The Wrangell sentinel., 1930-09-25
WOULD CONVERT RAILROAD
 TO MOTOR TRUCK HIGHWAY
Too Costly; Would Replace Rails With Motor Truck Highway
 to Interior

vestigation of the Alaska Railroad by a senatorial committee compos- ed of Robert E. Howell, John Thom- as and John B. Kendrick. Curtail- ment of expenses by looping off maintainence and operating forces was the immediate result.
 The September 6 issue of the Seward Gateway is practically en- tirely devoted to an article by Don Carlos Brownell, pioneen Alaskan since 1900 and resident of Seward since the founding of the town. The following are excerpts from his letter, written to the investi- gating committee
 Trunk Highway
 Tear up the rails; lower the rail bed by spreading for width {; surface for a highway; and charge toll on both freight and passenger traffic for maintenance. I firmly believe that, if this were done, the resulting effects would stimulate development of Alaska resources far more than the railroad. A truck loaded here in Seward could de- liver the goods right at the mine, prospect, farm, town residence, without the now extra handling. Then, all of these many short high ways would be connected, making rapid inter-communication. If a man wants a ton of freight at the end of one of the many short roads leading to the railroad, he ships a truck out by train to do the hauling, leaving it idle there when done, or sending it back by rail to town, a costly operation that discourages traffic. On the other hand, if he could run back and forth to the nearest town at will, he would buy more and do more.
 ''There would be no more expense to the government after the high way was finished; a saving to the treasury of probably a million dol lars for another 1 5 years. Conver- sion to the highway could be car ried on from the north this way without interrupting traffic and with great rapidity.
 eff the plan to change the whole railroad to a highway at this time cannot be accepted, then convert that section between Mt. Mckinley Park station to Fairbanks, making it the connecting link between the already constructed 30-mile road in the park, and the present Richard son Highway. If this is not done, the railroad will most assuredly be paralleled by highway in the near future to make the link. The mental attention already given to the propoesd international highway (connecting British Columbia, Yu- kon Territory and eastern Alaska, has reached such proportions as to assure its construction in the near future. Tourist travel to Alaska then will almost wholly be by auto.
 ''It would be wise to continue the conversion on down to Anchor age, making that town the end of the highway and the northern ter minal of the railway This plan would stop the railroad deficit and enhance the growth of central AL aska. It is quite safe to say that even the tourist travel coming into Alaska would be greatly increased. There is no freight traffic north of Anchorage that could not be handled by truck. Then fleets of trucks and buses would make their headquarters at Anchorage and Fairbanks.
 The ease of examining adjacent land when travelling in a private car would tend to induce settlement along the highway more than at present; also easy access by pri- vate cars to Fairbanks or Anchor age from farms along this route Gin a few hours, any day), would also be attractive. Numerous fill ing stations and road houses would be established, and each of these would have it's little garden, dem- onstrating to travellers the agricul- tural possibilities of adjacent land They would also make neighbors closer.
 Airplane Service
 ''If the railroad were not operat- ed during the winter, or is changed to highway which might be cut