Pueblo chieftain., 1921-02-18
SANTA'S DEERS
A PROBABLE
MEAT SUPPLY

Washington, Feb. 17.-Santa Claus
reindeer have promise of becoming a
factor in the meat supply of this coun-
try As they are in Scandinavia, where
reindeer meat last year sold at a
higher price than beef or mutton.
And the government is going to aid
Alaska on its feet by experiments in
increasing the reindeer's weight to
about double its present average,
scientifically breeding them, locating
rangers and studying their disease
parasites and grazing problems. Pro-
vision is made in the agricultural ap-
preparation bill OF this year for that
| purpose.
DR.. E. W. Nelson, chief biological
survey, in urging the appropriation
| told congress there are about 100000
| reindeer in Alaska. of which about
three-fourths belong to the natives and
| about fourth to the government
| and to white owners who have started
n commercial industry in reindeer
growing for meat. These reindeer null
tiplied from an original importation of
| 1880 animals made 2S years ago, for
| the benefit of the Eskimos.
People have asked me what the fu-
| ture of the industry is likely to be-
! said DR.. Nelson. Il have replied by
asking them the question: If 1850
=
ent 100000 animals, what is likely to
be the increase from 100000 animals
| in the next 2S years? The increase is
| almost unbelievable. In other words.
the industry, properly handled, should
have a great future.
The Alaskan firm which has start
cd the industry exported 1900 head to
Seattle last year. They have cstab-
lished four small cold storage plants
at points on the Alaskan coast, where
. - Ir,,F
down for slaughter to be refrigerated
and loaded for shipment. l have re-
Gently been studying the possibilities
of the Alaskan reindeer industry when
well developed. / believe Alaska con-
talns available range to maintain from
four 10 five million reindeer. The csti-
mate has been made that it would take
care OF 10000, ,0oo. but L think that is
too high.
Five million reindeer would give
an output OF about 1,25O,OOO reindeer
year. Dressed for market one now
averages $50 pounds. Taking this
weight and the present value of rein
deer meat, the fully developed rein
deer industry in Alaska should yield
approximately s43.O0o.000 Il year.
Reindeer have been in Alaska twenty
eight years and their increase under
crude methods of handling has been
almost startling. Under scienufic
supervision and modern methods the
| industry should develop very rapnily.
There are big herds of wild carl
bou about the Mount Mckinley region,
some bulls of which dress up TO about
| 400 pounds. We plan to capture some
bulls of this stock and use them with
an experimental herd of reindeer
cows for the purpose of building up a
higher grade of reindeer, having
greater weight and increased hardi-
ness. / believe IT will be practicable
in less than ten years to have the
reindeer OF Alaska running from $50
to 300 pounds TO the carcass, instead
OF $50 pounds as at present The IN
| creased weight would increase the
value of the fully developed ALASKA
reindeer industry enough to bring the
potential output around 100000
at present values. That is moro than
/ the fisheries OF Alaska produce.
| "Stefansson. the Arctic explorer.
was here recently. He is interested
in tho lease granted by the Canadian
Government for a great area for rein
deer grazing in Baffins Bay region.
He informed me that in the Scandi-
navian countries OF Europe about
100000 reindeer arc killed for meat
each year.
we arc talking about helping to
build up Alaska, and hero is one
thing that IS right in sight today.
fine. big industry for Alaska. and l do
not know OF any other like 1t in the
immediate future. The future looks
so promising that the expenditure
which We contemplate is triflin6
compared with what the outcome is
likely to be-