The Washington times., 1915-10-07

Secretary Lane makes no prophecies
as to the future meat industry OF Alas
ka- except that he considers II likely
to be Of real importance. The reindeer
live OF the mosses that are almost
everywhere. and stand the winters
without trouble. Other people with less
responsibility for their predictions. have
predicted that the time would come
when Alaskan meat would be a signih-
cant factor In the food supply of the
north coast States. which do not raise
nearly all the meat they consume.
Secretary Lane is just now absorbed
In the big task Of building a railroad
system In Alaska. for which Congress
has authorized operations. involving a
total expenditure of 335.oOo.00o.
For the current year" said Mr.
Lane. Congress made 10000 avail
able; for next year we are going to
ask that sl0Oo0.00oO be placed at our
disposal. You may be Interested to
know that we have started new
Alaskan city named Anchorage. at the
head OF Cooks Inlet. which Is perhap ps
today the largest town in the territory.
a year ago there were just three per-
sons there: now there are about $500
| From here a railroad line is being con-
strucied inland TO the great Matanuska
; coal field. from which the coal will
come out to tide water at Anchorage.
| As Cooks Inlet Is not ice-free quite the
whole year II will be necessary during
| the period vN"' - "a closed to carry
coal on farther south by rail. to a
narDor OIL al. - 49, pJfl.
Anchorage Laid Out.
AT Anchorage We have laid out n
town, installed a waterworks system.
built an amusement hall where the pco-
pie can congregate for their entertain
ments. established a telephone system
and electric light service. and author
lied a modern school to be built"
Ever since he has been tn. main boss
| ly Interested in every development that
would re-enforce his conviction. that
the territory has a wonderful future
| lie talked about one of th,sc today.
! The Russian government" he said.
lis Just opening nov port on the
Arctic Ocean. lust about on the Arctic
circle. II Is several hundred miles
! farther north tnan Archansel, ALMOST
lckatcrina. 70 reach this port, there
/ is being constructed oouble-trsck
railroai system OF leo miles. right
/ through the virgin forests OF northwest
! Russia.
1t became. ir the judgment Of the
! Russian government. necessary to de-
| velop the port of Ekaterina because.
though II Is some 6T miles farther north
than .Archangel. its harbor is free OF
| ice all winter. while Arcaangers Is
! frozen over for several months. IL
appears that the northernmost sweep
of the warm Gulf stream waters ane"ts
the temperature Up at Ekaterina ana
| produces this result. To make sure OF
/ uninterrupted movement Of munitions
and supplies from the outside world
| during wrr, Russia has undertaken the
huge task OF developing this port ana
building 1000 niles of railroad to reach
1t.
Both In Same Latitude.
Now. the point 80 far US our own
| Alaska IL concerned is. that Ekaterina
is lust about in the same latitude rs
| Cane narrow. the rorthernmost point
| Of Alaska. They are goinE to make
one of the great harbors OF the world
and bnld n great city. at place when
| we would think Of as being In the
homeless wastes OF the Arctic north
Precisely how man who runs the
| biggest business department of the GOV
| ernment manages to keep informed ol
! such matters as Russia's northernmos'
railroad system, IL one of the thinss
that people always wonder about who
, talk with Mr.. Lane. lie proceeded tt
! discuss the transportation problem ol
Russia. the difficulties of handling vas,
quantities OF. freight over the single
track. narrow-sau railroad that runs
can engineers and contractors have beer
\ called upon in great numbers. and ever
American skilled workers by hundreds
to rush construction of the Ekaterina
road Then he turned to the compari'
son between Alaska and the region that
is to be opened by this Russion raj
system.
'is not to be compared for resources anG
possibilities with Alaska. The people
have only the primitive agriculture
they know nothing about the world out
side, and have no curiosity to know
Curiosity Is the beginning OF all de-
Nelopment of peoples; they wish to know
more, to understand, to see. to expert
I ence. This unknown Russia has none
of the minerals of Alaska; its possibili,
| ties are 30 limited that It's people still
live in about the intellectual state of the
eighth century.
Wide Range of Opportunity.
Alaska must always be diTeren,
country from that. because of the wide
range of opportunity it presents. There
Is along the Copper river route one OF
the greatest, II not the greatest, deposit
of copper known in the world There
are vast placers, and evidences are be
ing found of quartz veins of importance
in the interior. while great lodges oi
quartz are developed in the southeastern
part of the country.
"Why continued the Secretary, II
know of a little mine up there that
was bought four years ago for 2O,00o,
that Is now turning out gold on which
the monthly profit to the owrers is
$2O.OCO The two men who own it
one OF them lives here in Washing
ton,-are drawing $4,000 a month
each in profits.
1T has been known for a long tirln
that there was tin in Alaska. Re
Gently the Seward Peninsula, thai is,
the western projection Of Alaska that
points over closest to Siberia at the