The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1921-09-16

their best TO bring it about.
For Alaska, il may be said, is quite a place. It's
area is nearly 100000 square miles-an area equal
to the combined area of Norway, Sweden, Finland,
England, Scotland and Ireland, an area equal IN
size to the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois,
Iowa, Kansas. Missouri, the DakOtas and Arkansas.
1t has & coast line 10000 miles long. The Yukon,
$500 miles long in Alaska and Canada, Is a great
central national road, by water In summer, on the
ice in winter. The south coast harbors of the
Alaskan peninsula are open the year round, though
Point Barrow is 300 miles north OF the Arctic cir
Gle and without sun for 40 days in winter. 1t has
half a dozen kinds of climates. There are 100000
square miles suitable for agriculture and grazing.
There are 156,250 square miles Of forests. There
are gold, silver, tin, anthony, copper, lead, mar
BILE, oil, coal, peat. There are fish and seals ana
reindeer.
Why, in the "a years since we paid S7,2OO.OO
for Alaska to the Russians it has returned the
purchase money considerably more than one hun
dred fold. The output of the fisheries alone
amounts to 1915 100000. The mines have pro-
duced a total of S43S,OO0,O 0O, of which S311, 100000
Is the value of the gold output. The total value
Of Alaska's mineral, fish and fur products from
1867 to 1919 was S949,0O0,O00.
Yet there is undoubtedly some thing wrong with
Alaska. The white population in 1910 was $4,000.
In 1913 it had increased to $4,000. The present
white population is estimated at 10000, in add.
ton to $4,000 natives, some Of whom are civilized.
iHN ihAuHNI I'll VIhiolloII tAttCiS D,OOD.
The total commerce for 1919 was $685. $50. 23y.
a decrease of 81, 496, 703. The total commerce
with the United States for 1920 was SlO6 $50 O95
as against Sl24,43G.l9 In 1919, a decrease of ST.
S30,396. Canned salmon showed q decrease of S.
S13,915; fresh fish other than salmon q decrease
OF S374,32O. The decrease in imports amounted 10
$2,66S,305 due largely to reduced mining and fish.
cry operations.
The value Of the territory's mineral outprt IN
1919 WAS ONLY SO 600 ON whila thot of 1910 ,ra,
S2S,254,OOO. The mineral output i'm 1919 was the
smallest in any year since 1910, and it's yalle was
less than half that of the output in 1916. which
was $4S.GOO,OOD. The value of the annual output
Of gold declined from SIG, 100000 in 1915 TO So.
426,0Oo in 1919. The copper output was $24, 24O.-
sos in 1917; in 1913 it was SIT, 10000; in 1919 il
was S,7S3,0 G3.
SO, when Senator Albert +. Fall became score.
tary of the interior, he fell heir to q big iob for
II is under the interior department that Alaska
does a large part of its complicated functioning.
He and President Harding have been looking into
the situation very seriously. They have held many
conferences They have apparently come to q con.
CluSiOn, which answers the question. Wbat,s rho
matter with Alaska?
TOO much government is their conclusion And
their idea is that absolute authority should he
vested in a single head and that single head sbould
be the President. OF course the secretary Of tho
interior would have to do most all of the work.
u DSiiS al 4ihNl dHd utNtlolDeT nlIlSplt he Is
willing. He says:
There is just one way TO develop Alaska, and
that is TO vest absolute authority in a single head
and that supreme authority must be the President
himself. Such a bill. which will vest this author.
ity in President Harding, is now being considered
by proper officials and, | hope, will shortly be in.
PRODUCED in congress. When this is ACCOMPLISHED
"a | am sure ii Will be before Very long, the re.
Mobilization OF Alaska will begin in earnest"
Three bills eInbOlyinp DlanS for the mon,
OF Alaska are before the senate and house com.
mitteeS on territories.
secretary OF the Interior Fall is the last to send
a tentative measure to the committees. He nro.
poses to vest in his own depa rtment all functions
pertaining TO the development and use OF natural
resources and construction work for the territory.
The bill By Secretary Fall will not prove more
satisfying 20 the several departments which he
proposes TO invade than the Curry bill, which pro
poses TO vest in an Alaska development board the
administration Of the territory, or the Cummins bill
which vests in the President power to reorganize
MI federal activities In the territory. He will cut