that only two percent of it is
tillable. I have no means of
knowing the exact proportions
nor do I particularly care. We
have more than enough. Agri
cultural produce will not, in my
estimation, cut any great figure
other than locally in South
eastern Alaska’s development.
The spud patch and the kitchen
garden will be vitally important
but the destiny of 98 per cent of
Southeast Alaska’s land is the
growing of timber.
What can we do with only 2
per cent of livable land. Well
that is four acrres each for 100,
000 settlers whom, if are wise,
will have sufficient timber land
in addition to make their tenan
cy possible and profitable. Let
them be owners not renters. Let
them be masters not wage work
ers.
Let them draw from our tim
ber resources while they estab
lish themselves. They will buy
mere fur farm breeding stock
and raise more fur here in
Southeastern Alaska than has
c"er been thought possible. They
v 'll build resorts to cater to the
f mi list trade; they will start
vrrL-us woodworking plants;
t' ey will buy from our stores;
they will bank in our banks;
they will build roads, homes,
schools, churches, boats; our
waterways will see a constant
stream of traffic.
Are we going to offer our chil
dren a chance to participate in
something like this or are we
going to offer them one of those
9,600 jobs that the Forest De
partment through Mr. Heintzel
man, dangle so enticingly before
the eyes of their public, the
People of Alaska.
Are we going to concentrate
our thoughts and gaze on that
messmerists crystal? The pos
sible dollar profit coming to us
through the much advertised ef
forts of the Forest Service to es
tablish pulp mills here and be
lulled to slumber by the chant of
conservation! while our pockets
are being picked and our house
burgled? Let us hope not!
E. S. Hungerford
-x
“RAW MATERIALS VERSUS
FINISHED PRODUCT”
-x
On another column the Ju
neau Empire invites a debate on
the above title and takes the
side of the Finished Product as
it relates to the forests of Alas
ka.
Answering its own question,
it says: “The proposition is so
elementary that it hardly needs
arguing,” and then goes on
about lour thousand words ar
puing the “proposition that is
so elementary.”
The situation that arose was
1 riefly this—The sawmills of
►Southeastern Alaska have their
own legging camps so that there
is no market for independent
loggers except on terms and
pi ices of the sawmills. The
Forest Department has refused
export permits so that this de
partment of government has
virtually compelled the inde
pendent loggers to sell at ruin
ous rates to the two sawmills
hat a:c able to buy. But buy
ers in Washington and British
Columbia (principally in the
former place) are willing and
ready to buy for cash than the
Alaska sawmills are willing to
pay. The question now is—Is
it good business for the Forest
Department to continue to re
fuse export permits to our in
dependent loggers or not?
The Empire argues ‘ yes,” and
supports the policy of the For
est Department. The trouble is
this—that the logging and saw
mill situation has been steadily
growing worse under this poli
cy. This is true to such an ex
tent that the independent log
ger must quit logging for there
is no market in Alaska for their
logs. If this is what the Empire
>vants, then we concede the ar
gument.
Our Position
We take the other side of the
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