The Alaska daily empire., 1923-05-22

this district far OutnumDcT those or the Anchorage district In this dis trict there have been patented 1,294l mining claims, with 1000 in the An chorage district S64 of which are located east of Seward and were thus capable of being patented more cheaply here than at Anchorage. in the local district at the present time there are 94 applications for patents to mining claims pending as com plred to b in the Anchorage dis trict, and two important hearings on disputed claims pending in this dis trlct and none at Anchorage.
 Business arising from the stalking of oil claims at Yakataga, katalla and on the Alaska Peninsula is more 1 nearly naturally tributary to Juneau than Anchorage, said MT. Faulkner. Most of the business being done in this connection is with non-residents who find Juneau more conveniently located than Anchorage, which is off the main line of travel
 Lots of Land Surveys
 There is no great rush of home stolders to districts along the Alaska Railroad which demands i.nme1.a.e 1 establishment of a land office, he
 added He po.Iscd out that surveys some e,ght or nino years old cover 62s.600 acres cf land in the An chc1age d.strllt. Since that time 156 homestelds have been patented, 2l6 o.hor a.l2licJ..oEs for homez-eal1 were cancelled, the applicants vac1s- ing the land. There are on file 157 applications pending of which num- Der IA have been cancelled. Thus only 65000 acres of surveyed land has been taken up or applied Tor there. W1lshdrawlls from entry to- t.a 1S7,OO0 leaving open fer settle ment in the Anchorage district sey-
 eral hundred thousand acres of land alreldy surveyed
 Robertson Supports Position The position taken by MT. Faulk-
 ner was supported by R. E. Robert
 son. We do not argue that An chorage does not need a land office, but that the local land office should
 not be removed in order that 1t might be given one," he said. The
 order of transfer, he added, lis a
 forerunner of attempts to move other
 offices. possibly the capitol, and IS
 mo.i. serious matter"
 J. A. Hellenthal said the import
 ance of the question ''is apparent to everyone" He reviewed the data presented by Mir Faulkner and em- phasized the importance to the min ing industry of retaining the local land office He offered for adoption a telegram prepared by the commi.- tee of which he is a member At the suggestion of G. F. Forrest, in this telegram was included the relative distance between Juneau and Anchor age, and Fairbanks and Anchorage, and the fact that between the latter two towns telephone communication
 ,s available The telegram as amend
 ed wtals adopted by unanimous vote. Urges Facts eB Presented
 E. Valentine declared that the solu- tion of the problem would be found in division of Alaska with Southeast ern Alaska organized as Territory in itself, applause greeting his asser- tion that i've have nothing in com- mon with the interior" He urged that data be assembled for presenta- tion not only to the President and his companions, but to the Congress sional delegation and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle party when they visit Alaska this summer. Put the case up to them straight, he urged. "Tell them frankly what they have done to us through neglect. ignorance and possibly malIice." He urged also that proper entertainment programs be arranged for the distinguished visi- tors.
 Eleven members were appointed by Chairman Faulkner on a commit tee to obtain signatures to the tele- gram to be sent Secretary Work. Others were added today. Those named last night were: Chairman, J. L. Gray; Grover c. Vim. J. A. Davis, Eugene Nelson. J. L. McClos- key, w. E. Newell. R. H. Stevens. | L. McKinnop. J. H. Mullen, c. F. Forrest. Cash Cole, Frank Metcalf and w s. Pullcn.