The Cordova daily times., 1920-01-06
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1919
WHY NOT DRAW ON ALASkA'S
 RESOURCES?

The territory of Alaska has poten- tial natural resources in coal-bearing lands, oil-bearing lands, and almost unlimited quantities of standing tim Der suitable for the making of wood pulp, employed in the manufacture of paper, and of slight use for any other purpose. The states of the Union need more coal, more oil and more wood pulp Indeed there is an urgent need for steaming coal for uses of the great naval fleet now stationed in the paper-making industry. So scarce is the present supply of wood pulp that bill has been introduced in con- gress providing for a limitation in the number of pages that may be printed by the metropolitan newspapers. The warships of the navy stationed on the Pacific coast now have to depend on fuel shipped from the Atlantic sea- board, or import a steaming coal from Canada's mines
 This deplorable condition exists in the face of the fact that Alaska can supply all the good steaming coal that the Pacific coast fleet will be able to use for an indefinite period of time, and that the cottonwood forests of Southeastern and Central Alaska can furnish all the wood pulp that may be needed for hundreds of years, broadly speaking. It may be perti- nent to ask, in the light of this dis closure, why in the name of common sense are not these much-needed re- sources in Alaska opened and the prod ucts placed in use?
 Thanks to Pinchot and his cOnserva- tion folly, the Alaska coal and oil bearing lands were withdrawn from private entry and location in the V 1906. The federal government frowned on private enterprise that was seeking to develop the great resources in coal taken assumption that men with money were attempting to gobble the riches of that territory. With the passing of time, a coal-land leasing bill was passed by the congress, pIt its terms are so forbidding that pri- vate capital will not undertake to op crate under it. The Oil-land leasing bill has been juggled about in congress until it has finally reached a confer ence between the two houses. Wheth, r it will be a workable measure, if it finally is enacted into law, rem ti1s to be seen. One would suppose that during thirteen sessions of congress a bill could be evolved that would per init the development of the Alaska oil bearing lands.
 As to the quality of the Alaska coal,
 
 especially in the Matanuska and the Katalla fields, tests by the navy have been more than satisfactory. The coal is needed, there. is plenty of it in these two fields, and yet the federal government, which practically forbiIs private development, has been inert and inactive True, the Alaskan en- gineering commission, building the government railroad in Alaska, is min ing coal in the Matanuska fields, but only for it's own needs.
 What the congress should do at this time is to make substantial appropri- ations fc- the development of the Alaska coal fields and the wood pulp ina 1stry in the territory. These ap- propriations should be large enough so that a comprehensive scheme of development may be undertaken with out delay. If private capital will not enter the coal fields, under the leasing law in effect, then the government should undertake their development. If private capital will not undertake to develop the wood pulp industry in Alaska, then 1t is up to the federal government to do so.
 We hear considerable nowadays about Alaska always wanting the fed