Iditarod pioneer., 1916-09-16
FAILURE TO RECEIVE FREIGHT CAUSE OF APPREHENSION
 TO RESIDENTS OF DISTRICT

Freight deliveries for the Iditarod district this year have been of somewhat unsat- isfactory character, and as the navigation season draws to a close, considerable appre- hension is felt by merchants and public as to whether all shipments will be delivered at the Iditarod docks. Assurances have been given the Fairbanks merchants by the ocean and river transportation companies that all freight consigned to that point will be delivered before the close of navigation, but as yet there has been no such assurance given as to freight destined for ldltarOd. Local shippers state that most of their food products have been forwarded with com mendabe promptness so far, considering the fact of the Seattle longshoremen's strike and the congested condition of the freight warehouses at St. Michael and apparent lack of adequate river transportation tacll- ties on the Yukon, caused by the enormous government shipments of material for use on the railroad building out of Nenana.
 Recent reports received here were to the effect that thousands Of tons of freight were at St. Michael, and that slow progress was being made toward relieving the cOngeS- ten It was said that an attempt was be- ing made to put in commission some of the vessels whih have lain on the ways at that port for many years, but so far no definite information to that effect has reached here
 One cause of the reported congestion is said to be the terms of the government con tract with the White Pass Company, which stipuates for the delivery of the whole of the railroad freight this season, and provld- ! ing heavy penalties in case Of failure to comply with the terms of the contract. As a consequence the government freight IS being given preference.
 In some respects 1ditarod seems to have fared better in the matter of freight de liveries than some points on the Yukon An effort to relieve the food shortage at Mar shall City for instance, by drawing on Ruby is said to have been unsuccessful be- cause of the fact that freight deliveries at the latter point have not been such as to permit of a distribution of staples to out side points, and the same is true of St. Michael, apparently. But the main trouble appears to be lack of river boats to move | the freight
 It is said that the operators in the Mar shall diggngs have been drawing for quite a while on the supplies of the river steam boats to provision their mess houses, and that when an operator was successful Tn purchasing a limited quentity of staple food products in such manner he has been com- pelled to divide up with the other operators. In this manner flour, potatoes, condensed milk and such articles have been divided up a case or a crate at a time, being sulil- cient to relieve only the immediate wants.
 The Iditarod river mosquito fleet, up to the middle of this week, had been lying at Dkeman for some time past in comparative idleness With the arrival of the Wash burn early in the week, with freight from the Susie however, there has been renewed
 activity, and during the past few days many tons of freight have been delivered. The fall shipments of perishables are now on the way and as navigation on the ldltarod IS liable to end early in October, there will be some great hustling on the part of the "gasCline kids" from now on.