Valdez daily prospector., 1913-02-24
MONDAY. FEBRUARY 2i. 1913.
TRUTH ABOUT MAIL SERVICE.

Around Nome at the present time some people are utterlnS an amazing lot of poppycock, about inc mail service. Their knOWl- edge of conditions in other parts of Alaska may be compared to that little dangerous learning
 which is so apt to lead people lll- to absurd errors. !,
 A slide occurs on the railroad between Cordova and Chitina. On an average about one boat per week comes to Cordova from Se- attle with mail. A blockade on the road for two weeks and a fraction would therefore mean at the most that one outside mali had been delayed for that 1ull period. provided the first tram blockaded had outside mall aboard. If a second mail came III the meantime it would be at most delayed between one ana two weeks. Such slides do not occur often, but a slide on a railroad which is owned by wealthy peo- ple like the Guggenheims IS too beautiful an opportunity [" let
 Rut the most glaring piece of nonsense has been the sugges- tion that when a slide occurs on the road the mail should De sent over by Valdez. This would mean nothing less than the making ol a new contract and those no" having the contract would De compelled to take the chances, while a new outfit had the mall m charge. But, outside of the con. tract, other questions arise. A slide like the present occurs on ly very seldom. But take sllde, which occurs and blocks the roaa for two mails and then see what can he done, In the first place, boats run to COrdOVa much more freauently than to Valdez, owing to the railroads presence. lf the mail were to wait at Seattle for n Valdez bound boat it would probably have to wait much long CT than the time to overcome ne difficulty created by the slide. The only other way would be to send a S pecial boat with the mail from Cordova to Valdez, which, of course, is an absurdity. The train runs from COrdoNa to Chit ina in part of a day. Chltlna Is very much nearer Fairbanks than Valdez is and splendid roads and service obtains between the two places named first.
 The travel between Chilina and Fairbanks is infinitely greater than the traffic between Valdez and Fairbanks, so that the trail in the former case is always Tn a far better condition and the ser vice by that way would beat the service the other way even With slides on the railroad as a draw back. :, :,
 Valdez, naturally. wants that mail service. It is always notor- iOusly inclined to exaggerate eV- cry fault of the COrdova railroad. This railroad is GuggcnheIm property, therefore Valdez enlists in the fight all those who are "p- posed to capitalists:
 The Fairbanks Times is one newspaper which willingly attacks the mail service. Indeed the principal policy of that paper IS to attack the mail service at all times. Even during the summer months it's attacks on the North crn Navigation Company takes up lOt of space. although at that time the mails come by the river routes.
 Of course. every one wants the best mail service possible and eV- prything possible should be done to secure it. But because an ac-, cidrnt occurs on the railroad and mail is delayed is no reason why uniformed or prejudiced views should be expressed broadcast t!n cxnose our ignorance on such subjects.
 If. when slide occurs, the regular contractors did not find some one ready to take a sub contract to bring the mails over the Valdez route it would be nee ossarv for them to establish a new line of their own. This would mean a greater delay than that nccasinnrd hy the effort To clear the railroad. Anyhow this block, ade of the road is exceptional and is probably removed by this time or the mail has been forwarded bv other means. as the Nuggets 's telegram from CordOva indicat rd.--Nomc Nugget of Jan. 10th.
 The following answer aDpearHd in inc Nome Industrial Worker the day after the above appeared