The Alaska daily empire., 1918-05-25
Col. J0neS Presents Great Work on AIaska'S Wa terS and Need for
 Safeguarding.
SHOWS MANY THINGS
Resources of Territory, Re- lation of Country to U. s. Commerce.,
 Etc., Explained.

One of the most interesting works on Alaska that has been given to the public in a long time, and one of the most useful, is that issued by Col. E. Lester Jones, Superin- tendent of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, entitled Safeguard the Gateways of Alaska: her Waterways. Copies of the book have just reached Alaska. It is issued by the Department of Commerce as Special Publication No 50"
 The book is finely illustrated and contains many maps and charts, showing the relation of Alaska to the United States and American commerce, Illustrating the development and resources of Alas ka, the work of the Coast and Geo. Getic Survey in Alaska, and com parisons of the work done there and elsewhere, and. showing in gra- phic manner the great number of wrecks that have occurred in Alas kan waters as result, in large measure, of lack of proper chart ing of the waters and of aids to navigation.
 The illustrations include pictures O. practically all of the coast towns of Alaska, including several Juneau photographic, pictures illustrating the fisheries, mining, numbering and other resources, pictures of the ships engaged in Coast and Geo. detic Survey work.
 The maps and charts show clear ly not only the importance ot Alaskan commerce and how little of her waters are properly charted and safeguarded with aids to navi- gation, but the position of Alaska with reference to American com merce on the Pacific Ocean. It is shown that the shortest distance from any American port and any Oriental port lies through Alaskan waters.
 One of the interesting charts is one showing that while Alaska has been American territory for more than 50 years, only 9 per cent of Alaskan waters have been drag ged and charted while GA per cent of the waters of the Philippines have been charted within r years
 Col. Jones, the author of the work, has been temporarily trans ferred from the Coast and Geodet- ic Survey to the military branch of the United States, where he will ress of the war, as an officer of the Army with the rank of colonel
 Col Jones is we'll known in Alas ka as having been connected With the United States fisheries service for a while, and during that shor' time he prepared a report on the fish and fisheries of this Territory that is among the best works on that subject
 Concluding his Safeguard tho Gateways of Alaska" Col Jones says:
 Alaska's Greatest Need.
 Most serious thought should b. given now as to taking care of Alas ka's greatest need. The war should not delay preparation for the work as immediate provision looking to the care of the preliminaries will mean the saving possibly of years If authorization can be secured for new vessels and launches, all plans and specifications for building them will be prepared, and when the mo- ment arrives bids and awards car be handled without any delay, and if authority is granted for the addi- tional officers needed, then immedi ate filling of the new positions will result, and when the vessels and launches are ready the tained off cers will be ready, too.
 Future
 'It is safe to predict, and with proper emphasis, that Alaska will reach out in the near future look ing to development along all lines and through every possible channel Her next 10 years will most likely place her far in advance of what the past 50 years have produced and all assistance possible should be forthcoming from the mother coun- try upon whom the responsibility rests. We should be we'll prepared in every branch of the home govern ment to facilitate the commercial government and competition that will surely follow the close of the war.
 Let it be hoped that the day is at hand when it will be no longer necessary to discover uncharted pin nacle rocks by the loss of some ves- sel, and the. custom of commemorate ing the loss by naming the hidden rock after the unfortunate craft will be impossible in the future.
 "The Coast and Geodetic Survey. which in this field should have been the pioneer. showing the way for commerce to reach each new en- terprise. has instead been following impotently behind, charting dangers less from data obtained by its own surveys than from reports of ves-