THE CHITINA LEADER
CHITINA, ALASKA
Entered as second-class matter, November 12, 1910, at the postofHce at
Cbitina, Alaska, under the Act of Conbress of March 2, 1879.
ONLY NEWSPAPER IN CHITINA
Published every Tuesday by
HARRY Q. STEEL, Editor and Proprietor.
Office: Hotel Chitina Building.
Cordova Office: Daily Times.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One Month .I -50
Six Months ... * 00
One Tear . 3.50
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, JULY 27, 1915.
A TRAIL THAT NEEDS ATTENTION
We see by a late paper from Fairbanks that Col. Richard
son, of the Road Commission, has recently promised the people
of Fairbanks, $10,000 to be spent on the trail to the new
Tolovana placer camp. We are glad to see any district in
Alaska get some aid' for roads and trails but without in anywise
belittleing the Tolovana camp, we would call attention to the
fact that this is a new and almost unprospected region, in
which but little gold has been discovered and about which
Governor Strong has stated, that in his judgment, the pay
streak is a very limited one.
On the other hand, we are confronted with a wavering
line of mud, ten miles in length, extending from McCarthy to
the Nizina River, and forming the only connecting link by
which traffic between the base of supplies and the rich placer
diggings of Chittitu, Rex, White, Dan, Chisana, Young and the
Chitina can be reached. Progress over this highway is as
follows: You load your horse with a hundred or so of grub and
lead him into the mire. He flounders around until he is all in
and you then remove his pack and cut poles which are placed
under his body and head with a view to keeping him in sight
until you can get help. You then get another horse and rig, a
harness to which you attach the fallen friend of man by means
of a long rope tied' to his neck. After much straining at the
end of which your horse’s neck is extended to such a length as
to make him resemble a giraffe, he staggers to his feet and
you once more place his burden on his back and enter into the
next mudhole.
The McCarthy blacksmith is making a lot of steel braces
by means of which trail horses may have their heads firmly
attached to their bodies thus rendering the possibility of the
separation of that important member from the rest of the
beast, more remote. These bid fair to be very popular.
The Nizina District reached by this delightful highway,
has produced' millions in gold and is not half worked out. Many
prospectors would be glad to spend time and money in develop
ing Young Creek, the benches of the Chittitu and the Chitina
River section if it were possible to get into the country with an
outfit costing less than its weight in gold.
But while the trail is probably the worst in the world we
must not criticise the Road Commission for this, as the Tolo
vana may need the money, and besides, the Road Commission
has already spent $27,000 building a bridge over the Nizina to
help this district. To be sure, the bridge was built at a point on
the river inaccessible from either side and during its short but
donesome existence was crossed but once by a cheechaco who
had read something about it in the paper and who wandered in
the woods three days trying to find it and after crossing, had
to come back and swim the river in order to get out on the other
side, yet it was a perfectly good bridge and a monument to its
builders until the river rose a few inches when it gave a lurch
and started on a journey for Chitina.
We have seen statements in various newspapers to the
effect that the pittance of road money allotted to this dsitrict
from the forest reserve fund, was to be spent at Cordova,
Valdez, Seward and Chitina. A further statement is to the
effect that some of this money would go to the construction of
a new road to a cemetery. Far be it from us to render anything
but respect for the dead, but why not put this money into
something that will be of benefit to the live ones and which
might bring more live ones to the country.
•V.*
SELLING COPPER FOR EXPORT
The war is without doubt destined to change more than
one custom in the copper trade. Among these is the influence
that the speculative market for “standard” copper in London
has had on our market for refined copper. In previous times
the existence of that market has enabled arbitrage transactions
to he made whenever the two markets were out of joint, but
recently the British restrictions have prevented any such opera
tions to any important extent, and when the difference between
the price for “standard” copper and the nominal quotation of
the London Metal Exchange for electrolytic spread to £14 per
ton, the absence of any broad commercial meaning to the fluc
tuations in the price for “standard” copper became self
evident. There should never be a difference in excess of about
£2Vo, for at that discount I'efiners should easily be able to buy
up all the “standard” copper and turn it into electrolytic. Of
late, however, foreign refiners have been excluded from the
“standard” market by the governmental restrictions against
the export of copper.
For the time being, anyway, and perhaps for longer, no
attention need be paid to the fluctuations of “standard” copper
in London. Rises or falls are neither bullish nor bearish points,
for they have scarcely anything to do with the real movements
in the trade for the metal.
Another time-honored custom that has been upset to a
considerable extent—and will be abolished, it is to be hoped—
is the selling of copper for export in terms of foreign money—
pounds sterling in London, francs in Paris, etc. At least one of
the important American producers is now selling only on the
basis of dollars. Its prices include freight, insurance, etc.; that
is, they are made in terms of dollars and cents, c.i.t'., and this
producer says it will never again sell in terms of foreign money.
A factor contributory to this innovation is the uncertainty
with respect to the- future of sterling exchange. The producer
selling copper for delivery two or three months hence is now
unable to judge closely what he is going to realize if payment
is to be made in pounds sterling or francs, inasmuch as sterling
exchange may fall in the meanwhile to 4.70 or lower. If sales
be made in dollars there is of course no risk in this respect.
Anyway, the dollar exchange in this market is further to be
commended by the fact that after all it is an American market,
about 70 per cent of the copper production of the world being
supplied' by American refiners. We would like to see
the custom of the trade modified one step further, would like
to see copper quoted only in terms of cents per pound, cash, in
New York and the rest of the world compelled to buy here on
our own terms. However, this is too much to expect right
away, for our copper producers, in their competition among
themselves and with those of the rest of the world', will no doubt
feel themselves obliged to court their customers by naming a
price delivered to them or to some port with which they are
familiar. Nevertheless the method of doing business with them
may be altered if Congress next winter makes such a declara
tion of the Sherman law as will render it clear that it was not
intended to apply to combination among sellers in foreign
markets. The arguments upon this point at the recent hearing
of the Federal Trade Commission were impressive, and there
is reason to believe that Congress will view favorably that
which exporters want it to do; that is, make it positive that
concerted action in foreign business is not contrary to the
Sherman law.
!0!
Upon the request of two mayors and one congressman,
Secretary Daniels ordered the battleship Utah to attend a cele
bration in a small inland Connecticut town. Now the wooden
nutmeg makers are cracking chestnuts at the village smithy,
while Secretary Daniels is “owning up that the joke is on him,
by gum!”
Novelist Wells says the British are fighting without
imagination, which is bad enough, don ’tcheknow, but blawsted
unfortunate when one considers that they are without ammuni
tion as well.
A Jersey cow was recently stung to death in Oregon by
Italian bees. Had she been a Holstein the federal agents would
have arrested the bees for breach of neutrality.
-:o:
NARROW POLICY OF FIRST DIVISION
The suit brought by the representatives of the First divi
sion to restrain the territory from using the forest funds equally
for all parts of Alaska was frightfully ill-advised and as matters
look now the First division stands to gain nothing by it which
ever way the cat jumps. Because the funds coming from the
forest reserves in the First division were greater than those
from the other divisions the First division came to the conclu
sion that the other divisions did not have equal rights to them.
If the same argument held good in other respects the other
three divisions might object to having the capital in Juneau.
The forest funds are really federal money, or, at least, were
federal money until the federal government decided to let the
territory have it. If the funds coming through the federal
government from forests should be spent where they are col
lected, the money received by the federal government from
customs, railroads, etc., ought to be spent where they are col
lected, unless the forest funds are governed by special regula
tions or rules, which is hardly likely.
Let us suppose that there has been made a special regula
tion by which forest funds are to be turned over to the territory
for use in roads or something else, and let us suppose that the
federal government decides later to turn over the profits of the
government railroad for the use of the territory. What would
the First division think if the Third and Fourth divisions
claimed all these profits for their own benefit ? Or, let us sup
pose that the money aequircd from the leasing of the Matan
uska coal lands were used for the development of Alaska. Is
Juneau going to establish a precedent by which the people of
the coming Matanuska city may secure all those funds of the
future?
Aside from all this: The First division by its suit is mani
festing a narrowness of spirit which is un-Alaskan. It has the
greatest gold mines and the greatest fisheries of Alaska at
present. It has payrolls far exceeding the payrolls of other
districts and it has a splendidly prosperous future assured’. Will
a few thousand dollars, if they can be obtained repay it for
declaring war on the other parts of the territory!—Seward
Gateway.
For once in his career, anyway, Secretary Daniels, of the
navy, did a bright thing when he called on Edison and other
inventors to assist in evolving murder-machines for the army
and navy, but it’s going to cost us a pile of money. Orville
Wright, for example, says the war department ought to have
about 1,300 flying machines right off, and flying machines cost
about $5,000 each. Still, we can’t bite golden eagles if we are
going into the military business as most of our neighbors are
going into it. A million dollars is a mere bag o’ cartridge shells
in these vituperative times.
Tom Taggart and his fellow grand jury victims declare
they are being persecuted—a word that can be stretched over
more kinds of sculduggery than any other word in the
language. Still we hope Tom is not guilty. For with all his
known faults he is a most genial, lovable Tom, generous and
magnanimous, and he has done a lot of good’ in the world.
Germany apparently doesn’t realize the danger she is in,
and goes blundering along inviting catastrophe. She doesn’t -
know that if she continues to flirt with fate we shall send Gillies
to Paris and let him tunnel to Berlin. Then we shall put
Hobson in the tunnel. After war is declared we shall expect to
have the kaiser’s sword in 60 days.
The other day the fire boys took time by the forelock and'
wet down the. roofs of the buildings in town. The dry spell is
continuing and the wetting was a precaution against fires
caused by sparks.
A GOOD MINING YEAR IN ALASKA
In the Geological Survey’s mid-year review for 1915,
Alfred H. Brooks reports that there is every reason to believe
that the mining industry of Alaska has begun a prosperous
year. The present high price of copper has encouraged the
continuation of development work on many copper properties
on which operation were suspended in mid-summer of 1914iTlti
is probable that about a dozen copper mines will be on a pro-J
ductive basis in 1915 compared with 6 in 1914. A considerable]
increase of copper production will, therefore, take place. Thai
gold lode production from Southeastern Alaska, Prince William* x
Sound and Willow Creek districts will also be increased' this
year. i !• **t£
Tlie outlook for an increased output of placer gold is also
encouraging. There will be more dredges operated on Seward
Peninsula this year than last and it is also probable that several
new dredges may be in operation in other placer districts before
the close of the season. In addition to the dredges there are
also a number of other placer mining plants of considerable
size that will be operated this year for the first time.
POOR SHOWING MADE BY GOVERNMENT
There is considerable discontent at Anchorage judging
from the expressions of those on the ground, if the following
excerpts from a letter received in Cordova from the new
terminal is any criterion:
“The government has made a mighty poor showing as
railroad builders, and as a result there is a general feeling of
disappointment by those in Anchorage who had hoped for and
expected better results from Uncle Sam in his enterprise. The
small business man feels as though his rights are being encom
passed by the government commissary and mess house, while
the Americans feel as though they have a double grievance on
account of the number of Canadian and other foreign laborers
who have been given employment; if not in preference, at least
with an equality of American labor. Again the short hours
worked bring the monthly pay from $25 to $35 lower than any
wages heretofore paid in Alaska.
“The sale of lots in the new townsite was a financial suc
cess so far as the government was concerned but a great dis
appointment to the old miner and prospector. They had hoped'
to be given a chance by the drawing system to acquire sufficient
ground upon which to build’ a home, and were perfectly willing
to pay any price or value the government might fix on the lot,
if given a reasonable time in which to pay for same. As it is
seventy-five per cent of the town is now owned by outside
capital and consequently will be more or less controlled by
same. ’ ’
•n •
THE ANTIQUITY OF ALASKA
Long before California was more than a myth, before the
Columbia was discovered, before there was a United States,
Alaska had been partially explored and settled. If Chinese
records are to be believed, the discovery of Alaska antedates^
th journeys of the Norsemen to Greenland' and across the
Atlantic. According to these records, a Chinese Buddhist
priest traversed the Alaskan shore in 499 A. D. In 1711 the
Cossacks of Russia were hunting sable in Alaska. In 1724
Peter the Great with his oAvn hand wrote the instruction for
the expedition that led to the discovery and exploration of
Bering Sea, and in the following century Spanish, English and
French navigators again and again headed for the Alaskan
coast in a vain effort to find the Northwest Passage from the
Pacific to the-Atlantic. The record of these explorations con
stitutes a most important phase in the history of America.
It is gratifying to learn that, coincident with the beginning
of construction on the government railway, Alaska is to receive
a practically complete library covering its entire history from
the Middle Ages to the present. James Wiekersham, Alaska’s
territorial delegate in Congress, with several associates, has
collected from the libraries of half a dozen European countriesfr
every known work on early Alaskan explorations, substituting
photographic copies when the original could not be obtained.
In addition this library has been enriched by the addition of
modern books, of magazine and newspaper articles until it
comprises a permanent record of almost every printed utter
ance on Alaka. To the future historian this collection will be
fully as important as the Bancroft collection has been to the
students of Western American history.
Great material developments are impending in Alaska. It
is to be hoped that, in the quest of individual wealth, Alaskans
old and new will not forget the spiritual development that
rounds out a state’s well balanced life. And it is to be hoped
that Alaskans will remember the manner in which the older
commonwealths of the Union have squandered their most
precious birth rights, their school lands. Through an act of
Congress the territory has been given two sections in every
township for the support of its schools plus one section in each
township of the Tanana valley for the support of an agricul
tural college and a school of mines. Rightly administered this
princely gift should by and by make the Alaskan schools the
most highly endowed educational institutions in the worljl.
* -:o:
The itinerant merchant law, passed by the last legislature,
becomes effective next Monday and Cordova should at once
pass an ordinance taking advantage of the act, as the mer
chants here, as well as throughout Alaska, are entitled to
protection from the fly-by-night concerns who open up their
wares for a few days and palm off a lot of shoddy goods, to
the detriment of the legitimate business firms. The act also%
covers people who peddle from door to door with a satchel, as'
well as the merchant who opens a store for a couple of days.
t
•-:o:
The King of England heads a diamond flush since General
Botha captured the Germans’ mines about Luederitz bay.
Cordova’s contribution to the mineral wealth of the United'
States has been $1,000,000 worth of copper ore during the pa^f
week. This is a record that cannot be beaten anywhere in tl:
world. Is there any question as to the tonnage part of till
territory? If so, speak up.