The Alaska daily empire., 1920-06-17

Il or selling such vessels to any citi- zens or independent companies de- l sirious of entering the Alaska trade in competition with the Pacific i Steamship Company, which MT. 1 Clark represents. No other explana- tiOn can be given for the language of the section. In every other trade in the United States. under this sec tiOn the United States Shipping 1 Board can put on a steamship line, or can charter vessels, or sell yes
 sels, to engage in trade, except in l Alaska, because Alaska has no ports
 where arequate terminl connections with rail carriers can and will be ] made or already exists, except the ! terminal of the government railroad, when completed, and the terminal of the Copper River & Northwestern Railroad at Cordova, which is owned by the same interests to-wit, the Guggenheim interests, which own the Alaska Steamship Company, and which own the copper mines which furnish the principal freight hauled by that railroad. In Southeastern Alaska, which is the only portion of Alaska where exists competition of the Canadian steamship lines, there are no railroad terminals; except, Skagway; there is no railroad ter minal at Ketchikan. Wrangell, Pet ersburg, Douglas. Juneau, Sitka. or any of the other ports which will be affected by monopoly water transportation by the Pacific Coast Steamship Company and the Alaska Steamship Co. Why was the power of the Shipping Board to establish steamship lines or to sell or charter vessels to citizens who might estab- 1 fish steamship lines restricted to- ports having railroad terminals, if not in the interest of monopoly by l the present steamship lines?
 Section 22 of the bill authorizes 1 the establishment of government service to the ocean terminal of the government railroad in Alaska. This service, if established, would com
 pete with the American transporta-
 ton companies, but this section was
 not incorporated in the bill at the suggestion of Mir. Clark, but at the
 request of the Secretary of the In- terior. This section, however, is tsuperfluous, Under the provisions of
 Section the power is given to the
 Shipping Board, which is expressed
 in Section 22
 Section 29 also prohibits the car
 rying of freight originating in an
 American port, from Dawson, 9u-
 kon Territory. to the support of
 Fairbanks, Alaska There are no
 vessels at present engaged in this
 trade except Canadian vessels, and
 it is not probable that if they are
 prohibited from the trade that
 American lines can be installed. in
 view of the approaching completion
 of the Alaska railroad, which is eX-
 pected to supply transportation fla
 cilities for this section of the coun-
 try. It is absolutely necessary that
 some provision be made to cover this
 situation, either by striking out all
 of Section %, or by excepting the
 Yukon river from its operation.
 l therefore suggest:
 1.
 (a) That Section 29 be stricken r out, or Alaska be excepted from its I provisions, for the reason that no p necessity exists at the present time s for the exclusion of the Canadian : lines from the Alaska trade, to any n greater extent than they are all e ready excluded by existing law
 = (b) Because the people of Alas S ka need the service now furnished e by the Canadian lines, both as an r absolute necessity and as a check d upon the arbitrary fixing of rates s by American companies.
 n Gel If Section 29 is not stricken D out, it must be modified so as to l except the Yukon river from its L. scope, otherwise the people of the v interior of Alaska will be deprived : of the only service they have or :. are likely 10 get until the compile fl ton of the Alaska railroad
 g If it is Impossible to strike out s Section 29 in conference, then at o all events il is yitally necessary that g Section ' be amended by striking