The Cordova daily times., 1922-08-21
TOURIST SEES
 GOOD FUTURE
 ALASKA GRAIN

MT. and Mrs. F. A. Miller, and their son, F. Wendell Miller, of Rockwell City, Iowa, who were pas with MT. James Galen from Fairbanks to Chitina, will leave for the outside on the Alameda tonight, after a months tour of Alaska. When seen by representative of the Times today MT. Miller expressed himself as very enthusiastic over his trip into the interior. Going in by way of Seward and Anchorage over the Railway, The Miller party spent several days in Fair banks, where, meeting MT. Galen, an was made to return ov- CT the automobile highway to Cor dova. The weather was not the most propitious for sightseeing, but the travellers found the trip inter- esting and inspiring.
 The Government Railway" said Mr Miller, lis not yet prepared, of course to cater to tourist travel. But a great advantage would be gained by travellers without inter- tering with the freight business ot the road, by timing trains differently. Instead of leaving Seward, as they do now, in the morning. trains could leave about four in the afternoon, giving travellers an opportunity to see the finest part of the scenery, that between Seward and Anchorage, before dark. From Anchorage on, them an uninteresting stretch of country could be traversed at night, and the view of Mt. Mckinley be assured by daylight the following morning. Some such arrangement will undoubtedly be made when the road is in definite operation
 MT. Miller, who is an agriculturist of the Middle West, was much inter- ested in the Matanuska and Fair banks agricultural sections, and in the work being done by the Agrl- cultural experiment stations there ''There is no doubt in my mind" he said, that Alaska will be producing her own flour, oats and vegetables within very short time. Within a, length of a dozen miles, along what they call the farmers road there are now a dozen or fifteen farmers, each of whom is producing grain on farms of twenty acres. This is a fine oats country more than half as many bushels to the acre being grown here now as we produce in the Middle West There is a sub- stantial flour mill at Fairbanks, where an excellent quality of whole wheat is being milled. There is no doubt that the question of soil is a serious one in Alaska, but this is a big country, and undoubtedly there will be found areas where the soil will be at least four feet above the gravel bed, in which case grain can be produced without difficulty. I doubt whether Alaska will ever do more in this direction than to supply her own needs, but that she will do, and soon."
 Considerable anxiety has been felt in the Middle West, said MT. Miller, on account of the competition which stock raisers have been led to be- lieve they will have to face in the reindeer industry of Alaska "On paper" said MT. Miller, "it looks true, too. Here are these great herds. which feed on the moss, are cared for by one man, and he a cheap laborer-the stockraiser thinks of his own cattle which require ex- pensive feeding and herding, and sees himself put to it to hold his own. But when one discovers the ex- orbitant freight rates which are the penalty of Alaskans, he smiles and is easy in his mind. As long as AL askans have such freights to pay, the States need fear no competition from them.'
 Speaking of tourist routes, MT. Miller observed that to the traveller it would be a great convenience if some route could be devised where by it would be possible to strike in land at one of the ports of south central Alaska, make loop and re- join the ship in time for the return to the states. "An ideal route," said MT. Miller, would be to stop off at Valdez, go over the Richardson trail tn Willow thaOop tO Chitina and