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Show OPEN UP ALASKA. Whether anything practical results from it or not, the report of Secretary of the Interior Lane on the opening up of Alaska has the right ring. Such' a vast expanse of- territory, with natural resources the richness of which cannot be fairly estimated, should not be allowed al-lowed to remain idle and undeveloped 1 on account of the fear of a few faddists fad-dists that someone may become, wealthy. 1 Tt probably is true that the present governmental machinery in Alaska is cumbersome, antiquated and entirely inefficient in-efficient and that a radical change in the methods of administering the affairs of the territory is necessary. L'u-doubtedly L'u-doubtedly it is true also that great care will have to be exercised in making the change, lest the last condition be worse than the, first. The main thing is to open up the territory, build railroads, work the coal, copper and precious metal mines, manufacture lumber, re-vive re-vive the fishing industry in short, utilize the resources of Alaska to the fullest extent. Secretary Laun does not believe the countrv should be exploited for the benefit of a few r'fh men or corporations, corpora-tions, and in this he is right. Xeverthe- ' less it will take capital io develop! Alaska, and investments no doubt will vield a, rich return. Labor, too, ha.- a I deep a nd ahidi ng i n1 rrn?t in the open i ng 1 up of Alaska, for while it has not been i In the past what it; commonly known u, , a ''poor man's country,' yet the opportunities op-portunities for getting a start in lif will coiK-.tantly grow better as the years , roll on. It is to be hoped that some action will be taken by congress to the end that, the development of Alaska, may hegin in earnest in the near future, for the United State:- will surely benefit when the wheels of industry begin to hum in the far north. |