El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-12-16
Reindeer From Alaska to Solve r.,t c,n.,.
Meat Price Problem In America ooov7hs gss y Frank
First Steps Are Taken Packing Industry Wlds
in Is

. AID the principal owners are men Of
/ large means. Ore, for instance. is Iafet
g. Lindeb berg. one Of the three lucky
, Swedes, who discovered the gold fields
/ OF Nome. and now one Of the chief
Z owners and managers OF the Pioneer
: Mining COMPANY which has vast gold
! properties here Mr.. Lindeberg was
| employed by the United States govern
| ment to bring a herd of reindeer from
J Norway TO Alaska, along about 1898,
I At the time of the great famine in Daw-
son The idea then was 10 land the
reindeer on the Alaska coast and drive
them over the mountains to the klou-
ut Ike TO reed the American miners. The
Geer We're landed but the undertaking
was not a success. as far as giving the
miners large supply Of food was con-
ccrned.
: During my stay l have had inter
views regsr riding The reindeer industry
with AR Lindebers and judge LOmen.
They are enthusiastic as TO the pros
poets. Mr. Lindeberg says that the
value OF the reindeer now in Alaska IS
two or three million dollars. and that
notwithst landing l. cost the government
only about three hundred thousand
dollars 10 establish the INDUSTRY He
says the company has no desire 70 com
plicate the arrangements which Uncle
sam has to supplying the natives Vito
deer.
Natives Cannot sell Their Deer.
According to the present laws. the
l1skimOs and Indians cannot sell their
deer. and private parties can only &C
Qulre reindeer from the Laplanders
who brought the deer over and the mis-
sions who have some deer OF their own
independent OF those that belong 70
the Eskimos. These laws viii probably
be changed. with due regard TO the
protection of the natives
Said Mr.. Lindeberg: "The govern
ment has from the beginning prObib-
tied the natives from selling their
breeding animals We heartily APP
of n cfn LII q
males Of our own herds. and We would
like TO keep the local Alaskan markets
for the natives only our plan Is 10
develop q demand FOR the meat in the
United states and to handle anv sur
plus that the natives may have IN that
way Such stock as We have has been
bought from the Laplanders and the
Swedish mission We have altogether
about 5000 deer and our present in
crease per annum is about 90 percent.
DO You think q maT-Set for the meat
can be created in the United States@'
y eS- There Is already such a mar
ket in Europe. Norway and Sweden,
as well as Finland and Russia. have
been shipping large quantities OF rein
oeer meat for years They SEND IL 20
the chief European cen ers. and even
10 the United States. When I was u
Panama year or so ago. ] saw rein
deer meat from Norway among the
government supplies. II was bought
for the men working upon the canal .
The northern part Of the Russian en-
pire eats more reindeer meat than {
either beef or mutton
By-Produefs Valuable.
IN my talk with Judge LOmeu. J asked .
as To the by-products of the industry.
ne says that the day viii come when
rhe packing houses here Will have as
many by-products as those Of Chicago
Vt present they are able to sell the
skins and horns only. in addition TO
the meat hut in the future the blood
viii be used for tankaSe, the hOofs for
HnH Lii
bones for other purposes To-day :he
horns are sold by the pound TO men
IN Nome. who cut them up and ship
them away to be used as knife handles.
The hides are in demand for bUckskin
gloves and Tor shoe uppers Some IF
he skins are tanned AMI sold as furs. .
The reindeer fur IS dyed and as such &C.
is more beautiful than the Donyskin
coats now worn The fur is finer and
The skins are lighter.
AS to the number of deer that Alas
IA VIII support, continued Judge Lo-
men. 1t is difficult to say. The whole
country is adapted to reindeer raising,
and vast amount Of il is fit for nota-
ing else. This is 50 Of ali the land
lorth OF the Yukon. and The most Of
nat which borders on BeTin- sea At
p low estimate, 1 should say that We
nave here a territory six times as large
as the state Of New York. upon which
I peculiar kind OF moss that covers the
greater part of northern Alaska. This
moss is yellowish-white in color II is
lard and tough and looks like coral
{ seldom grows more than three in
hes high but spreads out over the
ground and is q farorite 1000 Of the
;oribou. II is sometimes called caribou
moss"
Among the other .nea / have met i'll /
Alaska who have had much 70 do with
he reindeer industry is ". 7. Lopp. .
vino has charge Of the government (
schools Of the territory under the gen.
4 rf 1H.. Of
alton at Washington
Mr.. Lopp came to Alaska more than ,
quarter of a century ago TO engage I
Il teaching. and his first station was at |
ape Prince Of Wales. which is direct
J opposite Siberia, across BerinS |