The Cordova daily times., 1918-04-02

Uncle Sam picked up a bargain about half a century ago that may help to settle many "high-cost-of-liv- ing problems developed by the big war. It is only within a comparatiyely short time that the possibilities of our northern territory of Alaska have been considered as a serious factor in our lives, but recently a flour-mill has been established there, and it is now ac- tually grinding Alaska wheat. It is estimated that there are 64,00O000 acres of land suitable for farming and grazing, and if it had not been for the demands made upon the soil by the war, they might have lain idle for years to come. For Alaska, while all ways regarded as rich in minerals, has never appealed as a tempting proposi- tion to the general farmer.
 Aside from her agricultural possibiI- ities, Alaska is rich in coal deposits, and with the completion of the new government railroad the United States should be assured against another ruel- famine in the near future. Here are a few of the possibilities of Uncle Sam's bargain as enumerated by the Los Angeles Times, and which are the result of a two months tour of the far-north country by F. R. Feitshans, mining engineer of Los Angeles, who predicts:
 2 The reindeer ranches of the Far North are destined to settle the meat question for the United States. The fisheries of the north coast 1 waters will be able to furnish practi- ] cally all the sea-food for the entire country within the next century.
 The gold copper, and other valu. able mines of Alaska have scarcely l been scratched, and the next few years will see an Alaskan boom not now dreamed of by the most optimistic bus | mess men of the United States.
 Of course fifty years ago little was known of Alaska by the people of the United States, who regarded it as a wild, barren country, and the little price tag of $7,2OO,OO0 which Russia had tied to it didn't then look much | like a bargain-counter sale. In fact President Andrew Johnson and Secre- tary of State Seward had a good bit of ! explaining to do, for the purchase was generally regarded by those who could not foresee the future of the country as an extravagant waste of public funds. Some idea of the wealth of our once lightly regarded bargain" may be gained from the following article by the Washington correspon- dent of the Philadelphia Public Ledger:
 To attempt to visualize the Alaska of the future is to indulge in dreams of empire, because Alaska is fashioned in titanic way. So vast are her mrn- eral deposits that despite a yearly out put of more than $32,0OO,OOO it is per missible eXaggeration to say that her mineral resources have not been touched. Her fisheries are yielding q return of $20,000,OO0 a year and her 64,OO0,OOO acres of land capable of be- ing turned to agricultural uses ought to support rural population of at least 1O,0O0,OOO.
 What will the development of this storehouse of wealth and natural beau- ty mean to the people of the limited States? MT. Meyer (assistant secre- tary of the interior), just returned from an inspection of the railroad out lined for me some of the things now being done there-things that are lit tie known to the public generally The opening up of the mineral deposits is not the greatest thing the government is doing, he said, but the develonment of the soil promises in time to make Alaska the Mecca of advanced farm. ing.
 "The imDression has haap oIt It.,