mimes however, stand for the CLOSING OP PKIXCB
RUPERT.
Suppose the wish of the press hud prevailed. The
light to close I’rim-e Ftupert world have hud the strong
support of these men.
And thus it will always l»j where the public Press
is controlled. Citizens will roiPinue to be deceived to
support men for Congress and public ollice who. when
there, will tight against the local interest in behalf of
til** special interest.
V.Y hold that hanks in there place are ull right—
hut their place is not the ownership of newspapers eith
er as shock holders or else as mortgages.
The freedom of our country still depends on those
principles ssated in ♦’ lill of Rights”—free speech,
free assemblage aud < teas
ALL TOGKTIIKH NOW
-o
If it were being lit-lvl as a pluy
grounci or eivn as a national reserve.
tMippIy of timber, I could see some
possible justification. Hut it is
t. The timber rights are being
hawked about by the Forest Service
in immense parcels at a ridiculous
ly low price—-at a price indeed that
will little more than pay the salar
ies and expenses of the Forest Ser
vice employees necessary to udmin
h.ior the cutting. Think that over!
These same Forestry Olllciuls hold
over us a bugaboo that under imi
tate ownership, large tracts would
eventually fall into I be hands of
private owners. Maybe so. But it
«v.ll, iu transit, have left something
cf its value in tin* hands of a pio
neer with gu‘s enough to have made
L his own.
They also overlook the fact that
I he United States Government Is
cheapening itself in the eyes of the
people when it acts as a holding
company for the pulp people.
Another thing of interest and
which should not be overlooked by
those who have visions of a future
for this country and statehood. Pri
vately owned land is taxable. Here
arc some figures from the census of
; **20.
In the State of Washington tlmm
:.re nearly 11 million acres of State
••.lid National Forests. In the State
cf Oregon, ever 13 million acres.
Vet, in the State of Washington,
taxable timber land and Umber in
r*,,sfries pu;d over 7 million dollars
in taxes. In Oregon they paid 7 and
a quarter million dollars. In some
touuties in Oregon, over half of the
revenue of iho counties is derived
f"nm this source.
The timber here is ripe, overripe
j.nd rotting yet the Korc*3t Service
has deliberately introduced and is
oil forcing a mling that has worked
great h:\rd:;h*v on what little timber
.l'dustries wo have.
Tho restricted cutting area ha3
icrced so much cull and second
class logs onto the sawmills that
tney are making heavy weather ot
it financially
This and heavy advance stiimpago
ruymeiits ’nve practically forced
:• .1 hut a Ca’.oied few and ilm most
• -Aomiutic out of Llio logging game.
f have often wondered why tliis
is. Are they, or those who pull the
idlings, afraid that if they allow onr
*.i» tic sawmills to become healthy
•nuugstorn that they might some
c.cy protest 'lie sale of tirstclass
tin.her to the pulp mills.
Or is it 'hat the narrow-minded
talheads, given a little authority, are
v.tiling to throttle an industry to
show their importance?
The matter of cuttings is left to
:?io dioCreiiou of the- forestry oliicer
in charge. A little leniency in the
matter ot removing roitou and cnH
timber would go far toward putting
oirr sawmills on a sound financial
basis. It would allow small logging
f iitfits to operate and supply tl»e
r. ills with a m-de of logs that
lliey could handle at a profit. Nor
would it materially effect the value
of pulp timber stands.
The only difference I can see
would be in the mini her of logging
outfits. Instead ol one or two big
outfits dominating the market, thir
ty or forty small camps could op--r
i*e.
if we could offer cur transient
summer cannery help, the privilege
•»f taking up a timber claim, we
rmild hold a certain number of
• hem. If we could offer the same
ti all comers, legally entitled to gov
ernment laud, tlten we could have
a solid basis to work from.
Hut MO. Thi3 timber is being
held from tho people of Alaska and
of these United States, that the For
est Service may, iu due time, pass
it over to tho pulp mills, at a price
which, based on their present pric
es and estimates, is around 20 mil
lion dollars.
Thirty pieces of silver for timber
•-*. !ifell these same pulp mills are to
( ay paying in the east a rate which
Wrings its value to one and one-half
billion dollars.
For Shame! For very shamel
You men in high places. Is tho be
trayal of your country's honor and
>nur fellow citizens' trust worth the
T Hoe?
\ Deny no man tho right to build
^uself a homo In a place that he
is. We cannot all attain wealth,
*ph honor in the eyes of our fel
lov men. ’Jut wo all have the
iL’oam of *.i home.
if prcaeii': conditions are allowed
to continue, ail that I can see In the
i'iiinre is tho rape of another of Alas
ka’s resources.
Immense pulp plants and paper
mills, perhaps company towns, rent
ed houses, hired help, the proverb
ial three crews—unt^ coming, one
working, one southbound.
\V*»rk until they get a stake! Back
to the States^to spend it. Come and
r<* like the cannery crews. Come to
biaka to make a stake ! Stay here?
HELL NO ! Why should they? There
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