-m
SIhr Baily f rnsyrrtor
PUBLISHED BT
STEWART * SELBY, Proprietor*
TERMS.
Dally Proapeetar. K
By carrier, per month -A MS
By mail, per annum -*1000
The Weekly Miner.
By carrier, per month -A A#
By mail, per annum —....A SAP
The Daily Prospector and .Week
ly Miner, by carrier, to one ad
dress, per month -*•*
The Dally Prospector and Weekly
Miner, by mall, to one address
only, per year . liaw
Business Office and Editorial Rooms,
TEL 162
Advertising Rates on Application.
FRIDAY, MAY 18, 1816
-?
POLITICAL COAL IN ALASKA
A petition presented in the Senate
by Mr. Jones, of Washington, from
the Chamber of Commerce of Cor
dova, Alaska, shows a curious misun
derstanding of the majestic theory
and practice which the federal gov
ernment follows. There are three
availabe Alaskan coal fields, Bering
river, Matanuska, and Nenana. In the
days of darkness private capita!
would have been allowed to develop
mineral resources. You can’t buy coal
lands. You may lease them. A pri
vate railroad can only lease coal
lands for its own use. This privilege
is valueless for the small amount us
ed by the railroad cannot be mined
cheaply.
_ _ . 1
A raiiroau wains cum ui iiauspuit
as well as to burn, But enlightened
laws forbid an Alaskan railroad to
carry coal mined by it or in which it
has any interest. The' railroad can't
own or lease coal lands, neither can
a coal company own a railroad. If
the two*combine, they are guilty of
conspiracy or unlawful combination,
the Copper River & Northwestern
runs nearly half way to the Bering
fields. Once it took an option on some
5,000 acres in those fields, surveyed
and would have built a road and dug
coal mines. The stern parent at Wash
ington forbade the crime. The Cop
per River & Northwestern people
•were accused of conspiracy and mon
opolistic intention. Their coal land
title was torn up. Virtue was vindi
cated. The coal needed for the devel
opment of the rich copper region
stretching a hundred miles along the
Copper river and Chitina valleys is
safe in the bowels of the earth. The
owners of claims have spent their
money and time in vain. Save for the
one great mine for which the Copper
River & Northwestern was built, the
mineral treasur is mostly helpless
and useless. No railroad, no coal; no
coal no railroad; no railroad, no cop
per; no coal, no copper; a mighty in
dustry in choked, but let us praise the
famous wisdom of congress, of con
servation! Virgin Alaska!
Leased lands mean government
railroads. To all intent and purpose
there can be no private railroad
building in Alaska. Irrespective of
the law, who is going • to face gov
ernment competition? Coal for Alas
kan use, coal for industry, is a vital
necessity. Watch the benevolent gov
ernment in thexailroad business. The
Cordovan petitioners recite that un
der the act of Congress of March 12,
1914, the president has had surveyed
and ordered built a line from Steward
to Fairbanks, with a branch to the
Matanuska coal fields, 504 miles,
while nearly 600 miles are yet to be
located', "that the designated mileage
will open the Matanuska and Nenana
coal fialda; hut mot the Bering, the
nearest .to th«j mgrket of all the Alas
kan cokl/^ands- The distance from
Nenana' to'Rairbanks is 104 miles,
from Matanuska to Seward 184, from
Bering river to Cordova is 68. The
estimated costs with time of biuld
ing railroads to the three fields is
$3,000,000 and three years, $7,000
000 and three years, $1,000,000 and
six months. Do the simple Cordovans
wonder at the government’s choice.
They plead in their innocence' that
the Bering coal, being the nearest and
necessary for great copper mining
and smelting, the government should
build the thirty miles of road from
the terminus of the Copper River &
Northwestern to the Bering field, and
20 miles additional to tap the Ka
talla oil field.
The memorandum of Senator Wes
ley Jones says naively that “the prin
cipal value of the (Bering river) coal
is for local uses.’’ The main value
of Alaska coal, of Alaskan resources
in general, is political. Unmined, it
fills the bunkers of the simon-pure
"conservationists.” Shall they lack
fuel that the Copper River valley may
be prosperous? Mr. Jones bares the
bones of truth in another part of his
argument:
“The Bering coal has long been the
subject of political controversy. The
most astonishing lies (why astonish
ing?) have been told about it and re
tailed to the public for political pur
poses. The Ballinger-Pinchot quar
rel raged about it. The enemies of
the Taft administration used it freely
as a weapon of attack in the Cunning
ham coal cases, and the Controller
Bay incident. Its uses for such pur
poses ought to have passed. The
time seems to have come when it
should be put to its natural uses.”
Its natural uses are political. Ever
since 1896 congress has passed six
acts about Alaska coal lands. Alaska
coal remains political. Congress must
have occupation.
Mr. Jones quotes the Interstate
Commerce Law against discrimina
tion, and asks:
“If it is criminal for a private cor
poration to strangle and kill one lo
cality while it upbuilds another,
should not the government itself re
frain from doing the same thing?” jj
The government can do no wrong;1
but it is sure to have an interesting
time in its railroad business.—New
York Times.
QUARRELS HURT PROSPERITY.
An interesting conversation took
place a few days ago in Cordova, in
teresting to the residents of both
towns, and illustrates to how great
in extent both- towns have been in
jured by the petty squabbling that has
prevailed for some years past between
them. The Cordova gentleman was
ANOTHER BARGAIN - -
SWEET PICKLES-Mixed
and Straight.
SOUR PICKLES—Mixed and
Straight.
ChUtt I HUH—H'enm Mus
tard—Chili
SAUCE—Mexican Hot Relish.
INDIA RELISH—
IN GLASS PINT FRUIT JAR^-AT 25 CENTS PER JAR, ONLY
KING’S GROCERY PHONE 188 |
GUARANTEED EGGS, THREE DOZEN FOR ONE DOLLAR
THE EMPRESS
0£
To-Night - Friday - Saturday
One Show at 8:10. p. m. Sharp
The Empress Circuit Presents
WORMWOOD
THE GREAT DRAMATIC MASTERWORK OF
MARIE CORELLI
5 ACTS - « 300 SPLENDID SCENES
Played by a cast of renowned players in
tng Ethel Kauffman, John Sainpolis, Chas* I
lur, Lillian Dilworth, Edgar Davenport,
Steve Gratten, Caroline Harris, Bertha Bran
dage and Frank De Vernon.
Next Suhday and Monday—Checkers—6 act Comedy
Drama. - _.
Admission 25c Children 10c
a saloonkeeper, and he stated that the
liquor dealers of that town were now
buying Valdez beer almost exclusive
ly. When asked why they had not
done so before he blamed the contro
versy between the two towns.
It is unnecessary to enter into de
tails as to who started the trouble;
it doesn't take much to start trouble
in Alaska; but nevertheless it pre
vailed for several years, and the quan
tity of the excellent Valdez product
which is now going to surrounding
towns is indicative of what Valdez
has lost in this one line alone.
Only by friendly relations between
the various towns can Alaska secure
the maximum of development, just
as by unity of purpose among its resi
dents can a community progress,
j Quarrels, local and otherwise, have
jbeen the means of retarding the
I growth of the country more than any
I other one thing, not excluding the
j “Conservation farce,” and just so long
(as these factional and communal dif
jferences exist just so long will devel
opment and progress be retarded.
VALDEZ BEER.
The Valdez Brewery nas been
j working up a gQod trade the past six j
months with the surrounding towns.
Part of this is due to the fact that the
States of Washington and Oregon
went dry the first of the year; but
the larger part is due to the excel
lence of the local product. Valdez
beer has long had a reputation for
its pureness and for the excellence
of the brew. A good trade having
been worked up with the surrounding
cities, why not help the brewery
work up a good trade at home. It' you
must drink beer, and there is nothing
more wholesome when used in moder
ation, why not drink Valdez beer?
This keeps the money at home and
by keeping cur money at home the
brewery would be enabled to hire a
larger force and do a much larger
business. Thousands of dollars were
spent last year for beer not so good
as our local product, and had this
money gone into the local trade the
result would have been highly benefi
cial to the city.
Let’s all agree to buy everything
we can at home, and see what a stim
ulus to bigger business it will be.
ALASKA’S MODERATE NEEDS
From the sale of seal and fox skins
obtained on a few rocky islands, the
government has, during the past 25
vpan^jdorived «. direct revenue al
ino^HSrefflllWW^totisil purchase price
of «|Ma’8 Imhienae territory. There
Iy ,20,000 white per
gSttsiHHft'% tory, as against four
hun^HnWRon persons in China, yet
last ^MWpfoe trade of the contin
ental United States with Alaska was
ilve million dollars in excess of the
United States’ total trade with China.
It reached $73,000,000 and will be
over $80,000,000 this year.
Alaska is asking Congress to ap
propriate $8,247,000 for railroad con
struction this year; this money is an
investment, not a donation. The rail
road will be running and earning in
terest long after the channels of a
hundred “improved” creeks have
shoaled up again. For aids of naviga
tion in the difficult waters a million
is asked. The law obliges every con
tractor to hang out a red lantern to
mark a dangerous evacuation on a
public street. Shall the government
do less for the marine highway.?
The item for wagon roads carries
$320,000. Since wagon roads are the
feeders for the government railroad,
the item might be doubled and still
leave a profit.
For geological and land surveys
$150,000 is asked. This is a bagatelle
compared with the value of the an
nual mineral production. The cable
and telegraph returns out of commer
cial receipts form the $350,000 ask
ed for operation. The protection of
the salmon supply survey is worth
$90,000, and justice requires that the
$190,000 requested for Indian schools
and medical relief be given without
a murmur.
INSTALLS NEW ENGINE
IN LAUNCH N. & S.
Wm. Callaghan has entirely repair
ed and refitted the launch N. & S.
and has installed a new 23 h. p. Un
ion gasoline engine. The craft is now
in first class shape, and is one of the
best sea boats on the Sound. Mr.
Callaghan will operate the boat on
the sound whenever business offers.
He left this morning for Ellamar,
where be will take on a quantity of
freight for Kanikluk.
Call an^lee our novr-sprlng stock
of wallpaMM, just arrived on the Str.
Northwestjn|h Sgme of the latest
^patterns. 6?fc. Rudolph. tf
1 Parties not receiving their papers
before 6:00 o’clock should telephone
the office and a special messenger will
be sent with one. Turn your com
plaints in to the office. tt
Mr. and'Mrs. S. A.'Hemple return
ed on the Alaska after a visit of sev
eral months in the States. During
their trip Mr. and Mrs. Hemple visited
all the principal cities of the Coast
and the East.
Triple Values For $17
Style
Wear
Economy *
Styleplus Clothes
$17
The Same Price The Nation Over
We Have Just Received a Large Shipment
S. BLUM & CO., FP
GOOD GOODS
The Best Place in Valdez to
— Stop at is the
Arctic Hotel
Warm, Light Room!--The Hoo»e of Comfort
RATES REASONABLE
BATH ROOM Special Ratea Btfhe Moett
PHONE 133 MRS. SYRING. Prop.
Is It Anybody’s Business.
Is it anybody’s business
If a gentleman should choose
To wait upon a lady,
If the lady don’t refuse?
Or, to speak a little plainer,
That my meaning all may know,
Is it anybody’s business
If a lady has a beau?
Is it anybody’s business
When that gentleman does call?
Or when he leaves the lady,
Or if he leaves at all?
Or is it necessary
That the curtains should be drawn
To save from future trouble
The outside looking on?
Is it anybody’s business
But lady’s, if her beau
Rides out with other ladies
And doesn’t let ber know?
Is it anybody's business
But the gentleman’s, if she
Should accept another escort
Where he doesn't chance to be?
If a person’s on the sidewalk,
Whether great or whether small,
Is it anybody’s businesss "
Where that person means to call?
Or if you see a person
As he’s calling anywhere.
Is it anybody’s business
What^his business may be there?
The substance of our query,
Simply stated, would be this:
Is it anybody’s business
What another’s business is?
If it is, or if it isn’t,
We would reajly like to know;
For we are certain if it isn’t
There ate some who make it so.
UNUSUAL OCCURRENCES
THROUGHOUT COUNTRY
Joseph Thomas of Markleys
burg, Pa., butchered a hog which
dressed 1,020 pounds. It was
three years old and eleven feet
long.
Jacob Hayes, a veteran of the
Civil War, at the age of 75, a
resident of Winslow, Ind., was
reported as cutting a full third
set of teeth. He had never had
his teeth pulled; they wore
away. ,
Mrs. Josephine Davis Hill, of
Millbrook, Ala., became a grand
mother at 29 years of age.
Mrs. George Juris, of Dead
wood Gulch, Idaho, had a 17
months old white Leghorn pul
let which laid an egg measuring
nine and one-half inches in cir
cumference. It contained a sec
ond perfect egg.
Cannon, Georgia, a town of
728 inhabitants, has nine dis
tinct religious denominations,
six of which have places of wor
ship. The town is said to be ab
solutely free from bickering, too.
Dougherty & Ferguson
GENERAL
Merchandise
The best groceries received
on every boat,
Fresh vegetables, fruits, and
nuts.
LOUIE’S CAFE
Everything First class
Open Day and Night
ANDY MAROVICH, Prop.
Arcade Cafe
OPEN ALL NIGHT
Everything First Class
Lightning Service
Jack Callia ■_Proprietor
Alaska Jewelry Co.
With Owl Drug Co.
All Kinds of Nugget and
Ivory Jewelry.
Developing and Printing
.Photo Supplies Phone 40
Candy Kitchen
E. W. HUNT—b Owl Dn« Store.
FOUNTAIN DRINKS
hot-COLD
A. M. DIERINGER
Valdez Transfer
Company
Office on Alaaka Avenue, in
George C. Treat Budding
Telephone No. 60
General Trucking and Freighting
to all Interior Points.
LIVERY and FEED STABLE.
STORAGE,
Teaming of All Kinds
Positively No Coal Delivered Un
less Paid for in Advance
DR. H. COCKERILLE
Graduate National University,
Washington, D. C.
DENTIST
Fourteen Tears in Valdez.
PHONE HO
Office Rooms in Whaling Building
JOHN LYONS E. E RITCHIB
LYONS & RITCHIE
ATTORXEYS-AT-LAW
I -
Office* In Whaling Building
Phone 101 VALDEZ. ALASKA
DONOHOE & DIMOND
ATTORNEYS-AT-LAW
OIBce Opposite Court House
Phone 34 VALDEZ. ALASKA
ASA C. BALDWIN
CIVIL ENGINEER
U. S. Mineral Surveyor
McKinley Street opposite V. M. Store.
Valdez, Alaska
Copper Riveit
Draying Co
Freighting and Passengers
to all parts of the Interior.
- GENERAL TRUCKING
McKinley Street, Valdes
_
ED. WOOD. Proprietor
VALDEZ LODGE
NO 168
Free ni Accepted Meeoui
Regular Communications nratwno
nesd&y in each month in McWw
H.n. Victors Mwayj w^lcom^.
r • Jn. UKUyvw, w* *•
HD WOOD, Secretary* ^
llllliimmuill IT I IMU
Somebody
With Money
always has been found to
“back” a good plan, a good
idea, a good business ven
ture or a good mining ]
pect; otherwise a good i
of today's successful
ness enterprises would
bevmere dreams.
Advertising
about a majori ,
troductions of the man with
the idea, the man with a
prospect, or business to the
man with the dollar.
ADVERTISE IN THE
PROSPECTOR FOR RE
SULTS.