WHAT IS WRONG WITH ALASKA 



205 



and conditions may aid or retard, but cannot solve the 

 economic destiny of Alaska. 



A common sense public policy toward Alaska would 

 seem to require action along three lines. First, we 

 should anticipate that sooner or later Alaska will be 

 qualified for Statehood and, as rapidly as practicable, we 

 should give her control of the local affairs which in our 

 system of government come under State jurisdiction. 



In the second place, the national interests in Alaska 

 should be administered by a field staff in the Territory 

 itself. Each bureau or department having functions in 

 Alaska should place them in charge of a resident officer, 



given adequate authority and discretion by his own de- 

 partment, to the investigation of special needs or prob- 

 lems of the Territory with joint recommendations to 

 Washington on Federal policy or legislation. Thus can 

 the evils of long range administration be overcome, but 

 without impairing fundamental national policies for the 

 conservation of basic resources and without shutting 

 Alaska off from the effective help of each Federal De- 

 partment in developing resources in which that depart- 

 ment represents the organized experience and technical 

 skill of the country. And finally, the people of the United 

 from the direct adjustment of administrative duties, 



SAWMILL AND LOG POND, KILLISWOO 

 The sawmills, pulp and paper mills, fish canneries, and the mines in Alaska all draw their lumber from the National Forests. 



endowed with the maximum authority possible to act 

 on the ground and with large discretion in applying 

 Federal statutes to Alaskan conditions. Only transac- 

 tions of the highest importance, the larger questions of 

 policy, and appeals from local decisions should come to 

 Washington. Then let these responsible Federal officers, 

 together with the Governor of the Territory and two or 

 more citizens representing her commercial interests, form 

 a sort of Alaskan Cabinet, charged with the duty of 

 tying together the different Federal activities, ironing 

 out conflicts, overlaps, or omissions, and working out 

 the best measures for the all-round development of 

 Alaska. The functions of such a council would range 

 which would be possible in many cases if each member is 



States should recognize that Alaska is their greatest un- 

 developed physical asset, that they owe it to Alaska and 

 to themselves to develop her resources adequately, and 

 that while her economic progress will be governed pri- 

 marily by business factors no practicable or reasonable 

 form of Federal aid should be withheld. 



This calls especially for liberal aid in developing trans- 

 portation, the lack of which is one of the greatest present 

 handicaps of the Territory. Adequate marine transpor- 

 tation for Alaska is a knotty problem which only an 

 aggressive Federal policy can solve. The completion 

 of the government railroad and its administration as a 

 developing rather than cost paying enterprise are of 

 obvious necessity. To complete the needed groundwork 



