Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-09-08
ALASKA AND THE PAPER FAMINE
One of the Days Bc.t Cor,,,n.


e's can penetrate far up many OF tn.
lords. Everywhere is the timber
Ther" are l2.non miles Of ,iiube,.d
sh"re-lin" on the Tongsss Na,ionsi
fores, alone
III" Forest Service has rec.,,Iv
made the best estimates possible win,
available facilities OF the resources or
'he Two Alaskan national forests The
SN'hcr I" dat. is admittedly
,h'"'hpi"'e--"e do not know exactly
now rich We are in timber-but an ~.
basis OF wha, has been done. II 10 .sii-
mated that the Alaskan forests y,n,,Ia
!l"ia 'oo"cO.VoO feet or timber n,,nuaIlv
on IN" basis or increase alonc-that -
"ih"ht decreasing the forest appreci
49, az nfs' a"H not at all after the
h'si year. In other terms. f, is csti.
To-, ma ai'er supplying all local
"''nhhds Tor saw timber naper mill.
WIN 81 capacity or 5000 tons per day
aud 1000 tons is 5000 900 hounds
could be fed from the natural yearly
Increase, without depicting the real
sunny And that Is good deal Of
phpff' "hen YOU come TO consider IT,
Why \" VIII. Operating
The natural query Is. since Alaska
offers such attractive field for paper
mi!l. why aren't there any NJ there,
Capital usually doesn't wait TO he
asked three times before seizinc q
chance 10 earn good interest on in
vcstment.
Alaska is not producing paper for
s"N"rai reasons In the first place, she
IS pretty remote. Transportation is
just beginning TO b" put on an efficient
and reliable basis: II il only in the last
frw Years that the extent and value
OF the forests has been realized Under
normal conditions. before the war. III.
r'sni, Of foreign competition. high
fr"ichts and tho prevailing price OF
rarcr was such that Ala ska as a paper
producer was on the wrong side OF tho
cost line. Pat conditions are changing
For the moment. OF course, pulp
mill In Alaska would he one OF the
most profitable bits OF property you
could choose To ask for. As one man
put It. II would be ''as good as
license 10 rob banks" With a euaran-
tee OF continuance OF present condi-
ti"nF, capital would run 10 Alaska to
build pulp mills, What obviously de-
tors IL, is the fear that after the war
prices viii dronn until the Alaskan in
r"siment would prove improbable
Bat things may not II" just the same
after the war as they were before
Even II tho price goes back all the
way to the old level, which Is by no
means sur" in view OF increasing de-
mand. there is the increasing en-
cheney OF steamer service 10 ALASKA to
be considered. which promises that the
peninsula can compete with Western
Canada and Norway under any condi-
lions. Then, too II tho Oriental market
for paper develops. as II is expected 70
develop. Alaska Is the best and nearest
place for the Orient 10 draw It's pulp
from When China uses onc-tenth as
much paper per capita as the average
European country. she will he calling
for 1000. 600 tons a year.
The Forest Service has begun to re-
ccivc INQUIRIES from various interested
parties about tho purchase Of stump
age In Alaskan forests. Sooner or
later Alaska will he one az the world.
great sources OF paper. SO long as VIC
own the Alaskan national forests. we
will he able to go on printing our
papers and our books. though Norway
and Canada both stop shipping MS
wood. We have not yet stopped taxi
ing our profit on the Investment OF
s. zoos 600 that Mr.. Seward made nifty
years ago