The Cordova daily times., 1919-05-15

an abnormal year, and for which some people have proposed a sum of $10,- 000,OO0 to create steamship line. AS the tonnage figures are not given 1t
 is impossible to say how much ton
 mage is represented in that valuation
 of supplies sent north, but assuming
 that the very small and conservative
 estimate of half million per ships
 cargo, and twelve northbound trips
 would take all of the supplies of the
 competitive class
 Can any steamship operator imag-
 inc group of men talking of creat- ing $1O,0OO,0O0 steamship line, when
 few trips of one large steamship
 could handle all the competitive ton mage north as moved last year. And 1919 is decreasing under 1918 totals. ! Then let us take the value of ship ments sent from Alaska to the United
 States ports. The grand total of the
 products of Alaska, as shown by gov ernment figures, amounted to $74,-
 986,579. First, must be deducted from
 that total the value of fish handled
 by various cannery boats and halibut
 schooner and whaling vessels amount
 ing to $35,36O,0O0. Then must be de-
 ducted the value of the copper, $18,- 156,O51. This leaves balance Of
 s21.47O,528, which the new line can
 regard as competitive southbound ton
 mage, and it must go into the open
 market and fight with existing steam
 ship lines, schooners, barges, etc., to
 get it's proportion of the business.
 In the above, we have assumed for
 sake of argument, that of the con-
 petitive tonnage, the new government
 will establish rates to Southeastern,
 Southwestern and far Western Alaska
 to Puget Sound, Columbia river and
 San Francisco. But, further, assum- ing that of the competitive balance, it
 should succeed in getting all of the
 business, even then the total would
 not be great enough to provide busl-
 ness for this $1O,OO0,OO0 corporation for even two of the summer months.
 It has been shown that the balance for competitive business amounted to
 the valuation of $27,S25,730, and of
 this there is every reason to believe
 tkat the two regular steamship com
 panies operating would assuredly' with their frequent sailing and large tonnage. each be able to control a paltry 25 per cent. So the valuation of 1918s competitive commerce open to specialization would thus be reduced
 to less than s14,OOO,OOO worth.
 The entire figures above have been
 prepared exclusively for the consump- tion of the Alaskans who are agitat- I ing this question. If only they could see it. the Alaskans have some
 mighty good friends who hate to see
 them make themselves utterly ridicu- llous and when they propose to create la S1O,OOO,OOO steamship line for the purpose of hauling less than $14,OOO,- 900 worth of goods, they are going up against one of the heaviest losing ven- lures ever suggested. They cannot
 expect to destroy the Pacific Amer ican Fisheries, the Booth Fisheries, Libby, McNeill & Libby, and their total tonnage must be deducted. They can publish falsehods about the Ken necott Copper, but the Kennecott Cop per has the right to haul it's own cop per ore in it's own ships and they can not expect any of that traffic.
 It appears so simple to understand why such a steamship line must be , losing venture that one can only won der why some practical man in Jul : neau doesn't show the promoters the folly of the enterprise. The Humboldt Steamship Co. was this year taken OH r the run because there was no traffic , and goodness knows the Humboldt Twas popular. The people of Juneau and Douglas focked to it's support. II was the most popuar, heroic and grit ty little steamship that one ever 5 heard of, and the minute there is any E business justifying it a steamship Will get back in the game. The Alaska Steamship Co, and the Pacific Steam ship. co. are giving to Alaska more : boats today than warranted, by the tonnage Or passengers carried either : northbodnd or southbound.
 ) A word to the wise ought to be sui : fiicient, but if the Alaskans persist Tn putting on this $1O,00O,000 steamship i, service to compete for the small Iamount of competitive freight in the J territory, they are surely due to g sErude awakening. You cannot change } tonnage facts no matter how much : you talk politics, and after the Alaska