The Nenana daily news., 1918-05-07
year will yield far greater results.

year will yield far greater results. :,
 Perhaps no railroad construction 1 in the world today excepting that in the various theaters of the war, is l aruosing so much interest and creat- ! ing such large hopes as the trans portation line which the Alaskan En- gineering commission is building under the direction of Secretary Lane. The coal famine in contin- ental United States put the Alaskan coal fields in the spot light and the Commission is bending its strongest efforts to make immediately avail able for development by private capital as much coal land as pos sible.
 The United States Geological Sur vey, in a recent bulletin, declares that the most important event of the year in connection with coal mining in Alaska was the completion of the Matanuska branch of the Govern ment railroad The survey places the coal production in Alaska in I1917 at 61,000 tons, valued at S300,- l 900, with the largest production coming from the Eska creek mines l in the Matanuska field. Coal also was mined at the Doherty mine in the Matanuska field, at the Bluff Point mine on Cook Inlet, on Cache creek and near Candle. The high grade coal on Chickaloon river is now being opened up by the Alaskan Engineering commission for its own use in the construction and operation of the railroad, the coal lands in the Nenana field have been subdivided for leasing by private parties and the Government road is being pushed southward to this field from Nenana on the Panama river. It is believed the railroad will reach this field and make coal available for river ship ment this coming summer An ln- teresting feature of the development of the country through the building of the Government road is the trans formation of number of pioneer gold hunters into farmers. The ad- venturous men who plunged into the unchartered wilderness after the pre- cious yellow metal now are clearing lands contiguous to the railroad right of way to raise potatoes, turnips, hay and other farm products. The new railroad passes through an extensive agricultural country and over a thousand homesteaders now are de ''veloping that region. This would be an impossibility without railroad and the prospects for decided in- crease in agricultural activity and for a considerable number of new homesteaders filing on land this year are bright The production of po- tatoes in the country tributary to the railroad was between 1,50O and 2,O0O tons last year and 200 tons ot turnips were raised.
 The Land and Industrial depart ment of the railroad has been con- ducting an effective campaign to have Alaskan farm products consum- ed locally. Chambers of Commerce and like associations of businessmen, farmers. railroaders, miners and newspapers were brought together by the Land and Industrial department to adopt plans of cooperation be- tween the producers and consumers. The result was a general agreement to purchase homegrown products. This action insures continually ln- creasing local market for all farm output and it is confidently predicted that this year will see almost an old time rush of homesteaders into the country traversed by the Government railroad.