Evening star., 1926-08-29

ed the completion of rail transporta-
ton between the coast and the in
terror of Alaska.
0CEWARD'S Folly" as Alaska was
~ known in 1857, when the then
Secretary of War negotiated with
Russia for it's purchase. has been a.
most lucrative buy for the United
States 1t cost Uncle Sam $7,200.000,
fairly large sum in those days.
Since then it has produced from its
mines. it's sea and fur trade some
thing like a billion and quarter
dollars and has cost the Government,
including the original purchase price,
about $500 900 ,000.. So that Uncle
Sam has netted nice little profit on
his venture into northern real estate.
Inestimable riches and hidden treas
ures are still sealed in its natural re-
cesses, awaiting development. Out of
it's total of 1885, ,76O acres the Cen
eral Land Office has surveyed less
than 1900, 900, while a party from the
Geological Survey is now in Alaska
mapping out the vast naval oil re-
serves that lie in the area just south
of the ice-bound Polar Sea.
Alaska's greatest resource, and also
it's most popular appeal to public
fancy, is it's mineral wealth. 1t has
gold, silver. copper. zinc, antimony
and tungsten in enormous quantities.
Deposits of coal. including bitumin-
Gus and Ignite. have been found on a
tremendous scale. SO have oil and
petroleum.. in addition to platinum,
lead ores, quicksilver, graphite and
asbestos Alaska's mineral produc-
ton in 1925 aggregated 17.S50,000.
of which gold production totaled So
2S5.724 and copper $9,703.721. And
there are still large areas in Alaska
that have not been adequately pros
pected, and many promising proper
ties lie idle because of lack of capital
for the necessary equipment.
The Geological Survey declares the
shortage of enterprising prospectOrs
is a serious drawback that has result
ed because wages for comparable
work are actually lower in Alaska
than in the States. though expenses
are higher. Throughout the Terri
tory last year. however, there were
unmistakable signs that many of the
operators were putting their proper
| ties in a more efficient condition. and
4, that people with capital were seeking
opportunity for investment in large
| operations of stability rather than in
projects that would be quickly
| worked out or in speculative mining
ventures.
| The influence of Gov. Parks and
| the change In administrative condi
tions forecast by the Interior Depart
ment was already beginning to make
| itself felt last year. and reports to
! the department so far this year indi'
cate that mining is coming back.
Yet it is in the vast areas Of virgin
forests which carpet the eterna
slopes of Alaska's hills and Increased
activity in Alaskan fisheries that Gov
Parks views Alaska's future. A mar
who has cruised over thousands OF
square miles of a virgin country. fol
weeks alone or with an Indian guide
far from human habitation. must
! know something of conditions
"Alaskas forest areas have barely
been touched" he says. What we
need now is capital to interest Itself
in the possibility of great timber pro
duction under weather conditions thai
are comparable to those in Maine
and northern New York"
lCOV. PARKS explains that the ides
~ of an ice-bound country. wher'
| nothing grows but trees. and snow
and ice cover the ground from Win
tier to Winter. Is but a myth. In the
back yard Of the governmental man