Government Operation
of Alaska’s Railroad
Seward Gateway.
That government owner ship is a fail
ure has beeo demonstrated so many
times that it ceases to arouse interest.
The recent turnover in the personnel
of the Alaska Railroad is oue of the
best illustrations of what might be
1 termed a "fizzle’’ that we have ever
seen. The railroad started out under
the management of Colonel Frederick
Clears, an army engineer of consider
able abilitv and much ei_o. He con
structed the line to a point where
trains could pass over it. then devoted
bis time to building up several towns
and coal mines along the toad. After
constructing several hundred thousand
dollars’worth of buildings and many
miles of track, together with elaborate
coal milling equipment he started to
hurt for a coal mine. Todav the pro
ject stands abandoned, machinery rust
ing, the track torn up, and the tine
gymnasium, tennis courts, and elao
ot'ttte buildings a habitat for bats and
snowsoos' rabbits. Possibly two or
three million dollars which should
should have been used in building ex
tensions were thrown away.
Col. Meats was recalled just at the
time he planned to build a quarter of a
million dollar wharf and haul the water
to it by dredging This meant that
every ton of freight going in ever the
wharf would be taken from the receipts
of the railroad.
Next came Col. James G. Steese, a
man of greater ability and better ac
quainted with Alaska than Col. Mears,
but not the liberal spender. In fact,
Col. Steese insisted upon a quid pro
quo for the government money and
wanted dollar's worth of work fora
dollar invested. He lasted about long
enough to get bis chair warm, as the
crowd hungering lor government
money kept the wires hot with charges
and plots fur his downfall. Col. Steese
was given no chance to make good as a
railroad man, but was shunted back
into the Hoad Commission, where docks
and dredges were not needed. It was a
case of a man heiug tired for too much
zeal on the job.
Then came Lee H. Landis, a man
with an internatioual record as a rail
road man, and hard-boiled discipli
nirian. Mr Landis s'arted in by dis
charging two thirds of i,he office force
on the road and placing the other third
to work. He likewise increased the
traiD service to a point where it sound
ed like a railroad. But Mr. Landis
likewise was against the building of a
■ deuli or engaging in any enterprise
that would take money from the r ail
road. He adopted a policy of retrench
ment that pared expenses to the bone
and brought the road to a point where
it was practically self-supporting,
which meant, that government pup
would be withdrawn entirely. This
rink heresy quickly brought the at,ten
ti n of those living off the railroad ap
propriations to his startling innova
tions and he was slated for a quick re
moval. Every charge that could go
over the wire without melting tie
solder was fired into Washington and,
as usual, the department took action.
Several investigators were sont out,
and so litile did the Secretary approve
of 'lie policy of economy th.t Mr.
Landis was relegated to the p >>ition of
office hoy and his action> rescinded.
And thus it goes and will ever go as
long as the railroad is in politics. A
p ivate corporation could run the road
with half the force and for a quarter of
tiie money spent, hot would not enter
into competition against the railroad.
And that the road must be acquired by
private interests to he a success is
plainly demonstrated. Every change
in the personnel hurts the country and
also but ts the chance of furt her appro
priations. Mr. Landis was calmly in
formed several mouths ago that two.
million dollars were needed and that,
he mil'' get it. or he would not he sop
1 ported He did not g»-* the money, so
got, it in the neck.
We believe that tin* country can
never he self-supporting so long as it
depends upon railroad money to sup
port it. If we are thrown upon our
own resources, we will hustle a payroll
of our own more quickly and will be
better off in the long run. Personally
we are against any pap-fed proposition
that takes away our ind* pendence of
action and prevents us developing our
own iesoure.es in our own way. We
have too much government and too
much money thrown into the Territory
from the government. This action pre
vents our people from standing on their
own feet., and keeps them crosseyed
watching for free doi.'ars to fall in
their vioimiy.
Wo believe the quicker the govern
ment turns over the railroad to a pri
vate company the quicker Alaska and
the railroad district will benefit. As
thiDgs now stand, a 100 percent effi
cient railroader can bai about 10 per
cent.
This article has no b. tiring on the'
present head of the railroad, nor does
it criticise the railroad management.
Rather we are attempting vj show how
impossible it is to run a government
enterprise where every complaint
means an investigating committee and j
a removal. We believe the govern
ment should place a man of ability at
the head of the road and leave him
alone. If a man can be ri moved from
office every time complaint is made
against him, it impairs >■ . ency and
harms the whole project And railroad
money should be spent solely on rail
road improvements regardless of the
district affected.
German Loan Is Over
subscribed in 12 Hours
New York.—America’s share of the
loan to Germany was subscribed in
twelve minutes When the books were
closed there were many more waiting j
to po1 latch for the Germans under the
agreement formulated at the recent
imet national conference. America’s
share of the $200,000,000 loan was $110.
000.
The loan is the first step in the eco
nomic reconstruction of Germany as
outlined under the Dawes plan. World j
bankers generally seem to regard it. as !
a good investment, and it is thought j
that there will be no trouble in floating |
fui.itre loaus.
A 1.000-- horsepower o bine is being
installed at the Kenne • :t mines to ■
take the place of the plant recently !
lost by tire.
Max Simel
The Pioneer Trader
Furs Bought and
Sold
Miners’, Prospectors’
and Trappers’
Supplies 11
Steamer Service On the Inoka *
River.
Ask the People of Ophir about us. £
STATION
Fairview. Innoko River
Explorer Rasmussen
Will Write of Eskimos!
.Juneau —Knut Rasmussen and parly
arrived here yesterday from Nome,
having covered ‘20 000 miles in explora
tion work from Denmark to Whalen,
in Siberia, He announced he would
write a book oo cne Eskimos, asserting
be had obtained positive knowledge of
their origin.
Rasmussen declared one could travel
bis whole route “and be understood by
all Eskimos in common. laoj»u«~e,’J He
said trie navy uirigiola Shenandoah
would have every assurance of success
in a flight, to the north pole, with a
mooring n.ast at Point Barrow.
Bob Robei.-on and Del Thompson1
arrived i uesduy from the Forks with
two loads of feeu for the Jones Trans
portation Company.
THE
Tokoina
Gandies
Cigars
Soft Drinks
Lunches
Proprietor
iK: r rr.’ "Tin 11 liwiiiliimiiiiiiiii
Are You Going to Build?
We have in stock lumber of all kinds, rough and
dressed. Lately we have added a few lines, such
as Rustic and Shiplap, 4 and G-inch Flooring, Win
dow and Door Casing, Window and Door Stopping.
Boat Lumber of all kinds.
And if you are going to build a sled, call on us. We h&re the
best hickory in Alaska.
■Ksmsasmum
Sak-i-- . '
A Dredging or Hydraulicing
Proposition. Yankee Creek
' i am the principal owner of a block of ground
on Yankee creek, about seven tunes loner, ’extend
ing from No. 1 Lielow'Discovery down to the mouth
of the creek,
Pav has been located all along for a distance of
about three miles from the upper end, and pretty
well prospected ccc cross-cut.
The average depth of the ground is from seven
to twentyIfeet. The top is all black muck, that can
be moved freelv. No rock bigger than one’s fist.
The width of the pay, fori a distance of about j
three miles, *is from 100 to 200 feet. Crosscuting
work indicates that the ground will go from 15
cent?, to $1 per square foot of bedrock. My belief
is that the pay will average 50 cents per foot
1 have a ditch on the ground, three miles long,
together wit b water rights. The ground is prettv j
well cleared. There is also a drain, three miles
long, with the water right, f also have a water
right on Heady Bullion creek, from which water
can be brought to Yankee creek with a ditch less I
thuu a mile long (4.000 feet), which will give four
sluiceheads of water, with a pressure or fall of 120
feet, being 1000 feet to the work from the ditch.i;
After’doing away with the muck, there will be
I
f
from four to six feet of dirt to handle. The pay
runs mostly in the bedrock of porphyry and slate.
Tbs ground is virgin, only about tll.CQC! bavieg
been taken out by windlass in prospecting.
Prospecting work during the present winter has
resulted in Ending rallies that rnn up to >1 per
square foot of bedrock,
The Flume Dredge Company bas a dredge abore
this ground, which bas been in operation for the
last three seasons.
The Government road crosses Yankee creek. I
also have a road down the creek that connects with
the Government road.
I am also the agent for owners of ground other
than that held by myself.
The ground can be worked either with dredge,
drag line scraper, or by hydraiilieing.
I will either sell the ground or give a lease oa
it. If the prospect is satisfactory to the buyer, a
cash payment will be expected. A good bargain
will be given to the right party.
For further information, terms, etc., call **
ground, or write or telegraph me.
*D NOLLKTT1,
Tokotna Alaska.
i