The Wrangell sentinel., 1943-12-31

this happen again? I rather think mot. l believe our hardy fishermen will find and develop fine fishing grounds there. I believe they will find that the surface has hardly l been scratched. In Juneau l was told by far the greatest majority of gold is controlled by the big com panies which give only seasonal employment to a few. Again. they tell only a small part of the story. Alaska has nickle. platinum tung- sten, quicksilver, tin, oil, and coal. to mention only a few, which are all waiting to be exploited and de- veloped. Fishing and mining are our major industries, true but what of the thousands of acres of timber in I our territory? Southeastern Alaska has the largest stand of spruce, hemlock and cottonwood left on the continent Here are millions of feet of lumber for fine plywood, an in- dustry which, I feel, has a great fu- i ture in Alaska. Also. We have a l great deal of pulpwood. and for the | above We have as great natural water power as there is in the world. Too Alaska has some 3O,0O0 l square miles of land suitable for | farming, yet in 1889 approximately i four million two hundred thousand l dollars worth of food was imported i to feed our 75 0O0 population. Doesn't it seem possible that many who come North would beeager to l till at least a small portion of this l 3o,00o squae mriles? l believe it not l only possible but probable.
 Yes. in Juneau I was asked. What will We do with the influx of northward bound pioneers?" The fishing mining. timber and agricul- tural pursuits will more than ans weT that question. These new mem bers of our STATE will build those industries and they, in turn, will build a greater Alaska.
 Mr Shattuck in a speech at the Democratic Convention at Juneau on December IT, stated it would cost four or five times as much to operate as a state. He also inferred the Federal government would with draw the support they issue the Ma tiyes of Alaska, and about the great cost of running our courts. BUT. never a word about the greatly in- . creased income that statehood could and would most certainly bring. All len Shattuck has evidently not com pared the estimated incomes as a sate with our present operating ex- penditures. Today by far the great est percentage of taxes We pay are received by the Federal govern ment and l can assure you it is a tremendous sum. As a state, Alaska would in reverse attain the major l ity of this tax and, combined with l the tremendous revenues of our in- dustries to be, would form a state government more than able to fin ancially meet all necessities. In shor, Alaska as a state would be more able to build faster and better than as a territory.
 Statehood means highways, car ! ferries, and generally greatly im-
 
 proved transportation facilities. AL aska as a tourists paradise will be even more popular due to it's great CT accessibility and lower cost of transportation. Tourists travelling over the Alaska Highway will find an Alaskan visit will cost only a. bout one-half of what it has been in the past. Yes, even more than in the past, the destination of yaca- tioners would be the State of Al aska.
 We have a hand all we need for the advancement ot Alaska as a state. Just a little brains, a little capital and the pioneer spirit that has been the symbol of Americans forever, those are all we need. Let us pledge ourselves now to the fu- ture of Alaska, the forty-ninth state of the Union.