The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1921-09-16

NlN III i'>' -
will assume AUCTIONS that apparently touch prac-
tlcally every department.
Too much government! Well, Alaska does get
q pretty large dose. And, what's more, us ihost-
~ government at long range. Bear in mlnd tnal
nearly all Of Alaska's resources are directly or III
directly controlled by the federal government.
About 80 per cent of the land is still in govern
ment ownership. The development of coal ana
oil deposits is under government leases. Water
powers and fisheries are under federal controi,
and nearly all Alaska timber is in government
ownership.
The federal control of Alaskas resources is
vested in a number of departments and bureaus.
Rules and regulations relating to Alaska affairs,
under the existing statutes, must be made by
Washington authorities, who are also in large
measure directly charged with their execution.
This lOng-diStance administrator has been a Serl-
Gus handicap to the development OF Alaska. In
many instances regulations have been made which
did not meet the local requirements, and unjust
decisions rendered because those making them
were not familiar with local conditions. This sit
uatiOn has worked a particular hardship on the
operator with small capital, who could not AFFORD
to make the long journey 10 present MS argument
in person to the Washington authorities. Owing
to the divided authority and the limitations placed
by statutes and appropriations, there has also been
n lack of coordination between various Alaska fed
eral activities.
~ pt SUM- ~ ~ ''HN ~
MS the old saying goes-to figure out all the
ways in which Alaska is governed, but here are
some of them.
The interior department has q large part OF
Alaska's government. The secretary has general
SUPERVISION over the work of constructing the
government railroad from Seward to Fairbanks
by the Alaskan engineering commission.
The commissioner Of the general land office Is
charged with the survey, management and dispo-
sltion of the public lands. In the national forests
(Tongass and Chugach, embracing 10000, 900
acres) he executes all laws relating to the
surveying, prospecting, locating and patenting Of
public lands and granting of rights Of way. Not
withstanding this, the forest service, a bureau of
the agricultural department., has charge of the
national forests.
The secretary Of the interior is a member with
the secretaries of war and agriculture Of the new
water power commission. The commission has
no funds and no personnel. Any Investigation IS
done by the geological survey and the forest
service.
The department of agriculture has now conrro,
over land fur-bearing animals; up to last veor
both the department of agriculture and the depart.
ment Of commerce functiOned. Yet the bureau Of
fisheries department of cOmmerce) is eytensive,v
raising blue foxes Oh the PribilOff islands. The
game laws are enforced by the governor Of Alaska
and the departments Of agriculture and commerce
The department Of commerce has charge az
the fisheries; it has jurisdiction over merchant
vessels; it takes the census; it has a bureau In
charge of lighthouses; its coast and geodetic sur.
yey makes the charts.
The department of the treasury has charge Of
the construction and maintenance of public buiId.
ings; its coast guard protects game and the sea,
and the fisheries; it has a public health service
The war department has charge of river and
harbor Improvements. It has extensive military
cable, telegraph and radio systems in Alaska
which everybody uses, inasmuch rs the postoffice
department can hardly be said to function there.
The board of road commissioners for Alaska
was created In 1905 by congress. The work Is