The daily Alaska citizen., 1919-07-25


 . Notwithstanding all the doleful pre-, dictions and bombastic attacks on the Alaskan Engineering commission, it seems to have performed its functions with sufficient efficiency to satisfy the United States senate.
 Yesterday the senate passed the sundry civil bill with an amendment giving to the commission $12OO0.0 900 for the completion of the road to Fairbanks in 1921 reserving for ap- propriation in 1920 $5,475,O00 which includes the cost of the steel bridge at Nenana and standard gauge equip ment for the Fairbanks Nenana divi- sion.
 J. l.. McPherson of the Alaska Blu reau of the Seattle Chamber of Com merce completely reviewed the work of the commission in the past and l also the estimates for future cOnstruc- ton. IL was on the facts presented by him to the senate appropriations committee that the senate was con yinced of the necessity for the large l liberality displayed in their apprOpria- ton
 ! He convinced the committee that the work thus far performed, when compared to similar work previously ., in, nd ta nrly lnton in the states during the same period was performed economically. He pointed out that althO the road had been built during period of high lest labor and material costs it will cost only 301 per cent more than the original estimate called for. He showed that it's construction cost on completion would be $lO,OOO per mile less than the Copper River X North western railway had cost its con tractor to build. The figures are $73,O00 per mile for the A. F. C. and He showed that whereas the total in vestment of the C. R. X N, W. was now over $246,000 per mile, including equipment, terminals, rolling stock, etc., the A. E. c. would have all told less than $10O0OO per mile invested. The Alaskan end of the White Pass X Yukon has an investment value of over $11J,000 a mile as compared to the A. F. c. $99,2OO
 This latter figure he showed was for railroad vastly superior to either of the others in all respects, both as to physical and operating conditions, and included rolling stock, equipment, harbor improvements at Anchorage, public utilities at An .chorage and Nenana, employees resi- dences which will return their cost in a few years from rents, coal mines producing the railroads fuel supply, public buildings at Nenana and An chorage, the development of the towns and country along the line of railway to aid in creating traffic for the line
 He argued that Alaska would re turn every dollar of the cost of the road in a few years and that the completion of the road by 1921 was ued prosperity of the interior.
 A wagon road is to be immediate ly constructed connecting the ends of steel as much to accommodate traffic for the interior as to facilitate railroad construction. Work is to be pushed to the limit of economical possibility all along the line and every effort made to encourage min ing, industrial and agricultural de velopment.
 The hope of those in responsible charge of the project is to develop Alaska on a broad and enduring scale a scale which shall make for per manent growth of the whole of the
 
 in the house are convinced that Al aska's agricultural possibilities have been greatly underrated that she will produce wheat, meat and dairy pro ducts in vast quantities and sup port a population equal to that of Scandinavian countries, of Finland, Lapland and Northern Russian provinces.
 There is reason to believe that all attempts to crystalline opposition to the road on the part of those polite ally opposed to the Alaskan Engineer ing commission will fail.
 It is recalled that similar attempts were made to discredit the Panama 1 Canal commission because that pro | feet originally estimated to cost $11O,- | 900, ,000 actually cost nearly S4OO,OOO,- 900, failed because the objectors could cite nothing tangible but only general allegations of extravaganza and incompetence. Congress is not 1 impressed by that sort of campaign. It is too universal in respect to all government undertakinpS to merit at