The Cordova daily times., 1920-01-01

sources ana pfOuucCIOu III AldShd 1ol 1919 is now in preparation under the direction of Alfred H. Brooks, of the United States Geological Survey, De
 partment of the Interior Some o1 the important features of this report
 relating to mining development dur
 ing the year are abstracted in the following statement. Complete sta
 tistics for the mineral production O.
 Alaska can not be collected within
 less than three or four months after
 the close of the year, but meanwhile
 it appears advisable to give prompt
 publication to preliminary estimates
 which are believed to be within per
 cent of the actual figures
 General Statement
 The mining of some $2O,00O worth of gold from placer mines near Jul
 neau in 1880 marked the beginning of the great mining industry of Alas. ka, the value of whose total product up to the close of 1919 is $437, ,4O0, 900. Alaska's developed mineral de- posits are chiefly gold and copper. Hence, her mining industry in 1919 was subject to the same depression that effected gold and copper mining throughout the world. This fact ex- plains in large measure why the value Of Alaska's mineral output in 1919 is only about $1S,S50,00O, while that of 1918 was $2S,254,0O0.
 Alaska's mineral output m 1919 is 1fe smallest made in any year since 1910, and it's mineral value is less than half that of tho output in 1916 tS48,600,O00.) The abnormal produc ticn in 1916, chiefly that of three large m1nes, was due to the high price of copper during the war, which great ly stimulated copper mining. With the fall in the price of copper the Alaska copper industry reverted to normal pre-war conditions. Mean Willie the worldwide depression in gold mining consequent upon high operating costs brought on by the war has seriously crippled the other inn portant Alaska mining industry. As consequence, the value of the annual output of gold from Alaska declined from $16,70O,000 in 1916 to S9.O00. 900 Ill 1919. The Alaska gold-minine, in- uustry is particularly sensitive to pre- sent conditions because many of the enterprises were no; on very sound economic basis. Gold production has been kept up for many years by ex- ploltatlon of bonanza placers rather than by the systematic development o1 large deposits of lower grade. The mlnlng of the placer gold has been carried on as gamble rather than as business venture. As the Dur- chasing power of their product was reduced many gold-mining operators
 The outlook for gold mining in Alas Ea under present economic conditions IS not hopeful, yet the continued suc- cess of certain larger ventures, like dredging, shows that it is by no means hopeless. Such operations and the mining of bonanza deposits will continue. Alaska still contains large reserves of gold-bearing gravels that can be mined profitably when trans portation conditions are improved. No che can foretell whether any more bonanza camps will be found, and therefore the only certain future lies in the development of deposits of lower grade. Therefore the most inn portant event of the year for the fu- ture of mining operations in Alaska was the continuation of the work on the government railroad and the as- by congressional action of the money needed to complete the line. It is now certain that in three Cd1o CuSIc VIII UC d SLduudTu-SduSo railway connecting tidewater on the f Pacific with Fairbanks and navigable waters on the Yukon To give it's full benefit to the mining industry, however, the Alaska Railroad must be connected with mining centers by good wagon roads.
 Except for the railroad construction during the year the transportation conditions in Alaska have been worse in 1919 than in any previous year. The costal steamboat service has been unable to meet the demand for freight and passenger transportation, and the river steamer service on the Yukon and it's tributaries has been worse than ever These conditions have tended to discourage those who were planning new ventures.