THE CHITINA LEADER
CHITINA, ALA8KA
Entered as second-class matter, November 12, 1910, at the postofflce at
Chttina, Alaska, under the Act of Conbress of Uarch 3, 1879.
ONLY NEWSPAPER IN CHITINA
Published every Tuesday by
HARRY G. STEEL, Editor and Proprietor.
Office: Hotel Chltina Building. Cordova Office: Dally Times.
„ SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One Month .8 .60
Six Months .... 2.00
One Year . 3.60
ADVERTISING RATES
Made known upon application. They will be found reasonable for the service
given. Official publication for legal advertisements pertaining to mineral lands of
the Copper River District.
CHITINA, ALASKA, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1915.
FOUR MINES SOON SHIPPING COPPER ORE.
Notwithstanding the fact that every southbound steamer
is taking a capacity load of copper ore from Cordova, there is
always several hundred thousand' dollars worth of this metal
sioied here, awaiting shipment to the Tacoma smelter. This
ore is the output of the Bonanza and Jumbo mines and the
Mother Lode Copper Company is now loading cars with this
precious metal, having freighted it over the trail from the
mine. The Lakinaw Mines Company will also be soon handling
ore by teams from its property to the railroad, and when these
four big producers are making regular shipments to Cordova
the present fleet of boats will have to be considerably increased
to handle this tonnage. From present indications the day is
not far distant when Cordova will be contributing nearly $3,"
000,000 a month to the mineral wealth of Alaska.
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LANE’S DEVELPMENT BOARD.
The Dispatch was one of the first papers in Alaska to en
dorse Lane’s proposed development board for Alaska. Since
then nearly every paper and commercial organization has en
dorsed it. Delegate Wickersliam has pledged himself to make
a fight for it. Certain government bureaus, no doubt, will op'
pose it, since they do not want to see authority now invested
in their bureaus at Washington transferred and centered in a
board in Alaska composed' of Alaskans. Moreover, Alaskan
commissioners would likely pay more attention to getting re
sources developed than they would to whether some redtape
regulation happened to fit a particular case.
This “Administration or Development Board” would ad
minister the duties now performed by a multitude of bureaus.
The board would have the jurisdiction over:
1. Public lands.
2. Coal lands.
3. Railroads.
4. Government highways.
5. Telegraph lines.
6. The game.
7. The fish.
8. The Indians.
Such a board would mean that much of the redtape that
has been a constant annoyance to our people and retarded the
development of Alaska would be done away with. There are
now more or less misunderstandings that are bound to arise.
Very often a man has to wait a year or so until the government
can determine whether the land that he wants should be looked
up by the general laud office or by the forest service. It is
discouraging to have your inquiries sent from one depart"
ment to another with nobody knowing just what to do, with
this department deciding one way, and the other department
ruling another way, and you, the sufferer, not knowing which
way to turn.
An administrative or development board would do away
with all such unnecessary delay. The five men appointed by
the President would be in Alaska. They could quickly learn
the exact details of a case. They would be acquainted with
conditions. Tlieir decisions in matters would be final, revers'
ible only by the courts. Instead of having a lot of things to
look after all over the United States, this board could, and
would, confine its activities to Alaska.—Juneau Dispatch.
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THE KENNECOTT-BRADEN DEAL.
One of the most curious transactions in copper corpora
tion affairs is that which was announced last week, whereby
the Kennecott Copper Company, operating mines in the
Copper River region of Alaska, is to take over the Braden
company, operating mines in Chile; and furthermore, is to
acrjuire the interest (about 400,000) shares of the Guggenheim
Exploration Company in the Utah Copper Company. No rea
son based on economy in operation of these far-apart mines
has been advanced, nor has the public been appraised of any
explanation of what it is hoped to accomplish.
The Kennecott, Braden and Guggenheim Exploration are
concerns in which the Guggenheims are largely interested.
The Guggenheim Exploration Company, which is essentially
; holding company, has been advertised in the squibs in the
'Wall Street journals as about to be dissolved. The Braden
company has been borrowing several millions of the cash as
sets of the Guggenheim Exploration. The Kennecott com
pany, which represents a huge investment in Alaska by the
houses of Morgan and Guggenheim, was offered to the public
for investment several months ago, in connection wherewith
there has been a shrewd stock market propaganda. The Utah
Copper Company plays no part in the deal, but the Guggen
heim Exploration Company owns a large block of its shares.
The Braden Company owns a great mine, but it has ex
perienced disappointments and’ probably was still far short of
the time when it, going alone, could safely begin the payment
of dividends. On the other hand, the Kennecott company,
which made its debut in Wall Street about the time when cop
per rose to 20 cents per pound last spring and soon afterward
discovered what was heralded as the richest copper bonanza
ever known, will soon be in a position to begin the payment of
dividends. The Braden and Kennecott mines are, in short,
the antithesis of each other. Both are situated in remote re
gions and are' subject to violent vicissitudes of climate, labor
conditions, etc. The Kennecott mines are far up in the North
ern Hemisphere and the Braden mines far down in the
Southern. The latter have low grade ore, a lot of it, and the
probability of long life. The Kennecott mines have phenom
enally high grade ore, but there is doubt as to how long it will
hold out. The idea of the Braden-Kennecott combination ap
pears to be to average things. The Braden stockholders will
probably not object to this. The Kennecott company is too
new a thing to have a large list of stockholders of the invest
ment class.
The strangest thing in the deal is the taking over of the
Utah shares from the Guggenheim Exploration Company* the
latter receiving Kennecott shares in exchange. If the Guggen
heim Exploration company is going into liquidation and is
going to distribute its assets among its stockholders, the latter
will get Kennecott shares instead of Utah shares. The prin
cipal Guggenheim stockholders are quoted in the Wall Street
prints as talking as if they liked this. Of course there’s no
accounting for tastes. The Kennecott company will naturally
increase its list of sotckholders.—The Engineering and Mining
Journal.
— ■■■ ■ »Q; -
“SPANKING ALASKA.”
A splendid example of red tape in the government of Alas*
,ka which might be used as an argument for Secretary of the
Interior Lane’s “Development” Board measure is contained in
an article recently printed in the Minneapolis Journal from the
pen of T. B. Drayotn.
In his own particular style, Drayton points out how Alas
ka was “spanked” for encroaching on the priviliges of the
Washington bureaucrats. An excerpt from the article follows:
By an act of 1912 the Territory of Alaska was given, as we
supposed, and Congress thought, a limited right to legislate
on certain matters of purely local concern. This concession
aroused much enthusiasm in the territory, not for what small
measure of self-government it actually conferred, hut rather as
a promise, or at least a procursor of more to follow.
In pursuance of its supposed right, thtf last territorial
legislature passed a bill designed to create a uniform system
of schools, of all subjects surely one essentially local in its
nature.
But in due course the bureaucratic government, came the
Hon. Preston C. West, an assistant to the attorney-general,
with the information, duly approved by the Honorable Bo
Sweeney, an assistant to the Secretary ol the Interior, that we
have been a trifle too promiscuous, not to say previous in play*
ing with out new toy.
While not actually threatening to spank us for our arro
gance in attempting legislation without his approval, the in
ference is clear that a recurrence of our presumptiousness
would be excessively bad form.
After learning that “The act of^the legislature of Alaska
mentioned is without force and effect,” concluding paragraphs
| would naturally lead one to suppose that his sense of humor
| had bubbled over and found expression in the following bit of
delicious pleasantry:
“The government of the United' States belongs primarily
to Congress, and secondarily to such agencies as Congress may
establish for that purpose.” “Meaning, of course, in this case
Mr. West.”
Reading further we are thus enlightened: “Territories,
during their pupilage, are dependencies of the United States.
Their people do not constitute a sovereign power. All politi
cal authority exercised by them is derived from the general
government.”
Had Mr. West concluded his lecture with the sententious
paragraph which he doubtless had' in mind, “I guess that will
hold you for a while,” our need of chastisement would be com*
plete.
But, seriously, this excathedra exposition of kindergarten
principles was not in itself, intended to be offensive, not in
j tended as patronage of inferiors. Its chief value lies in prov
ing that long distance bureaucratic government is an indefen
; sible anomaly, for the simple reason that non-resident bureau
crats know nothing of Alaska, Alaskans or their needs. Pos
sibly no one would be more surprised than Mr. West himself
to know that his diatribe of puerile trivialities was directed to
Americans second to no people in intelligence, education, com
mon sense, knowledge of their needs, and capacity to manage
their own affairs. And it would certainly amaze him to be
informed that Alaska has many citizens who, in knowledge of
fundamental law, public policy, statesmanship and even eru
dite scholarship are entitled to the respect of the most enlight
ened bureaucrat in Washington or elsewhere.
-:0:
The Eagles seem very much in earnest about devising
ways and means for the erection of their new home, and here’s
wishing them all kinds of success in this laudable movement.
Last Monday, the opening day of Congress, was generally
observed throughout the United States as “Defence Day,”
when mass-meetings were held and letters and telegrams sent
to Congress on behalf of better national defence.
The Democrats have selected St. Louis as the place, and
June 14 the time, for the holding of their national convention.
The probabilities are that Chicago will be named as the con
vention city by the Republican national committee, which
meets next week.
The time is past when a long-haired, unwashed dema
gogue, with a dirty shirt and a string tie, should cut any fee
in a community’s business. The day is past for the demagogue
and' he should be compelled to take a back seat in public af
fairs.—Valdez Prospector.
Is Carranza making a bid for fame as a toreador in fight"
ing the bulls of the Mexico City stock exchange?
When the Kaiser hears that Persia has aligned herself
with the allies he anxiously will exclaim, “Oh, shah!”
FAIRBANKS YOUNG MAN GET
TRIP TO EUROPE
( By E. P. Harwood)
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON,
Dec. 3. — Emil Hurja, of Fairbanks,
Alaska, writer and editor of the Uni
i versity of Washington Daily, left Se
! attle at 6 o’clock, November 30, for
New York, to become a member of
: the Henry Ford peace commission to
| Europe. Mr. Hurja was. nominated
by President Suzzallo as representa
| tive of the student body of the uni
versity in response to a telegram re
jceived from Mr. Ford.
The Washington delegate was. a
member of a party of students from
sixteen representative AmCVlcan uni
versities, according to the telegrams,
and will be the guest of Mr. Ford for
a six weeks' tour of neutral Europe.
The first party left New York on
Saturday, December 4, but Hurja
went with the overflow, sailing De
cember 8. He reached Gotham too
late for the first ship.
Mr. Hurja was nominated by Prssl
dent Suzzallo after a special session
with the board of deans. The nomi
nation was made on the same basis
as the Rhodes scholarship awards.
A belief in International understand
ing and federation was made a re
quisite, and a knowledge of a foreign
language was declared to be an as
set. Mr. Hurja speaks Finnish.
Mr. Hurja is a junior at the uni
versity, and is a member of the
Kappa Sigma fraternity.
A spike pulling test on Douglas fir
cross ties was conducted recently at
the government testing station at the
university, under the supervision of
C. W. Zimmerman, ftie idea of the
test is to determine the holding
force of the wood when used for
railroad ties as compared with other
woods. There is always danger
when spikes work loose, and wrecks
are often caused by the shifting of
the rails.
The teBt will be of interest to
Alaska, .because a large amount of
the wood that will be used for ties
on the new government railroad will
be native'Tir.
———to:-*
All (he Real News in IhtRnta
I
The Common Council met last
night to complete the meeting of the
night before, which had been ad
journed one day. Mayor Slater pre
sided, and Councllmen Ross, Howard.
Smith and Davis were present. Two
ordinances were adopted under a sus
pension of the rules, one correcting
a mistake in the present ordinance
providing for the filling of vacancies
in the council, and the other correct!
an error in the present assessment
ordinance, regarding the redemption
of property sold on tax sales.
Under the head of new business,
the Council adopted a resolution de
claring vacant the seats of Council
men Price and Schmitz, on the ground
that they have been absent from
their duties for more than ninety
continuous days, and that neither of
the gentlemen would be back In Cor
dova for the balance of the council
manic year. Both Messrs. Price and
Schmitz are in Anchorage, and have
been for the past five months or
more.
Nominations to fill the vacancies
were In order, and O. A. Harmon,
president of the Harmon Machinery
Co., and Dr. Charles L. Hale were
nominated. There were no other
nominations and the two men were
unanimously elected to the office of
councilman by the members present.
Some discussion over the bills of
the town ensued, and certain minor
repairs to sidewalks were considered,
and the chief of police Instructed to
notify the abutting property owners
to fix the same.
Immediately after the adjournment
of the council meeting the members
reconvened as a board of equalization
to consider protests against the tax
assessment. Mr. Feldman’s letter
was read, and It was decided that
no action could be taken unless Mr.
Feldmann personally appeared before
the council. A protest was received
from the Alaska Transfer Company
regarding the assessment on the
horses and wagons of the concern,
but by vote of the board the protest
was disallowed. There being no other
Protestants, the meeting adjourned
at 9 o’clock.
:o:
II TRAP CUN
THIS CABIN
Somewhere in the Tolovana there
is a man who is unworthy to be called
such. Certainly he is not an Alas
kan. Surely he does not know the
first rudiments of the laws of hu
manity. Without any feelings, with
lout any sense of shame, he must live
■the life of an outlaw and a hermit,
for no man who knew him would dare
j to speak to him in public if the pub
lic knew who he was. This man is
jthe man who lives in a lonely cabin,
away from the world, the only shel
ter for miles around.
To this little cabin on the banks
of the Tolovana river two weary
mushers plodded not so very long
ago. They knew that they would
find shelter for the night, and as
they did not have the necessary
tools with which to siwash it, they
made an extra long mush to reach
this haven of shelter.
But what did they find there They
found tacked on the door a sign.
That sign informed the reader that
there was set on the inside of the
cabin a trap gun. and that the first
man who opened the door would lose
his head for doing so.
This is not a fair sample of the
Alaskan prospector or trapper or
miner or anyone Alaskan. This is
not even a fair sample of a human
being. Had the night been a bitter
cold one, had the biting north wind
been blowing those two Alaskans who
mushed many miles to seek shelter
might have perished from cold, or
might have been driven to taking a
chance and died at the point of a
gun.'
Whether there was in that cabin
a loaded gun as the sign said there
was or not, is immaterial. The
thought is there, and the man who
put that sign there would put the gun
behind it to back up the sign. The
spirit is there, and everyone knows
that is not the Alaskan spirit
If Captain E. J. Smythe and his.
traveling companions had been forced
to siwash it in 40 below sera weather
they might have destroyed the cabin.
As it is they slept under the heavens
that night and mushed on, leaving
be sign where they found it, unmo
ested, a monument to a brute mas- i
luerading as a man, but who will :
lever, and never can, he considered
is an Alaskan.
■ ■ :o:
NATER PE00LER8 AT ANCHOR
AGE REAPING RICH HARVEST.
A water famine Is reported at An
ihorage, where this liquid is selling
wholesale at $1 per barrel.
Consumers are charged 15 cents
>er bucket, or two for a quarter re
all.
The scarcity is due to the cold
weather, all of the streams having
jeen "dried up” by the freeze.
Owing to the recent prosecutions
’or bootlegging, and the fact that no
egal sale of liquor Is permitted In
side the town limits, liquid refresh
ments are scarce at any price.
The government has been working
in a water system for some time, and
expects to have It completed inside
jf another two weeks. Meantime the
residents must pay fancy prices for
water.
The laundries announce that they
cannot afford to operate at the for
mer prices.
reEmfnEBMiTs
you m POSTOFFICE
The following letters remain un
called for in the Cordova postoffice
tor the period ending December 9:
Aspens, Emil (2).
Brazil, Geo. J.
lloflo, Pert.
Bard, W. H.
Carlson, Helmer.
Covich, Mike.
Crooks, Henry (5).
de Correosen, A1 Admor.
Erickson. Con (2).
Erickson, Mrs. J.
Fetch, Lee.
Fremming, Marshall G.
Gouin, George.
Gilbert, John.
Goble, Frank.
Galsford, C. C.
Hann, Gus.
Hannan, K. B. (2).
Hahn, Charles.
HaraBawa, Frank.
Hilder, Harold.
Howe, Peter.
Hogan, Thomas H.
Johnson, Chris.
James, Matilda (2).
Korweman, John.
Kranz, Ed. i
Lund, George.
McDonald. Malcolm.
McDaniel, Eli.
McGowan, J.
McKnight, Wm.
Mauer, P. P.
Malone, E. Scott.
Mitchell, Miss Annie.
Nelson, A. F.
Nord, Frank.
Orth, Herman H.
Phelosofos, George.
Phillips, George.
Pada, Gust (4).
Read, A. L.
Salvlni, Pazlo.
Scott, F. R.
Smith, Donald.
Soon, Chas.
Stein, Karl.
Tolan, W. H.
Walker, Wilson.
Wilson, F. T.
Wedenoji, Johan.
H. G. STEEL, Postmaster.
KUTULLA CLAIM PATENTED
CONTAINS ANTKHACITE
The granting of a patent to the
Fremont coal claim, In the Bering
river field, owned by Clark Davis and
associates, Is said to contain 5,000,
000 tons of anthracite coal.
At the time when the application
was made for patent to this claim,
along with fifteen others which com
pose the entire group located by these
men, the Juneau land office held a
charge of fraud against tbe claims,
and with the exception of the Free
mont claim, held that no mine had
been opened. In the case of the
Freemont claim, however, the Juneau
office held that not only had a mine
been opened but that very consider
able work had been done on that
claim.
According to the records of the
Juneau office, there is still pending
In the office of the' secretary of the
interior an appeal in connection with
the remaining cases.
These locations were made In 1903
and the property known as the Free
mont was worked up until 1910.
-:o:———
ALA8KA COMMITTEEMEN WILL
8END PROXIES.
Zina R. Cheney, of Juneau, Demo
cratic National Committeeman (or
Alaska, will be unable to attend the
meeting of the national committee iu
Washington, December 7, (or busi
ness reasons. It was learned his
proxy will be held by J. Bruce Kre
mer, of Butte, the committeeman (or
Montana. Mr. Cheney favors Dallas,
Texas, as the place for holding the
national convention, and Mr. Kremer
will be so instructed.
Our former townsman, William S.
Bayless, Republican National Com
mittee for this territory, will not go
to Washington to attend the Q. O .P.
meeting on December 14, and the
proxy will be held by Wllford B.
Hoggatt, of Summit. New Jersey, for
mer governor of Alaska.
Chicago will undoubtedly be the
Republican convention city, and the
contest for the Democratic conven
tion likely will be waged by 8t.
Louis and Chicago, although Dallas
has appropriated $100,000 to cam
paign for it and may win out. The
national committees decide where
the conventions Bhall be held.
---:o:
INSPECTOR OF BOILERS KILLED
IN AUTO ACCIDENT.
Thomas E. Kell, United States in
spector of boilers at St. Michaels,
died from the effects of injuries re
ceived by bis automobile colliding
with a street car in Oakland, Cal.
He is survived by a wire and two
children.
Mr. Kell was about 42 years of
age. and was born on a farm near
San Jose, Cal. He was in the United
States navy during the Spanlsh-Am
erican war as an engineer on the
cruiser Baltimore, the only vessel
struck by the Spaniards' shells dur
ing the battle of Manila Bay. Mr.
Kell was in charge of one of the Bal
timore’s engines on that occasion.
On October 17, 1911, Mr. Kell was
assigned to the Juneau marine In
spector’s office as inspector of boil
ers, having passed a high examina
tion in the civil service. On October
27, 1913, he was transferred to St.
Michael. He reached Seattle less
than three weeks ago, on the last
trip of the Victoria, from Nome, and
went to his home in California at
once.
-:o:
CONSERVATION BEING TRIED.
STOCKHOLM, Dec. 2. — In order
to avoid the consumption of grain and
potatoes, the manufacture of alcohol
from reindeer moss is being tried on
an extensive scale in northern Ger
many. Reindeer moss is very plenti
ful in the Arctic sections of Scandi
navia, being the principal food of
the reindeer during the winter. Sev
eral large shipments of the moss have
been sent to Germany during the past
two months.
:o: -
DISTRICT ATTORNEY AGENT’8
PURCHASE OF BOATS.
U. S. Attorney J. A. Smlser, of
Juneau, acting for the Alaska Rail
road Commission, will disburse $25,
000 in payment for boats and barges
bought of Maitland & McNally, of
Seward. Attorney Z. R. Cheney, rep
resenting the Alaska Commercial
Company, and Mr. Smlser, have for
warded the bills of sale to Seward
for signature. The A. C. Company
held a mortgage of $10,000 on the
boats.
-:o:-—
MARIPOSA TO BE REPAIRED.
The steamer Mariposa, which was
wrecked at Bella Bella Sound and
towed to Seattle, will be repaired at
a cost of $100,000. She needs sis new
plates. Twenty other plates wefe
turned. The work will also include
the repair of 40 frames and minor de
tails.
-:o:—
ALASKA INFANTRY TO BE IN
CREASED TO FULL STRENGTH.
The five companies of Infantry on
duty In Alaska are to be brought up
to their full military strength of
about 160 men each, according to an
announcement by the war depart
ment. The posts at Fort Seward.
Fort Liscum, Fort Gibbon, Fort SL
Michael and Fort Davis have at the
present time about half of their war
strength.
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