The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1937-08-30
ALASKA PLAN TO
AID CON CRESS.
IN LEC|SLATION
Committee Points Out Need
for Comprehensive De-
velopment Program

Approval by Congress just before
its adjournment of a resolution re-
questing the President to prepare
and submit to Congress a plan for
development of the resources and
commerce of Alaska is based in part
on the desire of Congress to faclli-
tate legislation, it is revealed in Q
copy of a report of the Committee
on Territories which has just been
received here. The Committees re-
port follows:
The purpose of the resolution is
to give to Congress more complete
and comprehensive info m i n
about the Territory of Alaska, in
order that Congress may be aided
in determining what may profitably
be done for the development OF the
Territory. The resolution neither
authorizes nor invites the appro-
priation of any money; in fact, 1t
expressly provides that whatever ex-
pense is involved in preparing the
requested information sh ii be
within the regular appropriations OF
the several departments and agen-
cies of the Government for the fis-
cal year 1888 which have been here
tofore made
Alaska is vast in area, approx
mately $4,000 square miles, and
within that area may be found
wide variation in climate and in
topographic and other conditions. At
the present time the population of
the Territory probably does not ex-
coed $4,000. Despite its sparse popu-
llation and lack of extensive devel-
opment, the Territory has already
produced considerable wealth. The
fisheries products of Alaska to date
are valued at more than 1000 mil
Ion dollars; and its minerals, prin-
cipally gold, at more than TOO mil
lion dollars; and instead of being
depleted, it seems probable the Ter
ritory yet contains in gold, copper
coal. oil, iron, platinum, tin, and in
its fisheries, and in its farming and
grazing lands, which embrace about
40 million acres, stores of wealth
that are all but ineXhaustible. A
recent report of the United States
Bureau of Fisheries shows that In
the year 1886 the value of the fish
l &c oh for
to more than so million dollars.
1t may be deserving of note that
in corresponding ATTITUDES in Eu-
rope lie three nations Norway, Swe-
den, and FinlanO which have nc
more favorable climate and possess
no greater natural resources than
does the Territory of Alaska, and
yet those three countries support in
comfort more than Is millions OF
people who enjoy very high de-
gree of culture and civilization.
The Delegate from Alaska has
called to our attention the report oil
Forest Service officials stating thai
Alaska can produce in perpetuity
Approximately 100000 tons OF
high-grade wood pulp, an amount
substantially equal to one-fourth Of
the consumption of that product by
the United States at the present
time.
In this connection it may be noteo
that, considered alone, Alaska is 6
valuable customer of the States. The
total commerce between the United
States and Alaska during the veal
1886 amounted to more than Sis.
600, 900.
The several departments of the
Government have collected grea
4 deal of information about Alaska
but the data so gathered together
is scattered among the various de.
partments and bureaus and ha
never been correlated or brough
together in one comprehensiv,
whole. Every time Congress consid
ers a specific piece of Legislation
about Alaska, it is necessary to Sc