The Alaska citizen. (Fairbanks, Alaska) 1910-1917, 1915-05-24
ALASKA'S TRADE
IS SOUGHT BY
SAN FRANCISCO
CLUB RECEIVES
LETTER BOOSTING THIS
TERRITORY.

merce has started a campaign TO
the purpose of trying to develop
trade relations between Alaska ant
the city of the Golden Gate. Tha
organization has sent The Glitter
a copy of letter 1t wrote to tn,
Fairbanks Commercial club. in which
it called attention to its plea to the
San Francisco businessmen to worl
up trade with this Territory.
Accompanying the letter to the
Commercial club, and also accom-
panying that sent to The Citizen
Is a copy of Activities journa
published by the San Francisco
Chamber of Commerce. This con
tains the following editorial urging
the businessmen of that city tC
awaken to the trade possibilities OF
Alaska:
WANT OUR TRADE.
Trade follows the dollar. In the
next few years the government will
eXpend at least $2S,0O0,000 in build
ing 416 miles of railroad from Sew
ard. on the Pacific coast of Alaska
to Fairbanks, on the Tanana river
and a thirty eight mile branch up
the Matanuska valley. Nearly all
Of this money Will be spent in the
purchase of supplies and materials
by contractors. Gangs of men must
be fed and clothed. All of these
supplies must be purchased some
where and there is no good reason
why San Francisco merchants should
not furnish their share.
Much criticism has been directed
IN, bI
her failure to secure greater share
Of Alaska trade, for this city is d
mere desirable market and offers
a greater variety of merchandise
than the northern cities which have
catered to and secured this business.
Merchants will say, in excuse, that
it is useless for them TO reach out
for business in Alaska because We
have no direct steamer lines from
this port. Steamship officials reply,
You get the trade and We Will
give you direct shipments" In the
meantime nobody moves and a very
large and desirable business is di-
verted to other cities which, to say
the least, are alive TO their oppO1
tunities.
Such direct service can and should
be established now that the Alaskan
railroad is to be built by the govern
ment, and there is every reason
why the San Francisco merchant
should take prompt steps to secure
the governments acquisitions and
bid thereon and furnish all of the
supplies for this railroad.
san Francisco is the most favor
l,
steamship freight charges are the
same from San Francisco as from
Seattle. To point like Seward
there is about one days difference
in the sailing from San Francisco
as against Seattle, the San Francisco
trip being about one day longer.
Most of the merchandise supplied
to Alaska from Seattle has to be
drawn either from the East, Oregon
or California, and the greater portion
Of it must be drawn from California.
Merchandise for Alaska supplied by
Seattle must bear the expense of
freight charges from California or
the East, the expense Of handling
through the houses at Seattle and
the profit and commission thereon.
The houses in Seattle are smaller
and the commission larger. The
houses in San Francisco, which must
in this connection as in every other
be recognized as the commercial
center of the Pacific coast, are
ly smaller and it is a fact that
Eastern goods and most Oregon
goods as we'll as all California pro
L Al,
the Alaskan merchant at twenty
per cent less cost to the Alaskan
merchant than goods from Puget
Sound.
RESOURCES DESCRIBED.
Few people realize how fraught
with possibility is the building OF
this road. Its construction will
bring about the industrial develop
ment of Central Alaska, comprising
100000 square miles. This region
includes the gold-placer districts of
the Yukon-Tanana, the Copper and
Susitna valleys, and the Iditarod
Innoko; and the Matanuska branch
will make accessible eighty square
miles of high grade coal lands: The
Susitna and Tanana valleys, which
are traversed by the road, contain
large areas of agricultural lands
and vaster tracts Of good grass
lands. 1t has been confidently pre-
dicted by many that cattle raising
in this region will become a profit
able industry.
"a hundred million dollars in gold
have been taken out of this section
Of Alaska. With the construction
Of this new railroad dollars will
commence to flow into it-dollars
for substantial development-and
trade will surely follow the dollars
1t is up to the San Francisco bust
nessman to familiarize himself with
conditions in this new market which
is about to be created at his door.
IF merchants who are DESTROYS
Of entering this field will send their
names to the Information and Sta
ticfira1 Dana Of tho ChaDnbar