New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-09
M'CREA ON A[ASKA'S NEED
PennsyIvania's President Says
Value of Coal Is Not Great.
COST PRECLUDES PROFIT
Intelligent Mineral Prospectors
and Sound Mining Laws Are
Needed, He Asserts.

President McCrea of the Pennsylvania
Railroad, who returned several days age
from trip to Alaska during his vacation
period. talked TO newspaper men of the
impressions he received of that country
| from what he saw and from Information
drawn from fellow travellers.
! Mr. McCrea took issue with the more OF
less hattering reports that have reached
the United States OF the value of Alaskan
coal. II. as he said. he had been CORRECTLY
informed. the value of Alaskan coal was
not so great as the people Of the United
States had been led to believe.
! Mr.. McCrea said the great value OF
Alaska lay in its mineral resources and
| fisheries, and that on account OF topogra
ply and climatic conditions a large part
OF the territory could not for long time
to come he sef-sustaining from an agr,'
cultural standpoint, making II dependent
on the outside world for its supplies FOR
both man and beast and the machinery
necessary to develop its resources. lie con-
tinued:
Briefly. my thoughts. which ] think arc
Conservative. can be summed up as follows
! That Alaska is about one-third as large
| as all Of the United States lying west OF
| the MISSISSIPPI RIVER. mas pOpuldlloH "
| a bout 5000. including Indians, or pracu'
cally no Increase during the last ten years
| ard It's great value lies In us mineral re-
| sources and fisheries
| Definite information. exclusive OF the
comparatively small strip Of ground border
| iIg on the Pacific Ocean and Yukon River
and the few main trails. IL very limited;
| on account of the climatic conditions and
| topography large part Of the territory
cannot be expected, for long time TO
come. to be self-sustainine from an agri-
cultural standpoint. and accordingly Alas
J ka will he entirely dependent upon the out
! side world for machinery. clothing. gro
! Gerry supplies and the necessares OF life
generally for both man and beast
Under these conditions Alaska needs IN
| telligent mineral prospectors. tho opening
which VIII enable prospecting TO be done
| with reasonable safety and without too
great hardships from the standpoint of tho
| transportation of food supplies. mining
| laws that viii insure the prOspector such
! salable title for his findings as will make
| tho business OF prospecting remunerauve
| and attractive and laws that will make the
| discoveries Of prospectors sufficiently at
| tractive to capital to purchase and develor
| them.
I'm regard to the development OF Alas
| kan coal" Mr.. McCrea said. the first diff
Guilty, to my mind, is the finding Of a market
SO far as present home consumption is cor
cerned, this tonnage would be zoo small ar
item TO justify development, and therefore
| the general market must be depended Ipor
10 absorb the output.
when the cost OF placing the coal on cars
| at the mines, interest on the cost OF 4
| railroad from the mines TO idcwater. the
| cost of maintaining and operating the raj
| road which will have but a comparatively
small tonnage, are taken into consideration
| | do not sec how they are going 10 Wo-
! duce coal at a sufficiently attractive proa'
| in competition with the fuel oil or Gail
| fornia and coal from the island OF van
! couver
/ III 7 correctly gather the situation u
seems TO me that tho people Of the United
States are being made TO believe that there
| is a value in Alaskan coal which does no
now exist, and only can be made to exls
by encouraging development.
| las to its timber resources, there ma!
| be and no doubt is some good timber, ou
| none that I saw had any value. IL wa
| small and 80 brashy as not TO be depended
upon. In fact, most of the timber Ose(
| in the construction OF the Copper sdvel
| Railroad and the wharves and villages W.
| passed was shipped In by water IRON
Oregon, Washington and British Column
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