The Alaska citizen., 1911-12-25
MIR. Fisher S
Plan for Alaska

out unnecessary waste and with due
regard to the health and safety of
employees.
Lessee shall not engage in Combin-
atoms, agreements or understandings
10 control price of coal
Revenues derived by government
not to be used as a source of federal
revenue or substitute for taxation,
but for development of state or terri
tory in which the coal is mined"
Mr. ri her concluded:
What is desired in Alaska is
prompt action by congress in some
direction that will promote develop
ment. For the present these ideas
are offered as as definite suggestions
for a policy under which the territory
OF Alaska may be Immediately open
ell up fer wise and vigorous develop
ment."
And prompt action by congress is
called for by the press. The question
ought not to be left unsettled after
the next session. for. notes the New
York Journal of Commerce, it is
now shown to be perfectly possible
to shape an act in such way as
to give all of the profit to private
owners up to reasonable point, and
to take for public use only such
surplus as there may be beyond
that" Secretary Fishers optimistic
remark that Congress is far more
likely to pass rational leasing
measure than it is to throw the
coal fields of Alaska open for I'M
restricted private exploitation" is re-
called in the New York Suns query
as 10 how congress can oppose
leases by the government which
owns the greater part of the coal
fields. when the sentiment against
sales outright is so strong and
tenacious that no relief can be ex-
pected in that direction. Apparently
the proposal of Mr.. Taft must be
adopted, or Alaska will get no coal
at reasonable prices" And the De
troit News concludes:
With the president and the sec
letary of the interior committed to
the great principles involved, it
should not be 50 difficult to i'm
press on congress that the American
people are going to see square
deal in Alaska. or close up the
game"
Meanwhile there come from the
Pacific coast more tales of Alaskan
sufferings due to the conserving"
Of those coal fields. We are inform
ed by Seattle correspondent that
the cost Of construction of the
Copper River & Northwestern rail
would have been had the local coal
supply been accessible. He mentions
six transportation companies that
are changing to oil fuel drought
from California; for the same rea-
son. These are: the White Pass &
Yukon railroad. the Alaska Northern
railroad, the Copper River & North
western railway, the Alaska Steam
ship company, the Alaska Pacific
Steamship company, and the Western
Alaska Steamship company This in
formant is also authority for the
statement that quartz mining is be-
ing held in allegiance on account
of lack of fuel" and for the first
time in the history of gold mining"
the cost of production is so great
that it is Improbable in the in
terror. that is, where Canadian coal
or California oil is at the highest
price"
1t is, therefore, cheering to learn
of the discovery of new Alaska gold
fields and to be informed by the
Springfield Republican that the new
region has at least the advantage
of being more accessible than the
klondike." We read further:
ut lies on and near the coast,
along the shores of Prince William
Sound, and ESPECIALLY the part of it
called Cordova bay, near latitude
60 degrees and longitude lat degrees.
Controller bay is the next indention
to the south and east, and the Cop
per river, in gold mining second only
to the Yukon in Importance, and also
remarkable for its variety Of mineral
wealth, discharges into Prince Will
liam sound. If the strike
should prove what the sanguine ex-
pect, much sage moralizing on the
decline of gold production in Alaska,
as shown by the recently published
statistics, will have been wasted
The Literary Digest
s85.OOO.OOO HEIR IS FOUND