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Address
21 COLMAN DOCK
Seattle, Wash.
HOTE ST. CHARLES
When In Seattle, make the
Hotel St. Charles your head
quarters.
Strictly Modern and
Fireproof
And Managed by an old
Alaskan
J. A. FARNHAM.
SEWARD LODGE NO. 1425, L.O.O.M.
Meets every first
and third Tues
day each month
at 8 p. m., at
Odd Fellows
Hall. All visit
i n g members
welcome.
PETER N. ANDERSON, Dictator.
M. A. HORNER, Secretary.
SEWARD LODGE NO 219, F. & A. M.
JL Stated communications first
''^Mf'and third Wednesdays of each
/yr\month; visiting brethren wel
come, J. P. Hannon, W. M.; Harold
Painter, Secretary.
RESURRECTION LODGE NO. A-7,
I. O. O. F.
—===7^ Meets every Thursday at
O=*Os:00 p. m. in Odd Fellows'
Hall, next to the postoffice. Visiting
brothers welcome. Fred Martinides,
N. G.; Chas. Lechner, Secretary.
IGLOO NO. NINE, PIONEERS OF
ALASKA
Meets every Second and Fourth Fri
day nights in Odd Fellows' Hall; John
Flowers, President; Coll A. McDou
gall, Secretary.
SEWARD CHAPTER NO. 10, ORDER
OF EASTERN STAR
MeeetB the second and
fourth Mondays of each
month in Odd Fellows’
Hall at 8 p. m. Visiting
members always wel
come; Goldie Blue W. M.
Mrs. Viola T. Swetmann, Secretary.
SEWARD REBEKAH LOGE NO. 6-A,
I. O. O. F.
Meets the first and
third Mondays of
each month in Odd
Fellows Hall at 8:00 j
p. m. Visiting mem
bers are always wel
come. Mrs. John
Rosness, ?T. G.
AT THE HOTELS
Van Gilder—William Butler, E. A.
Hunt, Wm. T. Thomas, Mr. and Mrs.
F. B. Curran, Mrs. S. B. Metcalfe,
Frank Langone, Anchorage.
•Seward—Andy J. Sonsoff, Bill Gard
ner, F. Hildonen, Pack Olson, Harry
M. Weir, Talkeetna; Pete Roberts.
Sexton—R. Watson, Juneau; W. M.
Flynn, Mile 20.
Photo Albums, $1 to $9—Alaska
Shop. tf
Smiling.
WALLS /
TRULY, walls can smile
or frown. See that yours
cheer and soothe by har
monious colors and clean
surfaces. Apply Fuller
Washable Wall Finish. It
can be wiped clean with a
damp cloth—makes home
keeping easier—saves re
finishing.
Also, ask for booklet, “Color
Harmony in the Home”—all
about painting or finishing
iloors, woodwork, walls, etc.
It’s free.
T'TT'r* carry a full line of Fuller
VV X-/ Paints and Varnishes and
can supply your needs.
Brown &
Hawkins Corp.
W. P. FULLER & CO.
301 Mission Street San Francisco
25 Branches in Pacific Coast Cities
PIONEER WHltr LEAD
2725
SEWARD WATER &
POWER COMPANY
SEWARD, ALASKA
“Good Water a Necessity in Every Home”
JOHN NELSON, Manager, WAYNE BLUE, Agent
OFFICE ARCADE BUILDING
HOTEL SEXTON
GEORGE SEXTON, Proprietor
SEWARD'S HOMEY HOTEL, WHERE THE OLDTIMERS
MEET
VAN GILDER HOTEL
HOT AND COLD WATER IN EVERY ROOM
•TEAM HEAT
J. S. BADGER
HOTEL SEWARD
OSCAR DAHL, Proprietor
HOMEY, COMFORTABLE ROOMS AND BATH
_Convenient to Depot and Dock
ABSTRACT OF GOVERNOR GEORGE
A. PARKS’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR
FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30
Alaska Continues to Progress Industrially During Past
Year Says Report of Governor to Secretary Work
of the Department of the Interior
TERRITORY IS ADVANCING SLOWLY DECLARES
Gradual Resumption in Both Placer and Lode Mining Evi
dent—Great Benefit to Territory if a Part of Sale
From Seals and Foxes Would Revert Back
Alaska continued to progress indus
try during the past year, said Governor
George A Parks in his first annual re
port to the Secretary of the Interior,
just made public.
While this advancement is slow, as
in the past two years, it is neverthe
less steady.
Encouragement is found in the fact
that the fisheries, mining and forest
industries produced larger returns
than in the preceding year, and plans
for greater development seem to be
working out satisfactorily.
The fisheries industry continued to
be the most important in the Terri
tory. The value of its products, which
aggregated $38,584,837, increased
GOVERNOR GEORGE A. PARKS
about 4 per cent over 1923, the expan
sion being chiefly in the herring fish
eries. Labor finds its greatest source
of employment in the fisheries. Owing
to the seasonal nature of the employ
ment furnished by the salmon and her
ring industries, the building of a per
manent population has been retarded.
This has not only been a detriment to
the Territory, but has added to the
burden of both industries since they
have found it necessary to import la
bor from long distances to a large
number of districts. Governor Parks
suggests that the evolution of a plan
for diversified fishing, capable of pro
viding almost continual employment
may solve this problem and bring
about a substantial increase in the
permanent population of the coastal
regions. As an instance he cites that
enormous cod-fishing banks are locat
ed along the coast of Alaska. Despite
the easy availibility of this valuable
food fish,, the cod-fish products for the
year were less than $100,000. It is
possible, he said, by careful planning
to increase this many fold.
All fishing operations were carried
on under the regulations promulgated
by the Secretary of Commerce as au
thorized by the Act of June 6, 1924.
The Department of Commerce in
creased its field force to take care of
the added responsibilities bestowed
on it under that law by Congress and
the Commissioner of Fisheries per
sonally remained in the Territory most
of the time season observing condi
tions and studying the workings of
the new law and department regula
tions.
Conservation of the halibut re
sources was attempted for the first
time in 1924 when the North Pacific
Halibut Treaty became effective. Un
der this treaty halibut fishing was sus
pended for three months beginning
November 16, 1924. The closed sea
son did not effect adversely the pro
duction in this industry as the catch
showed a considerable increase over
that of 1923.
The census of the seal herd on the
Pribilof Islands indicated a substan
tial gain, and the revenues derived
from the sale of seal skins was more
than $700,000. In addition the sale of
blue and white fox skins in 1924 taken
from the herd maintained on the same
islands amounted to about $50,000.
It would be a great benefit to Alaska
if a part of the returns from the sale
of seals and foxes could be given to
the Territory for the maintenance and
extension of the public school sys
tem outside of incorporated towns,
said the (Governor’s report. He sug
gested the propriety of limiting to
50 per cent of the net returns
the expenditure made by the
department of commerce for
Improvements on the Pribilof
Islands and added, at least
50 per cent should be alloted
to the Territory yearly for
support of the com m o n
schools.
During the year a gradual
resumption in both placer and
lode mining was apparent in
all parts of the Territory. The
total mineral production for
1924 had a value of $16,855,
808. The production of gold
exceeded that of 1923. Pros
pectors were encouraged by
several new discoveries and
the consolidation and renew
ed activities of some of the
larger dredging companies
have stimulated the quest for
low grade placer ground. Gov
ernor Parks also recommends
more liberal laws for the de
velopment of the low grade 1
gravels in the Territory. The j
existing law, he points out, 1
was designed to prevent the 1
monopolization of bonanza '
ground, and works a hardship ’
on capital seeking to develop ^
areas of low grade ground 1
which cannot be profitably
worked except by large scale
operations. The gold lode min
ing industry of the Territory showed
a healthy development and the in
ciease in gold output for the year was
due mainly to the activity in the lode
mines, particularly in southeastern
Alaska. While benefits to the gold
mining industry following the comple
tion of the Alaska Railroad have been
rather slow to appear in the produc
tion of gold, significant developments
are now in progress which, with in
crease in prospecting, will eventually
lead to augmented gold returns.
The production of the copper mines
was materially smaller than in 1923.
This resulted from unsatisfactory mar
ket conditions which provided no sti
mulus for extended or enlarged opera
tions.
Coal production likewise experi
enced a decrease, but extensive explo
rations are being carried on which
point to increased production and a
wider distribution of Alaskan coal in
the near future.
The Katalla oil fields continue to be
the only producing fields in the Ter
ritory. However, exploration in other
districts was carried on by some of
the larger companies. Wells are be
ing drilled in the Cold Bay district
by the Standard Oil Company of Cali
fornia and the Associated Oil Company
Geologic and topographic surveys ly
ing within Naval Petroleum Reserve
No. 4 on the Arctic Slope were made
by government agencies during the
year. Definite results of these sur
veys cannot be determined until of
fice and laboratory studies have been
made of the data and technical infor
mation thus obtained.
While receipts from resources with
in the National Forests of Alaska
showed a healthy growth for the year,
the Territory’s timber industry con
tinues to be but a smajil factor in its
industrial life, and the annual returns
from the forests, infinitesimal when.
possibilities for development and util
ization of the forest resources are re
alized. In the calendar year 1924 the
timber cut from the National Forests
aggregated 52,500,000 board feet, and
the total cut since 1909, when the
National Forests in Alaska were cre
ated, has been 582,000,000 board feet.
In accord with the fixed policy of the
government to encourage utilization
of timber, the annual cut from Alaska
forests should aggregate 1,000,000,00(1
board feet. In other words, the total
volume of timber production in the
past 16 years is about one-half of the
growth annually.
Governor Parks points out that the
logical extension of the development
of forest resources must come thru
the pulp and paper industry. The pre
dominant species, Sitka spruce and
western hemlock, are both excellent
pulping woods, the trees largely of
sizes more suitable for pulp than for
lumber, and freight from Alaska to
the market not such an important fac
tor for paper as for lumber is of a
much lower unit value. Cheap water
power, an essential to pulp and paper
making, is available locally in abun
dance, and the region has the advan
tage of cheap year-round water trans
portation from the woods to the mill,
and for the finished product from the
mills to market. The possible sus
tained yearly output, 1,000,000,000
board feet, is sufficient to produce not
less than 1,300,000 tons of newsprint
paper. Surveys of undeveloped power
sites disclose a potential water power
capacity of 475,000 horsepower in
Southeastern Alaska alone while only
433,000 horsepower would be required
to produce the maximum amount of
newsprint contained in the possible
annual output from the National For
ests.
Contrary to popular opinion main
tenance of National Forests in Alaska
has not proven expensive to the Gov
ernment. The total receipts from tim
ber sales, leases, etc., on the National
Forests of the Territory from the time
the forests were placed under the ad
ministration! in 1909, up to and includ
ing the fiscal year 1925, were $1,134
977. During the same ‘period the to
tal expenditures on these forests
amounted to $1,122,415.
Fox farming is annually increasing
in importance in the Territory’s indus
tries, the total value of improvements
in stock on these farms is estimated
at about $6,000,000. There are approx
imately 391 farms containing more
:han 36,000 foxes of various species.
Governor Parks urges the enactment
ay Congress of a suitable law provid
es for the leasing of lands in the
Public Domain outside of the National
Porests for fox farms.
The same laws, he suggests, should
)e made applicable for reindeer grow
ers. “The 'native reindeer herds/*
said Governor Parks, “are supervised
by the Bureau of Education and if they
are to be protected in their ranges
we must have a law that will enable
the Secretary of the Interior to allo
cate and lease the grazing lands/*
There are approximately 300,000 ani
mals in the Alaskan reindeer herds,
two-thirds of which belong to the
Eskimo. With the start thus made,
and with present improved refrigera
tion methods employed by the trans
portation companies, it is possible at
no distant date that reindeer meat ex
ported from two hundred thousand
square miles of barren portions of
northern and western Alaska will be
a valuable asset to the Territory. It
is estimated these sections of Alaska
could furnish pasturage for some
4,000,000 reindeer.
The balance of trade for the year
remained in favor of Alaska. Products
of its industries shipped to the States
aggregated in value 355,440,645, while
the value of all commodities brought
ip to the Territory from the States
amounted to 333,621,969 leaving a bal
ance in our favor of the Territory of
327,420,893.
Durihg the year the Territory’s sys
tem of travel and communication was
materially improved. Wagon roads
and trails were pushed further out in
all sections of the Territory and, in
some regions, these extensions have
made available lands which formerly
were unattainable by settlers and, now
open to settlement, are being taken up
by individuals eager to avail them
selves of the opportunities offered.
In Interior Alaska airplanes compete
with automobiles and river steamers
for both passenger and freight busi
ness. Airplane service inaugurated out
of Fairbanks, the interior terminus of
the Alaska Railroad, has served many
remote mining settlements, some be
yond the Arctic Circle, bring them
(Continued on Page Six)