The Alaskan., 1931-01-30

of timber the mills want. Not insist on cramming down their threats timber unSuited for their market demands. Our mills with half a chance are able to stand alone. With the grade of logs the owners would be able to furnish them they would soon be healthy and increase their output even without the salmon box business.
 The pulp mills would come in. Here is an open field they would say. Now we can get the kind of timber we have to have to meet competition without hav- ing to cut that expensive poor grade stuff fifty years ahead of our market demands. Let's go! An! You say that is just what our Forest Department is guard ing against. This indiscriminate cutting of timber. Why the pulp mills will come in here and strip our hills.' Leave us nothing but the rocks. They will overcut and have to close down, they will ruin our country.
 There is only one danger and that one very remote. Overcut- ting All right! Our Forest De- partment has done an immense lot of research work and are apable of lots more. They should know how many tons of pulp wood could be taken yearly from our forests without danger 1 When that point is reached our children will know what to do. Our job is to see that our chill .dren have the power and intelli- oence to do so without having first been diven to bloodshed to better their living conditions. We cannot be blind to the fact that an immense proportion of our land is not agricultural land. Let us be pessimistic and say that only two percent of it is tillable. I have no means of moving the exact proportions nor do I particularly care. We nave more than enough. Agri- cultural produce will not, in my estimation, cut any great figure other than locally in South eastern Alaska's development. The Spud patch and the kitchen garden will be vitally important out the destiny of 98 per cent of Southeast Alaska's land is the growing of timber.
 What can we do with only ? per cent of livable land. Well that is four acres each for 1OO,- 900 settlers whom, if are wise, will have sufficient timber land
 n addition to make their tenan- " possible and profitable. Let chem be owners not renters. Let them be masters not wage work CTS.
 Let them draw from our tim Der resources while they estab- Ijish themselves. They will buy more fur farm breeding stock and raise more fur here in Southeastern Alaska than has ever been thought possible. They will build resorts to cater to the tourist trade; they will start various woodworking plants; they will buy from our stores; they will bank in our banks; they will build roads, homes. schools, churches, boats; our waterways will see a constant gtream of traffic.
 Are we going to offer our chill
 -lren a chance to participate in something like this or are we going to offer them one of those 9,6OO jobs that the Forest De- partment through MT. Heintzel- man, dangle so enticingly before the eyes of their public, the People of Alaska.
 Are we going to concentrate our thoughts and gaze on that messmerists crystal? The pos
 sible dollar profit coming to uS through the much advertised et- forts of the Forest Service to es- tablish pulp mills here and De } lI,IIad t0 c1111,1hnr. hv the chant O1