Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-09-02

Colonel Bowie Says the Problem Ia to
Feed Men There Now-Lots Of Labor.
Plenty of Gold, Too, but Only Richest
Claims Pay For Working at Present.
All sorts Of stories are brought out of
The klondike by all kinds and condi-
lions of men, the fortunate telling tales
that put to shame the tabled luck of
Aladdin, the disgruntled condemning
the weary land as disheartening fail
ore. To get at the exact facts Of the
rase from one who speaks with autbori.
iy and out of a complete experience the
New York Journal recently secured an
Interview with Colonel A. G.. Bowie Of
California, now at the Waldorf. Astoria
Colonel Bowie is one of the foremost
mining experts of America, and his
work ON drift gravel mining is recog.
nized as authoritative. Last summer he
went to Dawson as the representative
Of great syndicate, supposedly headed
by James X. Keene and possibly in.
Guiding United States Senator John p
Jones. He remained in the mining coun.
try all winter and left Dawson on June
"a, coming out by way of st. Michael's
"The Klondike is all right" was
Colonel Bowie's first positive declara.
ton. 1.-The stories that it is q failure
are as much meant to deceive as the
dreamful fancies put forward some time
ago in the effort to market all sorts of
wildcat properties"
"At what do you estimate this years
product"
81 should say from $1,000, 600 to
30, 900, 900, though the truth will never
be known on account Of the efforts Of
the miners to dodge the payment of the,
10 per cent royalty charged by the
Canadian government / know of one
case where the royalty was paid on
$500, 900 when the man got out with
over $500, 900, and another case of al.
most equal proportions and discrepan.
cies. In one instance miner got clear
to st. Michael's with his gold without
paying the tax, but was nipped there
and frightened into paying, though he
was clean away as soon as he reached
American territory IL he had but
known it.
81 think the Canadian government
has collected about $3.50, 900 in royal.
ties, which would mean an output OF
81, 900, 900; but can locate about &c.
900, 900, and feel certain that at least
$1,000, 900 and not over 80, 600, 900
will come out before the season closes
This, it must be remembered, represents
the labor Of only the 1900 or 1000
men who could be kept at work during
the winter, and even these could not be
properly fed to do a days labor for
days pay. When you know that the
police were on half and three-quarter
rations all winter, you may be certain
that the men in the gulches had no
food to spare. But l know that, as far
as the precious metal is concerned, the
Klondike is all right. When it is work.
ed on business basis, it will be found
to be the greatest gold discovery since
California. But to get it on business
basis-there's the rub. ...
"The two great problems are labor
and supplies and as one in great meas.
ure depends on the other you might say
the immediate future of the country de-
ponds on the food supply. should say
that perhaps there are 1000 claims in
all the goldfelds which, when their
value is put on an honest business,
could be worked at a reasonable profit
with labor at SO or 81 day and sup.
plies at anything like fair prices, but
with labor at $50 day IL is impossible
to do anything except with the richest
claims. If man thinks of investing in
the country, he must remember that
for every good mine there developed u
quick and ready purchaser is to be
found right at Dawson, The intending
investor should go into the investment
just as he would into the purchase Of
piece of city property, examining every.
thing with scrupulous care before risk.
ing his money. The best mines are not
apt to come MS far as New York before
4ndinQ a purcbaser -