The Cordova daily times., 1921-08-01
WHERE ARE WE DRIFTING

The Hon. John Ballaine was passenger for the interior on one of the recent boats, by way of the government railroad and Broad Pass, to collect data for the proposed government steamship line. The Miner has no desire to oppose anything which will help build up thls great territory, nor does it in a spirit ot fault finding criticisc the actions of the admlnlstra- tion in the establishment of such line, the secretary of the interior honestly believing that the proposed measure will solve AIaska'S $ transportation difficulties and be the entering wedge to d boundlcss era of prosperity.
 But we cannot help but ask ourselves where this proposed change will benefit LIS. The ter ritorv now has d fleet of the finest steamers pIliug to any ports of the world; vessels as large as ca nbr safely handled when making the inside passage, threading the narrow chan ncs between the rocks and reefs of the Alaska seahoard The Victoria, the Alameda, the Northwestern. the Admiral Watson, the City of Seattle, the Spokane and Jefferson ply to territorial waters, therefore there can be no lack of vessels to serve population of less than 5O,OOO souls. This necessarily leads one to believe that the present high rates are caused by lack of tonnage. If this Is tn" ease, and it is so, why not devote the ener- eies of the administration of developing ton mage for the ships we already have. Time af- ter time these magnificent two thousand ton vessels go south with half cargo, dependent upon coppor ore or paper pulp to complete their load.
 If another line of vessels enters the run in. competition with those we already have, can we believe that it will reduce tonnage and rates at the same time? Can the competing lines carry less freight and passengers and pay dividends? We hardly think so No matter what statistics are collected the fact remains that when costs were low the present steam ship companies gave us as low rate as WAS commensurate with the distance travelled, aI f;rat class passage with meals and berth in cuded costing but $45 from Seattle to Val dez Today the fare is $6250, an increase of about 70 per cent, while costs of operating have mounted to over 150 per cent. And back of this is a decreased tonnage and les sening population.
 We believe that if the government would expend the monies appropriated for rival steamship lines in subsidies and fat mail con tracts for the vessels now running, rates would quickly drop to pre-war basis. It is impos- sible to operate vessels the size of those now
 
 labor and fuel drop. If the government runs at cheaper rate the difference must be as- simulated by taxation or inroads on the govern ment treasury. And in either case the tax payers will soon tire and call q halt We will then be without service of any kind years be- ing required for private companies to build up to anything like the present fleet.
 The Miner is not subsidized by the steam ship companies, nor is it against any scheme which will ameliorate conditions which are fast becoming burdensome, but it is we'll to to look with favor on the many blessings we now enjoy rather than turn to those which are problematical.
 While the proposed lines may benifit Sew ard and the country directly contiguous to the government railroad, what will it do for Juneau, Cordova, Valdez and Latonchef- Valdez Miner. :s sS-