The daily Alaskan., 1909-12-09
ALASKA.

The permanent white population of Alaska is estimated at SS,OOO, 1000 white persons employed in the mines, canneries, and in railroad cousructiOr. who are transients. and about 35,OOO native,
 Coal is widely distributed through out the district but up to the present tirne practically no production has occurred and no patents for coal lands have been issued.
 The next most important industry to mining is the canning of salmon, the exports to the United States for the year being valued at $9,972,$l6. The pack during the year was about 2.27S.OOO cases of 4-dozen 1-pOund cans.
 One hundred and sixty.flve miles of wagon roads. 3SS miles of sled roads. and 24l miles of trail have been con sructed at an approximate cost of ss9O,OOO.
 The rapid development Of the min eral wealth of Alaska and the estab- llshment of transportation facilities Is attracting and will continue to at tract a constantly increasing perma. nent population to the district. This creates an increased demand for agri- cultural products which can be met in par, by local production provided suitable encouragement is given to the settler to enter, improve, and de yelOp lands suitable for agriculture and grazing. The approximate area of agricultural and grazing lands rang es from l6,7OO to S2,OOO square miles. and the known coal fields embrace about l2.OOO square miles, of which about 1000 square miles could be cov- cred by system of surveys planned to include the agricultural and graz ing lands mentioned. It is very im- portant, in the interest of agricultural development. that the system of pub. Iceland surveys be extended over lands of this character. as, in the ab- seuce of such surveys. the present cost of acquiring title under the home, stead laws is prohibitlve except in the most favored localities.
 The lands described are widely dis tributed over a region containing some 100000 square miles; the cost of surveys in this field will be large because of the high cost of transport. ation and the shortness of the open season, and to promote the develop ment and encourage the settlers it is important that results should be ob- tained at the earliest possible date Many of the difficulties which would attend the execution of the surveys in the manner now in vogue in the United States proper can be avoided by providing for geodetic control of surveys through triangulatiou. This will enable the taking up of subdivi- sional work in the most important areas first, and yet the entire area can be included in one system of sur yeys. With slight additional cost the triangulation can be extended in to important mining districts and mou uments established to which all pri- vate surveys for land may be connect ed, thus avoiding litigation and con fusion in future upon questions relat- Ing to boundaries. The geOdetc methods of survey have been applied in the subdiyislonal survey work of various Indian land surveys during the pas. twenty years and have worked expeditiously and successfully.
 therefore respectfully recommend that the necessary appropriations be made for the initiation of this most important work, and that the Secret ary of the Interior be authorized to carry on these surveys by engineers