The Nenana daily news., 1919-03-28
OUR OPPOSITION

Notwithstanding the fact that privately owned railroads and steam ship companies operating in Alaska have exacted for many years and are still exacting progressively heavy tolls from Northerners in the form of exorbitant freight and passenger charges, there are those in the terri tory who refuse to concede that government control and operation of rail and water transportation will lessen the burdens of Alaska shippers and travellers. There is, in fact. a well organized opposition to federal control of public utilities n the North and everything possible has been and is being done. in and out cf CogresS, to render difficult tA work of Secretary Lane and those of his assistants who are en- gagged in building the governments railroad in Alaska. The department of the interior has been seriously handicapped in its efforts to pro- vide Interior Alaska with all-year rail connection with the coast, and to render possible the development of promising but inaccessible min- ing districts by bridging distances and providing adequate means of transportation at greatly reduced cost And much of the delay and incrased cost of construction. SO noisly complained of by our former delegate to Congress, can be traced directly to the doors of those en- gagged in the effort to prevent the government from making success of the Alaska railroad enterprise.
 The great majority of Alaskans. however, and nearly all Of the news papers of Alaska, are in hearty accord with the railway plans of the interior department; and all of them recognize in Secretary Lane one of the best friends the territory has ever had Very few papers thus far have questioned the ability of the government to make good in the operation of the railroad now under costruction. The Valdez Miner. which is one of the few. would have it's readers believe that present con- iitions of transportation in Alaska are satisfactory and that the gov ernment is incapable of improving them. In recent issue the Valdez paper presented its views in the fol- lowing editorial:
 The Nenana News and many other Interior Alaskan papers are advocating the government taking over the steamship lines, or start ing an independent government yes Zel, for the purpose of competing with the companies now in the field Those of us who have had a taste of government ownership do no! look for any material relief from this method. There is no instance on record where government owner. ship has cheapened prices. but or the contrary has raised them. Take the railroads now controlled by the government. Notwithstanding q large increase in freight and paSs. enger rates, deficit of over s15O.. hQh.o00 exists. And service i; rotten. Take the telephone system
 The government upon securing con trol promptly raised the rates over 25 per cent, and refused to install phone unless a deposit of s1o was made by the subscriber Anj so it goes on down the line. Poo, service and higher rates character. lze government ownership up to the -reseEt time. Had the companie: controlling these utilities been al. lowed to place the figures at govern ment figures the corporations would have given better service and left