The Wrangell sentinel., 1923-11-01
Mir. Wallace
 C0ntradictS
 MiSstatementS

letter for publication in the Rail- way and Marine News telling the world that there is not a piece of spruce timber in Alaska 10 feet long without knot in it, We thought the lextreme limit of transformation had been reached.
 But now comes the Paper Trade Journal with an editorial stating that Alaska has little water power that the streams are small. and the water Has not enough power to turn a turbine.
 Fortunately this article came to the attention of Henry Wallace. sec retary of Agriculture, who proceeded to correct the erroneous statements.
 The Sentinel has received the fol lowing hews letter from Washington bearing on this subject:
 WASHINGTON. D. C.. Oct. 29.- Alaskan water power. timber, and transportation conditions make in evitable the development of an i'm portant pulp and paper industry in the southeastern portion of the Terri tory. declares Secretary of Agricul- ;p lot ha Do Trade Journal. The letter follows:
 My attention has been called to the leading editorial in the Septem- Der 27 issue of the Paper Trade Jour- nal, entitled 'Alaskas Problems. This editorial, while properly expres- sing a caution against any expecta- ton of sudden and great develop ments in Alaska, contains certain nisstatements in regard to which l am sure both you and your readers would welcome correct information. These misstatements are summarized in the sentence, Thus Alaska has lit tie water power, limited area of richly kmbered land and bad trans portation.'
 "I am at loss to understand the prevalence of the idea that south eastern Alaska lacks water power or 1 that it's water resources are unsuit- able for use in the manufacture of I pulp and paper. The editorial states that in this part of Alaska The conti- mental divide is backed right up against the seacoast. This offers a good chance for rafting logs but pre- cludes the possibility of water power. The streams are all small, even though the fall in many cases is great The water has not enough power to turn a turbine The facts are other wise Cooperative investigations con- ducted by this department and by the Federal Power Commission have disclosed the presence of numerous excellent water power sites many oi which can be developed very cheaply compared with water power now un- der development elsewhere In the United States, in units of from 5000 horsepower to over 30,000 horsepow CT. The tota available horsepower in in such units now known is over 325,000 horsepower. These estima- ted power capacities are believed to be conservative and have been found so in those instances where the work of the engineers employed by the Government has been checked by en- gineers in private employ. Turbines are actually being turned by water power in southeastern Alaska and the power used directly for grinding wood at the rate of 40 tons of baled pulp a day, with less than Is per cent development of the particular power site used, and furthermore other turbines are being turned t' develop electrical power for commer- cial and domestic use in the cities Juneau and Ketchikan and in the mining. fish packing. and other in dustries near these cities.
 "The limited area of richly timber ed land" is spread over a region ap lproximately 300 miles long by 10l miles wide. larger than the spruce re- zion of the Northeastern United States, or than the State of Washing lton west of the Cascade Mountain and contains a present stand of tim Der of at least 70 billion board feet chiefly spruce and hemlock. From the general tenor of the editorial ii would hardly be inferred that the timber resource of the Alaskan Pan handle is sufficient to maintain per manently an output of two million cords of pulpwood annually, but this is the conservative estimate of those foresters and timbermen who are fa-