The Cordova daily times., 1920-07-16
REP REPRESENTATIVES, OE NENANA COMMERCIAL CLUB HERE ID
 INTERVIEW SECRETARY PAYNE

R. s. Mcdonald and Gus Peterson representatives of the Nenana Com mercial Club, arrived in Cordova yes, terday afternoon and will leave On the steamship Northwestern for Seward where they hope to meet Secretary of Interior Payne and present to him the needs of their section along develop ment lines. Mr. Mcdonald is an old time newspaper man of Alaska and the Yukon territory and is at present United States Commissioner and Post master at Nenana. He has also been delegated by the Alaska Chapter American Mining Congress, with head quarters at Fairbanks, to represent that mining body in his conference with Secretary Payne. When inter viewed by Daily Times representa- tive MT. Mcdonald gave the following outline of the most important matters that will be laid before Secretary Payne, in the hope of stimulating the development. of interior Alaska:
 'The Alaskan needs of principal inn portance that the delegation hopes to have the opportunity to discuss with Secretary Payne are transportation improvements to be effected through better roads and cheaper rates, cen tral power plant established at the Nenana coal fields to furnish power to the numerous mining operations and earlier installation of the Nena- na and Panama river bridges on the government railway than is at present contemplated by the Alaskan Engi neering Commission, and higher scale of wages on the construction work
 "The experience of the past has
 
 the accommodation of the mining camps of the Interior only after the greater part of the work has been done in those camps and that freight ing by teams has cost from to 60 cents per pound. As an example a boiler was moved from Fairbanks to Fairbanks creek in 1904 at a cost ot 50 cents per pound, whereas a heavier boiler was moved to the same place in 1909 after road was built at a cost of 2 cents per pound. The extra amount paid out for freighting in many camps would have built sever al roads\of the kind finally construct ed there.
 Careful investigation of the possi bilities and cost of installation ant operation of plant at the Nenana coal fields has been made by the Alaska Chapter of the American Mining Congress and it is conserva- lively estimated that power could be transmitted to hundreds of opera tions at less than one-third of the present cost When it is remember. ed that wood costs in the interior an average of $14 a cord at the mines it will be seen that the item of power is to be reckoned with The fuel bill of the Rhoads- Hal quartz mine, operating a five,staml mill was $25,000 last year.
 "The need for the bridges ever the Panama and Nenana river is urgent and, while the Engineering Com mission proposes to complete the steel and over that ship the bridge material the people of the Interior in sist that this is a senseless delay as the excess of cost of shipment b. the river route would not amount t. nearly enough to warrant the rela. of two years.
 sThe wage scale is not only con sidered inadequate for the work in thu interior but it has been proven so The commission urgently needs mel and will employ all who apply and a that they cannot get enough in th' north to insure any considerable pro gress with the work. The reason |