Douglas Island news., 1912-02-14
President Taft on Alaska

In message to congress on Feb ruary 2nd, President Taft made the following recommendations in regard to the government of Alaska:
 There is no branch of the federal jurisdiction which calls more impera- lively for immediate legislation than that which concerns the public do- main, and especially the part of that domain which is in Alaska. The re. port of the secretary of the interior, which is transmitted herewith, and the report to him of the governor of Alaska set out the public need in this regard with great force and in satisfac tory detail
 concur In the recommendation of the secretary of the interior that all our public domain should be classified and that each class should be disposed of or administered in che manner most appropriate to that particular class.
 The chief change, however, which ought to be made, and which have already recommended in previous mes- sages and communications to congress, is that by which government coal land and phosphate and other mineta lands containing noumetalliferous minerals, shall be leased by the government, with restrictions as to size and time, resem bling those which now obtain throughout the country between the owners in fee and the lessees like those which have been most successful in Australia, New Zealand and Nova Scotia.
 The showing made by investigations into the successful working of the leasing system leaves no doubt as to it's wisdom and practicI utility. Re. quirements as to the workings of the mine during the term may be so framed as to prevent any holdings of large mining properties merely for specula- tiou, while the royalties may be made sufficiently low, not unduly to increase the cost of the coal mined, aud at the same time sufficient to furnish a reas- enable income for the use of the public ill the community where the mining goes on. In Alaska there is no reason why substantial income should not thus be raised for such public works as may be deemed necessary or useful.
 There is no difference between the reasons which call for the application of the leasing system to the coal lands still retained by the government in the United States proper and those which exist in Alaska.
 There are now in Alaska only two well-known high grade coal fields of large eXtent-the Boring river coal field aud the Matauuska coal field. The Boring river coal field, while it has varying qualities of coal from the bituminous to the anthracite, is very much lessened in value and usefulness by the grinding effect to which in geological ages past the coal measures have been subjected, so that the coal does not lie or cannot be mined in large Jumps. It must be taken out in almost a powdered condition. The same difficulty does not appear to the same eXteut in the MatanusKa coal fields. phe Boring river coal fields are only twenty five miles from the coast. They are within easy distance of au existing railroad built by the Morgan Guggenheim interests, and may also be reached through Controller bay by the construction of other and competing railroads.
 The Matanuska coal fields are a longer distance from the coast. They are from 15O to 200 miles from the har- bor of Seward, on Resurrection bay. This is one of the finest harbors in the world, and reservation has been made there for the use of the navy of the United States. A road constructed from Seward to the Matanuska coal fields would form part of system reaching from the coast into the heart of Alaska, and open the great interior