The Kusko times., 1932-07-02

ieeoiu oA o ueSIe0Se oA oui4 oUout II per cent compares favorably with the records from similar enterprises in the States. Each year brings more and more general development throughout the Territory. and these
 improvements in general conditions are stimulating prospectors and Othrs to undertake the development of deposits that had previously been too difficult to exploit. Such improve ments are exerting a continuing and growing force, so that each year
 Alaska is becoming less and less an unknown frontier, and the hazards of mining under pioneer conditions are being correspondingly reduced.
 The output of gold was distributed between lodes and placers approxi- mately in the propotion of 49 to 51- $4 4,665, ,000 from lodes and $4,842, ,000 from placers. The producing gold lodes are widely distributed through various parts of the Territory, but more than 82 per cent of the output came from lodes in Southeastern Alaska, where accessibility to deep water routes of communication and other favorable conditions have per mitted the successful mining of im- mense tonn2ges of low-grade gold ore.
 The output of placer gold was ap- proximately the same as in 1930. Hundreds of camps contributed to the output, but those in the Yukon basin contributed the greatest amount. and those in Seward Peninsula came next. More than ' per cent of the total placer production of the Territory was mined by 6.edges, of which os were active during 1931-13 in the camps in the Yukon valley, l4 in Sew are aPeninsula, and in the Kusko- kwim valley. Together these dredges 900. The yare estimated to have han produced gold to the value of 8, ,749,- dled about 10,214,000 cubic yards of gravel, and the gold recovered was worth about 36-7 centts a cubic yard. No new dredges were built during the year, but five id dredges that had been idle for some time were recon- structed and again active in 1881. Four dredges that were active in 1930 were idle during the year.
 The output of copper in 1881 was 22,614,O0O pounds, or nearly 10,O0O,- 900 pounds less than in 1880, and it's value was nearly $2,367 ,00O less than in 1880. Practically the whole of the Alaska copper comes from two mines operated by the kennecott Copper Corporation, both of which are in the Copper River region. The ore from the properties in the Copper River region is largely high-grade copper sulphide and carbonate. All the Alas ka copper ore is shipped to the, States for smelting. The great decline in the amount of copper is attributable to the fact that one of the former producing mines on Latouche Island closed down late in the preceding year and at the operating mines mining duced scale.
 was conducted on very much re-
 None of the Alaska ores are mined solely for their silver content, but silver is recovered as a minor constituent from the ores of gold and copper. In 1881 silver to the value of $56,2OO was recovered from the copper ores. $37,600 from the gold lode ores, and $8,200 from the placer gold; the total was 352, ,000 ounces, having a value of $102,000 This marks a very great falling oc in value from 1880, which. is attrib- utahle to the lower selling price of silver and to the greatly decreased