The Cordova daily times. [volume] (Cordova, Alaska) 1914-1947, 1918-08-19
DANGER THREATENS ALASKA

DANGER THREATENS ALASKA
The people of Alaska have shown
themselves, in the matter of subscrip
tons to Liberty loans. Red Cross
funds, Y. NJ. e. A. and knights OF Co.
lGmbus funds, and other war relief
measures of lesser magnitude. to be
imbued with a patriotism which is a
matter OF great satisfaction to the
territory. In every instance the sum
allotted to the territory has been
oversubscribed, in some cases several
times. In matters pertaining to war
finance the Alaskan has shown him
Cheerfully into his pocket and pro-
duCing generously.
But in this bighearted patriotism
and generosity lies a danger to Alaska
which heretofore has escaped atten-
ton. Alaska has suffered from the
effects of war conditions far more
greatly than has any other section of
the United States. Elsewhere the
war industries have more than com
pensated for the Withdrawals OF i'm
nense sums OF money from trade and
industry by again putting that same
money, and more, into circulation by
reason OF the increased employment of
labor, enormous purchases of ma
terial, and the inauguration of new
enterprises.
In Alaska the very opposite has
been the result. The different war
funds have woefully depleted the finan-
,ial resources of the territory and
have taken capital needed for the de
velopment of its Industries. leaving its
people with occupation gone and no
immediate prospect of revival in
sight. In one instance a bank was
COM. He'd to liQuidate and 90 out of
drawal OF deposits which enabled the
community to oversubsCribe its Lib
erry bond quota more than five times
Added to all this is the tact that the
increased cost of supplies has com
PEELED the shutting down of mining
enterprises because they would not
yield profit under present conditions.
The editor OF an Interior Alaska news
paper recently complained that so
great had been the drain on the finan-
cial resources of the camp that
whereas ii had been heretofore the
easiest of tasks to raise a fund for
any worthy object of charity or public
enterprise, now it was impossible to
even suggest a subscription for any
purpose, so great was the stress.
Because of the war all of Alaska's
industries have suffered severely.
and there has been nothing in the ma
ture of new enterprises to offset the
loss. Gold mining. already on the
wane, probably has been the indus
try most seriously affected, and Alas
kans will look with favor upon the
efforts of Delegate SulZer to secure
some measure of relief for the oper-
ators, working in conjunction with
public officials from other gold-mining
sections. Copper mining, which has
become the greatest of all the terri
tory's activities in point of value of
product, also has been a sufferer
through lack of labor, inadequate
transportation and other results of
war conditions. Even the fishing in
dustry, which the government has en-
couraged to the utmost in the en-
deavor to increase the worlds food
supply, has had trials and tribula-
tons which only the increased price
OF its products will permit it to over
come Absolutely nothing of conse.
quence in the way OF new enterprises
growing out OF the war has been
added to Alaska's activities. And in
addition to all this is the fact that
the unsatisfactory condition of affairs
on the government railroad work is