Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1921-09-15

and from special appropri-
atlons by congress through military committees.
Inc bureau OF public roads of the agricultural
department constructs public roads in national
forests. There is also a territorial road COM
mission. There are actually four federal bu-
feaus which have funds for the construction of
wagon roads in Alaska.
Ihe 1920 report of John Barton Payne secre
lary OF the Interior contains many pages devoted
70 consideration of Alaskan conditions by him.
IN addition, it contains in full the report of the
3AHtshah ADVISORY committee, appointed by him in
April Oh I92O to advise what immediate steps could
De taken to better conditions what industries
couid be developed and what resources could be
exported to give employment to resident pop,.-
latlon which in turn would give home market
tor Alaska products. This committee was made I'D
OF Alfred III. Brooks (chair1nan) interior depart
Hent; H. T. Saint, shipping board; Otto Praeger,
second assistant postmaster general; e. A. Sher-
man, agricultural department.
1t was the Judgment of the advisory committee
that the wise course to coordinate the differ
ent departments of the government having to do
with Alaska through committee consisting of q
representative from each department. Such a
committee was named by Secretary Payne
In Secretary Paynes personal comments and
the report of the advisory committee many inter-
esting and curious facts are found Here are
some of them:
The work of construction of the government
railroad is getting along slowly.
The postofiice department is not functioning
Mail to Alaska is shipped express or freight.
There has been shortage of labor.
The leases offered by the forest service to max.
ers of pulp and paper offer unacceptable terms
There is no resident district forester
There are BAT Withdrawals and reservations OF
public lands many no useful purpose
Only about per cent Of Alaskas ocean water
ways have been charted
Lighthouses and fog horns are needed; some
nuthn ya1 INV Iooly o,,rio
tons
There naval patrol in 1920 there should
be 20 boats
territorial police force is needed.
The salmon fishing industry is menaced from
lack of protection and propagation of the fish,
= The territorial government wants full territorial
powers of legislation; jurisdiction over fish, game
and land fur-bearng animals; transfer of the
Alaska fund from the federal to the territorial
treasury.
Alaska's coal output in 1919 under the leasing
law was only 10000 tons; she is importing annual.
ly 100000 tons.
With oil of her own Alaska draws on California
for 100000 barrels of petroleum and it's products
There has been little or no investigation in the
water-power resources.
Extension to Alaska of the farmers loan act
and the stock-raising homestead act are needed
Ocean transportation is inadequate and rates
are SO high as to cripple all Alaskan industrial
expansion Indeed, the problem Of getting Alaska's
products to market seems to be the biggest prob
lem of all. 1t has many ramifcations The lit
tie fishing companies, without vessels of their own
have to trust to the chance visit Of independent
buyers The catch of these little companies
amounts to millions. The big companies, of course
have their vessels. There are also certain
shipping regulations that must be altered Prob
ably a government shipping line will have to be
established under the jurisdiction Of the interstate
commerce commission to break the private monop-
oily in water transportation.
Secretary Fall does not purpose 1t is stated, to
take over investigation activities of scientific
nature now being done by various bureaus But
he does plan to take over the functions and per-
sonnet of the other departments and bureaus func.
tioning in .!laska's long distance government