America’s last frontier cries out for
settlers!
“At the apex of the gold rush
thirty years ago, Alaska was com
paratively populous. But today,
Dawson, once a city of 20,000, has
000. At Valdez we found the key
to Alaska’s problems. There we
found a city, looking like a ghost
on the shore, its streets lined with
deserted dwellings, crumbling to
ruin. These were the dwellings of
the seekers for gold, and who, hav
ing found it, scurried out of Alaska
to spend it elsewhere.”
“With wealth at their backs, peo
ple of the seacoast can not even
support themselves. Their fuel,
their clothes, yes, their very food,
they bring in ships from the states.”
tanneries Lead Industries
“The canneries of Alaska, yielding
annually over $(>0,000,000, are Alas
ka’s most thoroughly developed re
sources, according to Mr. Sorenson.
But workers in the canneries flock
back to the states when winter
nears, taking with them their money,
while the towns, snowed in, half
starved, listen over the radio to the
world outside.
“The sole immediate hope for
Alaska lies in her mines. Judge
Bunnell, president of the Alaska
School of Mines at Fairbanks, es
tablished this school three years ago
with the one purpose of training
searchers for gold, he told Sorenson,
but after all these months there are
but twenty-three students.
Greater Than Klondike
“Far greater strikes remain un
covered in these hills right now,”
Judge Bunnell declared, “than ever
were made on the Klondike or the
Yukon. Armies of prospectors are
what we need, men to scour the
hills and definitely locate the treas
ures.”
Copper, Sorenson learned while
there, is the second great resource
of Alaska. The Cordova mine yield
averages 80 per cent pure, while
coal and oil are now receiving more
attention. Seepages of oil are fre
quently found, but although the
Standard Oil company spent $8,000,
000 in drilling, no great flow has
ever resulted.
“Most of the coal is of low grade,
closely approaching peat. But the
seaports bring in coal from the
states. Silver, tin and lead are
worked in a lesser degree, and mar
ble is found on the Prince of Wales
island.
Will Supply Pulp
“Within a decade the states must
look to Alaska for her pulp supply,”
said Sorenson. “That will help
much. The fur trade is on its last
legs, though reindeers are being
raised by packing companies.”
Mr. Sorenson declared that al
though the government is proving
that wheat, barley, potatoes and oats
can be grown, none will raise the
crops. There is market for nothing
of that nature except garden truck,
which is raised only near the cities.
“In concluding,” the speaker re
quested, “let me explode a pet hum
bug. At Fairbanks on July 15, we
had 105 degrees in the sun—and this
sixty miles from the Arctic circle.
The winter’s coldest is 70 below.
And it isn’t always snowing there,
either, the movies to the contrary.”
——-/
PRESIDING OFFICERS
It does not occur to the ordinary
citizen how important it is to the
public to have fair-minded and hon
est presiding officers in their Leg
islature. An incident occurred in
the last Legislature that well illus
trates what we mean.
Speaker Wilcox was in the chair
when Representative H. H. Ross of
Fairbanks asked unanimous consent
of the House to make the opinion
of Attorney General Rustgard a part
of the daily journal and spread upon
the minutes thereof. Unanimous
consent was given. But when the
record appeared the next day the
opinion of Mr. Rustgard was not
contained therein, for the reason
that his opinion was contrary to the
wishes of Mr. Wilcox and his
friends.
There was no misunderstanding as
to the wishes of the House at the
time Mr. Ross made his request, for
the Assistant Secretary of the
House went to the Attorney Gen
eral’s Office and secure an addi
tional copy of the opinion upon his
statement that it was for the printer.
And thus it is that dishonest pre
siding officers like Speaker Wilcox,
working in the interests of the gang,
are able to pull the wool over the
eyes of fair-minded citizens.
The honest Democrats do not re
main Democrats after they come to
Alaska. Speaker Wilcox is still a
Democrat.
THE STEEL TRUST
Experience Proves Prohibition Good
for Country
United States Steel Corporation,
New York, July 8.
Editor Manufacturers’ Record:
Since giving you an opinion, which
was published about three years ago,
I have not changed nor modified my
views in regard to Prohibition. 1
am more and more satisfied that the
prohibition legislation should have
been passed and continued without
amendment, and that it should be
more rigidly imposed. I am also
satisfied from experience it is a good
thing for this country.
E. H. GARY, Chairman.
SIDNEY CHARLES
In times past the Juneau Empire
and their followers have quoted the
editorials of Mr. Charles on various
subjects, because, not being of the
gang and yet being of their opinion,
his editorials carried great weight.
For instance, he believes with the
gang in a literacy test that would
exclude all who disagree with him
and them. He also believes that
fish traps are here to stay and there
fore that nothing should be done.
We wonder, however, if the gang’s
newspapers will reprint his editorial
in the Petersburg Herald of August
14th issue, entitled “Must Organize.”
If you will follow out his logic
you will see how right we are in
asking all those who have common
interests to join together to fight
for their common purposes. We are
afraid that Mr. Charles will be
known as a “bolshevik.”
“MUST ORGANIZE”
The halibut fishermen and boat
owners must organize or else con
tinue to be the helpless victims of
a speculative market. Another im
portant thing! Until they do so,
they will have no voice in pending
legislation and rules for governing
the industry from which they make
their living. Alone they can do
nothing. United they can accom
plish a great deal. They can then
make their needs known and carry
weight with chamber of commerces,
and with tariff commissions and with
Congress. Otherwise, regulations
will be largely dictated by cold stor
age men and buyers and those who
mainly seek profits out of the halibut
and fishing industry without any re
gard to the interests of those who
catch the fish.
Just for an instance—halibut fish
ermen are a unit to keep the Port
of Prince Rupert open for individual
fishermen. The Juneau Commercial
Club, it is understood, has taken no
action in the matter. The Ketchikan
Commercial Club is known to be in
favor of having Prince Rupert closed
to individual fishermen. The Peters
burg Commercial Club was the only
organized voice from Alaska to be
represented before the tariff com
mission hearing.
Now stop and think what the ef
fect might be if the fishermen of
Southeastern Alaska voiced their
needs through an organization to all
of the chambers and to the tariff
board, rather than through one lone
chamber, and that chamber opposed
by the powerful interests of Ketch
ikan.”
When in Wrangell go to the
Wrangell Restaurant.
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Fisherman.