Evening star., 1935-08-06
ALASKA COL0N|STS
STUDY MARKETING
Fourth of States Exports
to Be Supplied if Har-
vests Realized
Special Dispatch to The Star.

| EftbINGIO, kAldohd, E1u6tob u t4N' EH'
NA).-Some time or other. in the
course of any extended conversation
among colonists, the men get to argu-
/ ing about whether there will be a
market for what they can grow in the
Matanuska Valley.
can draw a comfortable subsistence
out of the soil. They also believe they
can produce enough to make a fair
profit-if they can sell their surplus.
Indications are that they can sell all
their surplus-if they can capture the
market.
For the IL months ended June 80.
! 1884, United States producers shipped
to Alaska $2,234,684 worth of products
which this valley could produce. These
included beef, pork, mutton, poultry
and fresh game, milk. butter, cheese,
eggs, potatoes and various fresh and
canned vegetables. The largest in
dividual commodity was S346,000
worth of eggs. The second largest was
$4,000 worth of beef.
9 Sdh supply AOsVoV CA SOAhSs
Matanuska farmers can conceivably
sell to about $4,000 persons. Give
them the equivalent of one-fourth
Alaskas $4,000 population and you
concede them about $550,000 of
Alaskas import business. Most
Alaskan experts believe this figure too
low. General Director Don Irwin of
the colonization project estimates
their market at $1,000,000; Ross
Sheely of the University of Alaska
at Fairbanks puts it at 100000, and
General Manager o. F. Ohlson OF
the Alaska Railroad figures 1t at
81 100000.
But even taking the $550.000 figure,
it is plain that the approximately 200
new valley farmers and the 100 old
have more market than they can sup
ply with their surplus products. To
reach this total each farmer would
have to sell $1,000 worth of produce
yearly through the marketing CO.
operative the Government intends to
establish for them through the
Alaska Rural Rehabilitation Corp,
when and if the colony gets into pro-
duction.
The backbone of the market is the
so-called railroad belt" served by
| the Government-owned Alaska rail-
road. 1t extends 470 miles from
Seward, on the coast, to Fairbanks, in
the interior, and includes the environs
of the rail towns. Col. Ohlson says
the belt has 5000 permanent resi-
dents.
/ Population Varies Greatly.
! "You can't tell how much greater
the population is in the Summer
when this part of Alaska does most of
her work" the colonel adds. but
the railroad alone employs 1000 men.
That is an increase of about so per
cent over the Winter. think one
out of every five men added comes
from the States each Spring and goes
outside again in the Winter.
Now. then, besides the Winter and
Summer railroad belt population, the
along Cooks Inlet.
MatanuSka farmers can eXteno tnelr
market through airplane service to
mines. The airplanes carry great
deal of tonnage in fresh meats, eggs
and vegetables.
IT don't believe Alaska can ever
export agricultural commodities. It's
not in the cards, but the railroad belt
is all the colonists will need"
Besides the railroad belt, the Will
low Greek, Cash Creek and Broad Pass
gold mining districts add to the poten-
tial market. Anchorage, which prob
ably will become the marketing outlet
for the valley, also supplies the Kus-
kokwim mining district, part of the
Nome country and the fishing hamlets
Copyright. 1885. by the North American
!. Newspaper Alliance. Inc.)