The Alaska daily empire., 1918-07-30
ALASKA GETS PUBLICITY.

The letter from Secretary of Commerce Redhel to Gov. Riggs, which published throughout Alas "a early this month, has resulted in giving flask great deal of publicity All Washington correspond ,ns sent the letter out to their papers, and many o hem have given editorials concerning it.
 The following is from the Washington Star:
 Every interest in Alaska should have the fostering care of the country, that it's dcvel- opment may be rounded and not partial Secre- tary Redfeld declared in long letter to Gov. Thomas Riggs, jr., outlining important work planned by the Department of Commerce for the bentft of the territory.
 An essential preliminary the development of Alaska Secretary Redield said is that Alaskan waters should be made safe for navigation, and he pledged the continuous services of the coast and geodetic survey to that end. The hope of Alaska to have ast~dotted with fishing viii lages is regarded with especial favor by the de- partment, which will lend its efforts to bring this about MT. Redfeld also pointed out the possibility of establishing shipyard in Alaska.
 Extension of the facilities for carrying on the work of the coast survey, bureau of lighthouses and bureau of fisheries is planned by the de- partment, including vessels for each. new district for the steamboat inspection service has been made necessary by the growth of the work in the northwest and headquarters prob ably will be opened at Portland or Seattle. Plans being made for salmon culture and for eXperi- ments with neglected species of fish foods by tablishng a fisheries experiment station Puget sound. Secretary Redheld wrote
 'The rich aquatic resources of Alaska have not heretofore received the attention they de- serve. We have undertaken campaign to in troduce into wider popular the valuable food fishes of Alaska hitherto largely neglected
 " 'Coincident with the resumption of com mercal sealing the Pribilof Islands, the de- partment. for the first time in the history of those islands also is making of the by-prod- ucts of the sealing industry. A reduction plant has been sent the islands and there will hence forth be large and valuable output of oil and fertilizer.
 "'The department realizes that country
 safely depend permanently upon any one single overshadowing industry occupation. In diversity lies security. Before the shores of Alaska, however, be covered as they ought to be with the vessels bringing to and from her ports the commerce that is their due the waters of Alaska must be made safe "
 Commenting upon the letter to Gov. Riggs tn Brooklyn Eagle says:
 Hardly anybody thinks of Alaska in times, but recent letter from Secretary of Com Redfeld to Gov. Riggs of the Territory shows that that wide-awake Brooklyn man is work ing out, through his department a plan for the development of the fishing industry of Alaska of food supply to the Nation and of wealth to the Territory.
 Alaska salmon old story, but Secre- tary Redfeld points out that the herring fishery there might be made profitable in Scotland or Norway ana that there IS an opportunity TOT the marketing of other food fishes which now unknown outside of the Territory. To this end Secretary Redfeld has doubled the number of demonstrators from the Bureau of Fisher ies for Alaska and he proposes fisheries experi- ment station the model of agricultural pertinent stations. This station will be on Puget Sound, for the service of the whole Northwest, but if second station in Alaska could be made more useful the Secretary would submit estimates of its cost to Congress.
 "A step toward the conservation of the vast marine resources of the Territory has been the establishment of reduction plant the Pribi- lof Islands in order that the by-products of the sealing there may not be wasted as they have been in the past. The plant is expected to produce valuable oil and fertilizer. These merely the beginning of the development of the