The daily Nome industrial worker., 1916-12-09
DIVIDING ALASKA.


 proposition of making more than one territory out of the Territory of Alaska again disturbs the peace 1 of mind of the migrants from the i northern land to the Spirit City. | Thus at the dinner of the Alaska 1 Bureau of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce that perferyent orator and ith-hightrayelling expense charges, Royal A. Gunnison, sug- gested the adyisabilty of such a di- vision. The suggestion founds itself upon the uneven development of the coun- try. They point out that south and eastern sections of Alaska are de- yeloped out of proportion to the rest: It has higher population great industries and agricultural re- sources which have not put any such an appearance in the interior and more northern sections of the coun- try. Hence also the asscssa0le Values are higher in those more highly de- yeloped sections, and the conse- oueuce is that taxation which should be reserved for the development or those sections when it comes, is used for sections where it did not ori- ginate.
 All of which is quite true. But all of this might be said of every territory and state of the Union. There are some sections of them which are highly developed ana densely populous while there are other sections where population is sparse, there are no industries and as far as can be seen hardly any available resources.
 But because one section of Alaska has a great mine or two, and a few ranchers who manage to raise some crops, and some timber that is valu- able, there is no reason whatever for claiming that the rest is barren at all.
 We asy it advisedly and not with any intention of boosting this sec tion that the resources within the scope of future development are greater here than in any other sec tion of Alaska bar none. There Is no section of the country where food fish are so valuable and so prolific. Salmon and herring and cod, the three great food fish of the world are all in these waters ill uncon- trolled abundance. With the public tlamoring for increased food supply, it is a disgracefuf condition that en- terprise is so backward in the deve- Iopment of this field, and were bus siness enterprise really concerned with the public welfare instead ot being so fearful of it's profits, mil lion of tons of fine and valuable food fish would be annually exported from this section for the enjoyment of all the world
 Moreover, it is only matter of time until the reindeer industry in this country assumes mammoth pro- portions unequalled as a food pro- duct all over the warld. And, this is mentioning but two of the great resources which are here for the de- yelopment and for the asking.
 The great value of this section lies indeed upon the very substan- tial hasis of having practically in exhaustible store of fooG within this division, and food that is required by tho world in ever increasing abundance. With the puDlic demands upon the holdings outside for indus trial purposes where before was agricultural development alone, the value of this section is therefore self evident. Only intensive farming will enable the public to. sustain themselves with the food production in the outside states after many more generations, and it is to the seas and rivers and tundra of Alaska still available for valuable meat and fish production that the people of the world will turn.
 Similarly with the Interior which falls into the bad books of these sapient politicians who suggest a territorial division because the more equable climate has caused a quick CT development of other sections. It