Douglas Island news., 1912-09-11
Alaska Conserved and Corked


 Alaska is an example of conservation run wild. It's coal and wood and lands and all that they contain are being held in trust, not for any of us, but for our great-grandchildren. While we say hands off, Alaska is being starved. It is time to give those who are striving to develop this none too lovable land a chance to breathe and eat.
 It was a good days work when the hands of the Wall street pioneers were torn from the throat of the far north ern territory, but protecting govern mental fingers around that same throat can hardly be called blessing if they stay there too long and grip too tightly.
 Alaskan coal and coal lands have bred many a scandal. The federal court in Chicago will take up one of these cases before the snow flies. Bat because they have melted crookedness that is no reason for making them in- communicate for all time. There's coal up there, and lots of it. The set tlers and their struggling industries need it. Why not at least devise plan for letting some one use it?
 One month ago on the dock at Cor dova there were two piles of coaI-55o tons in all-waitiug to be shoveled into the bunkers og the United States cruiser Maryland. This coal came from Canada and cost the American govern ment, duty and freight on an oil burn ing steamer included, just Sll ton. And less than fifty miles from Cor dova, on a railroad (operated also with oil from California; there is one of the greatest coal fields in the world, thor oughly conserved and corked.
 The western coast of Alaska is one enormous pine forest Every steamer touching at Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau, Cordo7a, Valdez and Seward carries lumbe to these Alaskan Newcasties. Ties and bridge timbers were imported to build the Copper River railroad. In this case the moving cause may have been pique on the part of Morgan and the Guggenheims, rather than economy. The road, costing 823,OOO,0OO, makes possible the shipping of ore from their Bonauza copper mine, the high grade worth Sl0,O00 a car. In little over a year S4,O0O,OOO has been taken from this mine, aud the annual product from now on should reach at least that sum. They charge themselves $500 car freight for hauling this ore less than 200 miles. So the 523.oOO,OOo will soon come back to one pocket or the other. Big Ggures-but ice was 80 ton in Cordoya this summer, with the ChiIds glacier, one of the largest in the world, fifty miles away.
 And while the treasures of the land are under lock aud key the golden bar vest of the sea-the salmon-is being reaUed with thoroughness that means destruction. Millions upon millions of l fish are Killed each year, and, with the exception of puny efforts by some cana neries which operate small hatcheries, nothing is done to conserve this indns- try and avert the inevitable day when the story of the buffalo will be the story of the salmon.
 Alaska has it's problems and needs counsel and aid. Coast towns that three years ago had a population of 5000 today mum Der 700 or less. They are living in hope, hanging on in ex, pectancy and praying that something wall happen. Anything, they say, is better than nothing. Conservation isn't exactly a popular word up there, and yet the solid men of these towns admit Chat it has done lot of good. What they really would like is chance to demonstrate it's benefit rather than leave that pleasing task to the third or fourth generation.
 What Alaska suffered from first was exploitation.
 What it suffers from now is suffoca- tiou.-James Keeley in Chicago Trib- une.
 Everybody doing it, doing what? Buying BisseIIs Carpet Sweeper at