The daily Alaskan., 1912-06-18
sEAGwAy NAY BECOME rHE
 HEADQUARTERS OF RATE WAR
Seattle Transportation Men Claim \. C. Company Win Make Hard Fight if White Pass Iuvadcs Low River Business.

According to the gossip going on in transportation circles in Seattle, control Of the transportation busi- ness in the interior of Alaska. a monopoly for a long time held by the Northern Commercial company, are to he the apoils Of a contest which has bet,n inaugurated by Close Brothers and company
 It gives promise Of reaching from Alaska to the, national capital, where lobbyists have been battling for the past three weeks, and the in stallaton of a line Of steamships, costing several million dollars, Go ply between Seattle and Skagway, also is among the probabilities. it is now reasonably certain that un- less a compromise is reached one Of the fierccst rate wars that the western country has seen in many years will be commenced.
 Just at present the strategic point is the establishment of a sub port Of entry at Fairbanks. The creation of this office win allow Canadian vessels to descend the Yukon below Eagle City, beyond which point they are not allowed to go at present. American vessels are allowed to land at Dawson, in Canadian territory, a support hav- ing been established in the early days or the Klondike for the pur- pose of bringing American supplies to American miners in British ter ritory. The necessity for this sub port no longer exists and it is threatened that 1T Secretary of the Treasury Franklin NCNeaEh does not establish the support Of entry at Fairbanks. retaliation will be made by hc abolition of the one at Dawson.
 Tho petition presented to the sec rctary of the treasury asking for the establishment of the Fairbanks entry port rccitcs that the White Pass lg Yukon system Is prepared 10 extend its railroad sixty miles to the foot of Lake Lebargc. at a cost of S2.500,oaO. and Co Euaran- tcc 10 deliver mail at Fairbanks 9 10 II days earlier than it is de- livcrcd by the Northern Commercial company by way of Si Michael It is believed the Canadian govern ment will grant subsidy for the construction of this line. as it will enable the upper river vessels to remain in commission about thirty days longer each year.
 The company also ayers that J has eighteen vessels and seventeen bargcs now on the ways at White horse. and that during the open sea- son it is able to operate only about ouc-third of it's plant. It chccrfully offers to furnish the government with an the competition it needs in water transportation in the interior of Alaska. The company also of rers to pay the expense Of maintain ing the customs office at Fairbanks
 "If the government desires a ready solution Of the transportation difficulties of Alaska, said an of ficiaI or the White Pass today. it doesn't have to strain it's cyesjght Here is au tho competition needed. We are ready tc, begin a struggle for a share of that trade, and we will undertake to put our ships in commission"
 Tho United States geological survey. in a recent report said that owing 10 the heavy cost of trans portarion in interior Alaska. more than one-half Of the gold output Of the Tauana district had been paid out in freight bills. It is not contcndcd that the Northern Com merciaI company has been charging all the traffic will bear. but that iI has enjoyed a monopoly of the trade through the inability of the Cana dian ships to enter American wa ters on tho Yukon on the same grounds that the American vessels enter Canadian waters on the same stream