The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1921-09-24
az JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN.


~~ ATS the matter with Alaska?
NV I This question bids fair to dspace
NJ Nwf the historic, What's the matter
WV with Kansas? For the answer to
JEfA the latter question nowadays IS,
liza -~<gfvzIil "Shes all right" And the answer
k4 lE.s@ III to the former seems to be. "She's
fMtHtal all wrong" But like Kansas,
UfH&4EtIill Alaska can be made all right"
uRWE41II And President Harding and his
H. administration are planning to do
II their best to bring ii about.
L gor Alaska IT may be said Is quite place. It's
| ~ "a nearly coo 900 square miles-an area equal
a,he combined area of Norway, Sweden, Finland,
b,and. Scotland and Ireland, an area equal In
~ 70 the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois,
UMs Kansas Missouri, the Dakotas and Arkansas
has coast line 10000 miles long. The Yukon
lao miles long In Alaska and Canada, is q great
satral national road, by water in summer, on the
n IN winter. The south coast harbors of the
Alaskan peninsula are open the year round, though
4 Pdnt Barrow is 800 miles north of the Arctic cir
h and without sun for 40 days In winter. 1t has
NnH dozen kinds of climates. There are 100000
nmrp miles suitable for agriculture and grazing
hse are 156250 square miles of forests.l There
n gold, silver, tin, anthony, copper, lead, mar
" OIL coal peat There are fish and seals and
hdeer
Why, III the "a years since we paid $7,20O.0OO
Alaska to the Russians 1t has returned the
Ghase money considerably more than one hun
NJ fold. The output Of the fisheries alone
guhts 10 S375OOOOO0. The mines have pro-
xvi total Of S43S.0O0.OOO, of which $311 ,OUO,UUO
fc value Of the gold output The total value
Alaska's mineral, fish and fur products from
M 10 1919 was 1919 100000
Id there Is undoubtedly some thing wrong with
hssa. The white population in 1910 was $4,000
Nl5 1t had increased to $4,000 The present
nR population is estimated at $4,000 In addi-
70 1900 natives, some of whom are civilized
Industrial population exceeds 10000.
lne total commerce for 1919 was $109, So, 239
&cease Of S17.496, 1893 The total commerce
70 The United Sta,es for 1920 was S106 5S6,095
RaiNst Sl24436,491 in 1919, decrease Of ST.
s~O canned salmon showed a decrease of $6,-
leo' fresh fish other than salmon a decrease
p4a0 The decrease In imports amounted to
'pn8o due largely TO reduced mining and fish
operations
M 'aue OF the territory's mineral output In
- was only S19,620OO0 while that of 1918 was
sAHpn The mineral output in 1919 was the
~Ra 10 any year since 1910, and its value was
nn nall that of the output in 1916, which
IN eouU,OOO The value of the annual output
sMo declined from SIG, 100000 in 1915 to &c.
n" N 1919. The copper output was $24,24O,-
lglI; In 1918 1t was S17,1SO,OOO: in 1919 It
n E7S3,Os3.
= .heh Senator Albert r. Fall became secre-
me Interior, he fell heir to big Job for
Maer the interior department that Alaska
large part of Its complicated functioning
sM PRESIDENT Harding have been looking into
@aadoh very seriously. They have held many
1sac's, They have apparently come to con-
'u Which answers the question What's the
usr with Alaska?
]. !" "uch government Is their conclusion And
"ea is that absolute authority should be
A. u single head and that single head should
I resident Of course the secretary of the
=. Nouo have to do most all of the work
kphs miner and developer himself. he is
as He says:
huh,. JUST one way to develop Alaska, and
Il y A.. 'es' absolute authority in single head,
80 apiehie authority must he the President
N D.. Dill. which will YES. this author
w,,.s 'eht Harding, is now being considered
Mdxsa 'e'ais and, hope, will shortly be in
bill "a !" 'ongress When this is accomplished.
Aaas.,.s y Will be before very long, the re-
~ IN y Alaska will begin In earnest"
N Az. s's embodyng plans for the government
INV. !. a'e before the senate and house com
territories.
ku,,,,s = me Interior Fall is the last to send
IN 4 - A'easufe to the committees. He pro-
eahh. !. . MS own department all functions
Asrs. ~ = 'he development and use of natural
n NM construction work for the territory
ttth. secretary Fall will not prove more
fsus.,. me several departments which he
n w.. invade than the Curry bill, which pro-
Ah..s an Alaska development board the
49, OF the territory, or the Cummins bill
M, -. tne President power to reorganize
s0'vities In the territory He will cut