The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-09-15

will assume AUCTIONS that apparently touch prac-
tcally every department
Too much government! Well. Alaska does get
a pretty large dose. And, what's more, It's most
ly government Mt long range. Bear in mind thai
nearly all Of AaSka's resources are directly or In
directly controlled by the federal government.
About 80 per cent of the land is still in govern
ment ownership The development of coal ana
oil deposits Is under government leases water
powers and fisheries are under federal control
and nearly all Alaska timber is in government
ownership.
The federal control of Aaskas resources Is
vested in a number of departments and bureaus.
Rules and regulations relating to Alaska affairs,
under the existing statutes, must be made by
Washington authorities, who are also in large
measure directly charged with their execution.
This longdistanCe administration has been a seri-
GUS handicap to the development of Alaska. In
many instances regulations have been made which
did not meet the local requirements, and unjust
decisions rendered because those making them
were not familiar with local conditions This sit
uation has worked a particular hardship on the
operator with small capital who could not afford
to make the long journey to present his argument
in person to the Washington authorities Owing
TO the divided authority and the limitations placed
by statutes and appropriations there has also been
lack of coordination between various Alaska fed
era activities,
TO be sure it would take a Philadelphia lawyer
as the old saying goes-to figure out all the
ways in which Alaska is governed but here
some Of them.
The interior department has a large part OF
Alaska's government, The secretary has general
supervision the work of constructing the
government railroad from Seward to Fairbanks
by the Alaskan engineering commission.
The commissioner of the general land office is
charged with the survey, management and dispO-
sition of the public lands In the national forests
Qongass and Chugach, embracing 20OOOOOO
acres) he executes all laws relating to the
surveying, prospecting locating and patenting of
public lands and granting of rights of way. Not
withstandng this, the forest service, bureau of
the agricultural department, has charge OF the
national forests,
The secretary of the interior is a member with
the secretaries Of apd agriculture Of the new
water power commission The commission has
no funds and no personnel. Any investigation is
done by the geological survey and the forest
service.
The department of agriculture has now conrro,
over land fur-bearing animals; up TO last wear
both the department of agriculture and the denort
ment Of commerce functoned Yet the bureau n,
fisheries department Of commerce) is extensivels
raising blue foxes on the pribilom islands The
game laws are enforced by the governor of ALASKA
and the departments OF agriculture and commerce
The department Of commerce has charge NJ
the fisheries; il has jurisdiction over merchant
vessels it takes the census; it has a bureau in
charge Of lighthouses; its coast and geodetic spr
yey makes the charts,
The department Of the treasury has charge NJ
the construction and maintenance of public bnIld.
ngs; its coast guard protects game and the senI
and the fisheries It has public health service
The war department has charge Of river ma
harbor improvements. 1t has extensive military
cable, telegraph and radio systems in Alaska
which everybody uses, inasmuch as the postofice
department can hardly be said to function there
The board Of road commissioners for Alaska
was created in 1905 by congress. The work is