The daily Alaska citizen., 1919-12-20
ISSUES
 STATEMENT IN
 COAL QUESTION
GIVES coNNretoN.s OUTLOOK OF THE FUEL SITUATION SAYS IS PAYING PRICE MORE THAN FAIR COMMISSION MAY MINE

Btlole leaving tor NcndnH Ne~teT- day morning, Engineer in Charge F. D. Browne prepared a communica- ton to The Citizen setting forth what is presumably the views of the Alaskan Engineering Commission re- garding the coal question. This com munication follows in full:
 Editor Alaska Citizen
 The question has recently come up concerning the delivery of coal to Fairbanks and to the creeks Some time ago the attention of the Chier Engineer. Col. Mears. was called 10 the fact that coal was not being de, 1 livered in sufficient quantities. or at all, 10 prospective consumers in i Fairbanks; and in order to set alright a few of the misunderstanding tha, 1 were apparent, he requested me to have a talk with the chamber of com merce of Fairbanks and with the scy- eraI editors of the newspapers of the interior which has been done.
 The impression that has been given | is that the Alaskan Engineering Com | him to give authority Unless the for the development of the coal meas ure of the Nenana field. Let me make it perfectly clear that the commission was authorized to "Operate and con struct railroads in Alaska" and any venture indirectly attributable to this end had to receive authority from the | President or someone delegated by 1 him to give autohrity. Unless the commission is required to develop ! coal mine on the ground that il re- | Quires the coal for its own use. il is quite out of the question to have such development prosecuted In order to encourage the | development of coal, a price that is considered more than fair is offered 10 corporation to furnish the com mission with coal. We are now us using il in our power plant at Nonana and in our locomotives and other machines, the coal from Nenana field in preference to wood, for three very good reasons: it is cheaper, it ia l cleaner and it is better The relative values of the heating units of this Ignite coal as compared with wood | has been determined by the bureau | of mines; and while l have not been l officially informed as to these rela- tive values l understand that a little | over ton of coal is equal to a cord of wood In order therefore, that coal | should be substituted in the home ! in general commercial activities of the neighborhood, such price must | be considered as will place this in competition. This involves the cost to the miner, the cost of transporta- 1 ton of the railroad and the cost of | delivery from the railroad cars to the consumers door. The cOmmis- sion is not In a position to determine other than the cost of transportation, low that 1t is questionable whether it pays for train crew service and fuel actually used.
 A short time ago a new vein of coal was unearthed six miles from the then end of steel south of Nenana. In order to make this coal available | the commission advanced their track to this coal measure, and it is now possible, or will be in a very short time, to have development made at this point.
 The commission stands ready at all times to transport this coal when it is offered to us as a carrier, even to the transportation across the ice at the Panama river; and if any per son. or any mining corporation, wishes to use this coal, and to have it de livered it seems that the only method so far evolved is to make request to the mining corporation. If it is de termined later that such corporation will not deliver the coal to our cars for transportation or cannot do so, then a new phase of the coal situa- ton has been presented and the commission may find itself in a posi- tiOn of helping, in as large a measure as the laws will permit, in the mining as well as the delivery of coal
 As the matter stands at present the ConissiOn in bending every effort 10 see that this fuel, upon which the welfare of the future of Alaska is so firmly based, will be made available at as reasonable a cost as possible
 Until, however it is clearly demon strated that the miners, who are now in the field, are unable or unwill- ing to supply the demands, the com mission feels that it must hold aloOf. This state of affairs has not yet been | reached.
 FREDERICK D. BROWNE
 Engineer in Charge