The Wrangell sentinel. (Wrangell, Alaska) 1909-current, 1939-11-10
SLATTERY REPORT ON TERRITORY
EXPLAINED IN STATEMENT ISSUED
BY DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR

reduce the economic drain of sea-
sonal unemployment and the impor-
tation of seasonal labor from the
West Coast. The development of
year-around industries will create
jobs in Alaska for auxiliary occupa-
tions. themselves Of a year-around
nature. Carpenters. masons, cleo
tricians. engineers, doctors, dentists,
tailors, cobblers and BARRIERS will be
needed in expanding economy. Trade
within the Territory would be in
creased and more money earned in
Alaska would be spend in Alaska.
The costs of road building and har-
Dor building would be less burden
some II spread over a greatly in
creased population, and the cost Of
transportation per ton-mile would
decrease as greater use was made Of
transportation facilities. A larger
tax-paying population would make
possible greater territorial invest
ment in public utilities, hospitals,
schools. libraries and other COM
munity services which are vital to
the people of Alaska. All these de-
velopments depend upon large-scale
immigration adequately financed. C.
L. Andrews. the historian of Alaska,
writes: Alaska has room for mil
lions-when they come she will be
greater than all those Nations ire
ferring to Scandinavian countries)
Defense Problem
THE Federal Government is in
terested in promoting large-sealeI
immigration for reasons of national
defense and national economy. Al
aska. "a miles from Siberia and $50
miles from Japan, presents a diff
cult problem of national defense be-
cause it lacks population and facili-I
ties for transportation, communica-
ton, housing, disqualification stor-
age and repair, an of which are es-
sential to defense and dependent
upon poplation. The War and Navy
Departments have expressed a spec
ial interest in the economic and
commercial development of the Ter
ritory as a whole The economic de-
velopment of Alaska might provide
a tremendous market for United
States industry. In 1898 Alaska pur-I
chased $42.676441 worth of United
States produets-about as much as
three of the smaller European eoun-
tries, Norway, Switzerland and Por-I
tugal, put together. In addition to
furnishing markets. Alaska could
provide the United States with many
products for which the United
States is now almost entirely de-
pendent upon imports from abroad,
such as tin 1919 percent imported)
newsprint (773 percent, herring
(944 percent, canned crab meat
f94.4 percent. and various types of
fur leather, paper and wood pro-
ducts. which are now imported from
European and Asiatic sources.
Agriculture Subsidiary
Alaska contains, besides large
areas of grazing land, $4,000 square
miles of good agricultural land but
because of transportation difficult
ties and the lack of local markets
for produce, agricultural develop
ment must be subsidiary to indus
trial development The best areas for
immediate industrial development
are in southern and Southeast Al
aska, where one-fourth of the news
print consumed yearly by the United
States could be produced on a sus-
tanned yield basis, where industries
based ON fish, fur, minerals, wood
and hydro-electric power can be de-
yeloped and where extensive recrea-
tional and hotel development is
feasible.
Existing sources of information
reveal extensive opportunities for
the establishment of such industries
as mink farming, fur processing;
hotel operation, herring production,
canning of crabs and shrimp, pro-