INTERIOR MAIL SERVICE
Radical Changes Suggested That Would Be
Advantageous to Many.
Major .folm V. I'lum, post master at Fairbanks and the one man in Alaska who
seems to be able to eonminnd from the postoftiee department a considerate bear
ing regarding any change that may become necessary in the interior mail service,
is making recommendations which, if acted upon, will remedy many of the faults
of which the people have justly complained, and place the service on a common
sense, business basis that has heretofore been conspicuously absent.
In the scheme outlined by Major Cluin in a letter to the department April 5,
it is plain that the direct route from Valdez to Fairbanks and on to Nome is
the main artery of the whole interior system. In this fact lies the greatest merit
of the proposition. In improving, from time to time, the service between Valdez
and Nome, all other points will he helped; and as new camps spring up the
matter of serving them will he greatly simplified.
The plan is an elaboration of one submitted to the department by the Rampart
hoard of trade, in the shape of numerously signed jietitions, in 1905. The change
was then strongly urged for consideration before the lettii g of new contracts.
Major Cluin himself endorsed it—or at least acknowledged ts advantages. But
it was disposed of “by the statement that it did not accord with the department's
policy.
In a letter to Postmaster Fleisehman, of Rampart, dated April 9, Major Cluin
said if Rampart people approve the plan suggested by him they should sit up and
take notice and get busy with some letters and a jietition to the honorable second
assistant post master general. The letter said it would he well to mention that
mail coming in this way would reach us much earlier than by way of Dawson and
Eagle—if such is the fact.
Some of the Changes Contemplated.
The Fairbanks Times of A| ril ♦? contains
an outline of the changes suggested l y
Major Cluin. The complete plan is not given,
but there is enough of it to show its advan
tage over the present system to the territory
as u whole and to Rampart and nearl y dis
tricts in particular.
It proposes to cut out the Kagle-Tanana
run entirely and to have all w inter mail for
interior Alaska enter at Valdez.
The most important point* in the recoin
liquidation ure enumerated as follows:
First. That route No. 78111, from Eagle to
Tunana by w ay of the Yukon river,581 miles,
he abandoned.
Second. That the service on route No.
7h.li;?, from Valdez to Fairbanks, be increased
from once a week to three times a week and
that the weight limit la- increased from l.fiW)
pounds to 3,2uU pounds | er week.
Third. That the service on routes No. 78115.
No. 7811H and No. 78,122, from Fairbanks to
Nome, be increased from once a week to
twice a week, and that the weight limit la*
increased from hWi i>oond* per week to 1.H*.0
pounds | er week.
Fourth. That all mail for the Interior of
Alaska enter at Valdez.
Fifth. That mail for Eagle be curried on
route No. 78108, from Valdez to bugle.
Sixth. That mail for Circle. Fort Yukon
and Caro be brought in byway of V aldez
ami Fuirbunks.
Seventh. That route No. 78112 lie extended
from Circle to Fort Yukon and Caro.
Eighth. That mail for Rampart I e brought
in by way of Valdez to Fairbanks and di«
putehed theme on route No. 7*115 to Hot
Springs.
Ninth. That a route or spur be established
letween Hot Springs ami K.impart to <• n
nect Knm|*nrt with route No. 7*115.
Tenth. That mail from the interior of
Alaska for bugle Ihiwson ami the Yukon
rt*rritory be dispatched by way of Fair
banks ou route No. >11.1 to e«*nne«-t with
route No. >l'8 at tiakonu. if | raetie.ihle.
otherwise to connect with said route at
V aide/.
Eleventh. That registered packages weigh
in*? eight ounces or less lie admitted to the
w inter mails at first-class rates.
Only One Difficulty.
There is but one thing that might stand in
the way of the adoption of the suggested
changes, and that is the terms of the present
contracts. The Northern Commercial Com
pany holds nearly all the contracts. From a
superficial view it would seem that the pro
posed new order of tilings, with the com
pensation remaining as at present, would he
to the company's interest; hut it is not cer
tain the company would so consider it.
How It Would Affect Rampart.
The proponed change would make commu
nication between Kampart and Tatiana tow n
longer and would isolate the few people tie
tween here and Tatiana and la-tween here
and Fort Yukon entirely. There is no de
nying that that is a had feature of the prop
osition.
On the other hand, winter mail from the
otitside would reach Kampart from two to
four weeks earlier than at present and the
time from Fairbanks would lie more thun
cut in half. Perhaps the most important
thing of utl would l»e the la»iiefit to the
miners across the divide.
Altogether, the advantage* of the change
would seem to greatly o\erhalunce the dis
•uh antiige*.
The Road Commission.
The policy of the Alaska Knud Commis
sion is bound to dictate with more or less
rigidity the lines to be followed by the
mulls, t he commission seems to he actuated
by a w ise and far-sighted determination to
make a pu**ah’ • main line of road from
Table* to Nome, and that line will he the
trunk of the mail system no matter how the
lines of development ma> Iig/ag frotu one
side of it to the other
Concerning Bigelow and McCarty.
It U ill l*t»ljr rrifh».| tb«l
WilliMHi l» *rnt«*H‘ ♦■•§ »•« »»« tr im
in tH«* |#MlivMti»rt f«»r m>»r Knm*
im«rt tn IW4, i« l« v 4 |>»*r«l****.
Ki4 «r(« th.*t lw» * »i • •»*»«■ t*«l
Mfrtli mm tu Ik* ftlw* «mI
h** >*rrn
Ih^frki lM* r»o ( utin *9 f»»r*
Imull* h*ln»»«n» *K.«t tK«» rttgunling
(MirtioM m *•» •»»*•», «mI think* h«*
i» *9HI III iIm (»iti!vMiHr>.
S. E. HEETER,
Freighter and Packer
Good Equipments and
Service Unexcelled
Nothern News and Notes
Charles Thebo has sold the river steamer
Schwutka to the Northern Commercial Com
The steamer Corwin is to leave Seattle
May 10 with the first open-water mail for
Governor Hoggatt has appointed A. J.
Halliet, of Seattle, commissioner of Alaska
deeds for the State of Washington.
Wellman is to start on his aerial polar
voyage June 1 and thinks he maybe blown
into Alaska. Well, he might be blown into
a worse place.
Rebecca Hiler, of Buford, Highland county,
Ohio, has written a letter to the Fairbanks
postmaster inquiring about William Chees
man. Will somebody tell him to write? His
father is dead.
United States District Attorney N. V. Har
lan was to return to Fairbanks early this
month instead of visiting his old home at
York. Neb., as he hud hoped to do after ad
journment of court at Valdez.
At the late term of the Valdez court the
grand jury investigated charges laid by C.
T. Hutson against Andrew Holman, United
States commissioner at Copper Center, and
the commissioner was exonerated and Hut
son was mercilessly scored for bringing the
charges.
On March 14 it was stated in Washington
that President Roosevelt had again modified
his coal land order and that 26,000,000 acres
of it in Alaska and elsewhere had l>een re
stored to entry. Whether or not all Alaska
coal land is included in the new order we do
not know.
Colonel (xlassford will go to Omaha May 1
and he succeeded by Colonel Thompson in
the direction of the Alusku cable ami tele
graph system. Evidently w ith a great deal
of reluctance*, the more important newspa
pers of the territory were expressing grow
ing dissatisfaction with their treatment by
Major (vlussford, and the feeling w ill doubt
less be unanimous that they stund to lose
nothing by the change.
Hon. Frank H. Waskey has let a contract
for u residence in Ballard. Wash. He an
nounces that at his own expense he will go
to Washington city und assist Delegate Tom
Cale in his work in the next congress. If
President Roosevelt would send Mr. Waskey
on some foreign mission or make him gov
ernor of the Philippines, or something of
that sort, he would thereby pay Aluska a
c iinpliment that would not soon be for
got! *n.
F. M. A. L.
SMITH & COLLINS,
Proprietors
FIRST-CLASS
Wines, Liquors and
Cigars.
CASE GOODS
A Specialty
JULIUS RAHMSTORF,
GENERAL
MERCHANDISE
FULL LINE
Tin, Granite and Crocker ^are
It i.i tun nun to make tin- \ alley News
intereitiiii; t<> frieml* to whom yon may
leml it on the oiitii'le.
Northern Commercial Co.
OUTFITTING A SPECIALTY
ORANCES, POTATOES AND ONIONS
NOBBY SPRING SUITS
Northern Commercial Co.