The Nenana daily news., 1918-05-07
ALASKA'S RECORD
 FOR LAST YEAR
 SHOWS INCREASE


 big and effective, says the Alaska Railroad Record. The wireless mes big an defective The wireless mas sage which told the pioneers of the far North that their country had joined in the world war against kaiserism at once started men and money to the front and filled the enterprising Alaskans with such prac- tical patriotism that every line of industrial, engineering, mining ag- ricultural and fishing activity inn mediately was speeded up to the top notch of energy and production.
 One of the results of this common purpose to enthusiastically back up the country in it's hour of stress ap- pears in a statement in a routine report of the department of the in terior that, for the first time in her history Alaska, last year produced over 5O,OOO tons of coal. In Penn sylvania this tonnage would be a trival matter but the fact that ia 1917 the coal output of Alaska ex- ceeded 50,000 tons is regarded by men who are helping to develop that country as of peculiar significance. For one thing, they say, it indicates that the Alaskan Engineering com mission which, only three years ago, began building a government-owned railroad from Seward to Fairbanks, which with it's branches and spurs will aggregate approximately 56O miles, already is in shape to haul coal which has been its principal ob- jective; that what has been talked about for years, has come to pass and that from now on coal produc- tion will increase so that last years total will be remembered only be. cause it reached a tonnage suffi- cient to attract attention. It is pre- dicted that this year more than 1OO,- 900 tons of coal will be taken from the mines and hauled on the Govern ment railroad and that in compara- lively short time the ships of the navy in the Pacific ocean can get their coal from Alaska. .-
 All of the coal mined last year was used in Alaska and most of it by the railroad which hauled f The fact that the local demand was met by local production is looked upon as showing a net gain of more than 5O,OOO tons in the tonnage for use of the United States and it's allies. Had it been necessary to ship this coal from the Pacific coast of con- tinental United States, the entire cargo space of two ships of the size of the U. s. A. transport Crook would have been required for the whole season.
 Another striking effect of the speed-up policy which all Alaska adopted when the nation sent out its call was the great increase, during 1917, of fish food production; the total values of fish products jumped from $22, 100000 to $42,OOO,000, al most double. In 1917 Alaska sent to the United States more than 25O,- 0O0,000 pounds of canned salmon alone, an increase of 22,OOO,OOO pounds over the output of the pre- vious year. During the same period Alaska fishermen harvested from her seas and rivers nearly 12,00O,OOO pounds of fresh fish other than sal mon, an increase over 1916 of more than 2,OOO,00O pounds and, in the i way of smoked, dried and other cured fish, Alaska exported more than 6,5OO,OOO pounds, an increase of something more than 100000 pounds over 1916. Altogether, Alas ka sent out of her borders in 1917, more than 268,5OO,OOO pounds of fish food, or more than 25,000,O0O pounds above her production in 1916
 Secretary of the Interior Lane, who has charge of Alaskan affairs commenting on the 1917 record made by the territory said:
 "The results at this time, with g greater part ofthe world hungry, are most gratifying. Alaska has an en.