Iditarod pioneer., 1916-04-01
HENRY RIDDEN RETURNS
 AID GIVES OBSERVATIONS
 OH ALASKA AND ALASAkNS

Henry Rcden was an unexpected aTrIvaI ever the Seward tral the first of the week. He left Seward shortly after the first ot March. and spent some time at Anchorage and ground knlk At the former lace he found many cldtime lditaroGers "ho are engaged in business while near knIk sev- eral of them are t.lling the soil! notably Harry Harmon and Dutch Cr&2mer. They tcld him they were doing well.
 Mr. Roden did not get Outside during the past winter After leaving lditarod last fell he went to Ruby and Fairbsnks, and from the latter TIace over the trasl to Cor dova and Juneau. He spent the winter prospecting along the coast, and claims to have lad scme rare experiences m small
 Is boats running up and down Icy strslt and other waterways in Southeastern Alaska. While he and his associates have so tar failed. Mr Roden says that the southeastern part of the territory Is becoming quite . mining center. and that there are quite a few producing mines about which the peo- rle of the Interior never hear anything. He especially mentions one mine on Calcagott island that produces almost as much 'valvet" for its owners as dCes tn" great Treadwell mine, on Douglas island. Copper is also being developed in that sectlon and the production of artificial fertilizer Is an essured thing in the very near future. He says that an immense water power Is be ing developed within fifty miles of Juneau, that will be used for that purpose, similar to the large plants being operated Tn Nor WAY. He says Juneau Is continually grow ing and that the erection Of a seVen-story building will soon commence, there being already several hve-story buildings with ele- vators and all modern conveniences, in the city
 Cordova is taking on new lease of life, owing to the extremely heavy shipments and the construction of some half dozen new canneres for salmon and clans. Mir Roden says that steamboat and transportation men claim that Cordova has a larger tonnage than the whole port of Seattle. He says the docks are loaded with thousands of sacks filled with copper ore awaiting transporta- ton south
 Seward is livening up, Real estate in that city seems to be quite high, and the people expect that the town on Resurrection bay will be the chief railroad center.
 There is much local feeling especially around Anchorage against the railroad com mission according to MT. Roden. Old timers claim they can get no employment and that outsiders and foreigners are given preference There seems to be a desire on the part of the commission so some people say, that nobody should make anything above bare living out of the construction of the railroad and that everything IS be ing carried on on "Jim Crow' scale. It seems that the government IS about to make great government ownership experiment in that section of the territory, for 1t IS sand that besides the railroad and mining the coal, the government will also go actively into the farming business, and that the railroad commission will shortly be engaged in competition with the farmers who hay" settled around Knik and the Matanuska valley
 When asked what he thought about farm ing and cattle raising in that section of Alaska, Mir Roden said that if they can do it at Knik or Matanuska we can do just as we'll at Iditarod and Flat-perhaps bet ter There is no more snow here than there, he says, and he heard of nothing being raised there that has not been raised here