GOVERNMENT OF U.6.4.
VS. THE ALASKA MERER
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BY MERIE H. GUISE
Consulting P’^cer En. inter
Fairbanks
f A - published in the Alaska
W-eeklyA
7 he A’asha mining r an certainly
ha not 1 ■ ■ n ov ri oh . hy govern
ments. Federal nr Trrri-orinl. these
las few months. First, the Juneau
representatives handed us a three
per cent gross tax upon the gold
we p- »d jo. - whether n, - we
rrutke in producing it. T'r. n the fed
errl government comes along ani
1 r’ c in with a 2S per cent, increase
in "he freight rates on mining ma
chinery.
T ggess most of those penalties
pf< r r-v are simply the m-snP of
ris >.g • i«*5 aP around, higher wag
(: fr-r • r.c sit-downers when t.h?v do
st: jo on the Seattle waterfront.
a-1 s half dosen ether more or less
set,- excr. es. And then, too. the
p \T- i ev has a”fhor;r-''l a m il: n
~r -o for the rehni'd ng of the Ale*
V- Pailroad. so that the tr-ins might
-rwr-'ir the maximum 39-miIe-an
h - 'imit with some degree of safe
ty.
rev comrlaint is not against
'1. -r--e.’:*>g of a smn: of money for
pu't'n the ra’lroad into safe oper
r*‘ng =hape—-that should be money
v 11 spent, It is because the govern
H'i v ;h ft s-g 'it, i - d9 ! | -r
principal and almost s- le -'ndustry
the revenues of th ra-'l-oad -night
he increased Ky r larger v- irme of
«b-"not-. r-Orj than to r-na!;7" *h°
rK
he Ala :a Esilroad is reputed to
ji!>> , c the ftdersl government to
date more than sixty million dollars.
A^d jus- what has been dene to de
v lop revenue trade ver the rail
road? True, the tourist rrade has
bt. -i encouraged. And the govern
mcn+ has spent some thr-° millions
to put Matanuska on th" map—some
say money well spent, some say de
velop r. :. babilitv.
But the gi ld mining industry has
been pretty well ignored. I doth- if
i p.e per cent of the total cost of the
railroad has been put into truck
roads extending from the railroad
into the gold fields or potential min
ing districts, er in roads up from
t'-..; Yuk n River that is traversed
by the ra-lroad system's connecting
steuiutrs. And. after al'. it. is truck
ro'-ds which are necessary in the de
velopment f a modern gold mining
romp. And along with the truck
road, the landing fields for the
planes so that farthcr-jff districts
niischi. have some contact with the
ra.lioad. There was a day when
most cf the gold of the Interior was
p.- :':u;-cd by hand labor or a small
mining plant, and a dog team or
h- ice sled carri-.a the freight up
fr m the river’s hank But today,
only a small part of the production
copies fr ■- the individual’s mine,
or from the district that has a dog
t cm trail as its only avenue of
transportation.
If you lock at. a map of the Alas
ka Railroad you certainly will not
see a network of truck roads radiat
ing out from the line. At Seward
they have been building the “Mis
sing Link,” almost since our ances
tors swung from limb to limb. At
Girdw ,od there is a short stub of a
road.
.'it Anchorage they have built a
nice road to Matanuska—to glorify
the Alaska farmer. At Wasilla.
there is a road to the Y.'illow Creek
mints, wh’eh have produced quite a
few mill: r dollars in lode gold. At
Ta'keet-.: the road commission is al
lowed a few dollars each year to ex
tend this road to the fast developing
Cache Creek district, but at the
l > sei,: rate i; will be some years
m •- a truck could get over the
A McKinley Park there is a lair
load to carry the tourists to the
a-e >f Mr. McKinley, but the miner
-• thr Kant'shna to the north might
freight, ir. his hydraulic plant or
- ,'ine on his back as far as truck
roads are concerned. At Ferry ther:
is the beginning of a r ad toward
’he Bonnifield district. At Fairbanks
a system of truck roads to tap the
• arious mining districts north and
south has been developed, and the
Richardson Highway and the Steast
Highway certainly are opening up
milting country that looked pretty
dead some dozen years ago, a mat
ter of onnage to the Taiiroad.
A few ci llion i. :.rs per year for
he m-t.t several years appr ipriated
ts the efficient Alaska Ruud G vn
ipission would do more to develop Al
aska than any other mean- which
he federal government might use,
and the various taxing bureaus could
lay off the gold miner's hard-earned
ea,nings (or losses) and make up
t.xir needed additional revenues in
the rapidly expand.ng trade which
w uld follow the adoption of some
such sens tie course.
LI MBERING IS BIG
INDUSTRY IN TERRITORY
Pointing out that logging and lum
ber mill industry in Alaska is
ne of the Territory's "big three”
n a business sense, W. F. Schlothan.
ru of ihe pioneer progressive pack
ers of salmon and a prominent ma
chine shop operator of Ketchikan, re
cently stated that, this major Alaska
industry finds its principai markets
in the Territory rather than on the
Outside.
"Due to high transpiration costs,
Alaska timber items, except the
highest grades of clear lumber, can
not be shipped t*> markets ,uts:de
the Territory in competition with
timber products from areas closer to
the markets. Thus, one of the most
important, markets for the Alaska
timber producers is the canned sal
mon industry in Alaska.” Schlothan
said. "Recently one prominent Alas
ka logging company reported to a
congressional committee that during
the four years. 1932-1935. 5t.5 per
3e Sure to
STOP
At the
Little Store in McGrath
SHOES
for all ages and sizes.
We Specialize in
CHILDREN’S CLOTHING
In fact, everything to wear and
good things to eat.
We will be glad to see yeu.
MAIL ORDERS
given special attention
MRS. THOMAS H.
M’LEAN
McGRATH, ALASKA
MOTORSHIP
SEA WOLF
CHAS. SMITH and FRANK LANG, Owners
McGRATH, ALASKA
ALSO OPERATING A
FLEET OF BARGES
In order to give the people of
this section assurance of a
really dependable
FREIGHTING SERVICE
“We Do the Best We Can at All Times”
cent of its payroll was met by sales
to canneries.
Market Available
“The Alaskan lumber industry
purchases most of the timber used
to supply salmon packers’ needs
from the Tongass Forest in South
east Alaska and the Chugaeh For
=t on Prince William Sound. Prac
tically all the coastal timber in the
Territory is included in these two
national forests.
“Of the money which the federal
government receives from the sale
of the stumpage, 35 per cent is re
turned to the Territory for road and
trail construction and maintenance,
and for schools. Between 1909 and
' 936. the Territory received $365,000
from this allotment for schools and
roads. The U. S. Forest Service re
ceived an additional $179,000 for
trail construction.
“An examination of Alaska’s tim
ber supply and the uses for which
.T.e different varieties of timber are
it ws very -learly 'he im
inee tc the lot" mg and lumber
■'ndurtry o a successful canning sea
son. S .venty-tlifce f> ■' -•*. if Al
T.zrge O.I of ' 1-k n'-c
used for piling by the salmon indus
try. 29 per cent of the forests are
pruee. The best price on spruce is
r><*i for the trees of exception
ally larve size which are suitable for
.se rr trap logs.
“The interrelationship of two of
the important industries in the
c astal regions of Alaska dues not
end with the sale of products one
to the other, however,” Schlothan
pointed out. “The active season in
*he logging camps and lumber mills
fr.l;r durin-r the off season in the
fishing industry, and hundreds of Al
askans, who work in the salmon
canning industry during the fishing
season, find employment in the tim
ber industry during a Urge part of
the rest of the year.”
Mother: “Didn’t 1 tell you to no
tice when the milk boiled over?”
Mary: “Yes mother. It seas a
quarter past four.”
“There, now. Bob, unde offers to !
buy baby brother. Shall we sell
him ? asked mother.
But little Bob was possessed of
business instincts. "Let's hang out
till he’s bigger, mummie,” he re
plied; "he’ll be worth more”
THE KUSKO TIMES
The anly Newspaper and Job
Printing establishment in the Kusko
trwim area. Subscribe NOW.
Frank J. Guskey
NOTARY PUBLIC
V
Takotna, Alsskr.
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Subscription Blank
THE KUSKO TIMES,
Takotna, Alaska.
Enclosed find ..
for “which enter my subscription to The Kus.
Times for .;.
<Onp jear, $10.66: six months. *6.60.)
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WE CARRY A COMPLETE LINE OF
I FIRST QUALITY FOODS md MERCHANDISE
If
4 And an Assortment of Fine Wines and Liquors
MAIL AND PUNE ORDERS FILLED PROMPTLY
g BORDEN'S CANNED MILK
f $6.50 per case
§
OUTSIDE POTATOES
I $9.00 per crate
HILLS, RELIANCE, OR
1 MAXWELL HOUSE COFFEE
|
I Case lots 45c lb.
50c lb.
TEA GARDEN PRESERVES
3 for $1.25
FRYE’S DELICIOUS
SEALTITE BACON
50c per lb.
BLUE RIBBON EGGS
PROCESSED
$14 per case
AVIATION GASOLINE
$6.50 per case
■LUCKY, CHESTERFIELD, OR
CAMEL CIGARETTES
$1.50 per carton
VELVET AND PRINCE
ALBERT TOBACCO
$2.00 a carton
GRANGER TOBACCO
$1.50 per carton
W. J. WTOMAN
-McGRATH ALASKA
We Will Gladly Send Our Price List Upon Rujse&t
TSftfiN'.YiOiv
* fi’irdlte jffiRiltt 1 y
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