The Daily Alaska empire., 1936-02-07
OUR FARTHEST NORTHWEST.


 owing Alaska conscious" wave that is spreadi roughout the nation is a recent editorial in { Rhode Island Journal which for mo an one hundred years has held an estmable a vied place in American journalism The editori sed on Gov John w. Tyoy's annual report, is ht printed:
 In his annual report to the Secretary of the Interior. Governor John w Troy of Alaska gives a valuable survey of conditions in that distant Territory
 Most of us are practically unconscious of Alaska. It means very little to us most of the time, though occasionally it contrives to break in upon our minds, as it did when Wiley Post and Will Rogers perished in plane near Point Barrow, CT when some new circumstance of the life of the transplanted farmers of the Matanuska Valley has come to attention
 Nevertheless it has area of nearly 100000 square miles is a grand producer of valuable metals is gradually witnessing the construction of m o d ern highways, has a railroad several hundred miles in length which operates both in summer and in winter, and furnishes varied list of fish foods in- cluding salmon, herring, halibut, cod, clans, shrimps, trout and crabs.
 The total value of the mineral production of Alaska from 1880 to the end of 1884 was S680,000,000 a graphic commentary the caustic term Stewards Folly invented to de- scribe the purchase of the Territory from the Russians in 1867 for seven million dollars. Not to rehearse the Alaskan mineral output in detail we may note that the gold secured in the period stated was worth $434 900 and the copper $214 100000 Other items listed in the Governors report are silver coal tin lead and platinum metals. The value of the gold secured in 1884 is put at S16,000000 but the Governor says that while the gold obtained in 1893 is computed at the old standard price $2067 fine ounce that secured in 1884 is computed at the new price, $35 a fine ounce Quite a difference.
 Alaska is included in the Seattle Wash ington, engineering district. Ketchikan harbor was completed in 1883, and now has a stone breakwater with concrete cap and a dredged area with mean-water depth of ten feet At Wrangell Narrows steamer channel 200 feet wide and 21 feet deep finished as long ago as 1928 Port Alexander has capacious chan nel and there is a fve-year- harbor of refuge for small boats in Resurrection Bay at Seward. The Nome harbor project provides two parallel jeuties at the mouth of Snake River. And so on.
 Commercial aviation shows great gains There were eight planes in service in 1929 and 73 in 1885 In the same period the yearly num- Der of passengers increased from 2171 to 13318 and the mail and freight from l1885l pounds to l,722,757. In summer there are two round railroad trips week between Seward and Fairbanks but during much of the year only one. There is also convenient river steamboat service. During the fiscal year for which Governor Troy reports, the total rail and waterline revenue including non- operating income, was nearly $l500000, with net deficit of only 5000, decrease of nearly 59 percent compared with the deficit Of the previous year
 There are seventeen incorporated towns in Alaska with a total assessed property valu- ation for the fiscal year G935) of nearly S25,- 100000. The rates of taxation vary from 10 to 20 mills
 The Governor recommends full Territor- ial form of government. vigorous develop ment of mining-especially gold mining, a title grant of not less than l60 acres to fur farmers greater activity toward the determination of predatory animals and other enemies of the valuable wild life of the Territory, encourage ment of tourist travel, liberal treatment of transportation interests, comprehensive pro- gram of survey for the public domain as a means to increase the population speeding up of harbor and waterway improvement and establishment of naval and army bases He remarks that the 1885 tourists showed a decided increase in number = five regular steamship lines served Alaska with 33 vessels during the tourist season, carrying capacity loads, and he says: Tt is believed with improv- ing economical conditions throughout the United States that Alaska will shortly become the mecca of thousands of travellers from the States who are becoming Alaska minded We confess that a1oer reading his interesting and instructive report. we are inclined to be Alaska minded ourselves