The Cordova daily times., 1921-08-13


 the matter stands now. With this telephone line 1t was planned to signal the other end of the trail every time a party of travellers took the trail the result being that when the men failed to show up oa time rescue parties would be sent out and in this way many valuable lives saved
 Instance after instance of this unhappy conflict of authority which has cost Alaska so dearly could be cited and in every case the matter is one that could he settled quickly and to the best interests of all con. cerned if authority in the terri. tory was centralized under single responsible head as if Is going to be at no very distant date. Take the postal service up there as another Illustration. There are places where it costs $S a pound to deliver the mail. l recall an instance where a monthly mail delivery is costing the government S5O.OOO a year. Why not take this $5OOOO and pay it out under contract to some steamship company and thus make it possible not only to deliver mail but also freight and passengers to these isolated communities? In this way We would solve one of the most troublesome of all Alaskan problems. namely, that of transportation and supply and 1t would not cost a cent more than we are now paying to de- liver mail only.
 Again. we must do something for the little fishermen. The large fish ing companies have their own yes. scls and they get their output to market while the little fellow, whose catch is worth millions. has to trust to the lucky visit of an independent buyer and the instances in which season passes without the buyer showing up are many, the result be- ing the total loss of the catch of hundreds of small fishermen with the attendant loss of millions to American commerce. This situation must be and will be remedied
 TO CENTRALIZE AUTHORITY
 Transportation is another prob. lem of the first magnitude that must be solved if Alaska is to enjoy the prosperity she is entitled to. The government railroad which pene- trates the heart of the peninsula from Seward on the Pacific to Fairbanks in the interior-a dis. tance Of 467 miles-is. with the eX- ception of seventy-four mile l stretch between HurricaIe gulch and | Healy. now completed and this road | maintained an uninterrupted serv- ice during the last two winters, which is an achievement worthy of note when the severity of Alaskan | winters is considered
 Another grave feature of the | problem is that of getting Alaska's products to market. There are mar kets for all she produces, but those markets are to q great extent inac cessible under existing conditions. Transportation charges are too high |
 in ;t, many instances-and this must be worked out to the advantage of the territory. Then. again. there are certain shipping regulations that must be altered. so far as Alaska Is if Alaska is to market her products-those of the big cor, portations as well as the little fellows. This can and will be done.
 There are other grave problems. and they are all receiving the at. tentiou of the department and also of the president. However after all is said. there is just one way to de- velop Alaska. and that is to vest ab- solute authority in a single head. and that supreme authority must be the president himself Such bill, which will vest this authority in President Harding, is now being by the proper officials and. I hope. will shortly be intro duced ia congress. When this is accomplished, as I am sure 1t will be before very long. the rehabilita. ton of Alaska will begin in earnest"