FROM MONDAY’S DAILY
A suggestion to Alaskans may lie
found in tke following: Simiu Dana,
of Greenville, Me., a Penobscot In
dian, is doiug a good business selling
porcupine- quills for toothpicks. lie
has eight porcupine* specially trained
of approach his camp and shoot their
quills into a tub near tho camp door
_that is he says so,—Ex.
♦ + ♦
A new rag composed by Alec M.
Malin of Seattle, and but recently
published, is entitled the “Alaska
Rag.’’ It is a tuneful pieee of music
and the melody and rvthiu are admir
ably calculated to suggest dancing
to the most staid toes, even as is
suggestively depicted in the ragging
polar bears shown on the cover. “The
Alaska Rag” should prove popular
among the dance loving public.
+ + t
Two of the larger bakeries of Sew
ard have opened a rate war and the
price of bread has taken a big tumble
in consequence.
♦ + ♦
Bill McPhee, of Fairbanks, has been
elected grand president of the grand
igloo of Pioneers of Alaska. The
grand igloo decided that the ordet
' should publish an annual. The sec
retaries and the historians of the sub
ordinate lodges will be asked to con
tribute material which will be used
to make the publication one' of thi
most complete that could be issue*!
by any orginization.
4 4 4
The application of George M. Mil
sou for a homestead patent to include
the Chona hot springs, uas been de
nied.
* ♦ *
The briefness of Governor Strong s
visit to Fairbanks is the subject of
comment by the papers of that town.
The Providence Journal, published
a long ways from Alaska, prints tin
following: Anchorage has a newspapei
already, which was to have been
expected. The newspaper is never
far behind the pioneer, t'nder gov
ernment regulation the new town will
not boom in the old mining camp
way, but wiir enjoy a high degree of
civilization from the start. Army
methods will shape Anchorage into
a model town.. It appears that the
officer in command of the railroad
enterprise is a lieutenant of cavalry,
rather than being of that branch of
the service which built the Panama
canal, the corps of engineers. So, al
so, the chairman of the Alaska Boat:
Commission, which constructs the
roads and trails, is a colonel of infan
try. Here is another reminder of the
versatile talent found in our army,
and its great usefulness in time of
peace.
♦ 4 4
At a popular election, the name of
Anchorage was changed to Alaska
City. Over 400 votes we-e cast, Alas
ka City securing 146, Lane 129,
Anchorage 101, Matanuska 54- Ship
Creek 48, M'inalaska 18, Gateway 10
Homesteifd 9.
+ + +
THE DARDANELLES
It is evident that both the Allies
and the Teutons attach great impor
tance to the eapure of the Dardan
elles anl the eoutroll of the Bosphor
us. Moral effect aud stragical advan
tage will be gained by the capture
of this waterway and the occupation
of Turkey. It will give Russia an
open road to receive supplies and
equipment from the allies and from
neutral countries. It will open up
a route for the export of grain and
other products of Russia. The estab-'
lishment of this line of communication
will enable the western and eastern
allies to reinforce each other by set
or land as the occasion may require.
Should Roumania join the Allies she
would be relieved of the menace of
Turkey behind her and would be in
communication w'th all her friends.
The war would be carried into the
Balkans so that Bulgaria .could hardly
remain neutral. Greece could hardly
remain isolated in the face of sucl.
a condition of affairs_Vancouver
News-Advertiser.
-♦
Alaska at the present time is on the
crest of an unparrelled era of good
times, according to statistics made
public recently by the United States
customs house, and cold figures show
that the trade between the territory
and the United States and Canada
will be two and a half times greater
for 1915 than for 1914.
+ ♦ ♦
“Seattle is going the right way a
bout it to secure the lasting friend
ship of Alaska. CVe refer to the steps
which have been taken by Seattle
to ascertain the views of Northern
ers regarding plans for the serai-een
tennial exposition and the promise
to lend every assistance to Alaska t<
make the exposition a success.” Fair
banks Times.
-♦
Job printing at the Miner.
FROM TUESDAY’S DAILY
NORTHWESTERN IN PORT
The steamer Northwestern arrived j
in port from the south at 3:30 this
afternoon with the following passen
gers for Ketchikan: Mrs O. A. Smith
Mrs. C. D. Jones, S. J. Goodie anil
wife. Win. Aiken and wife, C. 0. Gais
ford and J. Barnes. Thirty eight tons
of freight was aboard for local use.
-♦
BROTHER OP MRS KING DIES
Word was received this morning
from Mrs. A. L. King, of Sunny
Point, from Rockford, 111. of the
death of her brother in that city on
August. 13. Mrs. King has been in
Uoekford siuee April.
-*
STEAMER ALLIANCE GOES NORTH
The seamer Alliance was in from
the south at 6 pin. yesterday with
the following passengers for Ketchi
kan: R. K. Cowden, E. R. Doerr, Ruby
| Rogers and Mrs. B. Piehman.
-♦—
| St. Louis, Aug -1—The Merramec
rive in eastern Missouri, during the
past twenty-four hours has taken
a thirty-five foot rise and rendered
two thousand residents homeless in
the Missouri Valley Park. Missouri
Valley Park is about fifteen miles
from St. Louis and considered one of
its wealthiest suburbs.
-♦
RETURNS FROM VACATION
Mrs. C. A. Smith returned on the
Northwestern today after visiting for
several weeks in the states.
-♦
I STREET WORK PROGRESSING
Street Commissioner Shark notified
the Miner representative today that
; bout oue hundred feet of the main
- 'for. line on the beach under Mission
street had been laid this morning at
low tide.
Up to noon today about three hun
dred fet of ditch was completed and
flume to accommodate the stream
that has heretofore run under the
planking of Main street. Blasting
has been begun to get rock to be
gin the fill on Main street from the
Post office corner to the Methodist
church. After the filling has been
completed and the surface covered
with gravel the street will be far
superior to the planking method.
-♦
ARRIVED ON THE JEFFERSON
Mrs. J. P. Williams and baby ar
rived on the Jefferson this morning.
She is the wife of forest ranger Wil
liams of the local Forest Service.
-*•
Mr. W. Wright mechanician for
the Lighthouse Service returned on
the s. S. Admiral Watson this morning
from Cordova, after having visited
the light stations in Unimak Pass and
Cook Inlet, making repairs and Inspec
tions of all the lights.
The work on the new station at
Cape. St. Elias, is going at full blast.
M. Smith, O. McDonald and P. De
laney, three Ketchikan men who have
been employed at the new station
came south on the Watson. O. Mc
Donald stopped off in Juieau, M.
Smith and P. Delaney coming on to
Ketchikan.
-♦
Rome. Aug. 21—Information reaching
this city today is to the effect that
several Italian transports laden with
Italian troops, escorted by warships,
have left Naples, Syracuse, Otranto,
and Brindisi, all Italina port*, under
sealed orders. It is generally believ
ed that the troops will be escorted
south through the Ionian Sea, around
the southern portion of Greece and
landed at some port in Bulgaria to
be used in operations against Turkey.
-«
Marietta, Aug. 21—The verdict of
the coroners jury, in investigating
the cause of the death of I.eo Fran'..,
is that he came to his death by the
hands of parties unknown. Thin is
taken to mean that the people and
1 minor officers of Georgia are not in
sympathy with the Governor in his
investigations of the outrageous hang
ing of Frank.
-» -
OLD LAND MARK DESTROYED
By the carelessness of some one
leaving a fire in the vicinity of Old
Kasaan, a forest fire was started,
woods should be sure that it is en
buildings and a number of totem
poles.
Any one building a fire In the
wood should be sure that it is en
tirely extinguished before leaving it,
as in this instance one of Alaska’s
old relics is practically destroyed,
which would otherwise have been a
place of curoisitv for years to come.
-♦
Zurich.Aug. 21—The report reach
ed this city today that Asiatic cholera
was raging throughout Austria. The
epidemic is killing them off like flies
both among the commonwealth and
the army.
FROM TUESDAY’S DAILY
IiOmlou. Aug. 24—The Germans arc
desperately fighting in western Pol
and and arc failing in ail instances to
make any gains on the Russians. At
Brest Litewiski. where the heaviest
fighting is being carried on, the Ger
mans are loosing heavily in their
terrific struggle to capture the 'torts
but are failing to make any gain on
the stubborn resistence of the Rus
sians. Today’s fighting in the Baltic
country, in northern Poland, proves
Germany to be the heaviest looser and
making no gains.
The German government will not
give out any information regarding
the naval battle in the Gulf of Rega,
where they lost one of their battle
cruisers, and four transports and
were routed from the gulf by the
Russian fleet.
--♦
TO FORT SEWARD TO RE-IN LIST
T. P. Perkins, sargeant in command
at the local cable office, went north
on the Jefferson this morning to Fort
William II. Seward, where he will re
inlist in Unele Sam’s service.
NORTE
The Princess Sophia arrived in pon
from the south at 9 p.m. yesterday
evening with the following passen
gers for Ketchikan: Mrs. Hazel Ad
dis ami John Duthie.
-*
IN FROM HOG RANCH
Roy Ryus ,owner of the hog ranch
at Duke Island, is a local visitor anv
reports prosperity at the ranch. Wbi.e
in town lie employed Oran Goff to
assist in the work at the ranch.
-♦
Berlin, Aug. 24—The papers of this
city are very meager in their accounts
of the details surrounding the sinking
of the steamer Arabic. They are
yerv plain, however, in their comment
regarding Americans taking passage
on British boats, intimating that
those desiring to ride- on British
steamers should be willing to take
the consequences in case the shin is
torpedoed.
-♦
STEAMER PAltAISO GOES SOUTH
The steinaer Paraiso arrived in port
from the north at an early hour this
morning with 400 tons of fish meal
and oil aboard from the Fish Tanners
By-Products plant at Wards Cove.
After leaving Ketchikan she called
in at the Xaeket Inlet cannery where
she took aboard 8,000 eases of can
ned salmon.
-♦
DOLPHIN GOES SOUTH
The steamer Dolphin arrived in
port this morning from the north
with 1,500 cases of canned salmon
from sTee Harbor. 2,000 case
from Taku Harbor, 900 eases from
Davhof and 2,200 cases from Scowl
Arm and after leaving Ketchikan she
called in at the Quadra cannery where
she picked, up 2,500 cases more mak
ing a total of 9,100 cases. Her pas
sengers from this port were John
CarlsCH, Mrs. S. S. Gorman, Marsha!
Gorman and Arthur Wilkes.
-'♦
Tokio, Aug. 24—Premier Okuma,
of .Iapanj states this morning that in
a recent meeting of the cabinet the
decision was arrived at that his coun
try would give the Russians more as
sistance in their prosecuting of war
against the Germans.
--
Atlanta, Aug 24—Owing to the
persistaney of governor Harris, of
Georgia, in his investigations of the
hanging of Leo Frank, he has re
ceived many threats of death and ad
vised to drop the case and think no
more about it. This outrageous cc
curranee has cast a viel over the
fair state of Georgia, and the gover
nor is determined in his efforts to ar
rive at a satisfactory conclusion of
his investigations.
-
PIONEER OF 103 YEARS
APPLIES FOR PENSION
Claiming to be 103 years of age and
also the oldest man in Alaska, John
Finlayson, who has been a resilient of
Wrangell since 184T hn^ made appli
cation for a pioneers’ pension. After
a brief prospecting jaunt made in
1848 Finlayson settled down in Wran
gell and has stayed there ever sidee.
The pioneer’s claims for his age arc
corroborated by many of his friends
in Wrangell, all of whom seem to be
lieve that he may have seen even
more than 103 summers.
The pension which may be granted
under the law in his case amounts to
$12:59 per month. This makes the
eleventh application received during
the past few weeks at the Governor’s
office_Juneau F.mpire.
--»
OFF ON A VACATION
H. E. Peekham and wife went north
on the Jefferson this morning on their ]
annual vacation . They will take in
all places of interest visited by the
Jefferson.
FROM WEDNESDAY’S DAILY
LETTER FROM SENATOR SULZER
Following we publish correspond
ence between Senator Sulzer and Col.
Richardson, head of the Alaska Road
Commission, received in a recent mail
from the Senator, which will no doubt
prove of great interest to those of our
readers interested in road matters.
Charles A. Sulzer
Sulzer, Alaska.
Aug. 23, 1915.
The Ketchikan Miner.
Ketchikan, Alaska.
Gentlemen:—
Inclosed is a copy of a letter 1
have just received from Colonel Rich
ardson regarding roads and trails in
Alaska. Also a statement from myself
regarding the same subject.
I think these matters are of gen
eral interest to the public, ami would
be glad, therefore, if you could spare
the necessary space to publish same
in your paper.
With best wishes,
Respectfully yours,
CHAS. A. 8FLZEE.
Board of Road Commissioners For
Alaska
Valdez, Alaska,
Aug. 10th, 1915.
lion. Chas. A. Sluzer,
Sulzer, Alaska.
Dear Senator Sulzer:—
l have your letter of July 29th, con
corning the Forest Reserve fund and
the road situation in the First Divis
ion and was very glad indeed to have
it. I already had in mind to write
you at the first convenient opportu
nity setting forth the reasons for
my telegram from Nome and the
necessity for some modification In
oor plans unless the question of the
distribution of the Forest Fund should
soon be settled. In the first place
!et me say that my telegram from
Nome was sent simply as a statement
of fact and not intended in any
sense as conveying a threat or im
posing a condition. I would not like
my attitude misunderstood on this
point. You will recall that at our
conference in Ketchikan about the
Mh of May I stated that I had always
assumed, without attempting to ana
lyse the law in the matter, that the
Forest Reserve fund would, when it
should become available, be expend
ed in S. E. 'Alaska—and that our
Board had taken this fact into con
sideration in making allotments for
two or more years past; believing that
your section of the Territory-, being
more favored in certain respects, es
pecially freight rates, than remote
parts of the Interior, would suffer
less by the delay. When, however,
the Legislature alloted the Forest
Fund in equal parts to the four div
isions our Board proceeded to make
allotments of funds at its disposal,
giving what we thought a proper con
sideration to the Legislative action.
These allotments by the Road Com
mission cover all the most important
projects demanding attention in S. E.
Alaska, except the Ketchikan road,
which was to be taken care of by
the Forest Reserve fund. In other
divisions this fund was to take care
of certain specified projects: local
roads at Fairbanks, the road around
Cape Nome destroyed by storm and
four or five projects in the third
division. When the expenditure of
the Forest Fund was enjoined some
of the projects to be taken care of
by that fund became an obligation
upon our Board and it was thouht
best to postpone taking up new pro
jects in S. E. Alaska for the time
being. One or two of them may now
have to be postponed until next sea
son. Our Board has always consider
ed the different judicial divisions as
mere arbitrary of the Territory for
the convenience of the Department of
Justice and not as having any direct
influence upon the application of a
general tax fund applied by law to
the construction of roads and trails.
It has been necessary however, at
times to give heed to a sentiment a
mong the residents of different div
isions as to the merits of their re
spective localities and sometimes to
use the sentiment as an argument a
gainst the demands that could not be
met, without unfairness to other sec
tions of the Territory. Petitions for
aid in road work come from all parts
of Alaska, far beyond the abifity of
1 he Board to meet and sometimes pro
tests are made against alleged in
justice in allotments. Answering a
recent protest of the kind from the
citizens of Ruby, I stated for their
information that the 4th division was
getting its full share of road money
although contributing very little to
the tax fund, and that our Board did
not distribute its tax fund according
to the districts or judicial divisions
where collected, but endeavored to
allot it equitably and according to
the needs of different districts, as
far as the fund would go. I called
attention in the same letter to the
fact that the Road Commission is en
gaged upon the construction aud main
tennnee of no less than sixty-eight
separate projects, besides the overland
wagon road; some of the projects em
bracing numerous small roads, as in
the Fairbanks local system, these pro
jects being scattered from the vicin
ity of Ketchikan to north of Kotze
bue Sound and From Valdez to the
Koyultuk, and that the percentage
of the tax or Alaska fund provided te
carry, on this work properly, and to
meet other demands, was very inade
quate. I also explained that the over
land road, (Valdcz-Fairbanks Fort
Gibbon), was for the benefit of the
whole interior of Alaska, and consti
tuted, together with the Haines-Chil
kat military road, the argument and
reason for appropriations made by
Military Committees of Congress for
“Military and Post” roads in Alas
ka.
Referring again to your district,
or 1st Judicial Division, I will as
sure you that our Board does not
fail to recoguizo its needs, nor its
right to a fair proportion of expendi
tures 'On road projects. Any of the
projects jpentioned in the petition
to our Board and agreed to by me
at our last conference which may not
be taken up this season, will merely
be delayed—for a short time only, it
it hoped—and in the meanwhile ex
isting roads will be repaired and
maintained in as good condition as
possible. The high water in parts
of the territory during the last few
weeks has done considerable damage
to our roads and makes necessary ad
ditional and unexpected expenditures
for their repair.
The whole trouble about the road
situation in Alaska is primarily, of
course, a lack of sufficient funds to
accomplish what, is really needed for
the Territory’s development. I have
exerted my best efforts to have this
situation recognized and taken care
of, and the War Department has been
liberal in its support; but the Army
appropriation bill cannot carry money
for the commercial development of
Alaska. The Secretary of War in a
letter to the Secretary of the Interior,
Jan. 12, 1914, stated in connection
with a special estimate submitted by
me for $750,000.00, that “In the opin
ion of the Board of Road Commis
sioners and other parties having in
terest in the matter, the time has
come for an expansion of this work
of road building to an extent that
makes it impossible to consider it a
military enterprise.” This gives the
reason for referring the matter to the
Secretary of the Interior “for con
sideration and suclt action as he
might deem advisable:” and also
conveys the suggestion that the in
itial steps toward securing increased
appropriations for road work in the
Territory should come from a source
other than the War Department.
With best wishes.
Yours sincerely,
(Signed,) W. P. RICHARDSON.
Colonel of Infantry,
President of the Board.
Statement by Cbas. A Sulzer
The telegram from Nome referred
to by Col. Richardson in the attached
letter was as follows:
Nome, Alaska,
July 8th, 1915.
Sulzer and Heckman,
Ketchikan.
“Allotments by our board road
work your district based on pre
sumption that division of forestry
funds would be accepted as fixed bv
Legislatnre. Understand injunction
filed against disbursements under
this distribution unless this action
be withdrawn our board compelled
to readjust allotments and suspend
work for present on new projects
your district.”
RICHARDSON.
The attached letter explains this
telegram and this letter was written
before the decision of the Court in
the Forestry fund case. The lettei
from Colonel Richardson throws con
siderable light on the road situation
and shows that the projects in S. F.
Alaska would have been carried out
in any event.
Since the Court decision in the mat
ter the following telegram has been
received.
Valdez, Alaska,
Aug. 13, 1915.
Sulzer and Heckman,
Ketchikan:—
“Reference court decision on for
estry advise that all projects your
division bo put through except Wran
gell account lateness season must be
postponed until spring. Mailed let
ter to you this subject just before
deciston of Court was received.”
RICHARDSON.
There has been and is considerable
confusion in the public mind regard
ing road and trail funds In the Ter
ritory. The “Forest Reserve Fund”
is separate and apart from any funds
handled by the Alaska Road Commis
sion and should not, be confused with
the Commission's work. The forest
fund is a fund paid into the treas
ury of the Territory by the United
■ -r.— ■ ——i-*•* — ;
States and represents 25 per cent., of
the monies derived from tho Notional
Forests. The money is paid over by
reason of an Act of Congress which
provides that this money shall bo ex
pended by the Legislature for the
mnintninnnce of schools and tho con
struction of roads and trails in the
county or counties where tho money
has been derived. 'J he purpose of this
law is to partially compensate tho sec
tions embraced within the forest re
serve for th? with-trawl of the lands
and tho restriction? imposed. No
serious person questions the fact that
it was the clear purpose of Congress
that this money should be spent at
its source. Unfortunately, when the
law was enacted, Alaska had no Leg
islature at all and evidently was not
taken into consideration. Again, when
Alaska was created into a Territory
with a local Legislature, tho method
adopted was radically different from
any previous Territorial creation by
our Government and the various divis
ions of Alaska were allowed to re
main as Divisions and were not des
ignated as Counties. In many other
respects the Alaska, enabling' act re
stricted the activities of the people
of Alaska beyond the limitations of
previous Territorial creations. Donbt
lesg the non-contiguousness of Alaska
had something to do with the case,
and also the vast size of the Terri
tory and its conflicting interests and
radically varied conditions, as well as
gross popular ignorance aa to tho true
facts about Alaska. However, be
that as it may, I found during the
early days of the last Legislature,
that there was a disposition among
some of the members to hide behind
these technicalities, and notwithstand
ing it was generally acknowledged
that tho First Division was morally
entitled under the law and under the
past and present conditions In Alas
ka, to the full amount of $52,000
which this division had paid into the
fund, still finally, with three noted
exceptions, tho members of tho other
divisions voted solidly to take this
money and divide it among all fom
divisions. Ttie first day of the ses
sion I introduced Senate Bill Number
One, which provided for the expendi
ture of the First Division’s portion
of the fund, on the various projects
in S. E. Alaska. A few days later a
joint committee of the Senate and
House was appointed to take this
forest fund under consideration and
make recommendations. We made
the best fight we knew how and this
committee, one Saturday, generally
agreed to report the bill b'ack favor
ably provided 25 per cent,, of the
amount was set aside for a general
school board, which we agreed to.
Before Monday certain influences
were set at work which defeated this
agreement and prevented the just
settlement of this question through
out the remainder of the session.
The present law on the subject was
finally enacted by the Legislature
uin| : road supervisor was appointed
in each division to expend the money.
There is an ancient writing which
starts by saying that all Gaul is divid
ed into Miree parts, and permits me
to say Hint, after having for years
the bulk of the roa I appropriation
from ( oi gress and the, tax funds, and
after obtaining $35,000,000.00 from
Congress for railroads, it was all
“Gall” that divided our poor little
forest fund into four parts. The
members from three other divisions
were very adverse to any suggestion?
that forest reserves might be creat
ed in the other divisions so that they
might have the opportunity to con
tribute on an equal basis to this for
est fund. Some of tho newspapers in
the other divisions are now accusing
the people of the first Division of an
attempt to create dissension in Alas
ka. but this is not the truth. The rep
resentatives from the First Division
have at no time asked for^ anything
other than what was just and fair in
the premises, and it was tho member?
of the Legislature from the othoi
three divisions who created any dis
satisfaction that may exist, by nar
row-mindedly playing small politics.
The people of Alaska can never be
firmly bound together in an united
and harmonious spirit by narrow legal
technicalities. It requires broad
minded desire to be mutually fair and
just in out dealings with greatly
varying conditions over an Immense
area of Territory. Tho recent deci?
ion of the Court says that Congress
gave this money to the people resid
in tho Tongass National Forest as
part compensation for what the
National Government had taken from
them, and while this money has been
taken away from them, still there is
no legal redress except by the United
States Government. We must make
the most of the fact, and be content
with the knowledge that we have ask
ed nothing unreasonable nr unjust.
So much for the Forest Reserve
Fund. The funds of the Board of
Alaska Road Commissioners are de
rived from two sources first from
Congress by appropriations in the
Army bill for the construction and
*M i I ■ —fc—j
maintainnnco of military nml post
roads, and second, by n percentage
of the Federal tax monies collected in
Alaska and placed in what is known
the Alaska Fund. Tho amount
that has been appropriated by Con
gress up to tho close of last year Is
$1.6-18,000.00, and this has practically
all been spent in tho Third and
Fourth Divisions, but as this money
is expended by the Wnr Department
for Military purposes it does not en
ter into the question wc havo under
discussion. The Board of Road Com
missioners havo received and 'expend
ed from the Federal occupation and
license taxes in Alaska tho sum of
$1,203,152.00. This has been expend
ed in the different divisions as fol
lows:
First Division $141,381.
Second Divisions 247,431
Third Division 305,033
Fourth Division 509,30-1
Tho Second Division has received
nearly twice as much as tho First;
th0 Third Division has received ion
siderable more than twice as much,
and the Fourth Division has received
nearly four times tho amount of .tho
First Division. In this connection
it must be taken into- considerat ion
that the First Division has paid in
practically one half of those taxes.
Colonel Richardson gtates that ho has
recognized these facts, but that his
Board for the past several years havo
assumed that tho forest monies would
be expended where derived or prac
tically all in tho First Division, and
would thus tend to balance the expen
ditures for tho eutiro Territory, and
yet some papers in tho Interior call
us hoggish for asking for what wo
havo been confidently expecting and
waiting for several yeras and what is
conceded to us by all disinterested
parties. ' *
After the Legislature passed tho
law dividing the Forest Fund, I im
mediately introduced the Memorial
to tho Alaska Road Commission. The
members from the other Divisions
smiled good nnturcdly and rather
cyrineally and sort of gave me the
laugh, but said they would not ser
iously object to my getting anything
l could from the Road Commission,
feeling quite certain I couldn’t get
anything. Thus in'due time the mem
orial passed and was submitted to the
Road Commission together with all
the letters and petitions and data
that I had been collecting during the
session on tho road and trail ques
tion. . „
At the close of the Legislative ses
sion the members from the Fir9t Div
ision agreed that as there was only
•$1J,500 available for this Division it
would be best to expend it all on the
Charcoal Point road, as there was not
enough to divide among the different
projects to accomplish any good. They
also unamimously sanctioned the suit
ro enjoin he Treasurer from paying
out any money from the Forest Fund
except, in tho First Division. There
could be no question about the First
Division being entitled to less than
one fourth of the fund and it-would
be silly for anyone to contend other
wise. There had been a proviso in
serted into the law by Representatives
-Shoup that in case any parts or* sec
tions should bo void, it did not In
validate the remainder, and this pro
tected the Charcoal Point road in
any event. Colonel Richardson was
met at Ketchikan while on his way
North by Mayor Beegle, Representa
tive Heckman and a number of prom
inent citizens and myself and the
facts in the matter laid before him,
ind I laid before him all t lie data
T had collected during the Legisla
tive session. The Alaska Rond Com
mission has agreed to expend $30,
000 in tliis Division on the various
roads and trails this year, and the
Charcoal Point Road will he built
by the $11,500 derived from the one
fourth of the Forest Fund,'unde# the
Supervisor appointed by the Legis
lature. Mr. 13, C. Austin.
During tho past the pjacor .gold
miners and tho dog-team men have
-lone all tho shouting about Alaska,
both in the Territory and throughout
the States and in Washington, D. C.
Nine hundred and ninety people in
every thousand in tho States, if they
can tell you anything about Alaska
at all, will describe Alaska as it is
around Nome or Fairbanks. There
are good politicians and good adver
tisers in the Second and Fourth Div
isions and a good many of them look
with disdain upon tho Island Empire
of the First Division. But the First
Division is a part of Alaska and a
very important part. It lias afforded
most of tho permanent population and
paid most of the bills of the Terri
tory and the time has arrived when it
must bo taken into consider.'!lien. The
people of this Division are ready to
assedt themselves and they must be
granted what their commerce and In
dustry justly entitles them to havo.
Respectfully,
CHAS. A. HtJLZER.
-9
C. W. Hwank, receiver for tho 'Alas
ka Lumber He Box company at
JIadley, was a local visitor today.
a •