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Show llll'llKSThl'IIT H KAIil'll. Tli.it In Wind K l!"'l(li lit rriitiilly Sitixiil Aluliil. riit,au' 'I'l'iiiune. I.A.Cloud, who is at the l'abuer Iioihc, has been in Alaska for I hive years. Last evening at the hotel he en-terlained en-terlained a few acquaiulaiices with some fads about the land of the midnight mid-night sun. While Alaska is one of the richest spols on the earth," said he, "little progress pro-gress will be made toward dmcloping the vast territory until it is given the same recognition that is given the ether territories. The anomalous act providing a civil government for Alaska witholds from its people not only the right of representation in eon gress but alo the privilege of loon I legislation, llesitics the denial of political po-litical rights, settlement on public lauds is prohibited. It can hardly be expected ex-pected that a country w ill de elop rapidly ra-pidly in wealth and population where honest settlers can't acquire titles to their homes, built at the expense of labor and privation. Alaska has for over twenty years been neglected by the government. 'The commerce of the territory is limited to its fisheries, fur trade and mining industries, the total giving employment em-ployment to a licet of about twenty-live steam and fifty sailing vessels. The value of the whole products last year was about nine and a quarter million dollars. The supply of labor has been adequate. Tins greater part of the help in the. fisheries and the canning establishments estab-lishments is imported from ( 'nlifornia, and is mostly Chinese. Some native labor is employed, but not much 011 account ac-count of its unreliability. The supply of intelligent w hite labor is fully equal to the demand, and 1 would not advise either mechanics -or workiiigmen to go to Alaska in the hupR'of finding profitable profita-ble employment. No one should go there unless he lakes enough money to bring him back lo the United Slates in case of disappointment. 'Of all the industries I believe the Alaska canned salmon establishments made, the most money last year. A scarcity of fish in the Columbia river has made Oregon take it second place In this business Alaska accomplished 111 live years w hat it took Oregon over nine years to bring out. Last year's pal'k'was -100, 000 eases. Kighteen canneries can-neries were operated in Alaska lu.'t year and others are being established "The great mining region is at Juneau, 1"0 miles KOiiiheast of Sitka Small creeks on the shore of llu: mainland main-land lead lo basins back of the moiin tains, where rich placers have beet: worked for five years. The great mine of Alaska is opposite Juneau, on Dong-las Dong-las island. It has been prospected by four tunnels, and a line slmupmill hat-lieen hat-lieen in operation for three years. While the ore is not rich, averaging from ! to frit) a ton, the decomposed qiiar!. i-easily i-easily milled. The supply is inexhaustible. inexhaust-ible. This mine, sometimes called ll Treadwell, is owned principally in San Francisco." |
