bill were similar to those conferred
in Idaho with some additional pow
ers.
The proposal that the Controller,
the Treasurer, and the Attorney
General should constitute a Board
of Control simply established a sys
tem of checks and balances within
the administrative organization.
The proposal to select a Control
ler by joint ballot to serve until he
should be chosen by the people at
the next election was strictly in
keeping with other Territories, for
their first officials were selected by
joint ballot of the legislature.
It may be said that Alaska is not
compelled to follow the lead of oth
er Territories in the administration
of its government. The reply to
that assertion is that every unit of
this government outside of the or
iginal thirteen States displayed its
capacity for self-government in or
der to take on the sovereignty of
Statehood, and the history of the
Territories show a continual light
for autonomous rights, and it fur
ther shows that these rights when
once acquired were most jealous
ly guarded by the legislative re
presentatives. They seemed to be
lieve that these rights were best
protected by men who were respons
ible to the people of the Territory.
In fact the Legislative Representa
tives of American Territories in the
past naturally assumed that when
Congress severed certain functions
of government from the Federal Bu
reaus and gave them to the people
of the Territory, it was their duty
to maintain those functions within
the control of the people AND NOT
TRANSFER .. THEM BACK TO
THOSE FROM WHOM THEY
WERE TAKEN BY CONGRESS.
The efforts of former Territories
were directed towards obtaining
powers from Congress and holding
fast to all they received.
Write to A. N. Publishing Co.,
PETERSBURG, ALASKA
Whenever you need anythieg in
line of Printing
Mining Conditions
In Alaska
I5y Geological Department.
In spite of tlie fact that in many
parts of Alaska placer mining was
badly hampered by the shortage of
rain during the first half of the op
en season of 192G, the production
of placer gold showed a marked in
crease. The most noteworthy in -
creases were reported from Seward
Peninsula, the Fairbanks district,
and the districts in the upper part
of the Yukon basin.
The increase in placer production
is attributable principally to the in
creased production by the dredges,
and about GO per cent of the placer
gold produced in 1926 was won by
this method of mining. According
to preliminary estimates the 29
dredges that were in operation in
1926 produced gold valued at about
$2,200,000, which is somewhat more
than $500,000 in excess of the
amount that was recovered by this
means in 1925.
Among the new dredges built and
operated during the year, the Nome
Creek Dredge, in the Fairbanks dis
triet, was the largest. Several
dredges, completed late in the pre
ceding year, did not begin to be real
ly productive until 1926.
Few projects for building new
dredges took deftnite shape during
the year, though it is understood
that plans are well under way for
the installation of a dredge on Am
erican Creek, in the Hot Springs
district, and that considerable pros
pecting for this enterprise was done
during the season.
The Fairbanks Exploration Co.
continued to develop its extensive
properties on Coldstream Creek and
in other parts of the Fairbanks dis
trict. Work on this property was
carried on throughout the season
and consisted mainly in building
part of a long ditch from Chatani
ka River, near the mouth of Fair
banks Creek.
It is understood that about 17
miles of this ditch is now complet
ed, together with some of the ne
cessary siphons. Though much
other development work was in pro
gress by this company, the proper
ty will probably not begin produc
live mining on a large scale before
1 928.
Although placer mining by other
methods than dredging was hamp
ered in some districts by lack of
water until after the middle of the
summer, the camps in the Forty
mile, Circle, and Eagle districts, in
the upper part of the Yukon basin,
report that on the whole they had
more and better distributed water
than usual. This condition is re
flected by the increase in the
amount <>L' gold tlioy produced.
There, is still a dearth of active
and intelligent prospecting in manv
favorable localities. This is due in
part to (he large amount of money
required for an adequate outfit, be
cause many of the remaining plac
es worth investigating present in
creasingly difficult mining problems,
but it is undoubtedly also due to the
fact that large quick returns no
longer afford an incentive to the
prospector.
On the other hand, the more in
tensive type of prospecting nov
done by the larger companies and
the consolidation and operation of
larger units make for more intelli
gent. management and lowering of
costs and are in themselves a guar
anty of continued profitable placer
production.
STUNNING ALIBI
Liza was on the witness stand.
“Are you positive,” inquired the
prosecutor, “that you know where
your husband was on the night the
crime was committed?”
“Ef Ah didn’,” replied the wit
ness firmly, “den Ah busted a good
rolling pin ovah an innercent man’s
haid, dat.’s all!”—American Legion
Monthly.