The Connecticut labor news., 1921-05-13
HARDINC'S VISIT TO ALASKA WORRIES
 POLITICAL BOSS
President Discovers Territory Run by 38 Agencies and Starts
 Look Into It.

Washington, D, C., May 13.-Some- thing heavy is hanging over the heads of certain Alaska politicians. Signs indicate that President Harding is going to insist that some measure of common sense en- ter into the future administration of the territory. He has recently made some very interesting discoveries about it. As result he may take a trip to Alaska this summer. It may be said that he will make that visit if he possibly can.
 This is one of the things President Harding has discovered about Alaska.
 It is being administered by 38 different governmental agencies.
 That's enough. Warren G. Harding was a fairly good business man before he became United States Senator, and he learned then that no business can pos sibly succeed with 38 bosses messing in its affairs.
 Further inquiries revealed to Mir. Hard- ing the rather astonishing fact that some of the One-thirty-eighth part conductors of Alaskan affairs, through 38 bureaus and divisions and the like, have never visited Alaska They know nothing about 1t, except as reported by their subordi- mates. Some of the subordinates, upon whom the part-ti1ne conductors rely, have never visited Alaska either. They rely upon the subOrdinates.
 It isn't much wonder," said a man in the Government, that Alaskan affairs have been one frightfu1 mess"
 It IS to be understood that no charges are brought against any one. No one is even being criticized. The 38 bureau chiefs have handled teir one-thirty-eig eighth each of Alaskan affairs as one more or less important part of their jobs. Most of them have had many very important things to attend to, in which they have been deeply interested. Alaska has been neglected
 What Mir. Harding is understood to ob- leCt to IS the unbusinesslike manner of administering a very valuable Govern ment property through 38 different sub administrators. In a general way, his idea is to simplify the administration. He would make one man or one group of men responsible for the Government and development of the territory Then he would find something in his hand If he had to close 1t. Some one would be re- sponsb1e and get-at-able.
 Secretary Fall of the Department of the Interior, and Secretary of Commerce Hoover will be taken into consultation by the President, in addition to the other members sof the Cabinet The visit to Alaska, planned for the summer, will be in part a rest for the President, but be- tween times he will be able to form a just judgment of the potentialities of Alaska
 The representatives of the various e1e- ments of Alaskan politics have been very busy since they learned of what may hap pen. Outsiders know them as the "rougE- neCks" and the "Guggenheims," by which IS meant merely that the first named are grouped about the old sourdoughs, who mushed into Alaska when the country was new, and the second are the representa- tives of the corporations which are en- deavoring to develop the territorial re- sources in the larger and more systematic way than is possible to individual effort. Each side brings charges against the other, but President Harding is said not to be particularly interested in either His desire is to establish some form of ad- ministratiOn that will administrate