The Cordova daily times., 1921-05-06

oHoie6 Ol BeflnS sea. lie started schools and builded so well that the government made him head of all the educational work for Indians in Alaska. In dealing with the Indians and living with them he realized that they must have a means of | livelihood, since their natural food supply of seal and walrus had through the rapacity of the white man become almost exhausted and starvation would soon wipe the Eskimo and the native Alaskan Indian of the Boring sea region out of existence. As solution Jackson persuaded the gov ernment to import reindeer from Russia and was appointed 8 special agent of the war department to go to Lapland and secure rendeer for Alas ka. And so in 1892, the first ship ment of I'll head of reindeer was brought into Alaska and from that time until 1902 some 1900 head were imported. The Alaskan native knew nothing about the handling of the reindeer, so a number of Lapps were brought with the animals to teach the Eskimos how to handle them. The ex- pertinent was success, and today it head in northern Alaska, and the natives have been provided with a source of food and clothing.
 The reindeer is an all-round ami nal in his native haunts saw many of them in northern Russia, on the Murmean coast, in the spring of 1919, where, due to the Red revolu tion and the reign of the Bolsheviki to the south, they stood between the people of that part of Russia and star vation. A dOmesticated animal, he furnishes clothing, meat, and milk, and is the beast of burden for the Lapp, and so has come to function likewise for the Alaskan. Lapp herd CTS taught the Eskimos how to raise and handle the rendeer, and for their pay received from the government a certain percentage of the increase of the herds Dr. Jackson worked out plan whereby the Eskimo could be taught to handle the stock properly and could become the own CT of herd. thus melting his interest in their care.
 TNHau nf thn ;., ern Alaska it is estimated that the government owns two per cent, the missions four per cent, the Lapland- CTS twenty per cent, and the natives sixty-seyen per cent. The reindeer is essentially an inhabitant of snowy countries, feeding on H. chens, reindeer moss mushrooms grass and willow sprouts,-which grow even on the poorest soil,-and furnishes the natives with practically all that they need to make life pos sible in that northern region. The commercial possibilities of the rein- deer are great, when it is known what has been done with the animals in Norway, Sweden and Lapland. Smoked reindeer meat and smoked reindeer tongues are everywhere found ia the markets of those coun- tries, the hams also bring a good price; there are wealthy merchants in Stockholm whose specially and entire trade is in these Lapland prod ucts. Reindeer skins are marketed all over Europe, being used for gloves, military riding trousers, binding of books, and other uses. Reindeer hair is in great demand for the filling of life.saving apparatus and from the horns is made fine quality of glue. Two great products, smoked reindeer tongues and tanned skins, were among the principal products of the great annual fair at Nizn-Novogorod, Russia.
 In Lapland on an area of 14,000 square miles there are about 100000 reindeer, sustaining in comfort a population of some 26,000 people. There is no reason why Arctic and subarctic Alaska with an estimated tundra range sufficient to carry g. 000,000 reindeer should not support population of at least 100000 peo-- pie.
 From Dr. Jackson's foresight in 1892 has grown an industry that may mean the making of northern Alaska. In any case so well does the govern ment think of the success of his early experiment that the U. s. bio- logical survey is now studying the entire matter as an economic ques- tion. The chief of the biological sur vey, Dr. Nelson, spent sometime in Alaska the past summer, and now has several government experts up