The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1921-09-16

and from special appropri'
atoms by congress through military committees
The bureau Of public roads Of the agricultural
department constructs public roads in national
forests. There is also Il territorial road com
mission. There are actually four federal bu.
reaus which have funds for the construction OF
wagon roads in Alaska.
The 1920 report of John Barton Payne. secre
tary or the interior, contains many pages devoted
I" a consideration OF Alaskan conditions by him.
IN addition. 1t contains in full the report OF the
nHtskatl advisory committee. appointed by him in
April or 1871 to advise what immediate steps could
De taken to better conditions, what industrie
could be developed and what resources could be
exported to give employment to a resident popG-
ihtion which in turn would give a home market
Tor Alaska products. This committee was made up
OF Alfred H. Brooks (chairman), interior depart
ment II. I. Saint, shipping board; Otto Praeger.
second assistant postmaster general; E.. A.. Sher-
man, agricultural department.
Ii was the judgment OF the advisory committee
that the wise course was to coordinate the differ
ent departments OF the government having to do
with Alaska through a committee consisting of a
representative from each department. Such q
committee was named by Secretary Payne.
In Secretary Payne's personal comments and
the report OF the advisory committee many inter.
estiny and curious facts are found. Here are
some Of them:
The work Of construction Of the government
ruilroad is getting along slowly.
The pOStONice department Is not functiOning.
Mail to Alaska is shipped as express or freight.
There has been a shortage Of labor.
The leases offered by the forest service to max
es OF pulp and paper offer unacceptable terms.
There Is no resident district forester.
There are BAT Withdrawals and reservations Of
public lands; many serve no useful purpose.
Only about 8 per cent OF Alaskas ocean water
ways have been charted.
Lighthouses and fog horns are needed; some
projects, authorized by congress, lack appropria-
tons.
be 20 boats.
A 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-bearing 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 6O,OOO tons; she is importing annual
ly 100000 tons.
With oil Of her own, Alaska draws on California
for $4,000 barrels OF petroleum and It's products.
There has been little or no investigation In tho
whter-pOwer resources.
Extension to Alaska OF the farmers loan act
and the stock>raising homestead act are needed.
Ocean transportation II Inadequate and rates
are 30 high N to cripple ali 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 ramincations. The lit.
tie nshing companies. without vessels OF thar own
have 10 trust to the chance visit OF independeof
buyers. The catch OF these little companies
amounts to millions. The big companies, Of courm.
have their own vessels. There are also certain
shipping regulations that must be altered. Prob
ably a government shipping line will have to h
established under the jurisdiction Of the interstate
commerce commission to break the private monnr-
oy in water transportation.
Secretary Fall does not purpose. It IL stated. to
take over Investigation activities Of d scienfinc
nature now being done BY various bureaus. Hut
he does plan to take over the functions and ner.
sonnet II the other departments and bureaus func.
tjoning In Alaska's iong-distance government