The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-01-28
By DIR. PHILIP s. SMITH Chief AIuska GeoloqiSt

terse descriptive phrase used in the appropriation act for the Geo. logical Survey, one of the bureaus of the Interior Department, to des- ignate the principal work of that organization in Alaska. Such compressed definition, owever gives but a vague idea of the var jed lines of helpfulness that the Government through this branch of the Geological Survey has been extending to the mineral industry of the Territory during the more than 35 years that this work has been in progress. It may therefore be of interest to some to tell about certain aspects of that work in more detail
 One of the matters reiating to the mineral industry of country that everyone interested in the subject wants to know about is ob- viously the quantity and value Of its mineral output. To supply this information the Alaskan Branch of the Geological Survey each year conducts a canvass of all the mines and prospects throughout the Ter ritory to determine the kind and volume of the mineral output of each. In carrying on this work, forms on which are asked a num- Der of specific questions to furnish the desired information, are sent to each individual or company known to be engaged in mining, with the request that they fill them out as to their own property and return them to the Alaska branch.
 Reports Checked
 This information is assembled and checked against reports re- ceived from banks, express com- panies, postoffices, hints, assay of- fices, customs offices and all oth- CT sources of reliable information so as to remove as far as possible any inaccuracies. This care to as sure their accuracy is essential as the statistics of Alaska's mineral production as given by the Survey are the officially accepted ones for all Government statistics of pro- duction.i
 In this connection it may not be amiss to emphasize that the Sur vey figures relate solely to pro- duction and may therefore differ from equally authoritative statis- tics which are prepared on some other asis;-thus certain reports on mineral commodities put out by the Customs Service rel a te to shipments, reports put out by the Mint cover receipts by the hints and assay offices and of course many other bases of calculation other than production may be used
 Distribution Is Explained
 The mere collection of this ln- formation regarding mineral pro- duction, however, would fulfill only a part of the Governments service to the industry. Far probably more important in making this infor- nation useful is that it shall be distributed and m de generally available to those having need of it. This is done through the prep aration of reports each year in which the results are tabulateo and the different mineral com modities ana recent developments in each of the different mining centers,s are described. A prelimi- nary statement of this sort is dis tributed in mimeograph form so as to re available on January l, imrle5,ia +nIv7 following the close of the yc4r to which the records relate and a ce-1.pl-.3 printed report IS pre1e-7d an l distributed as soon aft~~ tat ss .2racsicable.
 These raccrds of production, inn pcrtant a. thcy are. necessarily are more or less Histories of what has happcn-d i i-l the mineral industry The miner and prospector, or the investor C.. b,siners man who IS sea-cleino for enlig 'ltenment as to the possibilities of new develop ments an1 exploration of the re- sources of Alaska, desires informa- tion as to likely places where he 1,i nqnrtc n1Qnpc that he should avoid as little likely to repay him for his work
 Resources UnsurDeyed
 When the Government started the mineral resources work in the Territory practically all of the country far from the main routes of travel was unsurveyed and prac- tically unknown except to the oc- casional trapper or prospectol whose knowledge was not available to others.
 It therefore early became evident that the newcomers and develop CTS of Alaska required more exact information as to the physical fea- lures of the region-the courses of it's streams, the position and the heights of it's mountains and of the passes through them, the routes of transportation-all of which and many other geographic facts were factors that would play significant roles in the development of the co,,ntrv's natural resources. Thus