The Alaska daily empire., 1920-05-19
SHIPPING BOARD
 SAVES S600,OOO
 ID N0RTHERNERS
M. D. Lcchey Tells Inierdc- partmental Board of Work
 of Territorial Board


 Maur.ce D Leehey told the Inter departmental Commission at Seattle that some local regulator body orI commission living in Alaska is nec- e8sary to reGtlate ocean ehfppiug and adjust complications ar ing in water tran1portation He stated that the Alaska Territorial Chipping Board h1d saved :he people of Alas Ia at least SGG9,0o0 by preventing the proposed increase in freight rates last fall. He said it developed that such increase was suggested by the Canadian lines in correspondence with the American steamship com ranie5 at Seattle. Indeed, such an increase was once announced by r. P. Cllrk of the Alaska Steamship Company while the Admna Line issued 8 statement, when # withdrew the Senator from the Nome run that they were losing money, and would | have to incerase rates.
 , R. M. Semmes, traffic advisor of ! the Territorial shippinb Board and i lis acc9untants were engaged at | hat time in asSem bling traffic data, summary of which has been pub | lished in the hearings of the Ser ate Committee on Commerce last March. The steamship companies granted another increase ia waGos in August. and an increase in the price of fuel oil was announced, so i they declared it would be necessary 1 10 increase rate5. A conference with | Gov Riggs was had, and notice was 1 Gerved by Mr. Lcehey that any in crease in rates would be resisted | The Territorial Board has thus far prevented the proposed increase, al though the price of fuel oil is in. 1 creasiDG MT Lcehey says they arc prepared to show that any increase in rates would cripple the Territory and so reduce traffice that the rev enues of the lines would be actu ally diminished by any increase in rates.
 [ Tonnage Figurc3
 The increase proposed last fall would average $1 per ton. The Alaska and Pacific Steamship Com pany last year handled 295, 490 tons tons southbound, a total of 573,6S9 ! tons. If is believed that traffic this year will exceed 60O,O00 tons in view of the increased tonnage of the Alaskan Engineering Commission, SC that an average increase of $t pel ton means q saving to the people o Alaska this year of over $500, 900 1 Indeed the saving is greater because l it was also proposed to increase passenger rates. MT. Leehey citet this in his argument for the contro of Alaska affairs by body resden in the Territory, along the line! proposed by Secretary Lane anC embodied in tho Curry bill. creating a Development Board in Alaska tt l take over the work now handled by the Federal bureaus in the Territory
 Detailed Statements
 Mir. Leehey referred to the traffic data and financial statements pub 1 lished in the hearings before the Senate Commerce Committee las March. He told Dr. Alfred II 1 Brooks the figures there published give only the summary. but the Territorial Board has several hun dred pages of detailed statements which he invited Dr. Brooks and hia committee to examine. The data 1 goes into every phase of the traffic and costs of operation in the Terri toryp He stated this data has been collected by the Alaska Territorial Shipping Board at a cost of $l5.0o0 It is the only complete Alasls1 traf fife data ever assembled, while the meager data collected by the United States Shipping Board and it's in vestigation of Alaska water traffic in 1918 is reported to have cost the government. over $S0,000.