Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1921-09-15

For Alaska it may be said, is quite place It's
area is nearly 100000 square mes-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,
23OO miles long in Alaska and Canada, Is 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 800 miles north of the Arctic cir
Gle and without sun for 40 days in winter. 1t has
half dozen kinds of climates. There are 100000
square miles suitable for agriculture and grazing
There 156,25O square miles of forests. There
are gold, silver, tin, anthony copper, lead, mar
ble OIL coal, peat. There fish and seals ana
reindeer
| Why, in the 81 years since we paid $7200,000
for Alaska to the Russians it has returned the
purchase money considerably more than hun
dred fold The output of the fisheries alone
amounts to $375,0OOOOO. The mines have pro-
duced total of $43S 900 900, of which $311 100000
Is the value of the gold output. The total value
Of Alaskas mineral, fish and fur products from
1867 to 1919 was $9490OOOOO.
Yet there is undoubtedly some thing wrong with
Alaska. The white population In 1910 was $4,000.
In 1915 it had increased to $4,000. The present
white population is estimated at $4,000, in addi-
ton to 250OO natives, some of whom are civilized.
The industrial population exceeds 10000.
The total commerce for 1919 was $1O9,652 800
decrease of $17496793. The total commerce
with the United States for 1920 was $106,586095
as against S124 436 491 in 1919 a decrease of ST.
S5O396. Canned salmon showed decrease of &c.
S43910; fresh fish other than salmon a decrease
of $37432O. The decrease in imports amounted to
$2,66S305, due largely to reduced mining and fish
cry operations.
The value of the terrtory's mineral output in
1919 only $1962000O, while that of 1918 was
S2S254OOO. The mineral output in 1919 the
smallest in any year since 1910 and it's value was
less than half that of the output in 1916, which
was $4S,600,OOO. The value of the annual output
of gold declined from $16,7OOOO0 in 1916 to So
10000 in 1919. The copper output $24,240-
sos in 1917; in 1918 it was S17,1S0000; in 1919 it
was SIS, 1888 Q63.
SO, when Senator Albert B. Fall became secre
tary of the interior, he fell heir to big job, for
! it. is under the interior department that Alaska
does 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 a con-
cluson, which answers the question, What's the
matter with Alaska?
TOO much government" is their conclusion. And
their Idea is that absolute authority should be
vested in single head and that single head should
be the President. OF course the secretary Of the
interior would have to do most all of the work.
But, Delng miner ana developer hllnSeu, ne 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 BILL which will vest this author
ity in President Harding, is being considered
by proper officials and hope will shortly be In
troduced in congress- When this is accomplished
as 1 am sure 1t will be before very long, the re-
Mobilization Of Alaska will begin in earnest"
n lie rIa for thn
of Alaska are before the senate and house com.
mittees on territories.
Secretary of the Interior Fall is the last to send
tentative measure to the committees He pro-
poses to vest in his own department 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 to 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 reorganizt
all federal activities In the territory. He will cut