The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-10-08

:. their best to bring 1t about.
For Alaska, 1t may be said, is quite place. lts
area is nearly 100000 square miles-an area equal
to the combined area Of Norway, Sweden, Finland,
England, Scotland and Ireland an area equai IL
size to the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin Illinois,
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri the Dakotas and Arkansas
1t has e coast line 10000 miles long, The Yukon,
$500 miles long In Alaska and Canada is great
central national road, by water in summer, on the
ice In winter. The south coast harbors of the
Alaskan peninsula are open the year round though
Point Barrow is 800 miles north Of the Arctic cir
Gle and without sun for 40 days In winter. 1t has
half dozen kinds of climates. There are 100000
square miles suitable for agriculture and grazing
There are 156,25O square miles of forests. There
are gold silver, tin, anthony, copper, lead, mar
BILE, oil. coal, peat. There are fish and seals and
reindeer.
Why, in the 81 years since we paid $720O.oOC
for Alaska to the Russians 1t has returned the
purchase money considerably more than one hun
dred fold. The output Of the fisheries alone
amounts to 100000. The mines have pro-
duced total Of 43S0OOOOO, of which 1911 OUO,OOO
is the value Of the gold output The total value
Of Alaska's mineral, fish and fur products from
1867 to 1919 was $949,OO0,OOO
Yet there is undoubtedly some thing wrong with
Alaska. The white population in 1910 was $4,000.
In 1915 1t had increased to $4,000. The present
white population is estimated at $4,000, in addi-
ton to % 600 natives. some of whom civilized.
The industrial population exceeds 10000.
The total commerce for 1919 was $1O9.652 239,
q decrease of $17,496,7 93. The total commerce,
with the United States for 1920 was $1O6 $50, O95
as against $124, 436 491 in 1919 decrease Of ST.
85O,396. Canned salmon showed decrease of $6,-
S43,915; fresh fish other than salmon a. decrease
OF $37432O. The decrease In imports amounted to
$2,66S8O5, due largely to reduced mining and fish,
cry operations ~.
b. The Value 6f the territoryes mineral output in
1919 was only S19,62OOOO, while that Of 1918 was
$28,2540 600. The mineral output In 1919 was the
smallest In any year since 1910. and It's value was
less than half that of the output in 1916, which
was $4S600,O0O. The value Of the annual output
of gold declined from SIG 100000 in 1915 to So
$4,000 in 1919. The copper output was $24,24O,-
sos In 1917; In 1918 1t SIT 10000; in 1919 1t
was $S.783063
So when Senator Albert B. Fall became secre-
tary Of the interior he fell heir to big job for
it is under the interior department that Alaska
does large part Of its complicated functioning
He and President Harding have been looking into
the situation very seriously. They have held many
conferences. They have apparently come to a con-
clusion, which answers the question. What's the
matter with Alaska?
TOO much government" is their conclusion And
their idea is that absolute authority should be
vested in single head and that single head should
be the President. OF course the secretary of the
But. being miner and developer himself, he is
willing. He says:
"There is just one way to develop Alaska. and
that is to vest absolute authority In single head
and that supreme authority must be the President
himself Such BILL which will vest this author
ity In President Harding, is now being considered
by proper officials and. hope, will shortly be In
troduced in congress. When this Is accomplished.
as am sure it will be before very long, the re-
habilitation Of Alaska will begin In earnest"
Three bills embodying plans for the government
OF Alaska are before the senate and house COM
mittees on territories.
Secretary of the Interior FAN is the last to send
tentative measure to the committees. He pro-
poses to vest In his own department all functions
pertaining to the development and use of natural
resources and constipation work for the territory
The bill by Secretary Fall will not prove more
satisfying to the several departments which he
proposes to invade than the Curry bill, which pro
noses to vest IN an Alaska development board the
administration Of the territory or the Cummins bill
vhfch vests in the President power to reorganlze
Ii federal activities In the territory He will cut