The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-18

J there, and one where little cs-,.,
is needed. Small capital has ~. -
chances in Alaska --aa'
Needless to say, conserv.s.-
favors the development of a.
as a place where the little fsIionss
has a good chance, and the dsrase,
for a less strict conservation 49,
springs chiefly from men of I ,-el
capital. The timber on the patioIsss,
forests of Alaska can be rDt ~
only under forest service sn. ~
vision, so that they are not destsea
ed. They are being cut, and a, Y.
same time conserved to furnish y
paper supply of the future for ~
United States. Without any t.s
eral restriction they could -
doubtedly be exploited more raD,51.
and more profitably for the M!
doing the exploiting, but il is clsI,
ed by the conservationists ~,
such exploitation the people)of ~
United States as a whole cam,
afford.
Alaskan Wealth Accessible
The coal and oil in Alaska w...
under the last administration Ia.
withheld from public entry ~
that the coal and oil LEASING I'M.
have been passed, these resourc..
may be developed under the No.
laws, which are certainly lenjs,.
enough. All of the other resourca,
of Alaska-fish, minerals. v.ts-
power, like ner agricultural lsn5
timber, coal and oil. are accesgibi1
to development.
In spite of this fact. Alaska h,
suffered a severe slump during tbs
war. Her white population is ssW
to have declined one-third. Nom
has only 10 per cent of the Donr
lation of its palmy days. The pov,
eminent railroad reached Fsi-
banks, say the wags, Just in tiT,o
to take out the population. M
salmon packing industry is m,
making the huge returns it ones
made. The production of gold b,s
dropped As per cent since 1915 Anil
the number of men employed N
placer mining has been cut in hat
Government interference. con.
servation and red tape are brougb,
forward by one side Of the coDtro,
Versy as the cause of it all. "Civ,
US a free hand to do ANYTHING ma
like with the resources Of Aiasks
and We will make the land hum
say the business men.
The coUSHryatiCpisrr -.1 A.
Alaska's slump is part Of the slumD
which has hit the whole world. AMI
which is being felt in every part Of
the United States. They say it d
not remarkable that Alaska, hand.
capped by her distance from mar
kets and her limited carriers
should suffer most. They say thst
each of the phases of the Alaskan
slump can be definitely traced to
a cause in the present prices which
she is able to get for her commodi-
ties.
AT the same time, they agree that
long-range federal administration
is a nuisance in Alaska. Some 20
government bureaus control the
resources of that land, and nearly
everything must be referred 10
Washington. They favor the re-
lieVing of this situation by the ere.
alton of local board consisting Of
representatives of each of the
federal departments interested in
Alaska, and empowered to act with
the greatest promptness and COL
siderable discretionary latitude
They also favor the abolition Of
certain unavoidable laws, such as
that which forbids a man to take
up Land on both banks Of a sal
mon stream, even though tina,
stream be mere brook with one
salmon in it, Federal aid in de-
yeloping transportation in Alaska
is also a dire need they say. The
railroad is only one step. Alaska
needs both highways and shipping.
But the Roosevelt policy Of con
serFation, they urge, must not be
abandoned, if the Alaskan rs-
sources are to yield their full value
to the American peop'= as q whole