The Daily Alaska empire., 1948-08-17
TERRITORY HAS
 FOUR PROBLEMS
 SAYS DR. MANN

to dTllCleS dppcdiliiS III otdoCoiue papers.
 Tn a recent article in the Los An geles Times he listed the problems as high transportation costs, gov ernment without representation, lack of transportation facilities and lack of understanding by the moth CT country"
 Here is the way he expressed it to Californians:
 Statistics show that the cost of living in Alaska is far above any locale in the States.
 Alaskan industries are not devel- oped to supply the populations needs. Consequently Alaskans are dependent upon outside markets. The initial price of these goods IS the same to all, but when Alaskan freight rates, the highest in the world, plus the higher profits need ed hy Alaskan merchants to meet their higher. operating costs, are added, the average Alaskan price index rises little over twice that of the Middle West.
 Thus. the high cost of living here finds it's basis in the high shipping cost.
 The reason Alaska freight rates are so high is easy to understand. Alaska exports little. Only during the fishing and canning season are the boats going back to the main land full three months out of the year. Consequently ships are nearly empty on most of their return trips and the Alaskans must pay double fare for the goods from the States to compensate for lack of tWo-way haul.
 Rates Afe Detrimental
 The same high freight rates are the greatest detriment to the deVel- opment of industries here for one cannot produce in Alaska and pay freight rates and still meet United States prices.
 Yet. the situation is not hopeless The high freight rates make open ings for small industries, With nttie capital (and almost every type ol industry is welcome and can be made into a fairly profitable business) to develop goods for Alaska consump- tion with the sale price protected by high cost of shipping.
 The answer to this problem IS not simple Government subsidies could help, but it would be much healthier if through intelligent de- velopment of industries here, Alas ka could eventually create her own lack haul and thus reduce ship ping costs. With her wealth of avail able resources Alaska could then become self-sufficient and an inte- gral part of the United States econ- omy.
 Alaska's second problem is gov ernment without representation. AL aska has one nonvoting delegate in Congress, so must depend upon the mother country for legislation suit able to Alaskas needs. Alaskans cannot vote-after one year resi- dence in the Territory, person IS considered Alaskan and, regardless where he came from, loses his right to vote for President of the United States.
 Statehood Expensive
 The answer to this problem per haps is Statehood. But Statehood IS a very expensive proposition and 1t is argued back and forth that Alas ka cannot afford the luxury.
 The third problem is lack of com plete transportation facilities. Alas ka's air transportation has no equal, Alaskans take off for New York or London or San Francisco as easily as New Yorker would take the Bronx Express. Towns in Alas ka are linked by air routes. The utilization of air-service per capita here is many times that of the United States. But the major center of Alaska's population, Southeast Alas ka. has no land outlet. Most Of Alaska's resources are hidden in portions of the country impossible to get at with cheap means.
 There are less than 100000 people, they cannot pay directly for the development of roads and railroads. Therefore, Alaska must depend up- on the United States government for a large portion of the cost of constructing these aids to transpor- tation so that the Alaskan resources can be brought to the United States at prices the United States can af- ford to pay
 Alaska's wealth is useless if it cannot be brought to American mar kets. Aside from that, the develop ment of a good transportation sys- tenn in Alaska is national defense necessity
 Much Unemployment
 No one should go to Alaska un- les willing to work hard, wiling 10 live in more or less isolation ana having at least s5,00o in cash Building is difficult, material ex- pensive. There is a lot of unem- ployment, eased only during the yx,v1 N