The Alaska daily empire., 1915-01-01

fectorS are so great that it is utterly impossible at this time to approxi- mate their value. The gifts of nature consist in large part of immense mineral zones carrying gold and oth- CT metals, large areas of valuable timber, tremendous water power po- tentialities, coal lands, waters teeming with all kinds of food fishes, agricul- tural lands, an abundant supply of game, scenic attractions, an equable climate. and unlimited opportunities for water transportation. Develop ment of some of these resources. mo- tably the gold mining and salmon fish ing industries, has made considerable progress, and is attracting a great deal of attention.
 Within the past two years Juneau commenced to mOdernize by substi tuting enduring concrete for wood structures in the business section and many substantial buildings have been erected. Among the concrete structures may be mentioned the big five-stOry Goldstein building, the B. M. Behrends Bank building. Gastincau Hotel, MesSerSchmidt building. five story Zynda building. Post Office. and Dispatch Building. During the period mentioned upwards of $1,500,00O was expended in new building in town. Ex- tensive street improvements were al so made.
 The commerce of Juneau shows a wonderful increase within the past few years. The imports from the States for the year 1911 amounted to $655, ,1S2. and for the year 1914 reached total of $4,017,710. Machinery and supplies for the big mining develop ments and building materials for the town contributed largely to the marked increase. The waterfront from Juneau to Thane, a distance of over three miles, is now punctuated at intervals with wharves and warehouses where freight is disposed of by the regular carriers to this place. Included in these are the wharves of the Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Co., the Standard oil Co.,. the C. w. Young Co, the Al aska Gastineau Mining Co.. and the wharves at Thane. In town are the Shattuck pier, the Municipal wharf, and the Pacific Coast Co.'S. pier. On an average g ocean going vessels ar rive at the Municipal wharf with car go each month and 40 vessels call, in. cluding those southbound from points north and west. Tn addition there are three regular lines of steamers and several tramp freighters that call at the Pacific Coast Company pier.
 There are three banks in Juneau including the Juneau branch of the First Territorial Bank of Douglas. and they have ample facilities for trans acting a much larger business than offers; yet the showing made would be considered very satisfactory by many cities having a much larger pop ulation than Juneau. Excluding the transactions for the Federal govern. ment and the business of the savings departments, the bank clearings for Juneau for the year 1914 reached a total of $26. 6.O39. .6S649. H According to the latest statements issued, the B. NJ. Behrends Bank, the First Terri. torial Bank. and the First National Bank hold deposits aggregating $1,- 64O, O,40673. tThey are about t2.0O0, 900 at this date.1
 The larger industries on which Ju. neau depends are at present mining and fishing. The payrolls for the Alaska Gastineau and the Alaeka Ju. neau mining companies alone aggre- gate S260.000 monthly. Tributary to Juneau are several smaller mines with good payrolls. There are no salmon canneries in Juneau. but halibut fishers make 1t their home and ship ping port and the town Is the trade center for several of the Southeast. ern Alaska salmon packers. The sal mon pack of last season for South. eastern Alaska amounted to 1,7se.05I cases out of . total Of 4.oe7,s32 for the Territory, or nearly half of the entire catch, witch VIC tnlhed at t1S. 71e,s42. More than half of the South eastern Alasks catch vas packed in