lone, Alaska will become a STATE, at which time
we will enjoy the fullest measure of self-govern
ment.
What Wo Oppose
We have always and we will always be op
posed to the discriminations practiced by the
Forest Department. “Timber is reserved, though
it abounds, and it may be cut only under strict
regulation has hindered logging and mill opera
tions the Forest Bureau has been more than
generous with the timber sale to pulp mill pro
moters—they have sold for a mess of pottage
five out of six billion feet of timber to two cor
porations. (Governor Park’s report 1930). This
bureau has insisted that the logger shall pay
from $1.50 to $2.00 per M for timber which make
such poor finished product that the mills have
become bankrupt—so that today not one mill
company in Alaska is in healthy financial con
dition.
We favor a free grant of all timber necessary
to local loggers and mill men under a system of
selective logging so that the industry may get
back on to a solid financial basis. We insist that
the tax for stumpage is not necessary when the
federal government can hand back to twelve
corporations during the past year over lour hun
dred and fifty million dollars. The free stumpage
under the selective logging system will put the
local lumbering industry on a healthy basis.
Placing the pulp industry cn an open competitive
basis also will insure entrance at a later date of
other pulp mill companies and will prevent the
stifling of competition. At present only two pulp
mill promoters have five sixths of the timber re
sources of Alaska at its command which of it
self bespeaks a betrayal of trust imposed in men
who are appointed to protect the resources of
Alaska. (Figures from Governor’s annual report).
Loggers Seek Change In Export Policy
From The Chronicle
-x
Ketchikan, Alaska. Dec. 19,
V)30.— To the Editor, The Chron
icle, Ketchikan: —
“A PROGRESSIVE MOVE
MENT FOR THE ALASKA LOG
GING INDUSTRY:
“During the last few years
Alaskan loggers have been con
fronted with serious disadvan
tages endeavoring to find profit
able and permanent markets in
which to dispose of their logs.
The 1 e■ ■ a.' selling markets are
strictly limited in regard to both
demand and consumption due to
the few saw mills operating and
to the prevailing weak economic
conditions of local business in
general which has been very
uncertain and discouraging to
the industry.
“The few sawmills in Alaska
which consume and cut any
considerable quantity of logs are
organized and have their own
dependable logging companies
which assures the mill of a
steady and constant supply of
logs throughout the months they
operate. As a result our local
sawmills are fully protected for
logs by operating their own log
ging companies.
“Due to the rigid climatic con
ditions Alaska sawmihs operate
on a seven months per year
schedule, or less, which forces
the logging industry to lay prac
tically idle four or five months
each year with no local market
to purchase their logs but with
their constant living expenses
and heavy depreciation co"ts on
logging equipment prevailing
twelve months a year. At the
same time unemployment na
turally results for a majority of
the loggers who follow the indus
try as a direct result of the
long shut down of the camps
each fall and winter.
Fiber Box Factor
“In the last few years large
companies below are manufac
turing fiber boxes of compressed
pasteboard which are rapidly
replacing the wooden boxes for
shipping canned salmon and fish
among the canneries. These pa
per box manufacturers are in
creasing production yearly as
the demand increases due to
cheap costs of manufacturing a
fiber box in place of wood. These
paste-beard boxes have cut in
to our local markets and are be
ing used extensively even in
Alaska which reduces our saw
mills demand for logs as well as
reducing one of our mills big
gest outlets—manufactured box
lumber.
“The logging industry has been
steadily growing in Alaska, be
ing one of the mod important
industries in the Territory and
li year now loggers and com
panies come into the field pre
pared to operate and produce
logs which strengthens the in
dustry and all assist in putting
money in circulation as a result
of their product and work. These
Alaskan loggers need and should
have every advantage and the
opportunity to produce and log
throughout the entire year hut
in order to do so they must also
have a constant market either
local or export in which to sell
and dispose of their logs prompt
ly in order to create funds and
to continue their operations.
“The local market at present
is in a very uncertain and stag
nant condition with little pro
mise for improvement in the im
mediate future due to our