The Nome nugget., 1902-02-08
Judge Lars Gunderson Writes
 Senator Nelson.
NEEDS OF ALASKA
The MlserabIy inefficient Mail Ser vice This Section Receives Touched Upon in a Vigorous Manner-Sug- CestiOns As to Amendments.

ten by Judge Gunderson. of kougarok. to United States Senator Nelson, of Minnesota As it touches upon many matters important to Alaskans in a direct way. the full text is herewith published:
 "Hon. Knute Nelson: Dear Sir--I am, indeed very sorry that l can not write you d pleasant and agreeable let ter, for you hear nothing from us but fault finding and complaints. But in order to show you that l am not the only chronic ''kicker." l enclose some clippings from the Nome NUGGET. l can safely assure you, that these utter. ances reflect the sentiments of our peo- pie and every statement of facts therein is absolutely true.
 Ut would be a good maxim if every person, who finds fault with existing conditions would suggest remedy for the evil complained of. As l have complained I will offer a few suggest ions.
 "The postal laws of the United States are not applicable to the Dis trct of Alaska. We have no roads, railroads or any system of regular com" municatiou. and the ocean is frozen over eight months of the year, so the conditions are altogether different from what they are in the states. In order tn give us any kind of decent mail service. there should be postal agents stationed at convenient points along the postal routes. One at katnai, one at St. Michael. one at Nome and three or four at intermediate points. These agents should be clothed with sufficient authority to act in any emergency SD as to insure the proper and efficient dispatch of the mail. The distance | from Katmai to Nome is not much over 1 800 miles. If stat onS were built every 30 miles, the mail could be relayed to | Nome in l2 to l5 days. The mail was carried from Dawson to Bennett. dis tance of more than 800 miles with dog lcdllIS III ilOtIi ilNt tc Sts to bof SC W - 'A the same system. the mail could be carried from Skagway to Nome in 30 days. Mail sent from Nome last Feb ruary was left in road houses and wood choppers cabins along the lower Yukon and never reached the states till in July and August.
 "Then there should be a system of mail service from Nome to the mining camps; the agent at Nome should he authorized to contract for temporary service, because conditions are liable to sudden changes. and contracts should not be let for more than one season at q time. There should be one mail route to Council City and vicinity, which might be extended 10 Candle City. Then there should be another up Nome river over the pass. then down kusa- mapa or Pilgrim river to Mary's 1gloo: then up Kusatreim river to Kougarok, Spooner. Noxapaga and over the pass to Good Hope river, Deering and Candle City. Then there should be d branch from Kougarok up kougarok river and over the pass to Shismareff inlet.
 l "In regard to the license or tax law for Alaska, l would recommend it's repeal, except that part relating 10 the business of selling liquor; at any rate: road houses which might he chased as restaurants should be exempted from the operation of the law. There are several of these places along he trails, and they are real blessing to the weary musher on the trail. They are usually made of old tents, crooked will lows and banked up with mud. The unfortunate prospector. who at the end of the season has failed to locate the paystreak and finds himself minus a grubstake, starts into the road house business to bridge himself over to next spring. Many busted" miners may be found behind sheet iron affair called a Yukon stove, attempting to make a raise on the tundra.
 "Many a precious life has been saved by these places, and they ought to be called life-saving stations. These road houses seldom make any money. They may have many customers one night, then not see another for two weeks, etc. Then, again, the mushers are broke, but can not be turned away in this country, for that would mean cer- tain death, and that is tho way it goes. A rOadhOuse not far from here saved the lives of three men January !, al- though one was so badly frozen that both hands and feet had to be ampu- tated. It was during one of these Alaska blizzards, with the thermom- eter fell from 30 to 60 below zero, and it lasted for 8 week.
 l Every respectfully,
 ! LIARS GUNDERSoN."