The Alaska daily empire., 1919-06-25

IL mas become eVlucHl lHdt AldS- ka in time is bound to contain wire less stations for routing the burden of telegraph business between the United States and the Orient, and for coaling stations for the steamer trade which will swing around the more northern circuit. Some good publicity work is being done now to show the advantage Alaska offers for opening the Orient. For in stance in a long article in the Seat tie Times, from Frank c. Doig, di- rector of the publicity of the Seat tie Chamber of Commerce, are talk en the following interesting facts:
 Imagine attempting to transact foreign trade valued at $1,108,- 695,472 a year by mail! Yet this practically is what cities of the Pacific coast are forced to do at the present time.
 You may say: What ab%lt the cables and wireless telegraph sys- tens? Why cannot they be used How can a business man expct to compete with other countries or dis tricts of the United States without quick communication facilities?"
 Do you know that there is but one trans-Pacific cable in operation at present and this is out of conn., mission a greater part of the time For weeks at a time the Pacific coast is cut off from communica- tion with the Orient because of in- terruptions to the cable which lands at San Francisco. But even when this single cable is working, busi- ness men of the Pacific Northwest , report delays of from four to nine days. They also report scarcely a cablegram arrives that is not gar bled and mutilated to such an ex- tent as to be practically valueless. In 1914 the total foreign com merce of the Pacific coast ports with the Orient amounted to $274,- 394,515; in 1917 the figure had risen to $692,S14,014 and in 1918 the total was $1,1O8,695,472. And with the coming of peace these fi- gures will continue to mount each year unless American. business men are unable to obtain quick commun- ication service with the Orient. The Pacific coast stands to lose this enormous trade which is just begin 1 ming to unfold unless communica- tion facilities are adequate
 With the economic rejuvenation of Siberia more delays and losses l to American business are sure to come because of cablegram delays If the communication facilities dc not break down entirely this year they certainly will become impos- sible under the after-war expansion of Siberia, Japan and China.
 The new American merchant mar inc cannot expect to hold the place 1t should on the Pacific without be. ing supplemented by an adequate communication service that will be as democratic and as fair to all ma. tions as our operation of ships is l planned to be.
 Radio System Suggested
 To meet the emergency of today and prevent complete demoraliza tion of communication in 1919, the Pacficic radio service must be sup plemented at once by the installa
 tion of one or more high power wireless stations so placed that tho distance spanned between any two stations will at no time require tht highest power thereby permitting the handling of large volume oi l messages without too great danger of their passing into unfriendly ! hands. This matter has been force 1 fully brought to the attention ol I the United States Navy Department by the Seattle Chamber of Com. merce. -
 It has been pointed out that with a high power wireless station al some North Pacific coast point, com munication could be had with the St. Paul Island station off the coast l of Alaska and from there 1t would be an easy matter to communicate with Vladivostok and Japanese points. It has been suggested that the Navy Department establish 8 high tower radio station at Newport, Wash, near the Puget Sound Navy Yard on land already owned by the Government. At present the Navy has 3 station at that point but 1t is not powerful enough to communi- cate with St. Paul island Quick action on this plan would mean