Seward daily gateway., 1930-09-06
ALASKA PUZZLE


 farms near towns, and the lux uriant products from them. You will be told that the Alaska Rail- road, and the towns, buy potatoes and other crops. Some of the farm CTS will tell you everything is rosy But, you will NOT be told that some of the most attractive of the little places shown belong to mer- chants, or towns people, who cul- tivate them without the thought of profit. YOU WILL NOT BE SHOWN the large number of ABANDONED AREAS that have been cultivated at one time in an effort tO make a living. Within a radius of four miles of this town, Similar condi tions at other towns) there are four abandoned farms that at one time were cultivated by bone-fide farm CTS trying to make living. After a number of years they gzve it up. For many summers now not a bit of cultivation has been done; their homeSteads were taken over by town people for the wood on them, etc. The merchants of the different towns dO not sim glely, or collectively, make any eff fort, or sacrifice, to abSorbe all of the local productions-one year they buy little, another year they don't; the farmer is never sure of selling.
 The present management of the road had d professor lecture in different parts of the states, trying to induce farmers to come to this country I believe it safe to say that at no time did he say that the market for farm production was very uncertain Obtaining immi- grafton by misrepresentation, (which 1t assuredly is(, is an injus- tice to those who are induced to come. So far as I am able to learn NOT ONE of the families coming up here under the influence of such propaganda is to be found toll day on successful farm, and this, after 20 years of effort. WHAT IS THE REMEDY? By far#the great- est benefit to this country, assur- ing land settlement, and a rapid growth in permanent inhabitants, is to be obtained by PROVIDING AN ASSURED MARKET FOR ONE OR MORE, STABLE MI FARM PRO- DUCTS! THAT IS THE KEY THAT WILL UNLOCK ALASKA'S WEALTH. All efforts should be expended in finding the way. n suggest this method .....#..
 Make careful survey of the tri- butary country around Anchorage and Fairbanks for two purposes; one, to grade agricultural land by one-fourth sections into classes A, B, Q, D, etc, considering differ ent clements, such as, soil, climate, ease of clearing, distance tO mar ket. The other, to determine the one, or two, products that will grow to maturity in the largest quantity, for the least labor Products that can be manufactured, or canned, with the lowest chance of a hand ling deficit. When the product was decided upon; we will say for purpose of argument that it is the sugar beet, LET THE RAILROAD BUILD A FACTORY, at the most accessible place, for converting beet into sugar, CTHE MONEY USED IN BUILDING THIS FAC TORY WOULD BE FAR BETTER SPENT THAN ON THE PROPOSED LUXURIOUS RIVER STEAMER TO ACCOMMODATE THE TOUR IST), and operate it, even at a loss until such time as it would become self-supporting. Another method would be to induce one of the large sugar companies in the states to build the factory under a govern ment subsidy. Then buy all crops of the selected commodity, at a price sufficient to make it profita ble; thus assuring of a lively hood from agriculture. If this pro- position, pr something similar, were put into practice quickly, there would De immediate and steady growth of farming. have talked