The evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942, 1921-05-26
ALASKA NEEDS
DEVELOPM PMEMT
Friends of Territory
Urge Commission to
Take Charge of Pub
lie Land Utilities and
Franchises.
Herald Washington nur,au

"HNfhNkNAhN thNNNaNh
WASHINGTON, May g6.-F Friends
OF Alaska are trying TO have congress
create a commission which will have
charge OF all public land uuluics
and franchises In the territory This
commission ls NO, 20 Interfere In any
way with the administrative govern
mont as at present constituted. but 90
deal entirely With the DEVELOPMENT
OF the natural resources ot Alaska.
Those who propose this system do
clare that the present attitude Of the
government has decreased the popu.
latlon Of Alaska and has 90 q certain
extent paralyEcd the industries of the
territory
These who are urging this com
mission call attention 70 the census
bureaus summary Of Alaska mining
operations, and also 20 the fact that
70 requires more money now 10 Gu.
gage In mining than u did ton years
aro: that there are gcwcr people ON.
ployed. and that the products dcvcl
oped in the year 1919 were less thar
they were ten years aso. The census
buroau in commenting OF the rgurcs
shown below says:
Plsr~r Mining DrotS
These changes reflect the we'll
known decrease In BONANZA placer
mining and the development on. a
large scale Of lode mining in the ter
ritory during the decade"
The census figures comparing IN"
mining business In Alaska as between
1909 and 1919 aro a. follows:
ans
The bill for the Alaskan c0mmts-
sion Is now bciaE considered by the
house committee on territories. and
a number OF prominent men in Alas
ka are taking much interest IN the
proposition.
Pulp Wood Rots
J. l.. Mcpherson. an engineer. b.
Heyes that the Alaska timber ayaila-
bic for the pulp wood would furnish
practically two-thirds OF all the pulp
and paper needed in the uaiicd
States. In his testimony before the
committee. he said that conditions In
Alaska have prevented the develop
ment OF this industry. and that in
stead OF keeping American capital
and labor employed In Alaskan for
ests. il had been diverted TO Canada
and British Columbia timber. while
the Alaskan pulp wood was allowed
TO rot.
The present need Is a centralized
and localized management % the for.
ests by a resident authority" Nc
Pherson declared. This authority
should be empowered TO encourage
the establishment of the pulp wood
industry by reasonable regulations. -
In striking contrast 70 the develop
ment OF this industry in Alaska, Nc
Pherson produced statistics indlcat-
ing that the paper pulp manufacture
OF British Columbia, which was start
ed in 1912 is nog the industry %
second importance in the province.
His figures showed that British Co
lumb.a In 1915 sold more than go
0O0. 900 worth OF paper 10 American
newspapers, and that the capital for
the development Of the Industry came
mostly from American sources. Tho
importation Of pulp wood In 1919
was valued al an excess OF $4,000
800 and more than twO1thlrds OF the
imports came from Canada. lie de-
clared the fact that the United
States has made II impossible 10 de-
VelOp a pulp wood industry In Alas
ka and forced American capital 10 20
TO Canada, and has at-the same time
made The nation dependent upon
other countries for the equivalent Of
two-thirds Of the news print used by
American newspapers.
Salmon Industry Hit
While the government has failed
TO use the timber resources Of Alas
ka, thereby contributing TO It's de-
struction by dry-rot. IL has allowed
another essential resource 20 become
threatened with depletion through
over development. Mcpherson yielded
figures showing that the salmon fish
cries OF Alaska have produced more