470 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



'Wooding Up" the Engine on the Tanana Valley Railroad near Fairbanks. Remnant 

 OF Original Forest, Mostly Fire-Killed. 



Secretar}^ of the Interior Franklin K. 

 Lane, in a report on Alaskan conditions 

 recently sent to Senator Key Pittman 

 and Congressman William C. Houston, 

 chairmen of the Senate and House 

 committees on Territories, respectively, 

 urges the creation of a Development 

 Board to have complete control of the 

 natural resources of Alaska, and makes 

 a severe arraignment of the present red 

 tape methods in the administration of 

 Government affairs in that territory. 

 Bills for the creation of boards or com- 

 missions to administer the Government 

 of Alaska, have been introduced in the 

 Senate by Senator Chamberlain of Ore- 

 gon, and in the House by Delegate 

 Wickersham, of Alaska. These bills 

 differ only in detail, and the general 

 purpose and scope of both is in accord 

 with the recommendations of Secretarv 

 Lane. 



The Development Board plan urged 

 by the Secretary provides for a board 

 of three members, appointed by the 

 President and confirmed by the Senate, 

 which is to have headquarters in Alaska, 

 and is to be charged with the general 

 conduct of all governmental affairs 

 there connected with the natural re- 

 sources and development of the coun- 

 try. 



"It is proposed and urged," says Mr. 



Lane, "that the board should take over 

 such authority now exercised by vari- 

 ous departments and bureaus as may 

 be necessary to give it supervision over 

 practically the entire public domain and 

 all the natural resources of Alaska, and 

 control of such activities as are closely 

 related and essential to the development 

 of the physical resources of the coun- 

 try. The board would do the work now 

 done in Alaska by the General Land 

 Office, the Forest Service, the Road 

 Commission, the Bureau of Mines, the 

 Bureau of Education, and the Secretary 

 of the Interior. It should take over a 

 part of the work and authority of the 

 Bureau of Fisheries. * * * Beginning 

 at the shore line, the development board 

 should have complete control of all gov- 

 ernmental activities and interests con- 

 nected with the development of indus- 

 tries and transportation and the settling 

 of the country. 



"This should include the control of 

 water powers, building and mainte- 

 nance of roads and trails, and operation 

 and rates of the railroads and telegraph 

 lines. It should include protection and 

 control of .game, fur-bearing animals, 

 public lands, mineral deposits, coal, oil, 

 gas, hot springs, timber lands and tim- 

 ber." Secretary Lane also urges that 

 this board should take over the super- 



