The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-05-03
NOT AS BAD AS DEPICTED.

In recent issue of the Los Angeles News, there appeared editorial article on Alaska, under the heading, "As Resources Pass Population Fails" as follows:
 The result of the present in Alaska
 upon the Territorys industrial future is
 being watched with interest in the North
 west Some fifty millions is the annual toll
 the great fisheries take out of Alaska, yet
 with a population of 55, ,000 in 1920, dwindng
 at the rate of 1000 year, it is apparent
 that the resources of the Territory not
 being employed to develop populate it.
 The Filipino and Chinese laborers employed
 in the canneries leave nothing in Alaska.
 The Indians who live the meager Gov
 ernment dole of something like $15 month
 per family naturally do nothing toward de-
 veopment. In the great placer camps
 there are left but the merest traces of
 civilization When the timber is gone those
 who strip it from the hills leave nothing.
 Alaska has contributed many millions to the
 wealth of the United States The people
 who have "stuck by" the country have pro-
 fitted but little If, many believe, the
 present will show a steady decrease,
 it may be only a question of time until
 that mammoth tract that bought from
 Russia will go back to the Indians, the
 original possessors.
 While this will little uneasness in Alaska, to thousands of the News readers, whose knowledge of the Territory it's industries and it's resources is on a par with that of the editorial writer who composed the article, altogether false conception of the Territory will be conveyed Undoubtedly, as resources pass, unless something else is found to take their place in industry populations will fail This has been the case in every country and Cali fornia is exception
 Gold deposits. mined out cannot be re- stored. But California did not become depopuated because it's rich placers became exhausted. Nor when it's oil pools have been drained dry will it pass back to the red and the decendants of its original Mexican owners Californias tourist indus try is worth to it than it's mining industry ever produced and when it's oil wells are no more, its orchards will still be producing wealth.
 Alaska's known bonanza placers have been hausted. But they played part in opening up the Territory. Alaskan fisheries still going strong and the benefits from them not confined to Filipino and Chinese aborers" And Alaska's for ests not going to be stripped off the lands they now carpet. As they harvested and put to industrial for the economic benefit of Alaska the harvesting will be done in such manner that the forests will reproduce themselves naturally at rate that will insure perpetual supply of timber resources.
 Alaska, the News points out, has contributed millions to the wealth of the United States. It will continue to do and at even a greater rate in the future than attained in the past. There is not any indication that this north land is facing any such thing deserton by it's white population. In fact, the preliminary census returns, only partial yet evidence that Alaska's population has not declined in the past decade despite the fact that it included postwar years that brought about conditions adversely af festing every major industry in the Territory.
 Of course, statement of the editorial quoted would alone convict the writer of abysma ignorance about the Territory. The Indians who live on the meager Government dole of $l5 month per family naturally do nothing toward development" The Government has direct dole system for the bene- fit of Alaska Indians And good many of the Indians contributing to development. Unques- tonably the average of citizenship among them is being materially raised. They becoming better educated better trained in the manual arts, more capable of earning a liylhood for themselves and their families There is question but that even tually they will be able to take their place along side the white citizen competent disappearing units of the body polite of the Territory, doing their full share toward Territorial State de- velopment and receiving full reward for it.