The Stroller's weekly and Douglas Island news., 1922-11-04
FOREST OFFICIAL
 QUITE OPTIMISTIC
Chief of Alaska Service, c. H. FIory, Tells of Alaska While in
 Portland

Portland Ore. Oct 3f.- Busi- mess In hlaska Is looking up. accord- ius to Chas n. Flory, district fores- ter for Che Alaska District who is iE Portland cu route to Che Southwest
 Ezp0ria of uah for thc past 10 or 12 years thc groat source of cash rc- .uruH win bo surprisingly heavy. while a mineral revival is i'm evidence and exports Of h.eh-grado lumber. cut from Che T0neas National F0r- ost show promising beginning"
 aId Mr. F'0ry
 Mr Flory stated Chat Mr. E. A. sherman. associate forester from Washington. D. C.. spent two months in Ai1Hfa last summer as a special representative or Secretary Wallace ol Che Department ol Agriculture
 "H.r sherman found tho people Of Southern Alaska are particularly pleased witch tho efforts of tho For- ost Service t0 establish a pulp and paper Industry In Che Territory and with Che roads built by Che sorWco
 and Che Bureau of Public Roads,"
 aii Mr. FIory "rnc road problem i'm h.aaa is unlike that encountered elsewhere In Che States travel and tmMc exist before tho government begins building roads. in Alaska we have had to anticipate fhc demand. Under our piaua roads have boon cz- tended short distance along tho eoast from each of thc chief towns i'm thc Forest witch some definite 0b- Io.Ire iu each ease. Tho extension ol settlement which has followed has been surprIsine"
 Mr. F'ory said that when Mr. sher- man was at Kotch'ku seven years ago ho wont out to @ power plant and and had to scramble through a june gle to get there Since then % road haa bem buIlt and houses have fol- lowed on both s.dos making it now n city street. This year Che same thing is taking place in several places and Che towns or Southeastern NmIa oro being transformed
 "By January l." continued Mr. F'0ry' tho government railroad win bo In shape t0 run ears direct from fho wharyos at Seward into FaIr- banks. a distance of fG7 miles. which Is 38 miles farther chan from port- land t0 Spokane. Tho completion or ths road win greatly benefit Che mining Industry in the interior of Alaska"
 Mr. Flory accompanied Mr. sher- man on trip into interior Alaska. While Iu tho Fairbanks region Mr. sherman made a brief study of local economic conditions He is author iy for Che statement that "when ihe rich p.aceu were played out thcro stun remained a tremendous field for drodrre Wood was used for fueI hut thc nearby hills were soon
 stripped and Che price of uel wood Hf flc mines ranged from fl0 to a8 high as f22.50 per cord. making worry expensive power and holt This year moro mon are employed In Che mines around Fairbanks chan for a number of roars due Grst to unusually heavy rainfall. and second. because of tho cheap fuel they see coming As a mattor of fact thcy already have role aHvoly cheap uol on Che ground. Coal ia as lowras go tom. and tho completion Of Che bridge across Che Panama win bring it down as low as ff50 per ton'
 Mr. Flory says Chat Che output Of canned salmon from Alaska tbis year win be about tho average of Che past fO 0r f2 years. something over 100000 cases "It looked Inst poar as though Che salmon industry wae facing olriy destruction. but, greatly to tho surprise of those fam Unr with Che industry Che run thia voar was In some eases greater chan orcr before. Tho salmon industry in Naska is Che source of a stoady and considerable demand for timber from Che National Forests for hoN-boards. p'l.ng and timbcr and supports a number 0f local sawm.ils
 "Thcrc is now great activity in Che herring fisheries Last ycar AL asba shipped about 100000 barrels 0l mud-cured herring which was more chan In any previous ycar this Industry being relatively new. A
 hInmcut or about 300.000 barrels is expected this ycar This is of great importance to Che Territory for thc ro1s0n that herring packing has longer eeasou chat salmon canning'
 Mr. Flory stated that as Mr. shcr- man came through kctchiton hc saw a fyo-mastcd schooner being loaded wih lumber from Che local aawmIll and billed for Australia. The cargo consisted of 1.SO0.OOO feet B. M of
 rrucc and Is part of a 5.0oo.000 foot order. Che remainder Of which win he loaded and on its way probably by Che frst of December
 "It was interesting Co Mir. sher- man to note also that during tho
 ummor Ono mvmu at Wwnsol billed ont i5.000 feet of clear spruce which was shipped to the London market The same min also made shipment Of I50.OO0 feet of spruce Intended for Che Eastern market 40 tho time of visiting Wrangcll. MT. sherman saw a carload of shop ium- bor waiting at Che dock which was intended for hpmont Io Che Chic caeo market"
 HERE FROM sKAGWAY