The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-07-07
WARNS AGAINST BOARD PLAN IN
 RULING ALASKA

RULING ALASKA Washington, July 7-warning against the Development Board Plan for Alaska and advising that the ter ritory be made a state as soon as she is qualified, Colonel William B. Gree ley, chief of the U- s. Forest Service says the proposal for the board plan may we'll be challenged.'
 Colonel Greeley has been in Alaska and made an exhaustive study of her resources which he calls the greatest asset the United States has today. The statement is of the most timely nature because of proposed plans for Presi- dent Harding to take his vacation in the territory this Summer and pubIi- cation of figures showing how the white population fell off 23.4 per cent in ten years. Colonel Greeley de- ploreS red tape methods as. having strangled progress in the territory and says:
 "An effort is now being made to create for Alaska a. local Commission or Development Board, which would take over the duties and authority of the various Federal executives togeth- CT with the administration of all pub lie resources in Alaska, working sole ly under the direction of the Secre- tary of the Interior This proposal ". the national interests in A1asaka are paramount. Alaska represents, in her marine fisheries, her enormous agricultural areas and her resources for growing yneat-producing animals, one of the great food sources Of the United States. In her vast forests lie practical solution of our paper shortage.
 fng1y, by manys years of effort, built up national policies for the use of publicly owned timber, publicly own ed sources of food, coal and oil re- sources, water power and migratory birds, from the standpoint of public welfare in the long run It has built up specialized organizations handling these varied resources with the best technical experience and skill the country affords Should it now, by one stroke, cut off a vast region con tainfng one-sixth of our total area from the uniform and consistent ap- plication of these public policies by the specialized organizations created for the very purpose of their accom- pishment? I think not.
 And from the standpoint of Alaska herself. in order to bring about the most effective development of her re- sources, it would be unwise to cut her off from the direct application of the energies and from the technical and financial resources of several great Federal organizations which are ex-
 
 Alaska needs to have done
 Against Board Plan
 The Development Board plan for Alaska is unnecessary because the same results can be accomplished by a decentralized administration of na- tional affairs in Alaska It is danger ouS because it means a, partial break ing up of the effective and uniform execution of vital public policies for dealing with natural resources. Let us rather develop Alaska in harmony with American policy at all points Make her a State as soon as she is qualified. Give her as rapidly as may be the local powers that go with Statehood. At the same time handle permanent national interests in Alas ka as they are handled elsewhere, both during her territorial appren- ticeship and after she becomes a State preserving the same policies and uni form direction, but with localized ad- zninistrative machinery adapted to Alaska'S isolation
 s"The greatest evil is long-range ad- ministraton- There is too much cen tralization of administrative authority in Washington, too many delays Rat subject to too many inf1eNb1e regula- tons or cut-and-dried rules which are unnecessary or unadapted to her conditions.
 What Greeley Urges.
 "A common-sense public policy to- ward Alaska would seem to require action along three lines. First, we should anticipate that sooner or later Alaska will be qualified for Statehood and, as rapidly as practicable, we should give her control of the local affairs which in our system of gov ernment come under State jurisdic- ton.
 '.In the second place, the national interest in Alaska should be admin istered by a field staff in the Territory itself Each bureau or department having functions in Alaska should place them in charge of a resident of fcer, endowed with the maximum au- thority possible to act on the ground and with large discretion in applying Federal statutes in Alaskan condi- tons. Only transactions of the high est importance, the large questions Of policy and appeals from local de- cisionS should come to Washington.
 Then let these responsible Federal officers, together with the Governor of the Territory and two or more c1d- ZenS representing her commercial in terests. from a sort of Alaskan Caiod- net, charged with the duty or ty1ng together the different Federal act1v1- ties, ironing out conflicts, overlaps, or commissions, and working out the best for the a11-around develop ment of Alaska
 '@The people Of the United States should recognize that Alaska IS thelr greatest undeveIoped physical asset, 1 that they owe it to Alaska and to | themselves to develop her resources and that. while her eco homie progress will be governed pri- marify by business factors, no pracC- cable or reasonable form of Federal | aid should be withheld
 s4This calls -esnecial lkE for liberal aid |