THE NENANA DAILY NEWS
Application made April 1, 1918, at the postoffice at Nenana, Alaska,
for entry as second class mail matter, nnder the Act of March 3, 1879.
Hub of Alaska —_Where Rails and Rivers Meet
Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by the Nenana Printing
Company, at First and B Streets. Nenana. Alaska.
R. G. South worth ..-. Editor and Manager
Mr*. R. G. Southworth ......Circulation
RATES OF SUBSCRIPTION
Single Copies_______Two Bitt
By the Month, by Carrier or Mail____I 2.00
Sir Months, if paid in Advance-.....-_ 9.00
One Year, if paid in advance_ 15.00
ADVERTISING RATES
Transient Display Advertising, per inch, per issue___% .60
Minimum Charge __1.00
Bead.ug Notices, per line, pet issue_____ .25
Legal Advertising, per line, per issue_ .20
MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for re-publi
cation of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in
this paper and also all the local news published herein.
ALASKA’S TRANSPORTATION
PROBLEM
(Railway and Marine News.)
Tlie title of this article is delib
erately deceptive. There is no such
problem. Alaska's problem is not
of transportation, but to materia
lize more business to be transported
That so many newspapers and so
many people in private and public
life, from prospector and laborer to
U. S. senators and cabinet officers,
should become so inoculated with
the mistaken idea that such a prob
lem exists merely proves the power
of propaganda.
No country, no state, no transpor
tation facilities beyond its reason
able necessities. Such transportation
facilities Alaska has always had.
As the opertion of transportation
facilities is a business enterprise it
is impossible to conceive that Alaska
transportation, any more than trans
portation, in any other part of the
world, will ever be conducted on a
scale of one whit less magnitude
than the business of Alaska justi
fies and will support, or that it can
ever be maintained on a scale more
eleborate. It costs more money to
own three pains of shoes than one.
but you can wear only one pair at
a time. If a certain town receives
two hundred tons of freight per
week some people may think it is
better to have the said freight de-j
livered by four steamers rather than
by one. But is it? No doubt one
steamer per week ceroid handle the
business and it surely costs more to
operate four steamers than one. j
On a railroad a train a day will
certainly cost more than a train;
a week. And to be fair it must be]
admitted that the increased cost of,
increased service must be reflected
in rates. Of course if we do not
want to be fair, and do not want
true conditions to become known,
but want to damn the railroad or
steamship line and make it appear
that their services are inadequate
because they do not operate two
trains or two per week when one
will really amply take care of the
business we get on dangerous ground
Some day someone in authority is
going to come from Missouri to
look into Alaskan affairs who will
insist upon being shown the Alask
a business that has been destroyed
by inadequate service and exhori
bicant rates.
The writer did not come to this!
country until quite same time after:
the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth
Rock and it is not personally fami
liar with transportation conditions
at that period, but even without
that personal knowledge ventures
the assertion that Alaskan transpor
tation conditions today, fifty-five
years after Alaska became a poss-j
ession of the linked States, are,
vastly superior to the transportation i
conditions in New England or be-1
tween England and America, fifty- j
five years after the landing of the
Pilgrims.
It is unnecessary to draw the
picture of the hardships, dangers
and uncertainties of transportation
in those days. We all know someth
ing of the early history of our coun
try and the self-reliance of the
people We know that there was a
time in the history of the New York
Central railroad when the popula
tion of the communities it served
was small and the traffic of such
a small volume that it did not jus
tify a four-track main line and
thirty or forty main line passen
ger trains per day and other ser
vice in proporation, and that it did
not perform any more service than
was justified and supported by the
business of the communities it serv
ed. We also know, whether we will
admit it or not, that the communi
ties and business in the district
served by the New York Centra!
came into existence ahead of the
railroad and that increase in the
population and business preceded
and increase in transportation fac
ilities and was the sole, and direct
cause of the increase and better
ment in transportation. -The writer
frankly admits that he does not
know which was first, the hen or
the egg, but he does know that
transportation does not infallibly
create traffic while traffic will in
fallibly create transportation. There
fore, the conclusion is inevitable
that Alaska’s problem is to create
traffic. It isn’t even necessary to
think about transportation, much
less worry' and agonize about it.
When a man T2kes a good strong
dose of carbolic acid he is wasting
energy to worry about the result.
The natural result will follow. Na
ture is still wonderful—and cer
tain. Natural laws are entitled to
more confidence than Washington
or Olympia or Juneau laws, which
after all are only statutes, and most
of them like pie crust. A law is
not a law unless at carries with
it an inevitable penalty.
That transportation is not an A
laskan problem is easily proven by
past experience, and it is on past
experiences that we base our ex
pectations for the future. The dis
covery of gold* in the Klondike, not
in Alaska at all, but in Canada two
hundred miles from the internation
a. boundary, was the event that,
snatched Alaska the unknown out
of obscurity and concentrated upon
it the eyes of the world. The Nome
discovery a year later magnified its
prominence. Before those discov
eries there was very little trans
portation service to Alaska. Practi
cally none on the Yukon River.
Comparatively no one wanted to go
to Alaska. Ten times the service
then in operation would not have
caused any* more people to go than
did go. Then came the gold discov
eries and the great gold excitement
and stampede. Ten thousand, twen
ty thousand, fifty thousand, one
hundred thousand people wanted
transportation for themselves and
their supplies to Wrangell, to Dyea,
to Skagwav, to Chilkoot, to Valdez
to Nome. Did they get it? Only a
fool would say no. Was it main
tained as long as there was de
mand for it and business to support
and justify it? Yes, positively. Dur
ing the summer of 1900 there were
about seventy vessels in the road
stead at Nome at one time, and a
bout ten thousand people were
landed at Nome during June of
that year. Would the sailing of
seventy vessels from Seattle last
June for Nome have caused ten
thousand people to go to Nome, or
caused the shipment of any more
cargo? No. most positively. Would
the sailing have caused the ship
ment of one more ton of freight
or caused just one more person to
go to Nome than did go anyway?
Again, No. If ten thousand people
had wanted to go from Seattle
would that fact have caused the sail
ing of seventy vessels from Seattle
or whatever number would have
been necessary to carry the ten
thousand passengers? Yes most pos
itively.
When two trains per week will
handle all the business will the op
eration of six trains each way be
tween Anchorage and Fairbanks in
stead of two cause the discovery or
development of any mineral pros
pects or the clearing of any land
and raising of wheat? Can Fair
banks agricultural district ship any
wheat before raising it? Can the
railroad by running empty trains
ioduce or force settlers to go into
the country and clear land and
raise and ship wheat or can settlers
by going into the country clearing
land and raising wheat and offering
it for shipment induce or force the
railroad to run trains to carry the
wheat? Will running boats or trains
cause the opening up of mines and
the shipment of ore or will the op
ening up of mines and offering ore
for shipment cause the operation of
boats and trains? These are not
foolish questions, though they do
seem childish, and should be un
necessary. They can be correctly
answered, however, by anyone whose
head is put on right and who has
not an axe to grind.
White is not black, no matter
who says so. Two plus two makes
four, always. Water does not run
up hill. Gold is where you find it,
but you have to go and hunt for it,
and the same ground will not yield
annual crops. Wheat might be rais
ed in the Tanana Valley, but don’t
try any bananas or grape fruit.
If, however, you do try bananas and
they fail don’t think the failure
is due to any Alaska transportation
problem.
In cogitating on the Alaska bug
a-boo. the mythical transportation
problem, do not mistake cause for
effect or effect for cause and you
will come out all right in your con
clusions.
HERMAN ANDERSON'S
BEAUTIFUL RESIDENCE
FOR SALE
Having sold out my business,
both in Fairbanks and Nenana, 1 am
retiring from business, and my res
idence is now for sale and open
for inspection.
This home is built on the most
modern bungalow plan. The main
house is 26X46 feet and has the
following rooms: fine entrance hall
or vestibule; three beautiful bed
rooms. with large clothes closet in
each, and sliding windows; bath
room. all white enamel walls and
ceiling, complete with bathtub, wash
basin, lavatory, etc; the large kitch
en. 10X16, is a dream to any house
wife. All white enamel wall? and
ceiling, kitchen cabinet, etc., with
large breakfast nook to seat six
persons. highly French polished
table top two large sliding win
dows; under the kitchen is an ex
cellent well in which there is made
a seven foot sand and charcoal
filter, 'insuring clear, fine water all
the year round. The water is pump
ed directly into the kitchen sink;
the main living room is very large,
being 16X26 feet and has waxed
finished floors for dancing—six
teen couples have danced here at
one time. This room is very beau
tiful, the ceiling being frescoed in
hand-painted flowers. On the walls
above the plate rails, all around the
room, is painted the coast of Al
aska evergreen scenery, all done in
light olive green tints, which make
you forget there is a winter here
at all. All the interior wood work
is made of Outside lumber; the
basement is the full size of the
house, with walls two feet thick,
with Malthoid paper on both sides
of the lumber and the center filled
in with dry sand. All laundry work
and drying clothes is done in the
basemen^; the walls on upper floor
are all heavy lumber with five
thicknesses of building paper, ard
on top of that is beaver board,
painted on botih sides, making it
practically air tight, and the warm
est house in the Interior.
The hot air furnace in the base
ment is piped to every room in the
house. It U so warm that only 16
inch stove wood is used in the fur
nace.
Also have the largest size Edison
Medal diamond point phonograph;
Kohler & Campbell piano in first
class condition used only in our
home.
The rest of the house is furnished
with high grade quartered oak furn
iture.
There is also a dust-proof ware
house, 45X45, which can be sold
with or without the residence.
I will sell all this property for a
third or less of its cost if taken
now, as I want to take my wife,
who has been crippled, to the Out
side.
For particulars call at my res
idence, or phone, any time.
HERMAN ANDERSON
Workmen are now’ engaged in Us*
mantling the bridge across the Mat
anuska river near Palmer, owing to
the giving way of a pier. The bridge
will be replaced by a suspension
structure having capacity of five
tons according to information, and
will serve the country lying to A?
east of the Matanuska. where val
uable placer has been discovered.
In a letter received by the Anch
orage fire department from A. G.
Long Co., “Everything for Fire
Prevention,” of Seattle, WTash., they
congratulate the department for the
extraordinary performance of the
Anchorage fire pumper at the Evan
Jones mine.
RETURNING OFFICIAL SAYS
HARDING IS MAKING GOOD
United States Commission W. D.
Coppernoll, who returned recently
to his post at McCarty from an ex
tended trip to Washington, New
York and other Eastern cities had
the following to say to a represen
tative of the Cordova Times re
garding politics and general condi
tions in the States:
"Business conditions are gradually
I growing better throughout the east
and middlewest, and there is a no
ticeable improvement in business on
the coast. I believe that we are
about to enjoy a long period of
genuine prosperity. A large share of
the credit of this improvement is
due to the confidence which the
rank and file of the people of the
country have in President Harding.
The President is making commend
able efforts to keep down the cost
| of running the Government business
and thereby reducing the present
, heavy taxes which are now im
posed on business men and man
ufacturers. The Budget System is
one of the most beneficial legisla
i tive acts that has been enacted in
a great many years. By this mea
sure the affairs of the Government
will eventually be run on as econ
omical a plan as the odinary com
mercial industries r-e conducted,
ft will require some time, however
to make this law applicable to all
branches of the Government.
"One of the noticeable changes
that I noticed while in Washington
is the failure of the “bloc” system
of legislation. This procedure of
law-making is gradually b ing dis
credited, and will in a short time,
I believe, be erected from our sys
tem of politics. The farmers’ bloc
which received so much publicity
some months ago, signally failed to
achieve the purpose which its spon
sors promised it would. The farmers
throughout the country are now
convinced that the political clique
which formed this bloc did the
farming industry far more harm
than good.
The progressive bloc, sponsored
by Senator Robert LaFollette. of
Wisconsin, has not received any
great amount of support from the
prominent progressive men like Sen
ator Hiram Johnson and Senator
William E. Borah, of Idaho and
many other men of similar advanc
ed ideas of politics. These Senators
j seem to be convinced that more
beneficial legislation can be enacted
trough purely party lines through
‘ cliques -which are so foreign to our
system of government.
“President Harding enjoys the
confidence of the country to a
greater extent today than any other
time while he has been in office.
By vetoing the Soldiers' Bonus bill
which was passed by the Congress
•that adjourned just before Novem
ber elections were held without
containing any means of raising
the money to pay the bonus purely
demonstrated that the President
would not become a party to any
movement for the advancement of
politicians, but was sincere in his
efforts to reimburse the men who
served in the late war. If Congress
will enact a measure that provides
for the raising of funds to pay the
bonus to our ex-service men, the
President will give it his support
and approval.”
In speaking about the status of
Alaska affairs at Washington, Judge
Coppernoll was very optimistic. He
said:
“From my observations with the
heads of departments at Washing
ton and prominent lawmakers. I
became convinced that in the very
: near future the Territory will be
. SHONBECK
ANCHORAGE
LIME, PLASTER, CEMENT, FIRE BRICK, FIRE CLAY
Explosives and Blasting Supplies
COAL OIL GASOLINE LUBRICATING OILS GREASES
l“IAV and GRAIN
—
greatly benefited by several mea
sures that are now being worked
out. No man who has ever served
Alaska has the standing at Wash
ington that Governor Scott C. Bone
enjoys. And I believe that if the
business men and other Alaskans
will give the Governor their hearty
support, and render him every en
. eouragement .-.id assistance possible
that the Territory will be greatly
benefitted by his efforts.”
—
The Alaska Engineering commis
sion proposes holding a sale at put>
lic auction of certain government
lots in Anchorage townsite. in the
j near future. Persons desiring to bid
j on these vacant and unsold lots
; should so advise the commission,
I giving description of lot desired
; within the next few weeks, in ord
; er that same may be regularly ad
i vertised for sale.
E. J. Xeilson returned to N’enana
yesterday from a brief visit to
i Fairbanks.
\
ORDERYOUR
COAL
BY PHONE
Healy River
Coal
Corporation
PHONE YOL'R ORDERS
TO THE
RAILROAD CIGAR STORE
I
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
NENANA'S BEST APPOINTED HOTEL
Cooney Hotel and Annex
HOT AND COLD WATER AND BATHS
ROOMS SINGLE OR EN SUITE
COMPORT AND SERVICE UNEXCELLED
DOC BARNS
Trappers
T raders
SHIP TO
GEORGE R. GOSHAW, INC.
Dealer in Raw Furs
SEATTLE
Alaska Building
NEW YORK
127 W. 27th Street
MY LOSS—YOUR GAIN
No use loving and keeping mer
chandise. It’s for sale. If one price
won't sell it, cut to bedrock. That’s
what I'm doing. What is left is
New clean stock—Woolen and cot
ten hosiery. Leather fleece lined
mitts, all woo! mitts, and gloves,
beads, handkerchiefs, fancy dress
combs, middy Ties, coat buttons
corsets 24—28 si2es. Ribbons as
sorted. Any price is better than
paying storage. My loss your gain,
^ou don't want winter goods in
summer time. Thats why I am cut
ting to cost on whats left.
MRS. D’ORSAY
William A. Hesse
MINING ENGINEER
LI. S. MINERAL SURVEYOR
BOX 1035. FAIRBANKS
Andy’s Express
-AT
Seward
Will Give Your
BAGGAGE AND FREIGHT
Careful Attention
MEETS ALL TRAINS
AND BOATS
local TRAIN schedule
THE ALASKA RAILROAD >
Trains leave and arrive Xanana as
follows:
8:00 p. m., Tuesday and Friday for
I Seward and intermediate points.
Returning arrives Xenana 6:45 a
m., same days.
J 1:30 p. m., Tuesday and Friday for
Dunbar, Fairbanks and Chatanika.
Arrives Xenana 12:30 p. m., Tues
day and Friday.
Pullman sleeper charges: Lower
berth, $4.50; upper berth. $3.5*
Tickets entitle holders to priri
i
Pioneers of Alaska
Nenana Igloo No. 17
MEETS AT UNION HALL
FIRST AND THIRD MONDAY
AT 8:00 P. M.
Visiting Members Always
Welcome.
Alfred J. Gkeui Joe O’Connor
Secretary. President.
leges Observation car.
D H. WILLIAMS
Undertaking Parlors
Licenced Embalmer
Funeral Director
Anchorage — Nenana — Seward
CHAS. E. BERGMAN
Nenana Manager.