The past four years of admin*
istration in Alaska has not
been one of progress or under
standing. It has been rather one
of further curtailing or attempt
ed curtailing of the industries
of the country, too many rules
and regulations aimed at the
small producer; too much theo
ry and not enough common
sense. A government of a rich
country by men seemingly seek
ing means of exploiting its re
sources without allowing the
country of produce to profit. A
government of a people whom,
because they have had faith,
have been imposed upon.
Twenty-five years ago the
Forest Service took over control
of National forests after an in
tensive publicity campaign by
the supporters of forest conser
vation. The supporters of Na
tional control and the propa
ganda issued by the Forest Ser
vice, obtained support from the
people of the United States on
the strength of the arguments
advanced then. Those arguments
pointed principally to the bene
fits to be derived from perman
ent settlement and subsidary
industries started and financed
by incomes derived from an
orderly harvesting of the timber
crop. Stress was laid on Europ
ean forest methods where forest
lands are made to support a
population of nearly one person
to the acre, of people living In
and adjacent to the forests.
Those people are cultivating
small patches of land, raising
stock, running summer resorts
and variously augmenting their
incomes derived from the for
ests. In Alaska we have 21,392,
000 acres of forest land within
National forests. Our present
Forest Service points with pride
to a program which will allow
one man a job to each 1700
acres of timber land, is that
what you wish them to do?
cries, we are all for It, The
‘White’ Fisheries Bill is very
explicit in defining the condi-’
tion that the Commissioner of
Fisheries shall make no rulings
which are unfair. The fish trap,
as it is being, regulated, is the
rankest kind of a special privi
lege. The Alaska fishermen, the
Alaska business men and the
Alaskan towns are paying some
where in the neighborhood of
$3,000,000.00 per year and doing
without some ten thousand ex
tra fishermen, with 30,000 de
pendents, as a result of not more
actively resenting Mr. O’Malley’s
interpretation of his instruc
tions.
The problem facing the Bu •
roan heads is not that of giving
away Alaska’s forests in order
to induce pulp mills to build
here, or maintaining special
privileges for a few canning
corporations; but rather one of
keeping the field of endeavor
open to the men who wish to
settle here and who have little
to offer in the line of capital
except a willingness to work.
The law of supply and demand
will set the time of pulp mill
construction. Pulp wood can be
shipped from Alaska forests to
day at a profit if the Forest
Service would allow export.
With 50% of the world’s salmon
being taken from our waters we
may be reasonably sure that we
will continue to have salmon
canners, whether they catch
their fish with traps or not.
Alaska has the resources, the
Eureaus are the government we
have, to carry out our will. This
is a government of, for and by
the people and will continue as
such if the people vote ani
know what they are voting for
In condemning the present ad
ministration we are not neces
sarily condemning conservation,
or regulation. We are not seek
ing to hinder pulp mills or can
neries, but we are pointing out
as a suggestion that 21,000,0000
acres cut up into parcels of 300
acres makes, 70,000 timber areas
This amount with a fifty year
rotative period would allow six
acres of timber to be cut from
each area every year. Also 10,000
more fishermen and dependents
would more than treble the pop
ulation of every coast town. With
our forests and fisheries coming
into their own we would soon be
calling for coal and farm pro
duce from the northern section.
Nobody but Alaskans are in
terested in Alaska as anything
but a vast field of exploitation.
We certainly can not look to any
vat salaried Bureaucrats for any
constructive effort for the settle
ment of the country and the up
building of our towns. Statehood
follows increased population;
with Statehood the people de
velop teeth in the line of Re
presentatives in Congress with a
\ote. With this sort of repre
sentation, Alaska will be able to
pry most of our obstructionists
out of their cushy jobs and force
the instigation of policies al
lowing normal growth and de
velopment. Do you wonder that
they seek endorsement? Their
very jobs depend on keeping the
country from progressing.
Lured by unfilled promises,
soothed by local ‘Hush boys,’ de
manding reforms from ‘Yes
men,’ the voters of Alaska have
just about reached the end of
their patience. They have said
‘ Please, Please, Pretty Please,'’
for four, eight, twelve years and
are just a little behind where
they started. Are we going to
keep it up?
I am no politician (as may
easily be gathered from the
foregoing), but I am out to tell
the world what is wrong with
No- one questions the necessity
of conserving our salmon fish