Seward daily gateway., 1926-04-08
CONTRACTOR CARLSON EXPRESSES OPINION
 RECENT OBSERVATIONS
ANCHORAGE SHOULD BE MOVED r TO SEWARD; RAILROAD SHOULD
 CONNECT WITH CORDOVA LINE
GIVES GATEWAY CANDID OUTLINE
CANNOT SEE MUCH IN AGRICUL- TURAL PRosPEcTs-MAY RE- TURN TO FAIRBANKS SOON.

In the opinion of G. A. Carlson, se- nior members of the nationally known contractors and railroad constructors, who returned to Seward Saturday from a brief business trip to Fairbanks said Anchorage should be moved to l Seward; in other words, the town of Anchorage serves no definite purpose at it's present location. Tt has no seaport" Mr. Carlson asserted, "and hundred years from now one will be able to walk across Cook Inlet from Anchorage as the silt from the Susitna and other streams, will have completely filled up the narrow strip.
 If Anchorage was situated at Wa silla or Matanuska, from which points one enters the mining and farming regions of this district, this would be an entirely different story. And by the same token" Mr Carlson continu- ed, the Alaska Railroad never should have been built out of Seward but from Valdez or Cordova. However, now that Seward has been chosen as the coast terminal of the Government Railroad, which is now completed, move Anchorage over here, connect up your westward routes, via Bristol Bay, to the Kusk0kwim and other mining regions, develop the magnifi- cent country around you, and you'll have real city here.
 I'm not out for political honors, nor am I endeavoring to boost any partic- ular region of Alaska, nor my stock, but am simply stating the result of my observations from one of my ire quent trips to the Territory. 1 real ize, of course, the Cordova road is an expensive piece of road to, main tain during the winter months, so pro- bably Valdez would be better To, cation; but, on the other hand, if the Alaska Railroad would, switch off at Matanuska and run over toward the Copper River district, connecting with that railroad, the richest mineral dis trict in the Territory would be tap ped.
 Your problems, in Alaska are no worse than they were in railroad con S+nt Tyr of what I am speaking for my firm constructed thousands of miles of track and roadbed. In the mountainous re gions we encountered the same glacial formations you have here in the north.
 "The agricultural possibilities oi the Territory is something l cannot look upon favorably at this time, tho the Interior region appears much bet ter adapted than other portions 1 have visited. I am informed the Kenai pen insula country is a wonderful farm ing district and has grazing lands un surpassed I hope to have the pleas ure of visiting that portion some day One thing I can tell you, if Alaska was turned over to Norway or SwedeT or to any other Scandinavian nation this splendid Territory would be pop ulated very quickly. Those nations seem to thrive in the hardier climates more so than other countries.
 My trip into Fairbanks at this time was purely one of pleasure, l havinE certain amount of time left on m. hands figured it good opportunity t visit Fairbanks and personally note th' advance of mining activities. It i: quite probable that may return in ; few weeks, the next time on business however"
 In closing, MT. Carlson said: I'll making my previous observations I an simply stating things as an outside sees them. Someone else may hay, another idea-that is their privilege of course"
 II MT. Carlson owns a $200,000 print ing establishment in Spokane, the firn name being the Spokane Statesman
 When sizing up the Gateway plant h. figured it could do most any kind o
 printing. and spoke very highly of it
 equipments, especially it's linotype
 with it's many job fonts.
 4 Amateur night tonite-at the Libert,