The Cordova daily times., 1922-11-23
COLONIZATION IS KEY TO
 SITUATION ALONG RAILROAD

After having been in contact with bankers, business and financial men of San Francisco and Seattle and spent several months in Europe studying the conditions abroad, E. A. Rasmuson, president of the Bank of Alaska Is in Anchorage to spend the winter, firmly espoused of the onization of the railroad belt will result in yindicating the construc- ton of the Alaska railroad. In re- gard to colonization Mr. Rasmuson is of the opinion that the work should be initiated by the Interior Department with view to hand picking settlers and extending to them farm loan system calculated 1 to enable them to make progress until able to travel alone. I In an interview with the Times i MT. Rasmuson asked that an impress sion gained from recent interview | in which it was made to appear that he contemplated colonizing Scandinavians along the railroad, be dissipated.
 What I did say" said MT. Ras- muson, " was that it appears i'm possible to get the ordinary Ameri- cans to pioneer such a country as Alaska, therefore the best thing would be to bring in northern Euro i, peaens, who would welcome the opportunity to settle here and would make it success.
 When in San Francisco I met a number of big financial men and they agreed with me that the suc- cess of the, railroad was not as much dependent upon the development of mining as upon settlement of the l countrys lands Economically it works out this way: For every man actually engaged in production, such 1 as farming there are three depen- dent for their livelihood in market ing and maintaining business insti- tutions. Production being centered in agricultural and minerals, these elements are the first in consider ation. If there were thousand men engaged in farming there would be three thousand additional, which means population and with it prog ress.
 "For at least ten years the Gov ernment will be compelled to meet a deficit of about es2,000,000 annually. It would seem good business for the railroad project to adopt the same system that other big railroads have adopted, and employ part of the appropriations in the form of farm loans and colonization. Farm CTS cannot borrow money at ten and twelve per cent and do business in Alaska in the ordinary sense.
 While I was abroad I received a circular being distributed by the Canadian Government asking for settlers for the dominion and setting up the advantages of that country. am told that Canada and Great Britain have seventeen agents in Europe manipulating settlers, as sisting them to get to Canada and further assisting them in getting settled. I was told by the editor of the Literary Digest that the state of Pennsylvania maintains an agent abroad for the purpose of se- l lecting the class of settler desired. | It would seem that the United States could do the same.
 ''When I talked over the Alaskan situation with group of bankers in San Francisco they agreed with me that colonization was the key to the railroad situation and the develop ment of Alaska. I was told by the secretary of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce that it had s4oO,OOO for advertising purposes and if there was cooperation on the | part of the Government in popula- ting Alaska the chamber would ap- propriate large sume. for adyertis- ing the country.
 "It would seem logical for the Gov ernment to send out money to help get return of the money in building the railroad and for the deficits propriate large sums for advertis- $25,O0O,OO0 before the road becomes selfsustaining.
 Settlers must have assistance to