The Washington herald., 1913-11-30
NATIONS ALASKA
PITTMANS Theme
Administration Must Develop
Territory, Says Nevada
Senator.
COUNTRY WILL BENEFIT
Government Building Of Railroads
viii Add to Prosperity of
People, Il Is Declared.

Inc Dill duInoTi1ins thc
spend $S5,ooO,0OO in the construction Of
ALASKAN railways will follow shortly after
the currency bill in the administration
legislative program. according to Senator
Kew Pittman OF Nevada, chairman Of the
Senate Committee on Territories
Senator Pittman spent a large part OF
| his youth in Alaska, both as prospector
and practicing attorney. He is looked
upon In the Senate as an authority or
Alaskan questions. and is known TO nave
the confidence OF the White House.
Bills calling for the construction by the
government of railways in Alaska have
been reported fsvorably by the Territories
Committees of both Houses.
saving 10 Nation.
Railroads making accessible the coal
fields alone would result in a saving OF
a.ooQ 900 a year to the government
through the lowering Of the cost Of coal
Tor ships in the Pacific" said Senator
Pittman. THE Alaskan railroad bill,
spring, seeks not only to make this coal
accessible to the consumer. but to open
which my committee reported out last
up vast areas OF agricultural lands and
gold fields
The United States now pays about $3.50
ton for steaming coal, which is shipped
around the Horn from Atlantic seaports.
Coal operators conversant with Alaskan
1elds have offered to furnish this same
coal for $3.50 a ton, II the government
will open up these coal lands. In addition
TO the requirements Of the government
on the Pacific Coast, millions of con-
sumers are protesting against the rates
thew fnrnad N nd nd fF,o
that Alaskan coal be made accessible
Recent tests by the Navy Department
showed Alaskan coal to be generally su-
perior to coal which Eastern fields have
been furnishing the navy
THE bill now on the Senate calendar
merely authorizes the President to expend
S5,ooo.0oo, and use such government
agencies as he may require In construct
ing railroads in Alaska Most OF the
important fields. having previously been
located by private interests. supposedly
seeking a monopoly, have been covered
back into forest reserves. The plan is
to pass legislation which will estop ef-
fectually big interests from securing a
strangle hold on these valuable properties
These laws will carry the most stringent
provisions for coal land entries, requiring
that locations be made and Improvement
work done by the entryman.
Homes for People.
Besides the gold and coal which i'm
proved transportation facilities in Alas
ka would bring to the world. there will
De homes opened up for thousands of
families who are now only a burden on
our people. South and west of the Yukon
River In Alaska there Is as much good
agricultural land as there is in Norway
and Sweden combined, and the climate il
M
that Alaska is an intensely cold country,
like that found at Dawson and Nome,
but as matter Of fact the southern
and southeastern portions of Alaska feel
the effects Of the warm japanese cur
rent just the same as II is felt on the
coast of Washington and Oregon.
In southeast Alaska, twenty-five miles
from the coast, We have the Bering coal
fields, of a known area of fifty miles
square. little further north and about
100 miles from the coast are even larger
cCal fields, the Matanuska fields The
coal in these fields has been declared by
DR.. Brooks, Of the United States Geo
logical Survey, in charge of Alaska. to
be equal to any steaming coal In the
United States. 1t has been tested on our
war vessels and found entirely satisfac-
tory. 1t is the only coal on the Pacific
Coast that is adapted to the uses of the
navy.
Love peace as We may. We cannot
always avoid war. In fact / do not
know that we will go always so far as
we have gone in trying to avoid war.
There are worse things than war. Thera
are worse things even than the loss OF
human life. The loss of a nations self
respect is the greatest calamity that can
befan a people.
Gold Fields Needed.
THE people of the United States own
nearly all the natural resources of Alas
ka. The whole country would be bene-
flied by opening them up. We should
open up the gold fields. We should open
up the agricultural lands. and We must
open up the coal fields. II private capi-
tai owned the natural resources OF Alaska
it might build railroads to the coal fields,
but 1t would go no further. The gov
ernment alone can afford to develop the
ether natural resources. The building Of
railroads could not be paid for out of the