of the Juneau
district, is being held at the
federal jail at that place pend
ing an inquiry as to his sanity.
(Jundloch formaly conducted a
rooming house at Juneau.
It is stated that more than
150 former Yukon river steam
boat men are now engaged in
the transport service of the
I.ritish army on the Tigris
river in Mespotamia.
Nome is planning to use the
shavings and sawdust from
a planing mill there on the city
streets for the purpose of keep
ing them in good condition
and preventing dust.
The first binder brought into
Matauuska country arrived
there recently consigned to
to Edward Saindon, who has
a ranch between Matauuska
and I’almer. lie also received
a potato dietrer, cultivator and
wagon, anticipating a bumper
harvest this year.
As an indication that the
post office officials expoet the
increase in letter postage from
2 to d cents. Postmaster Poor
of Seward, who recently put in
a requisition for 50,000 two
two-cot stamps and 20,000 three
cent stamps received 20,000
cent stamps.
Dave Ray,a mining engineer
of note , and a representative
of Tom Aiken, a big placer
mine operator is in the Willow
Creek section, near Anchorage,
and is making an examination
of some of the properties in
that section.
Daniel Outlebeu, the suc
cessful bidder for the construc
tion of government radio sta
tion at the head of Seward
Ray, left the states recently
with a party of men to com
mence the work of building
the station.
Several employees of T. W.
Hawkins, of Seward, took a
big flag pole to the top of
.Marathon mountain, back of
Seward, and erected it on the
summit, where the Stars and
Stripes are now floating to the
breeze.
Juneau has already raised
S3,500 for the American Red
Cross and it is expected that
$1,500 addtiional will be raised
within a few days, making the
total contribution $5,000.
At a meeting held at the Em
press theatre at Cordova re
cently the Cordova lirass Rand
was formed, and an invitation
was extended to all persons
who could play a band instru
ment to join the movement.
Some person with I. W. W.
tendencies plastered the win
dows of the business district of
Seward recently with the ad
vice to “Loggers" to join tin,*
movement.
TROOPS -MAY TAKE HAND
IN OKLAHOMA MOP. RIOT
Washington—There is a pos
sibility that federal troops will
!»e sent to Oklahoma to quell
the draft disturbances which
local authorities seem unable
to check.
NEWS OF THE WEEK!
1/OA7M VS HULLKTIX
An informal reception will
In1 held at the home of Mr. and
[ Mrs. F. S. Rrus tliis evening
I in honor of llishop P. T.
; I {owe, head of the Episcopal
'church in Alaska. Mrs. Ilyas'
is Hishop Howe's niece.
Mrs. AI Johnson is a recent
arrival in town, having come
down from Fairbanks on the
Tanana to join her husband
here. The Johnsons will occupy
their now cottage as soon as
lit is completed.
After havin'; had the use of
j the Van Orsdel buihliiu; for a
period of several months with
| out cost to the government, the
i postoffice department has ent
jered into an agreement with the
ow ners for the continued use of
| the buildinj;, and w ill pay a
! reasonable rental hereafter.
The contract is for one vear.
I -
Kenne Lhuellier was taken
into custody on Sunday on
the charge of beini; an alien
!enemy and failing to keep his
|mouth shut. Deputy Marshal
James Hatpin made the arrest
shortly after the man’s arrival
| from one of the camps out the
' line, where he is reported to
have been guilty of anti-con
scription- agitation. - Papers
found aimin'; the prisoner's ef
| fects indicate that lie was in
terned at Dawson before coin
, inj; to Xenana.
Frank Ahlburj; is an arrival
in Xenana from the upper
town.
—
E. Lorentz, who is touring
the North, accompanied by his
wife, in the interest of Lrslir'.s.
Came dow n from Fairbanks on
the Seattle No. J and will re
main in Xenana until the Alas
ka returns from the upper riv
er.
i Miss, Constance Petersen,
who lias been 4n Xenana sever
al weeks visiting with her sis
ter. Mrs. Kobert E. I turns, re
turned to Jier home in Fair
banks this morning on the
launch Xitn.
Advices received from tin*
Tolovana today state that t he
Brooks baseball team has made
arrangements to start for Xe
nana on Friday. They will
play here on August 10, 11
an»i 1^.
Tin* passengers arriving on
the steamer Alaska, which ar
rived in port at an early hour
this morning, were: <1. Erick
son. W. -T. t'outts, Mrs. (’mitts,
I A. Dimischhi, Irma 11. Dayton,
| A. A. MVaudless and wife,
Mrs. I). II. Moon*, ('has. ('.
Moore, Mrs. E. J. ITutmacher,
lliden llutmacher, Tom Smith,
( has. M’Xitt, J. M. Jensen,
I). (’. Nelson, M. \V. Wilson,
L. Larsen.
_
Mrs. I). II. Moore, wife of
i Dr. Moore of the ('onimission
i hospital, arrived from the Out
side on the steamer Alaska
this morning, accompanied by
; their son, Charles.
wunxush.i i"N i!i r.Lirnx
The Carl White Tolovana
itnail launch arrived from the
upper town this morning cn
j route to tin* Log Jam with pas
sengers, mail and a consider
able unantity of express and
light freight.
Tlios. Higgs, Jr. left for Fair
banks yesterday morning on
the steamer Alaska and was at
Happy station today, looking
over the ground where work
is to be started on the Hapov
spur. Mr. Higgs probably
will he absent from Xenana
the greater part of it week.
Xeil Van Houghton, of the
Commission sawmill force, was
ipiite badly injured this morn
ing as tin* result of being hit
on the thigh by the “kick back”
of a timber which la* was put
ting through the edger. The
injured man was taken to the
hospital.
According to advices which
reached town today from Fair
banks, the steamer Alaska has
been libeled by Attorney Mil
wee on behalf of Harry Lucky
and the “Gangplank Kid”, who
charge the steamer with swamp
tug their launch while passing
tin* Xenana waterfront recent
ly. The owners of the launch
are asking &itM> for the .lam
age alleged to have been done.
The steamer Alaska is l.illed
to sail from Fairbanks tomor
row afternoon at one o'clock.
Sam M’lMtee, of the local
commission warehouse force,
has been transferred to .T> mile
where he w ill work in the com
mission commissary at that
Till If sit. 1 )"N III I.I./TI \
1 he steamer Tatuum ar
rived this morning in port
from tlie lower river with the
barge Ontario in tow. The
steamer returned down river
during to pick up part of the ^
load ot the Settttie Xo. :{ at
Tolovana.
Harry Karstens arrived in
port today from the l.og .Fata,
enroute to Fairbanks with sev
eral passengers.. II.- left for
the up-river town during the
afternoon.
1‘ishop 1’. T. Howe left for
Fairbanks this morning on the
launch Si wash, after a stay
of several days in Xenana,
during which time he was the
guest of Townsite Manager
and Mrs. Fred S. K.vus.
Mrs. Carl Schmidt is a visit
or in Xenana from Wood riv
er, where her husband is in
terested in the Wood river
sawmill.
Frank Ahlhtirg was an out
going passenger this afternoon
| on the Tatiana, headed for the
| lower river tobe absent two
or three weeks.
The steamer Alaska is billed ,
to leave Fairbanks for Dawson
j tonight id seven o'clock. An
j unusual number of people, for
[this time of the year, have
I made reservations.
The ('ontmission power boat
| .Midnight Sun is scheduled to
mnlce another trip to Fair
banks tomorrow.
| i-’jtin. i y’s m Lu/n \
I'ive employees of the Alas
, kail Engineering romndssion, p
I who offered their services to
tin* government tinder the spe
cial allotment of Alaskan se
lections. have I km *n notified to
report immediately at Fort
t Gibbon, with their credentials.
‘The men are .1. F. Keeper. F.
I>. Hayden. Frank Itotch. K.
Ik Ward and Hank Kyle.
They plan to leave for the
jtinny post on the next boat
I to sail for the lower river.
The Alaska allotment con
sisted of lio selections and the
five who will represent the
interior railroad town "are
| technically trained men who
jure <|ualitied to render valu
able service to the govern
ment in other ways than
fighting in tlie trenches.
J. -1. Donohue is among the
I Outside visitors in Nomina,
J having arrived yesterday to
look the town over.
(ieorge Anderson, piano ex
I pert and factory representa
tive, has arrived in Nenana
j on his annual visit.
Mrs. Persons left for Fair
hanks this morning, to he ab
sent it week or more.
NENAIUA
STEAM
LAUNDRY
ED PARKS