The Holbrook news., 1912-06-07

has problems of vital interest
 to every mar In the United
 States who hopes for develop
 ment of the country and for a square
 deal People may fuss about the coal
 lands, may dispute about government
 al action, may shfver at the thought
 of long and severe winters, but stin the real problem before the great
 country of Alaska is transportation not graft
 It is not every man who has taken time to consider Alaska as part of the United States. It Is not every man who has taken the trouble to learn that every Alaskan harbor south of Cooks inlet, on 60 degrees north latitude, is ice-free and open to naEi- gation the year round At the same time it is a well known fact that the ports of Montreal, Quebec, St. John, Albany and Buffalo are closed abso- lnteIy to navigation during the winter months And the commerce of these Atlantic and lake ports is tremen- dous when considered with the ship ping of the country year in and year out, writes A H. Harris in the Los Angeles Times. As matter of fact, the only important ports of Alaska that are closed by the severe weather of winter are Nome, St. Michaels and Fairbanks. Ketchikan, Juneau, Skag- way, Cordova, Valdez and Seward en- joy at least a weekly mail service from the United States by steamer.
 Alaska, country rich in minerals, in timber and in agricultural possi- bilities, 12 times the area of Ohio, has about 500 miles of railroad. operated by eight companies. Five of these roads are purely local. catering to the traffic of the mines in their respective territory. The other three, the Cop per River and Northwestern, the White Pass and Yukon, and the Alas ka Northern, are barely entitled to the title of railroads when considered l on the basis of railroads in the United l States proper. The White Pass and | Yukon alone furnishes transportation facilities to the interior of Alaska by l way of the Yukon river, partly through | Canadian territory, with only 112 | miles of track all told.
 As the Yukon river freezes dusing | a long period in winter. the White Pass road can only be used advantage ly during the summer months And | 1t may be worth mentioning. in pass ing that this railroad was built with London capital in an effort to develop | that part of the great north country under the rule of the crown. In do ing so 1t was necessary to pass through American territory to reach a port on the Pacific ocean. Even with the handicap of partial or com plete idleness during the severe weather of winter, the road was a financial success from the beginning sf operation.
 Use Electric Cars.
 At Seward a standard gauge road has been constructed for 72 miles and surveyed for 700 miles. including branch lines, through the very heart of Alaska Thfs road, the Alaska North srn, gives very good service with electric cars daily, and with steam freight trains as demand requires. The company does not attempt to operate in winter. Along the right of way of this road is the dog trail be- .ween Seward and the Iditarod min-T ng district, used in winter as the only means of transportation.
 At Valdez there is but little track aid, but the beginning of a road to he Fairbanks district has been made. The government trail to Fairbanks is ,ne of the best in the country. and its I'd building resulted In the opening of an immensely rich country tributary to { Fairbanks and the Panama river, and n developing a great gold-producing { Iistrict- The Panama River railroad, ( which is in 65 degrees north lati- ude, is enabled to operate trains all he year round
 CcrdcVa, Valdez and Seward are and ( v41l Aa fhe real ports of Alaska 9lnG- {