The daily Alaska citizen., 1920-01-17

reached the condition where practical fly all of the available timber on the important older creeks has been cut and burned. and on several of them even the very stumps have been increased to a point where price fuel. The cost of securing wood has , increased to a point where a price of s16 or S17 per cord is not excep- tional: as compared with S or s6 a few years ago But even In favored localities where wood can still be had at nominal price. 1t should not be used as fuel under any conditions that have a regard for the future. because the time can easily be fore seen when such timber will be needed urgently for mining and building pur- poses. It should, therefore be con- served for such use.
 The problem of cheaper power ia a vital element in the cost of mining here that there can never by any extensive development of the latent resources of the interior of Alaska until 1t is satisfactorily solved. The entire district depends directly or in directly upon the mining industry, not only for its present existence, but | also for it's entire future growth. 1 There are big possibilities in agri- culture. to be sure possibilities which have been demonstrated beyond ques- tion by the wonderful farming that is now being done in the Tanana valley. But because of remoteness the farmer cannot hope to ship his produce to the United States at profit and must, therefore. look to local consumption for his market. And what Is the source of that con-
 sumption? The mining industry and the attendent commerce depending directly upon 1t. If the mining in- 1 dustry fails, agriculture must fail also thru shere hamilton, or else be so seriously crippled that 1t may per haps never realize the opportunities l that are now In sight And the mining industry cannot hope to advance un- less power can be had more cheaply than at present.
 The placer workings, upon which 1 this portion of Alaska has been so dependent in the past, have reached the point where most of the bonan- zag have been exploited. And lode mining for any but the highest grade of ore has as yet been unthinkable. | But there remain untouched many mil ! lion yards of lower grade placer gravel, containing nearly twice as much gold as has thus far been re- covered, that can and will be mined as soon as cheaper power and sup plies are available; while the pro duction to be had from lode mining under such conditions has not yet | been scratched on the surface, with |
 road supplies will be cheaper But any reduction here must be accom- panied by a marked decrease In the cost of power, especially for large op- erations where power is such con- | siderable item of cost, because any possible reduction in freight rates on supplies cannot be sufficient 10 lower the cost of mining materially. Cheaper power alone offers the key to unlock interior Alaska's resources. Realizing the importance of this question the Alaska Chapter of the American Mining Congress undertook to find solution of the problem and appointed the speaker as chairman of a committee to cooperate with the Alaska station of the bureau of mines which was working along similar | lines. Several months were spent In making a careful survey of the re- | sources of the district In order to have definite facts and data upon which to base their recommendations
 The estimates have been checked and verified by conferences with pros- pectors, mining men and mining op orators actively engaged in the dis trict for the past 12 or Is years as to details regarding ground of which these men have intimate personal knowledge It was the aim of the committee to err on the conserva- tive side If at all. and the figures are but fraction of what many men familiar with the district feel and know to be the potential resources here. The estimates of power cost have been varified by a number of experts of the bureau of mines engaged in fuel investigation And the entire work has received the hearty support of the Alaska Chapter and the cooperation of mining men and operators in the interior of Alaska. The findings and recommen- dations of the committee have been incorporated In report by the super intendent of the Alaska station, which