14 BULLETIN- 950, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



retaining the full crew of laborers which is necessary for profitable 

 operation. Social conditions would be almost entirely in the hands 

 of the operator, and he would be guided by the trend of the times 

 in respect to investments which are designed to secure the stability 

 and efficiency of labor. 



CONSTRUCTION OF IMPROVEMENTS. 



" Construction from the ground up " summarizes the require- 

 ments to be met in Alaska, which is comparatively an undeveloped 

 country. Following the acquisition of the timber and source of 

 power, the mill site and town could then be advantageously located. 

 It would be necessary to clear the site before construction could 

 begin. A sawmill would no doubt be required, and the first logging 

 would be for the clearing of a mill and town site, and the building 

 of such necessary structures as wharves, storehouses, mills, dwell- 

 ing houses, offices, machine shops, and stores. The power develop- 

 ment might require the erection of a dam for storage purposes, in 

 addition to the usual diversion works, conduits, water wheels, gen- 

 erators, and distributing system. Several of the structures would 

 necessarily be of concrete. For logging, the improvements and 

 equipment would depend on the methods employed. Scows, tugs, 

 launches, pile drivers, and booms would be essential. During the 

 period required for the construction and equipment of a pulp and 

 paper mill in Alaska there would of course be no revenue. 



OPERATING MATERIALS AND MILL SUPPLIES. 



In addition to fuel, the more important operating supplies for 

 pulp mills in general are lime or limestone, sulphur, soda ash, salt 

 cake, grindstones, bleaching agents, and repair materials. 



At present there are no operating limekilns in southeastern Alaska ; 

 one abandoned kiln in the Ketchikan district has been reported. 

 A soda or a sulphate pulp mill could secure its lime by operat- 

 ing a kiln of its own, and there are numerous known deposits of 

 limerock (marble) that would furnish high grades of lime (over 

 99 per cent CaO basis). Dolomitic limestone, however, is unknown 

 in this region. It may be present, but no deposits have yet been 

 located. Hence a sulphite mill requiring dolomitic lime would have 

 to search for deposits of suitable rock or else import it from the 

 " outside " at a high cost. By using the " tower system " of " acid " 

 manufacture, however, a sulphite mill can employ high-calcium lime- 

 stones, and British Columbia sulphite mills use this system. Such 

 limestone is abundant among the sedimentary rocks of southeast 

 Alaska. Belts of it miles in width are exposed on tidewater and 



