The Nome daily nugget., 1910-11-17
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THROUGH GUGGENHEIM EYES

rat all Of the vast wealth taken
ut 81 Alaska ~ IN ".f3 mines a.
cries and fur industry. has contributed
hu' h-:le toward gi,h : =, aSka ~, -
ane"i population. industries or wealth.
Us the well-supported contention of
Senator Simon Guggenheim in an ar
icls IN 4 recent number OF tn, New
York Independent. Senator GuGgen-
helm points out that nearly all of the
gold has been taken out by individual
miners with simple equipment ~ soon
a. they made cleanup. they went
outside NJ Alaska to spend IL The
millions derived from the great seal
herds, practically all fen into the hands
OF the San Francisco fur monopoly. thu.
making tn" industry valueless TO Al
aska. The salmon fisheries. which give
employment to a big feet Of ships and
thousands ~ men. is also a foreign"
industry. for the ships arrive i'm tire
spring with men and machinery. and
'''N'' ~ shFN'il > list'h - com IltLtu.
all sail south again leaving nothing in
Alaska that tends in any way To de-
velop the country or bring in a perm
anent population which alone will en-
courag" development Of other re-
sources
The only relief apparent in this rich
Held. which is the victim of most Pc
culiar economic condition. in the opin-
ION Of Senator Guggenheim. lies in The
development of the coal mines and I'm
lode mining for the precious metals
Coal mining must he handled nv biz
capitalists. II the Alaska mines are
ever opened M, they will give employ
mont 10 thousands If miners who will
become permanent residents Of the
country There are vast stretches of
rich farming lands and all kindn Of az
ricEltural products that grow I'm the
tmreratc zon., are produced in great
abundance" For these products. how
eyer. Their will b" no market AZ home
until the mines provide a permanent
population. And the distance from the
markets in the states is too great and
transportation too uncertain Ia admit
of profit in shipping there Reviewing
these conditions. Senator Guggnheim
concludes that There has never been
anything in Alaska to build railroad
70 except placer camps. or, - hest.
placer region. the life tenure af which
Is provrrbialy short"
Transportation is to-day ouc nr the
greatest needs in Alaska Until there
is change in the present conservation
policy a. applied TO Alaska. ,here will
be iut small Incentive for capital %
rf"yidH this needed facility for devel-
orment. As summarized ny Sen. tor
GuGgenheim:
The lode mine needs railroads. which
need the coal for their operation and
maintenance The country needs the
coal which is dependent on the rail-
road. which, in turn. is dependent on
lode mines. Alaska's future rests fund
amentally upon her lode mines and her
coal. and so long as these are not given
the greatest possible availability con-
sistent with fair dealing. just 50 long
win her development be reta rded. and
the pioneers. the nation and the race
be- losers thereby"
Senator Gugsenheim. by reason of
his financial interests in Alaska may
not BE- an unprejudiced Judge OF the
situation; but there is SO much IN
qualified truth in his Independnt arti-
Gle. that il viii be- generally nppre-
ciated and accepted as an accurate
summary of the most important econ
omic features prevailing in Alasln.-
Portland Oragonian