The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-02-20

Alaskan railroad commission recon-
mends that it be done, to utilize in
Alaska all the machinery and equip
ment used in the construction Of the
Panama canal as rapidly as 1t is not
needed in Panama and can be used in
Alaska, the president to fix the price
to be paid for 1t to the istllnian canal
commission.
The interstate commerce commits
sion, subject to the approval Of the
president, is empowered to regulate
passenger and freight rates on the
new railroad, and the rates are to be
uniform, with no discrimination in
favor Of agents Of the government X
cept the usual provision for employees
and their families.
If the railroad line connects with a.
steamship line for the joint Transport
tation Of freight and passengers, or
with any other railroad now or here
after constructed in Alaska, the lines
SO connected must be operated as a,
through route with through rates IN
a. fair and reasonable apportionment
of ven and expense.
The bonds from the sale Of which
the $40,0 00, 900 is to be obtained are
to be so sold that any citizen may
have opportunity to subscribe.
The bill creates the ALASKA Rail-
ways Redemption Fund" into which
is to be paid Is per cent of all money
received from the sale or lease of pub
lie lands in Alaska; from the sale Of
coal or mineral or timber IN public
lands; and from the net earnings of
the railroad above maintenance
charges and operating expenses. The
redemption fund is to be drawn on by
order Of the president to pay interest
on the bonds or to retire them. The
hope of the friends Of the bill is that
the bonds will be successfully retired
so that the government, SO to speak,
will simply have made a loan to
Alaska ,y. a. i
The debates in congress on this
bill have developed the fact that until
recently Alaska has been unappreciat-
ed as was the great northwest I'LL
try when acquisition by the United
States was considered. Even people
who do business along the west coast
Of Alaska are said to be ignorant in
great measure of its interior. But the
coast, except for the fishing industry,
is Of relatively little commercial i'm
p~ortance. The discussions have
developed that in the interior there
are immense agricultural resources
capable of sustaining the population
Of Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Russia
and Siberia. This has only been
hAiO"h "iltll LlS ldSC Low years. AS
a result of railroad construction this
fertile land is expected to be taken up
at once by boards of homesteaders, for
Alaska has what are admitted to be
good homestead laws.
AS to coal, Alaska is rich. 1t has
two notable a fields larger than any
in the United States or possibly in
the world. The Behring river field
covers seventy-five square miles and
the Matanuska field eighty-five. They
are practically virgin, only one title
having been perfected. The rest be-
longs to the government and it is the
expectation that this land will be
opened. The government is willing,
n transportation facilities are ex-
pected to bring it about. The railroad
development will open the coal lands
and the coal will furnish the power
to operate the railroads and bring
about other development. Under
present conditions it costs 5000 a ton
now to ship mining machinery to
points along the Yukon river and 81
a ton for each mile to transport it
into the interior on sleds n by other
a
The opening of the mines in Alaska
together with the building of a rail-
road and the opening Of the Panama
canal, it is estimated, will save the
government from So to SIS a ton on it's
coal burned in. the Pacific. Alaska it.
self 0 buys coal from British
Columbia. One statistican figures that
Alaska has as much coal as Pennsy-
lvania and West Virginia together and
that it is as good in quality.
Senator Chamberlain, in meeting the
opposition to the proposal that the
government &C into the railroad bust
ness to the extent of $40, 000, 900, ad-
mitted that this would be the first
time the government had ever owned
a railroad but he argued that the sum
involved was small compared to what
the government has spent in giving
aid to railroads, which he estimated
at nearly 100000, 900 ten times as
much. mostly in land grants.