The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-06-04
PIONEERING AN INDUSTRY.

Some idea of the immensty of the undertaking to build up meat packing industry in northwestern Alaska through the utilization of surplus reindeer owned largely by the individual Eskimos, whose conception of marketing has hardly passed primi tive bartering stage, presented to the Chamber of Commerce last week by Carl J. Lomen who, with his brothers and associates has for many years been almost alone in undertaking to solve problems incidental to raising the animals and creating a market for them. There more than one million reindeer in Alaska. While the Lomen interests control the largest herd corpor atey held, their holdings actually in the min ority when compared with the vast numbers held by the Eskmos.
 First the effort to produce healthy anil mals In this, MT. Lomen said, had it not been for the assistance of the United States Biological Survey success never could have been attained Scientific assistance by that Bureau was timely and effective. Cooperating with the Territory, which is furnishing financial aid, the Bureau is still gagged in warfare on parasitic enemies of the herds in the hope of increasing the value of each animal
 Next and of paramount importance, to create a demand for deer meat and by-products of a packing industry Without that ownership of herds would naturally become liability instead of asset their numbers increased past a given point Good headway has been made in this direc- tion. Educational publicity throughout the country
 
 for meat the value of which few people had any knowledge before the Lomens launched their pagn.
 In supplying this market, the Lomens have built corrals abbatoirs cold storages bought and operated steamships, made contacts with rail transportation companies and dealers in packing house products and maintained their already made contacts with the buying public. This has cost them and their associates s25OoOOo, and their investment probably will become larger before any returns be earned.
 The industry is in it's infancy The pioneer work is still progressing. Yet the Territory is already reaping substantial benefits from the bus- ness. Last year the Lomen corporation expended some S210000 in payrolls in Alaska, much of which went to Eskimo employees This expenditure nat urally will be greater rather than less as the industry grows. Originally a gold producing coun- try, with trapping minor industry, the North western section of Alaska promises to be made one of permanent settlement and prosperity through the eventual utilization of it's reindeer Its gold deposits necessarily become more nearly exhausted with each succeeding year of operations While it will always produce a certain amount of fur, that production must always remain limited and trapping as with any fisheries industry that may be developed in time, by force of natural conditions seasonal occupation, The upbuilding of the reindeer indus try, therefore, at this time appears as the main hope of that section for permanency for any ap- preciable self-supporting population.
 To the Lomen interests and to others who have contributed to the undertaking, the Territory owes debt of gratitude. It has already recognized that fact by extending aid in solving some of the pioneer problems and probably will continue to cooperate with them in like manner in the future To build up entirely new industry which has no counterpart in previous history, is task Of no mean size an achievement of note. If the reindeer industry becomes such it will be very largely due to the pioneering of Messrs Lomen of Nome.