The Cordova daily times., 1922-04-26
WHAT'S MATTER WITH ALASKA?
 ANSWERED BY JUDGE E. E. MEDLEY
States Concrete Facts of the Situation for the
 Benefit of the Nation.

and delay from this condition is such as to discourage initiative, private in vestment, and normal growth, and en- courage those great interests in the country at large which do not care, for one reason or another, to see Alas ka coal, oil, and other resources de- veloped. No apologist for the pres ent system can put forth any valid argument in support of it.
 An elaborate article on this sub ject appeared in the New York Times for Sunday, February 26, last, written by Prof. w. H. Chapman of Yale Uni versity. Professor Chapman teaches forest management and naturally falls into the camp of Secretary Wallace in the dispute between the latter and Secretary Fall. He brings forth the old, standard time-worn arguments in favor of the bureaus. He tells us of the depletion of Alaska fisheries and is valiant champion of the restric- tions recently thereon placed by the Bureau of Fisheries under the Secre- | tary of Commerce. He admits that the latter department has had con- trol of the fisheries since 1906, but he fails to explain why necessary re- strictions were not placed on these ! z f,ol,, of hn Il. mon streams became so great as to threaten their total extinction. He fails to tell his readers that the Blu reau of Fisheries has allowed can neries to operate many miles tip stream from the mouths of the rivers without objection until local public opinion was aroused and complaints made. To an Alaskan, Professor Chap mans selection of the Bureau of Fish cries as an argument in favor of the bureaucratic system is particularly unfortunate, for this bureau has had the industry in it's hands for the past sixteen years and never acted to i'm pose absolutely necessary regula- tions which they could impose by mere decree and order, until practical ly forced to do so by Alaska public opinion.
 Professor Chapman uses statistics to create an erroneous impression. He tells how the population of the Territory has declined from 64,350 in 1 1910 to 54,899 in 1921. He then says: speaking of the fishing industry, "2S,53 persons, or more than one-haif of the entire population of the Terri tory, white and Indian combined, were employed by this industry" Professor Chapman should know, if he does not, that the fishing industry largely employs a floating population; that the industry is seasonal; and that practically all of the persons engaged therein were out of the Territory when the 1921 census was taken. In the spring and summer months, the population is greatly swelled by this annual influx of fishermen and can nery employees, who are but tempor- arily resident herein, and who were not counted in, the census. His de- duction therefore as to the size of the industry with relation to the popula- tion as shown by the census figures is incorrect,
 Professor Chapman also makes the curiously inconsistent argument that the forestry service is necessary to Alaska because of its work in fire prevention, althought he naively tells us in the forepart thereof, that the Alaska national forests are bathed in perpetual fog. Why fire protection is needed or important in forests bathed in perpetual fog can only be apparent to a confirmed advocate of the bu- reaucratic system, and is typical of the state of mind of many of that sys- tem's adherents. The statements and arguments throughout Professor Chap mans article are subject to still | further criticisms similar to the fore going, but enough has been said to show the welter of transformation that is being printed and circulated about Alaska. Professor Chapman's article is typical, and is only selected because it is the latest that the writer has read. The point made here is that such articles fail to take into account the essential requirements of the situ- ation in the north. One of the pur- poses of government, as we under stand it in America, should be to as- cist rariuata antarnrise hY all nrQner