The Alaska daily empire., 1917-03-30

in fish products and S65, ,433 in aquatic furs and skins, which is more by several million dollars than has been acquired by those who searched the hills and streams for mineral. In round figures the seas of Alaska have produced for the people of the United States about forty.eight times as much as was paid for the whole Territory. As a general rule the sea products of Alaska average about S23, 3,-OOO,OOO per year from fish alone.
 Not Yet Exhausted
 Neither the seas nor the land have yet been exhausted. Scores of new salmon canneries have been estab. lished in the last four or five years, and the willy Northerns have taken to canning herring, claims, crabs, md many other sea products, to say nothing of developing an enormous trade in halibut, bass. cod and other fishes which are brought to Seattle markets in ice.
 The land itself although enormous. ly productive. has only been scratch ed. Alaska's area is 5S9,OOO square miles and two.fifths of it yet re. mains unmapped and unexplored. That part of it which has been mapped and explored has not yet been fully developed and the Terri tory is known to contain many de. posits of minerals which have not yet been placed on a producing ba- sis.
 For instance, the government en- gineers have computed that there are more than 15O.OOO,OOO tons of coal GAL TWO-alaska anniversary in Alaska. and the mines have not yet been opened up except in q desultory manner. in isolated places.
 There is considerable oil in Alas ka. A few wells have been sunk and placed on a producing basis, but, because of withdrawals of the land from entry, prospecting for this mineral has ceased. oil seepages, extending from Katalla to Yakataga Beach, a distance of 150 miles, have been found, but practically no deyel. opment has taken place. Seepages have also been found in Cold Bay, and other places. Alaska at present has one small refinery, which furn- ishes all of the gasoline and other petrolic liquids that are needed in that particular locality.
 Alaska too, has great agricultur- al possibilities. Along the line of the government railroad, which is now being constructed to furnish a link between the coast and the in- terior waterway system, hundreds of farmers have settled and thousands of acres are being planted. The Alaskan farmers last year sold 1000 tons of potatoes to the Alaskan en- gineering commission, and these tu- bers played a prominent part in the governments commissary last win ter.
 There is also the possibility that Alaska shortly will cause the beef barons to take reef in the rubber band that encircles their bank rolls.
 About twenty years ago the govern. ment imported to Northern Alaska few hundred reindeer. These ami. mals have multiplied amazingly, and when the last count was made, about six months ago, there were more than 100000 deer in these herds. Reindeer double their number every two years, and arrangements are now being made to run cattle ships to the North and take large nun. bers of these animals to Seattle to be placed on the market in compe' tition with beef and mutton.
 Alaska grows wheat, barley, rye, all kinds of vegetables and berries, The Territory contains more than GAG. .OOOO 1000 acres of agricultural and grazing land, and experts figure that the land will sustain a farming popu' lation of more than 1O,OO0,OOO Alas. ka's farming land alone is greater in area than the entire Scandinavian peninsula. This is exclusive of mil |