The Alaska daily empire., 1918-01-04
BUREAUS ARE HOLDING BACK INDUSTRIES So Declares J. L. McPher- son, Relating to Alas
 ka in a Recent
 Article. POPULATION IS NEEDED Declares That More Lib- eraI Policy is Neces- sary if Alaska Go Ahead.
POPULATION IS NEEDED

In this Industrial number" of the Seattle Times, J. L. McPherson, contributes an article on Alaska. and after giving figures showing the val ue of it's trade, compared with the original purchase price, continues:
 Those who know in part of Alas ka realize that this remarkable show ing is only the beginning and that the story of production for 1917 will be greatly exceeded by that of the years to come.
 Is Alaska receiving the benefit from this wonderful production? Un- fortunately, no. A country that can produce and ship to the outer world products in one month of a value far greater than all of Seattle's in- dustries, is capable of a great and prosperous development and of sup porting a large population. We are simply creaming the rich resources of Alaska without doing anything toward replenishing or assuring a continuation of the rich outflow.
 The intensive development that should be encouraged and fOstered, especially at this time of rich and the result that Alaska is not build ing up with the industries and per manent population essential to the prosperity and rational development of the Northland.
 The cause of this nondevelopment is bureaucratic restriction, monopo- listic condition that is inimical to all that is good and that tends to the rational development of Alaska. The type of men and women who were responsible for the building of our great West are not going to Alaska, land of extremely hard physical and climatic conditions, where they are subjected to a policy of bureaucratic restriction never be- fore practiced in a democratic coun- try.
 Last year one of these pioneers found a piece of land in the Eagle River Valley, Southeastern Alaska, on which he decided to make home for himself and family. AS all of this portion of Alaska is embraced
 in the Tongass Forest Reserve, un- der the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Forestry, he made his application to the forest supervisor for the seg regation of a homestead.
 The Bureau sent one of it's sur veyors who marked out and segre- gated about 100 acres of land. The pioneer sent for his family and started to make frontier home for himself. Evidently, when the report of this governments agent reached some of the numerous higher ups, which string like an endless chain from Alaska to Washington. they de- cided that this homestead was alto gether too large for any one man to own. So, last year there arrived at this Alaska home a second gov ernment surveyor who proceeded to cut the homestead to thirty-nine acres.
 This is only one of innumerable instances of the restrictive activities of all the Federal bureaus having to do with Alaskan affairs. They are simply trying to stifle develop ment and force into their hands the absolute control of Alaska's re- sources. If Alaska is to be deyel- oped as government reserve, peo- pied only by government agents and employees. there could be no criti- cism against such a policy, but we all know that ultimately, under such conditions, great and powerful pri- vate monopolies, through political or other influence. will secure to themselves the exploitation of these great resources.
 The excuse for such a policy of restriction is that the Alaskans are not capable of properly conserving their resources for posterity.
 It is certain that the Alaskans, with bountiful supplies of fuel and paper pulp, would not misapply conservation by importing these much required necessities from for eign countries as they are now compelled to do. and they would sec to it that encouragement was offered to the pioneer, for they know that under such policy Alaska would be peopled by a citizenry typified by one of those pioneer