The Alaska daily empire., 1916-01-20
ALASKA COAL IS q CERTAIN TO COME
 INTO PROMINENCE

Surveys of the coal areas in Alaska, in the Boring river. Matapuska. and Nenana regions. together with classi- fications of the coal lands, and the reservation of certain areas for the use of the government. as provided by act of Congress. were begun dur ing the past summer. and t is believ- ed that this work will be practically completed this calendar year. says Governor Strong in his annual re- port.
 It cannot be expected. however that coal will be produced for commercial purposes until railroad transportation from tldewater to the coal fields IS provided. The Matanuslla field no doubt will be tapped next year by the government railroad now being built from Anchorage on Knik Arm. Cook Inlet. to the coal fields. It is believed that portions of these coal lands will be leased under a law passed by Con. gross providing for their leasing un. der regulations prescribed by the Sec. retary of the Interior The quality Of the coals found in both the Matanus- ka and Boring river fields has been fully discussed heretofore in the an. nual reports of this office. Tests Of the Matanuska coal for steaming pur poses were made during the year un. der the direction of the Navy Depart ment. and the coal was found emi nently satisfactorily.
 This field, therefore, should supply the government with all the coal it needs on the Pacific coast, including Hawaii and the Philippines. for ma val and other purposes. The Alaska coal fields contain large quantities Of coal suitable for coking purposes. and . market should be speedily develop ed for coke. not only for use in Alas "a. but elsewhere on the Pacific slope The coal now consumed in the Terr.- tory continues to be imported. con siderable portion of which, comes from British Columbia. A decrease in the consumption of coal is to be noted iue to the greatly increased consump ion Of fuel ol in the Territory. Fuel 7il is imported from California. and t is used in the mining sections or northwestern Alaska. as we'll as in The southern regions. To some extent is also used on the steamers plying ,n the Yukon and other rivers. dis placing wood and also doing away with the vocation of the woodchopper who in times past supplied all the mo i've power for river steamers through nut Alaska. Three patents to coal ands have been issued during the ifs al year. one to a cla m on Admiralty sland. Southeastern Alaska and one 70 a claim on Cook 'nlet and the third n the Boring river field The Cook nlet patented claim contains lignitic cal. and 1t has been mined to some ,xtcnt during the past year.
 The importation of coal into Alas a from the States and from foreign countries during the last fiscal year
 mounted to 79.2S9 tons. valued ai 's97. .29O. or this s2.927 tons. valued 't S141.4SO. was foreign coal and 46 '12 tons domestic, valued at S255,S10 The coal importations. domestic and oreign. during the fiscal year 1912 we're 9S.1O1 tons, valued at S295,12S The ,mportations for the fiscal year
 915 show a decrease of 18.S26 tons IS compared with the previous year \ small quantity of Alaska coal was uined during 1915. chiefly in the Cook nlet district.