The Alaska daily empire., 1916-12-12

and women who, impelled Wllh lhc idea that here was iand to spare and opportunity for the energetic, | have engaged in the work of cary- ing out homes in the wilderness Many of these have been successful [ and the success that has been achiev- | ed is a stimulus tO others. There ! Is probably no country in existence | today whore the energetic man can earn living more easily than in Alaska, with the confident eNpecta- . ton of achieving ultimate jndepen1- ] ence This may seem broad state | ment when one thinks of tropical countries where nature is SO prolific, l furnishing sustenance With little physical eXertlon. But there is an- other and different side to tropical l life, and .it does not appeal to people of northern attitudes because or the lhandicaps that go with it. Malaral diseases are unknown in Alaska be- cause poisonous insect life does not exist here; the entire country is a magnificent health zone. limited on- l ly by it's extensive boundaries; and it's inhabitants are not enervated with and subject 10 the ills with which tropical or subuopical coun. | tries abound.
 The country is best which has a variety of natural resources, that has land for the landless. and offers opportunities for the wage-worker ! The acquisition of land should bel made as free as possible. The red ! tape. the unnecessary restrictions the ! aurunl1nru. ID ! ing Co the homesteader title tO his ! land. should be reduced to mini- mum. and he should be assured or the cooperation of the Government in securing 10 him the enjoyment of the right to achieve his destiny with as few handicaps as possible | Restrictive methods and measures do not make for the development Of new country. The man who can
 support himself and his family from | the products cf the soil Is immensely
 better off than are the denizens
 Of the crowded cities, with the un- certainty Of steady employment and | the kneen competition 70 which ia- bor is subjected. The agricultural lands of Alaska should be surveyed ] ble Some progress has been made along this line and the intending
 settler should be enabled Co receive ! free information not only as to avail able land suitable for agricultural and grazing purposes. but he should also be advised as tO ,he nature oi The soils of the different agricultural | sections. how they may be most cas- Fly reached and the means of com munication available, if there be such md the crops best suited Co the oil. This would simplify land loca- ! ion and selection. and would great stimulate settlement, and substn
 ial increase in population would
 be noted year by year
 General Conditions
 NotwiI standing the adverse com jitions that have been noted. Alaska continues to make substantial pro- gress in the development of it's na tural resources. Lode mining actiy- l ity has increased in the coastal sec tlOns Many new mines have been | developed and others which were closed for various reasons have re- mmed operations. This is especial { ly true Of copper mines. there being now about 15 of these steadily min | ing and shipping ore, where a couple Of years ago there were but three or four. The activity, 1t should be stated, is due to the demand for 1 copper and the consequent high pric- les that have obtained since the out ibreak Of the European war. The growth of copper production has ! been remarkable During the fiscal year 1913. the shipments of copper ore from Alaska were valued at SS, ! 579.47l; in 1914. $3.S76.411, and dur ! flag the fiscal year 1913 these had | increased to $5,1S2.0O4. During the past fiscal year these shipments reached a total of $2G,4SS,2SS, and the next fiscal year will snow a still greater increase, and copper production will exceed the gold out put by several million dollars.
 Large Lode Mines
 In Southeastern Alaska are some of the largest lode mines in the world. The successful operation of these mines has demonstrated that low-grade ores can be worked at a substantial profit This is made pos sible by extensive deposits of ore close to tidewater and an abundance of hydrOelcctric power The Alaska | TreadweI Gold Mining Company. and subsidiary companies, located on Douglas Island. have been steady pro- ducers of gold for many years. New mines. developed and equipped with mills of the most modern type, are the Alaska-Gastineau Mining Com pony and the Alaska-Juneau Mining Company. of Juneau. These mines and mills are commanding the at tention of the mining world inas- much as the cost of treatment of these ores seems to have been re- duced 10 a minimum, and the sue cess that has been achieved by them points to the profitable mining and milling of low-grade ores, not only in Alaska. but in all the mining states of the country.
 The greatest copper producing