Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-10-16
lis Alaska the Neat
Supply Of The future?
BY JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN

<GEENSs~A HE prophet who predicted that
~ Alaska's rapidly growing reindeer
2 herds destined to play an I'M
y portant part in supplying the future
- American with food is gaining in
tf<S~" ~ "a honor noticeably these days.
IN \SSsM/ u in his country. For thing,
@1.SF-T the statisticiahs are buSily writing
IN IN of the day not far distant when the
| Ca-SA@s.J food demand shall run ahead of the
food supply They figure that In
that day the United States will have population
of 2OOOOO000 of which 160000,000 will be town
and city people and 100000 farmers.
Moreover philanthropists are founding institu-
tons for agricultural research shat man may not
starve" Stanford university Is preparing to take
over Luther Burbanks experimental farms that
his work may go uninterrupted Chemists
discussing the probabilities of synthetic food. The
Navy department Is planning a scientific investga-
ton of our salt water fish life. congressional
committee is inquiring into the complaints of the
livestock men of the West of dwindling herds and
of the management of the grazing in the national
forests The federal government is displaying
much interest in Alaskan reindeer herds.
w. T. Lppp, chief Of the Alaska division of the
United States bureau of education for thirty-one
wears. has left his home in Seattle and gone to
Bafin land, the big Canadian island between
Greenland and the North American mainland, to
organize the reindeer industry for the Hudsons
Bay company What of it3 Why this is bit
of of real Importance 1t not only proves
that the world does move but also points out the
direction in which 1t is moving
Offhand the news reads more like a joke than
a sober fact Imagine the Hudsons Bay company
doing a thing like this-Hudson's Bay company,
chartered In 1910 by Charles II of England and
the biggest and most efficient monopoly the world
ever saw With power of life and death and
monopoly of trade, it successfully barred all prog
ress. H. 3. C.-"Here Before Christ" as trans
lated by the oppressed-was on its banner. Teach
err, missionary and settler we're anathema to its
rulers. Pro pelle Cutem-"skin for skn"-was the
motto on its great seal and it took the skin from
the Indian, skinned him in the trade, reduced him
10 slavery and kept him there. Not even Il post
factor was allowed to make garden, lest he give
The lie to the "inhosptabe wilderness" The free
trader" In furs was killed off. 1t ignored the
ploring obligations of it's charter set up a few
scattered trade posts and made the Indian come to
them. 1t piled up enormous profits in secret and
successfully stood off investigation by parliament
1t was not until 1870 that the British government
forcibly released its strange-hold on British North
America.
Fifty years of Canadian progress have made
f. B. c. richer than ever. owing to the value of
the land it retained-and which for 200 years 1t
insisted was unfit for the habtation of the white
man. This half century of progress has also
forced complete face-about in policy. H. B. c.
is now selling its fertile" lands and is running
chain of department stores in the thriving cities
that have developed since its monopoly was
broken. Fl. b, c., what its sins against civilization
has always made great profits. So II it is going
ia for reindeer promotion in Bafin land-why, that
is proof positive that the reindeer business has
big future.
Nevertheless, the fact that H. B. c. is taking
an expert from "outside" to manage the business
has it's humorous aspect: in the good old days
outsiders" who attempted to get inside were in
danger of growing old. Another point to the joke
is this: Had H. B. c. carried out the terms Of its
charter, Alaska would not now be ours. but would
le in all probability British territory.
And here's amusing situation In connection
With our own reindeer in Alaska. According to
he schedule of "ofcinl duties" of the executive
departments of the federal government the com
missioner OF education chief of the bureau of eu-
alton Of the Department Of the Interior. "has