The Seward gateway., 1921-02-16
 ID BRIDGE GAP
 PAPER SUPPLY

That Alaska will furnish the bridge that will, carry the paper suply of the United States over until the refor- ested lands begin producing is the declaration of Col. w. G. Greedy, the chief forester of the United States, in
 m interview given Rene Bach for the New York Times, and apearing in the New York Times and Book Review of Janusry2.
 It takes a full page of the Times to;carry three interviews with Colone Greely end the author launches the pase wth that part of it which dis cusses the important role Alaska will play in the paper suply of the coun- try That part is as follows:
 ssWhen we set our.new forests go- ing we will De able to supply all our needs for wood" So said Col. William B. Greedy, the new chief of the Uinted States forest bure eau. "But it will take fifty years to get them; grown" he said.
 "What are we going to do in the meantime 2" asked.
 "Alaska will furnish one bridge tc carry, us over, he said. "Her resources of timber are enormous. All we have to do is to get busy and develop .hem. Our western states and our for .ssts must do the rest. We have vast areas of cut over lands formerly cov- cred with timber, but now practical ly waste. Nature, if left alone will re- rproduce the forests on those areas helped out by artificial tree planting here; and there, whore the devastation has been exceptionally thourough But this cannot be accomplished unless adequate protection is given espec- ially against fire"
 About this Alaskan timber bridge that is to carry us over until our new forests are in shape to suply our de- mands 2" I asked.
 o.'Ths population of Alaska is only about half what it was ten years ago, Col. Greely answered. "The cream has been skinned off the territory. The rich placer has been worked out and some of the gold lodes have been de- serted The salmon industry has been over developed and exhaustion of their enormously profitable fishery threatens The time when a small in vestment Is . salmon cannery would yield assured rich returns is past" f"'"But Alaska still has immense re- fcoureeS.thst have hardly been touch
 cd. Its deep sea fisheries, for example
 Of the west coast are said to be cod |'and Fhxhbue hanks which are said to |:be larger and capable of greater pro- duction than the banks of Newfound-
 land or Norway.
 "What Is needed is, that Alaska be put on an entirely new footing. Hither to it has been on a mining basis. Its economic structure must be made per manent in character through agricul- tural and industrial development. When this has been accomplished AL aska will become . much greater pro ducer Of wealth than she has been ac- Ecomplished Alaska will become a much greater producer of wealth than she has been up to now. Her latent re- |sources VIII be made available. The reindeer, to mention one item, will multiply by millions. They will be- come most valuable source of meat supply; Tn particular for production of pulp 'and,psper supply her forests will be productive of riches.
 'Eince 1909, we have been largely dependent upon imported suppliea of pulp wood But the national forests o6 Aiasks offer: to, o,paper manufactur- CTS quantities of. pulp timber at low fpricss under long term contracts. The forest servics is Ydoi4e ita' utmost. to develop this resource of the Territpry We expect to make Alaska a great producer of paper, for k the United States and to put the industry on a permanent basis as ie fs in Norway, by keepins the cut within what the forests are ' growing. In other. words u ttahs cpt will not be allowed to exceed Fxaas tho aatarsl growth is able to (fssAea. ,,s ...
 "The national forest of, Alaska could pgodncs- 1,s00, 600 tons of paper