The Alaska daily empire., 1914-11-14
PBGa
 DID S0Mf B08ST

If anyone thinks John Frazer fusa' Collector ol Cusioiha for Che bistfse. of Alaska. s not booster for h.a home territory and ais homo town, tnar person has another thlnk coming. Gol- lector Pugh attended the annual con ference of Custom Golleetoirs or tae country held In New York City 2 Few weeks ago. end he also attended 8 banouet after the conference, but be. found time to put Ina gcod word for Alaska and Juneau at t0e psycholo6i' cal moment He gave an Interview to a Galveston newspaper man Whien wns afterwards reprinted in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat and Is no doubt going the rounds Of all the large cit. ies.
 It is worth while noting that eolieel' OF Pugh gave estimates on the value Of the gold and fish output ol the Ter ritory for this year a, Sl5O00'00V TOT each industry without having an ac. counting Of the same 20 hand at that time. yet bis estimates were only halt 8 million dollars in cxcess of the ac' tual gold production while be under. estimated tbe value Of Che fish pro duct by only 9 million.
 The interview referred to as taken from the Glabe-Democrat follows:
 'That Alaska has been merely scratched as to It's varied resources, and that the new goyernmentowued anl controlled railroad win be that country's making were among opinions expressed in Q Galveston interview re. gently by J. x. Pugh. collector of GUS toms for the District Of Alaska. who was enroute to his home In Juneau.
 "Colector Pugh has been attond- ing the conference of customs collect ors held In New York City and decid- ed to combine business with pleasure by taking the Southern route home.
 "The picture that presents itsell Go the average man when he reada or hears of Alaska. is 9 field of ice and snow. said Mir Pugb. The idea is entirely erroneous, O. course we have ice and snow and some SO to TO below zero weather. The average man has heard all to the disadvantage and little to che advantage of Alaska
 The proposed government railroad Is going to be the country's making A commission Of three government, named commissioners is now trayers- ing the country to fix up the most feas- ible route. Surveyors are on che ground now. The railroad win open up country where white men arc but rarely seen, and Q country that is going to yield boundiully.
 Approximately Sl5.000,000 worth Of gold bullion passed through the port Of Juneau last year. Approximately S15, 1000. 900 worth of salmon was caught and canned right on the Alaskan coast i These are our two largest items of l revenue. .as well as the largest items of revenue for an Alaska. The fur trade is heavy Gymsum and marble are being brought in large quantities. I The marble quarried is declared to be ! of extremely fine quality, equal in ! fact. experts teil me. to the finest Italian marble.
 While the gold mining and sal mon fishing win probably always be the chief industries. agricultural pur- suits are sadng hold in the Alaskan i interior. Muskmolons. tomatoes, and I potatoes have been raised successful ! " in the interior Of Alaska. It is tho Hand Of tho midnight sun. and the grow : ing crops have the advantage Of tho long sunlight For this reason they -ipen much more quickly than in the United States. In one place ] visited this year the owner told me that he bad a growing sun-that is. a sun whose strength would naturally ripen getable-trom eighteen to twenty hours @ day
 Steamer Trade via Seattle.
 Practically all of our trade is carried on directly with Seattle by steamship. The District of Alaska is divided into eleven ports, and make my trips through my territory by boat. It requires three months time Co get around to them an. Alaska is divided into four districts. with a district judge and marshal fo- each district. It has. however. but one collector and I one governor for all of the business.
 "Mr. Pugh was asked if the war bad affected Alaska.
 q do not believe it win affect Al- aska in tho least, he said. The ma iority of the big properties are con. ducted by American capital and they are going right ahead with their de velopment work. h but one case, that where Belgian capital was be- hind mine development project, has there been a halt called
 And the weather
 The weather is not bad when you get used to it. have been in Alaska fourteen years and am stili the pos sessor of perfectly good toes and fin. gers and ears. ] have seen lots Of weather 60 to 70 degrees below zero. We just wrap up in heavy furs and so about our business and do what ] amagine you do in Texas when it is hot--forget all about the weather. " ARTHUR FERTE LEAvEs
 FOR TIE SUNNY SOUTH