The daily progressive-miner., 1919-04-03
WICKERSHAMLETTER TO SECRETARY LANE

signed as parties of the second part.
 The White Pass Co, transferred all it's mercantile property and trade in the Yukon basin to the Northern Commercial Company and its trans portatiou subsidiary. the Northern Ma vigation SCompany, transferred all their steamboats and transportation property 10 the White Pass Co, and the White Pass Co. agreed in consid- cation to pay the Nrrthern Commer- cial Company the sum Of s1. per ton for every ton of freight carried by the White Pass Co.. into the Yukon basin from April g, 1914 to December 31. 1920. not to exceed the sum Of $500. 000. That contract is now in force and the unfortunate merchants and miners Of the Yukon and Panama basins are vet paying an additional and unlawful excess Of SIP Der ton for every ton of freight coming into that interior country. The Northern Commercial Co. and the White Pass Co. in 1918. bought up the two remaining indepen dent boats, operating on those rivers .nd at once increased the feight rates on those rivers an additional SIP per ton 10 enable them to further burden the shippers there at their own cost
 From April g, 1914. the White Pass Co. has had and now enjoys monopoly Of the entire carrying trade upon the Yukon and Panama rives, and controls the transportation Of all freight and passenger from the Nenana terminal os the government railroad. The Nor the-n Commercial C.. had had and now has its fomer employes in confidential control Of the management of all mer chandise coming to Nenana for the gov ernment railroad and others. and thus il does it's share in retarding the sue cesssuI construction Of the much hated government railroad, whose authoriza- ton by act of congress both these com panies 30 vigorously opposed.
 In other words, the construction of The railroad at Nenana is now and at all times has been under the control Of those who desire it to fail and it has, So far been a failure.
 The Kennecott Copper Corporation is the incorporated name of the Alaska Syndicate; it owns the Kennecott and Beatson copper mines in Alaska, also the Copper River & Northwestern Railroad and B per cent capital stock Of the Alaska Steamship Company. MT Stephen Birch. Of New York, is the President Of all three Of these ccmpa- 1 nies. which have the same officers. and work in concert. The Alaska Steam ! ship Company is united in joint rate ? Agreements with other lesser steam . ship companies, but with it's greater feet and heavier capitalization con trols the smaller companies engaged 1 in the coastwise trade in Alaska. It's control over these portation en- panies is we'll shown in the various criminal charges which have been made and sustained by the courts Of the United States against it, as follows L. s. ys Alaska Transportatin Com panies. Alaska Reports, pp 51S.553. 574. 583, 587 and s85.
 Same case on appeal. 228 [. s. Ct, Rep s7.
 See also the Alaska Investigation, Consolidated Cases. Nos. s975, 8976. I C. (. Docket
 Last fall hundreds of horses were killed along the line of the Govern ment Railroad, in the Panama valley, wagons and harness were piled and covered and teamsters walked out Of Alaska, because those transportation interests were permitted to so control rates on the Government Railroad and other routes of transportation as to make it impossible for Aiaskans to ex- ist in the interior Conditions there are worse than they were years ago, before we began the construction of the Government Railroad, and you are to blame for their present harshness.