The Nome nugget., 1927-06-04
WEDNESDAY
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SEATTLE TIMES RUNS RIG
 STORY ABOUT ALASKA

Seattle. June 1. R-The Seat tie Times yesteray ran a Special story from its Washington corres- pondent, which said that Alaska is pulling out of the trade depress- ion which struck 1t in 1918. and is back to it's normal gain in ex- ports, although the imports lag somewhat behind, says the state ment from the Regional Division of the Department of Commerce. Falling price levels. particularly in salmon and copper. cut sharply into Alaska's export figures, which compared with war was. salmon alone decreased substantially one hundred per cent. from thirty eight millions in 1919 to nineteen million five hundred thousand dol lars in 1891.
 The Department figures that at the end of last year the readjust- ment to the new conditions was completed. The exports in total were up to seventy-three million dollars compared with fifty six million nine hundred eighteen thousand dollars in 1925. and fifty four million nine hundred seventy five thousand dollars in 1924.
 The imports of the Territory in 1926 aggregated thirty one million five hundred and eighty seven thousand, a decline of about half a million dollars in value from the previous year. but ranking well above the years of depression. and approaching toward the highest figures of the best years of Alaska's trade.
 The banner year for exports was 1919. with thirty seven million four hundred seventy six thousand.
 The report says. "The reindeer industry gives promise of becoming increasingly important as the herds multiply and the meat becomes bet ter known in the United States" "It is estimate ted that at the end of last year, reindeer in Alaska num- bered half million. and that the Territory is capable of maintaining ten million reindeer. Exports of reindeer meat increased in value from fifty three thousand dollars in 1925, to one hundred twenty seven thousand seven hundred sixty dollars last year.
 Seattle, June 1. (R-The Times Special from Washington also said that considerable bodies of coal in the Upper Matanuska Valley are of as good quality as any coal on the entire Pacific Coast. This is de- scribed as "a significant economic fact" of the Geological Survey re- port Of Stephen R. Capps. which was issued by the Department of the Interior.
 The report said. "The mining of these coals will involve many tech nical problems" as the beds are much folded and faulted, and here and there are intruded by igneous rocks. Considerable prospecting. therefore. should precede any ex- tensive expenditures, and mining will, doubtless. be expensive. and at present there is no adequate means of transportation. so the de- velopment of the neld. to be suc- cessful. should be undertaken only after mining and marketing costs have been carefully determined"
 It is suggested that the competi- tion of cheap California oil will in- evitably decrease. and that the time may not be far away when the coal of the Upper Matanuska fields can be prohtably mined and become valuable aid to the industries of AL aska. The region covered by the report embraces . tract of about two hundred square miles including Chickaloon, on the Alaska Railroad. and the country east of that. The coals are described as ranging from high rank bituminous to anthracite. in quality.