The Nome nugget., 1924-04-26
LoCALNEWS
AN INTERESTINLETT
 FROTHE OUTSIDE

The following fresting letter
 was received by tbublisher of the
 Nugget in the last ail from Dr. K.
 l. Craven, who spending the
 winter at 2059 Beciey Way, Ber-
 Kelley. California.
 Feuary 22, 1924.
 Editor. Nome Nugg
 Dear Sir;-Thinkg that some of
 my observations he this winter
 may be of interest the readers of
 your paper l have ddressed these
 nc1es to you
 preliminary re,rt from Alfred
 Brooks has just beereceived by me
 This report states tit Alaska mines produced s20.30O,Oi worth of min erals in 1923, agsst S19,500, 900 in 1922. The total llue of the min eral output of Alasa since 1880 is
 Sh1S,0O0, 900.
 On account of tn hxtra dry sea son there was q sligltdecline in the production of gold, lthough Sew ard Peninsula came rlose to her 1922 production. In fact she ex- cteded her 1922 prohction by a good margin, if the sold, dredged after tho close of navigation. is counted. This fact aould be brot to the attention of ne gentleman, in the Presidential pirty last sum mer. who compared NJ me with Skag way. Seward PeninsGa is credited With a gold production of s1,200 900 fo. 1923 as against !1.276.0o0 for 1929.
 Tha most ei~1;ec7J. r7r. of the report. however is tha fact that. where transportation facilities have been improved, the production of minerals has increasal. whereas a decrease is reported from the more Inaccessible parts on account of the cost of operation. This should be the cue for the miners and mer- chants of Nome to follow and to make q renewed and united effort to have the railroad extended thru the kongarok to Candle and open up the coal mines in that vicinity as wcl as reducing the cost of trans pnHation to the miners along the lire. That part of the country is known to be as highly mineralized ss any part of Alaska.
 l fully believe that roads. carefully m" pr'ed out, can be bad, if the peo- pie of aM the districts will stand to- gether and wholeheartedly and un- 'elfisk.r work for them.
 It is not necessary to point out hat the days of the merchants and business men of Nome are numbered unless the back country is given a rhance to develop. Any student of n, ineralogy. I think, will agree with ne that the creator did not distri- brte all the minerals along the sea coast for the convenience of the miners. The real wealth of the rruntry lies in the interior, but in order to get it we must have roads. and until we get a somewhat definite plan for road building. moneyed in ferests will be slow in making in- estments.
 Alaska, of late. has been featured on the front pages of the big dailies. The activity of the geologists on the navy's oil and coal reserve will be nj great benefit to Seward Peninsula.
 The abandonment of the polar flight of the Shenandoah" no doubt, was a political expedtency for harmony in the coming elections. In spite of this sudden move on the part of President Coolidge. I believe that Alaska will receive greater at 'Vhtion lhhndi III thV p1ot- ho' proven himself to be fair, sane, broad and able statesman.
 It is claimed by some that the oil investigation now going on in Wash ington will tighten and have ten- dency to retard the development of Alaska, but I am inclined to believe that it will have the opposite effect. The proving of these reserves by the will esta blish the poten- tial wealth of. Alaska and lead to greater activity by others. No mat ter how rich these reserves may be they are valueless unless some are provided for the transpoT tation of their products. This would have salutary effect on roadbuiId- ing, air service and shipping in gen. eraL
 The Kougarok mail problem has been taken up with the Department and it Is hoped that some remedy |.