The Cordova daily times., 1920-12-23
MACKENZIE OIL
 MOVEMENT MAY
 BRING RAILWAY

DAWSON, Nov 20. The tele- graphic advices telling Of a great oil stampede to the Mackenzie valley an nounces a movement long expected by those who have known of the vast oil indications of that region. The strike renews the prospects of great era of development of the Northland, and hopes for a railway trunk line northward toward and possibly through the Yukon.
 The announcement from Vancouver that President Beatty of the Cana dian Pacific proposes to attempt at no distant future to achieve an am bition to construct a railway line through northern Canada and Alas ka to connect with the trans Siberian railway will attract wide attention.
 The scheme is not a new one, but this time, if all reports are true, it has the new feature of being sup ported by the head of one of the largest transportation corporations of the world. No doubt concern with sufficient capital could undertake such a project, but it would require something more than ordinary SUD- port. The purposes of such a trunk line contemplate the development of an empire and the establishment of I ,,1I Such a railway would link not only Canada and Alaska-not only North America and Asia-but the two hemi- spheres, and by linking them would estab continuous rail connections between nearly all big commercial centers of the earth Traffic over such long routes as from Capetown to Halifax or New York might be impTacticable, and far from economi- cal, but it would be possible.
 The greater benefit of such a rail way project as is accredited to Presi- dent Beatty might be found in more circumscribed circle. Yukon and Alaska are empires which should be able to support railways the same as northern Russia, Siberia and Scan dinavia. Once the railway is estab- lished it will hasten the opening of the local resources of interior Yukon and Alaska.
 No such vast interior can hope to be developed to the maximum with out rail service. The railway might not become self-supporting in years without the discovery of great na. tural mineral, oil and other resources, but in time general settlement would develop the northern grazing and other industries of which the north land is capable.
 Again, it must be considered that every new country has it's infant stage, and must be nourished while local resources are developed suffi- cient to create a permanent traffic.
 When it was first announced that the c. P. R. was to be built across the continent, many considered the project wild and chimerical. When the gigantic task was finished and the once-scorned prairie and noun tain country settled the railway be- came the banner property of the con- tinent The same class of people who tabooed the c. P. R. transcontinental project now shake their heads at the proposal to built northward But it must be remembered the northland has it's natural wealth as well as the south.
 The railway to serve interior Yu- kon and Alaska also might prove in- valuable in time for military pur- poses, and thus in time of war more than justify the outlay and work a saving far greater than would be represented in possible losses of ter ritory not properly safeguarded from the interior.
 Yukon and Alaska will have their railways in time, ald none would De more welcome as the pioneer line