The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1938-02-03

It was quite late In the fall an,
getting quite chilly. The colonis
grove his car out to the end Of tn
road, took his overcoat and covere,
the radiator of his car so It woult
not freeze while he was away, tool
his trusty 306 and started on hi
trek for q nice, fat bull. He hunt.
ed-and hunted, swinging In {
large circle, coming up over q rails,
In ground In the timber, he espiet
moose. took hasty aim, pulled thu
trigger. "Damn-missed him!" HI
cried. Throwing In another shell hi
repeated the procedure. 81 got him,
he shouted. crashing through the
underbrush to view his kill. Wher
he got close enough to get q better
view, imagine his chagrin to find
he had shot two holes through his
overcoat and the hood.
Snowshoe rabbits, ptarmigan and
spruce hens are very plentiful.
It would seem that due care was
not exercised in the selection of the
original families for the project.
Nearly three-fourths of the famil-
les taken from direct relief rolls,
and in many cases the chronic
kickers were given first preference
in order to be rid of the daily blah-
blah. regardless of their qualifica-
lions as farmers. One county sign
ed up IA families for the project and
before many months had passed,
had received ten Of the fourteen
back again. They had a nice trip
at the expense of the project.
To date 100 of the original col
onists are still on the Job. Many
of those will leave the colony soon,
due to, perhaps, inconsistencies, red
tape in connection with the colony,
huge Indebtedness, unaccustomed
hard work and what have you. But
for every family that leaves the
colony, there will be two families
here in the States who will apply
to join it and also offer to pay their
own transportation to Palmer, take
over the Indebtedness of the gen.
eral improvements on the abandon
ed tracts, and 60 on their own
from the start.
One Of the greatest drawbacks to
the colonistS Of Alaska Is the ex-
horbitant freight rate charged by
the government owned Alaska rail-
road. The administration of this
railroad is so strong as to throttle
and strangle any business or enter |
prise which might in time to come
ever compete with the railroad or
its favored privately owned enter
priSeS.
Our American government, Is, II
consider, the greatest, the most DEM
ocratic of any government in the
world, but at the same time I would |
emphatically contend that the de-
partment of Interior controlled Al
aska railroad to be the most VIC
ious, tyrannical, dictatorial agency
within our boundaries, far-reaching
in its demands and pleasures to-
ward private and other government
enterprises in the Territory.
One steamship line (which pays
the largest dividends of any steam
ship line in the United States) con-
trolls the transportation of freight
and passengers to southwestern Al
aska. This traffic to the interior
must pass through Cordova, Valdez
or Seward, the southern terminus of
the Alaska railroad. From VAL
DEE, the Richardson highway leads
to Fairbanks, passing just north of
Cordova.
Freight put ashore at Valdez can
be transported to Fairbanks in 10
hours, whereas, if sent on to Sc
ward from Valdez and on to Fair
banks by rail, it will take 60 hours.
Yet the administration of the rail-
road has seen fit to have a toll of
81 ton placed on truckloads pass
ng over this highway.
Merchants of Anchorage, Fair
ranks, Matanuska, WaSSilla and !.
owns through the interior have
ried unSuccessfully to interest 9TH !.
r steamship lines to compete byls
operating ships to Anchorage on
Jocks Inlet. But the railroad adj
has been strong !.
nough to crush any opposition. !.
Highways in Alaska are constructed
y the Alaska road commission, by =
government funds. Yet any pro-
osed highway which might event. ;,
ally compete, even for q short dis :.
ance, with the railroad, is bitterly :.
ought by the administration.
In conclusion, I would say, that
I spite of the mistakes which may
ave been made in the establish
lent and progress of the colony q.
nd the domineering attitude Of the n
abroad, the near future will see O,
marked trend Of more and more g
antilles and privately owned en- In
,rpriSe moving northward and B
eastward to Alaska, our last tt
'ontier. Ito
So