The Alaska daily empire., 1914-11-17
ALASKA UNLOCKED
 AND KFY IS loST,,

K. Laue in a recent Interview dis cussIng ihe odmnialratons plan for the opening and developing ol Alas. kas resources said.
 The first thlng to be done is not to get the coal and minerals out of Alaska but to make Alaska more in- timotely Q part of tho United States. This con be done only by building rail- roads and wagon roads and opening up other lines of communication. Con- gress has given us the tools lo work with, In ihe railroad bill and the coal leasing bill Nov we are going ehead to open up tho interior to settlement. making 10 accessible by good means Of transportation and offering induce ments in inc form of mining ieoses. and opportunity to work the agrlcul- tural and other vast resources Of that rich territory"
 May Give Away Land.
 .It is our purpose" said Mir Lane, Ito approach the development of Alas, ka much as Che great railroad corpor. adons entered on the development of the west AS m inducement to ex- tend their lines westward the govern. ment gave them half of the land for 20 miles on each side of their tracks, and they in turn made inducements to settlers to 50 West, and colonize the lands tributary to their railroads. Now Che government owns the land in Alaska and in pushing its railroads into the interior win be in much tho same position as the railroad com panies were in the West We will of- for Inducements to settlers 10 have them colonize the agricultural sections and operate the coal, mineral and oth CT underground regources.H
 No Action On c. R. c N. w.
 The administration has taken no ac- ton yet upon the offer Of J. ?. Mor- gan to sell. lease. or otherwise turn over to the government the Copper River G Northwestern railroad run ming from cordova to Chitina and Kennecott. about 200 miles in all This proposal no doubt will be considered when the engineers return to take up the whole question Of routes with the President The first railroad built will be to connect the coast with Fair banks and the great Panama region.
 There is feeling in the West. ? said the Secretary "tbat its needs have not been given merlted attention by the federal government. This feel Ing is not confined to spectators or exploters. The people point to condi. Hons which obtain in Alaska as un- Daralled among people of our aggres- sive and nation building stock. There is simple explanation. We have ad- yentured upon a new policy of admin. lstering our affairs and have not de- gelopod adequate machinery. We have called halt on methods of gpoilation but have failed to substitute methods by which normal enterprise of an am- bilious people can make full use of .her own resources. We abruptly closed opportunities to the monopolist. but did not throw them open to the developer.
 All Thanks To Congress.
 Now, however the tide has turned. Congress has turned the key of the lock which has held bound for the past eight years the resources Of that ter ritorlaI treasure house and we are on the threshold of the greatest period of progress and prosperity which A-l assa has ever known"
 Speaking of the plan of creating a national development board of resi-
 clcrs in Alaska or commis- sioners into whose hands would bel given an of the national assets of the to be used primarily for it's improyement-lands fisheries, seals, forests, mines, waterways and rail. roads, as well as Indians and Esl1i- mos. he advanced the following reas- ons for adopting such plan:
 The Commission Plan.
 l. It could give Congress intelli- gent unpreeeiudiced advice as to the legislative needs of Alaska.
 D. lt could coordinate enterprise. As it is now, the Secretary says, 'the care of a black bear is in one depart ment and the care of brown bear in another"
 8 Satisfactory administration of land laws requires authority on the ground, It cannot be done properly at a distance Of 5000 miles. eThe eye that sees the need, says the secre- tary. should be near the voice thnt gives the order"
 4. Alaslla's development should be treated as all one problem, not each step as an isolated act 4 unified, [ program Of correlated ! is essential to orderly deyel.l ! opment
 D. Alaska should be developed SO far as possible out of her own resourc. es and revenues, having her own fed eral budget Che revenues rom her lands, fisheries, furs, forests and mines being used for construction for her roads, railroads. telegraph and tele. phone lines and other improvements. '.Alaska is self-supporting today he said. By proper taxes revenues could l be derived to support a large policy Of