Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-10-08


on the navigabe rivers over
routes covering thousands of miles. They
will go on the Tanana river to the Yukon,
and by that stream all the way I'd the Cana
dian boundary and the ocean They will go
up the tributaries of the Yukon including
the Porcupine, which can be travelled for 500
miles the koyukuk, which has rich deposits
of low-grade gold. and the Innoko, where
are the lditarod and other gold camps For
a time some of the exports will be via the
Innoko to the upper Kusk okwim region, al
though this will involve overland transport
tation.
Fairbanks itself is the chief gold mining
center OF the interior OF the territory From
its creeks have been taken already more
than $SOOO0OO0 in gold dust and nuggets,
and stampedes to new camps occur every
few weeks. One of last year was to the
Tolovana river, and today there is a great
deal of activity along the kantiShna river
and the creeks leading into it. That river
has its source in Mount Mckinley the coun-
try about which is highly mineralized, con-
tanning antimonV and other metals in addi-
ton to gold.
Few people realize the great extent and
possibility of our Alaskan trade The COM
merce OF this territory last year was more
than $7O,O0O,000. 1t exceeded our total
commerce with China by more than S. ,O0O-
600 and was one-hfth as large as our total
trade with all South America. The great
part of this was exports but the imports
amounted to over twenty-five millions, and
in proportion to the white population it was
greater than that of any other country OF the
world The per capita commerce was about
$780, with balance of trade in favor OF
each white man of over $500. Including the
Indians and Eskmos the per capita com
merce was 500, while that of Gre at Britain
was only S133 This means that the trade
of Alaska was, on the average, for every
man, woman and child, more than six times
as great as that for every man, woman and
child in Great Britain. -
If this is SO when the land is a wild waste
so covered with moss and other vegetation
that not one acre in hundred of it has yet
been prospected, and when not ono acre in
thousand has yet been brought into cultiva-
ton, what may we not expect Of the country
with the railroad and other developments of
the future.
Indeed, Alaska is one of the best business
propositions under Uncle Sans flag. Con-
sidering the amount OF money invested and
the hands employed, we have nothing that
produces such vast returns The country
has now less than 10000 people and of these
perhaps 10000 are whites. This includes
men, women and children. so that the work
ing force is comparatively small Neverthe-
less. the product in 1914 sold for SAL 100000,
of which more than eighteen millions came
out of the mines and more than twenty-five
millions from fisheries and furs During
that year, the gold yield was almost sixteen
million dollars. while that of California,
whose population is 81 times as great, was
only little over tWenty-one millions. The
value of the Alaska fishery products was
more than twenty-one millions, while that OF
the state OF Washington brought in over
eight millions The copper output in 1914
was less than three millions, but that was
enormously increased last year and will be
doubled and trebed i'll the years to come
AS 10 the whole territory, by and large. i
has paid us better than any investment the
nation mas MADE. III cost US less tndn tWe
cents an acre, and, spreading our receipt.
over the whole area, we have already nettet
more than a dollar and a half an acre, anc
that Notwithstanding we have scratched the
surface OF but few of its 100000 square
miles The furs from the land animal
have already paid the price of the territory
and those from the seals have sold for nine
times as much As to the fisheries, thej