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

atoms by congress through military committees
The bureau of public roads of the agricultural
department constructs public roads in national
forests. There is also territorial road COM
mission. There are actually four federal bu-
reaus which have funds for the construction Of
wagon roads in Alaska.
The 1920 report of John Barton Payne secre
tary of the Interior contains many pages devoted
to consideration of Alaskan conditions by him.
In addition. it contains in full the report of the
Alaskan advisory committee, appointed by him in
April of 1920 to advise what immediate steps could
be taken to better conditions, what industries
could be developed and what resources could be
exploited to give employment to resident popC-
lution which in turn would give a home market
for Alaska products. This committee was made W
of Alfred H. Brooks (chairman9 interior depart
ment; II. Y. Saint, shipping board Otto Praeger.
second assistant postmaster general f. A. Sher-
man. agricultural department.
1t was the Judgment of the advisory committee
that the wise course was to coordinate the differ
ent departments of the government having to do
with Alaska through committee consisting of
representative from each department. Such a
committee was named by Secretary Payne.
In Secretary Paynes personal comments and
the report Of the advisory committee many inter-
esting and curious facts are found Here are
some Of them:
The work of construction of the government
railroad is getting along slowly.
The postoffice department is not ,functionng.
Mail to Alaska is shipped express freight
There has been shortage of labor.
The leases offered by the forest service to max
ers of pulp and paper offer unacceptable terms.
There is no resident district forester.
There are BAT Withdrawals and reservations OF
public lands; many serve no useful purpose.
Only about per cent Of Alaska's ocean water
WAYS have been charted.
Lighthouses and fog horns are needed; some
projects, authorized by congress, lack appropria-
TONS
There was one naval patrol in 1920; there should
be 20 boats.
A territorial police force is needed.
The salmon fishing industry is menaced from
lack of protection and propagation of the fish.
The territorial government wants full territorial
powers of legislation; Jurisdiction fish, game
and Idnd fur-bearing animals; transfer of the
Alaska fund from the federal to the territorial
treasury.
Alaska's coal output in 1919 under the leasing
law was only $4,000 tons; she is importing annual
Nv 100000 tons.
With Oil of her own, Alaska draws on California
for 100000 barrels of petroleum and it's products
There has been little investigation in the
water-power resources.
Extension to Alaska of the farmers loan act
and the stock-raising homestead act are needed.
Ocean transportation is inadequate and rates
are so high to cripple all Alaskan Industrial
expansions Indeed, the problem of getting Alaska
prDducts to market seems to be the biggest prob
lem of an 1t has many qualifications The lit
tie fishing companies, without vessels of their own
have to trust to the chance visit of independent
buyers The catch of these little companies
amounts to millions. The big companies of course,
have their own vessels. There are also certain
shipping regulations that must be altered. Prob
ably a government shipping line will have to be
i,rric1 lotto Of into
commerce commission to break the private monop-
DIV in water transportation.
Secretary Fall does not purpose. it is stated to
take over investigation activities of scientific
nature now being done by various bureaus But
he does plan to take over the functions and per-
sonnet of the other departments and bureaus func
tionin2 In Alaska's long-distance government.