The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, January 28, 1934, Page 20

i i DEVELOPMENT EDITION THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE, SUNDAY, JAN. 28, 1934. 3 | Stimulated Logging and Lumber Manufacture Prac- tically Assured for 1934—Means Large Sales to Alaska Mines and Fishing Establishments —Government Relief Work Also Helps HE two dominant local indus-{among other things, provide for Tuirs_ gold mining and fishing, |the same minimum selling prvitn have always determined the for-|for each lumber grade at the point tuncs of Alaska lumbering activ.)of manufacture, anywhere in the ities. With assurances that 1934|region. In supplying material over will bring great improvement in|a large section of Alaska this gives these two industries it is safe to|the Alaska mills an advantage due say that logging and lumber manu-|to their shorter haul and conse- facture will likewise be greatly quent lower freight rates to point stimulated. The highest grades of |of destination. Under the code Alaska lumber, such as airplane the Washington and Oregon lum- spruce, go to the markets of the bermen can not counteract this world, but these grades represent|freight differential through cut- only the cream of the material|ting the price at the mill. For produced and the great bulk of the | many years the Alaska mills have woods output must find a nearby | suffered from the chaotic condition user. For the most part this means|of the Pacific Northwest lumber ale to the Alaska mines and fish- |industry which led the Washing- ing establishments. Only the mahur"mn mills to ‘“‘dump’” lumber to facture of paper can vastly extend|Alaska mines, salmon canneries, the present world market for Al-|railroads and other large users at aska’s timber products and this can | a figure that did not include freight not be looked for until general|charges and often even shaved the economic conditions are again stab- | cost of production. Obviously the ilized, but even in its present re-|Alaska producer could not profit- stricted state lumbering is a source ably meet such competition. The of livelihood for many persons and | elimination of such practices is the use of woods products by one of the best features of the local individuals and industries of | lumber code. Alaska should be fostered by all, A third factor favorable to the who have the interests of the Ter- business prospects of the local saw- ritory at heart {mills and timber camps in 1934 is Another stimulating factor for the large amount of Government the local timber industry is the relief work that will be carried on effect of the Lumber Code under in the Territory. Practically all the Recovery Act. The commer- of the relief projects make use of cial forest area of Alaska is group- | timber and some of them, such as ed with west side Oregon and the building of school houses and Washington as a lumber producing | hospitals, require large quantities region under the code and is sub- of it. ject to the same rules governing such features as operating practices timber cut from the National For- Territory bad been gradually in- | creasing until the average yearly ‘pmdu(tion had reached 50 million board feet. Since the depression | started the yearly cut has fallen ;Jfi low as 19 million board feet but betterments mentioned above the output should now start on the upgrade and regain its earlier posi- tion in a few years. | As mentioned above the manu- | facture of paper, rather than lum- | ber, offers the logical use and greatest promise for the commercial forests of Alaska. These forests consist principally of Sitka spruce and Western hemlock. Both are excellent paper making woods but if converted into lumber the prod- | uct has to meet the strong compe | tition of Douglas fir from British Columbia, Oregon and Washing- ton. On the other hand, Douglas fir is not used for high grade papers. Coupled with the adaptability | of the timber for paper production these forests on the southern coast | of Alaska have a number of other good features for paper making | Perhaps no other section of North America has water power resources so suitable to develop for the sole | purpose of operating individual [pulp and paper mills. The many |islands which border the mainland | coast of Southeast Alaska and the | labyrinth of narrow navigable | waterways among them make the | timber readily accessible for log Eging and provide cheap water transportation for the logs from| The tide | | the woods to the mills. | water location of the manufactur- ‘ing plants offers steamer transpor- tation to the world’s markets. The 10- year- The i 3 | climate permits of a 9 to | month logging season and | long milling and shipping. Prior to 1929 the amount of | forests belong to the Federal Gov- ernment and are managed by the| and sclling prices. These rules,' ests on the southern coast of 1heiForrsr Service on the basis of sus- in view of the prospective| Fur Farming IndustryIs On Upgrade Fur farming, north of Juneau on the mainland, one of the newer industries, which was brought into being with the building of the 3lacier Highway by the United States Forest Service, has taken on a brighter prospect as the r sult of the better outlook for gen eral business in the United States. The industry is believed in a healthier condition than at any time since it was started in that district ten years ago. It has been stabilized to a great extent by the financially weaker farmers’ action in closing out and leaving the field to nearly a score of establishments which have worked out the prob- lems of propagafion and marketipg of their product. Fur of Two Kinds The fur raised by the farmers is of two kinds—fox and mink. The | former animals are divided into three general classifications—silver blue and cross. The cross fox has been the subject of much experi- mentation by a number of growe: who are attempting to get a d tinctive breed with special mark- tained yield porduction which as- sures an unending supply of wood to the mills. Purchasers of tim- ber for paper mills can contract for a quantity sufficient to meet the needs of the plant for as long as 50 years. It is estimated by the Forest Service that the woodlands of | Southeast Alaska can produce | enough wood to make one million tons of news print paper yearly in perpetuity. This is equivalent to between one-fourth and one- third of the present yearly con- sumption of newsprint in the | United States. Alaska Timber Industry- - -Some Dominating Features| | ings that can be depended on to|year is encouraging, he says, and|in one mile of the glacier on the come true. One of the original fur farmers | who took advantage of the boom times from 1924 to 1929 was Jack Marsh, pioneer in mink growing on | the mainland. Mr. Marsh, who owns 40 acres of pafented land about 11 miles north of Juneau, specialized in breeding stock and furnished most of the farmers in the district with their stock to start. He sold the last of his mink more than a year ago and is now starting in the fox business. He also has chickens and rabbits. Mr. and Mrs. Marsh make their home on their homestead and expect to remain there. Climate Called Ideal Charley Rudy, who is growing foxes about 10 miles north of Ju- neau, has been in his present loca- tion nearly 10 years. He is special- izing in silvers but has a number of blue and cross foxes. At present Mr. Rudy has forty pair of foxes and about fifty female mink, most- ly breeding stock. |~ Speaking of the Rudy said: “The climate of this district is ideal for the raising of fur-bearing animals, especially the pen bred animals. One advantage of scien- tifically-raised foxes and mink is that the skins are always in prime condition when the animals are killed. In taking furs in the wilds no selection can be made, because you must catch the animals when you can, no matter what the con- dition of the fur.” Mr. Rudy has 160 acres of land, five acres of which are in pens. The pens are enclosed by guard fences insuring the safety of the stock from predatory animals. The fences also act as an insurance to the owner against the loss of stock through escape. Juneau Market Good The market for furs from the farmers’ standpoint, according to Mr. Rudy is as good in Juneau as it is anywhere else, and has the advantage of being a cash market, which means a good deal to the grower. The outlook for furs this industry, Mr. Packers of -there is no magic formula for pacicing and selling canned salmon. —salmon that has the reputation of always being painstakingly packed draws to itself elements of support that are lasting. although the farmers have been (operating at a loss for the past | two or three years he expects this | year to at least break even or make | a slight profit. Dr. E. H. Kaser is devoting most | of his energies in the fur farming | business to thé breeding of cross foxes and is developing a strain | that promises to be distinctive and | that he is confident will in time | be in great demand. Herman Wise, a little more than 11 miles out on the highway, is one of the farmers who quit the business ghout a year ago ‘anG who is starting in afresh. Mr. Wise, who owns thirty-three acres of land, is starting in this year with thirty mink and two pair of blue foxes. He started originally in 1927 with mink and closed his stock out late in 1932. Poultry Is Raised Walter Anderson has taken over the Forsythe place of about sixty acres and expects to stock the place with foxes and mink from the Arctic Fur Farm in which he is already interested. Mr. Forsythe recently killed off all his mink stock and has sént the pelts to London. Starting in 1926 Mr. Forsythe raised chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese as a side line to fur farming and furnished the market in Juneau with fresh poul- try. Mr. Anderson has also re- newed his lease of Colt Island from Mr. Forsythe and will grow garden truck and berries there during the coming year. Mons Anderson, across the Men- denhall River, thirteen miles from Juneau on the Montana Creek Road, has about 90 mink, 70 of which are breeding stock. He has 160 acres of patented ground with | pen space for 500 mink. fe has a | modern farm with his own electric |light and power plant. ; Ranch Near Glacier | In the shadow of Mendenhal | Glacier, Arnold Reebes is the most | recent settler to engage in the fur business. He has started with ‘te_n pair of blue foxes. His home |is 14 miles from Juneau and with- shore of one of the small lakes that abound in that district. Mr. Reebes, with his wife and three children, recently arrived in South- east Alaska from the lower Yukon River and intend to make their home here in the future. Mr. Reebes is loud in his praise of the work of the Forest Service in keeping the road open for the settlers of the district during all kinds of weather, and said that the Service is entitled to a great deal of credit for the building of trails which will be used by tour- ists and others in viewing the glacier. COOD NEWS BAY DUE FOR ACTIVE SEASON Good News Bay, near the mouth of the Kuskokwim River, is ex- pected to be the scene of great activity during the coming season, according to people arriving from that section. Attention has been attracted to that region during the past few months by reports of good gold * and platinum deposits recently dis- covered. Many miners and prospectors are said,to be preparing for op- erating in that district during the coming spring and summer. FOUR MORE DREDGES OPERATE, KLONDIKE Reports from Dawson say the past season in the old gold camp was one of the best for many years, with six dredges on the Klondike and ome in the Sixty- Pmile area. Four more dredges are to be operated in the district next season. EVERETT COMPANY EVERETT, WASHINGTON Pacific - American Fisheries Co. CANNED SALMON South Bellingham, Wash. PACKING *