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Show GUGGENHEIM (M ATtRACTSJfiTEREST Alaska Coal Land Investigation Rivals the Ballinger-Pinchot Ballinger-Pinchot Fight, TALKING OP MILLIONS AS JF THEY WERE DIMES Side Lights on How the Kings of Finance Manipulate Big Propositions. Bv Associated Press. WASHINGTON, I-'cb. ID. The senate sen-ate commitloe on territories today furnished fur-nished an attraction in the wny oC the developments relative to Alaska coal lands, which fairly entitled it to rival in interest tho BallinKer-Pinchol investigation. in-vestigation. Manaccr Stephen "Birch o the Gti-EcnhcimrMorfjian Gti-EcnhcimrMorfjian Alaska syndicate again was the witness. He reeled off. figures concerning the value of coal in the Cunningham and the Alaska coal and copper mines that were quite' calculated to causo heads of the members of the committee to swim. Placing the tonnago in the Ctpining-ham Ctpining-ham mines at fifty millions, he said that tho conl could probably be taken out so as to net a profit of $20,000,000. Wide Margin Left. This statement, taken in connection with the fact that the syndicate had agreed to pay only $250,000 for, half of tho property, aroused much interest. inter-est. Mr. Birch placed the probablo output out-put of the entire Bering river coal district, dis-trict, of -which the Cunningham group is a part, at fivo hundred million tons, with a net valno of $200,000,000. But there "was another portion of Mr. n:..i. j., ..r,4.:. .r.l.;.1. ..(frniidiil even more attention than that relating to coal mines; it had reference to his efforts ef-forts to extend the holdings of the Alaska Coal and Copper company in tho nominza group of copper before it was acquired by tho Guggenheim-Morgan syndicate. Responding to questions from Senator I'rasier, Mr. Birch said some of tho laud now embraced in that group had been located by himself through the use of his own name and the name of other stockholders Qf the company. Company Furnished Cash. "Did tho company furnish the money to pay for the claims?" asked Mr. Frasier. Mr. Birch responded that it had done so and mentioned some of the stockholders stock-holders whose names had been so used. "Thev -were dummies, were they not?" asked the Tennessee senator. "No, indeed," responded the witness, wit-ness, "they were interested in the property. prop-erty. located a claim myself." "Was there an understanding with tho company that these claims should be turned over?" Mr. Frasior asked. "There was no such understanding," was the reply. ' "T was there as; manager, and I went ahead and made the locations to protect the company." Asked if he had received anv compensation com-pensation for this service. Mr. Birch replied lhat he had not, except in so far as he had received pay for his general work for the company. "Tho land was desirable and the law was complied with in all our proceedings," pro-ceedings," ho said. Provisions of Option. Testifying concerning the Guggenheim-Morgan options on the Cunningham Cunning-ham mines. Mr. Birch said it covered only a half interest, the Cunningham people retaining the remainder. The syndicate had agreed, he said, to pay 250,000 and to furnish the transportation. transporta-tion. The company was to be capitalized capita-lized for $i.000.000. He estimated it would cost $.1.75 per ton to mine the coal and was of the opinion that it could be marketed al a profit of 50 ecnls per ton. . Some veins in the Guggenheim group, wero. ho said, ten or twelve feet. wide, but still were not so large as veins in some olher mines in Ihe district. He denied emphatically that the syndicate had used any influence to have tho patents pat-ents to I ho mines issued- "Interested? Of course we are." he said, "but wc havo not tried to influence influ-ence the government." Denies. Any Lobbying. .Mr. Birch denied that Ihe syndieale ever had employed a lobbyist to represent rep-resent if in Washington! and he made the denials specific as lo (lovernoi lloggatt. Delegate Wiekershain and Major Kichardson of the army, who has been stationed in the territory man v vcars in charge of road wcrk. He said that, after he left the bench and before he was elected to congress, Judge Wickersham had made application applica-tion to be employed as attorney bv the syndicate, but tliat his application had uol been favorably noted upon. Mr. Wickersham. who was present, read his letter, request iug employment. Iti il he stated merely thai, having left the bench, he was in position lo represent rep-resent the company if his service bo desired. lie staled he had read Ihe letter lo make il plain he hud not tried lo hold il)) the combination. Delegate Wickersham had demanded tho right to cross-examine Mr". Birch, but the committee ruled thai he could ask his questions onlv through Ihe committee com-mittee itself. After Ihe explanation I concerning 's -Mtplieal ion for enpIov-I enpIov-I tnent as counsel, ho did not press his I request. |