Photo by Curtis & Miller 

 CABBAGE GROWING AT FAIRBANKS, ALASKA 



The Alaskan Railroad route "promises to show surprisingly quick returns in the develop- 

 ment of mineral and agricultural resources and other natural resources, and to demonstrate 

 within a very few years that this great Territory is indeed a little El Dorado" (see text, 

 page 567). 



parties in the field are paid by the month 

 and get pay and board, as the most feasi- 

 ble way of providing for their keep. In 

 fixing wage scales for other employees 

 the Secretary of the Interior and the 

 Commission have sought to exercise as 

 much economy as is consistent with pro- 

 viding fair living wages, and have sought 

 not to enter into competition with local 

 industries. 



The pay of laborers and the earnings 

 of contractors compare very favorably 

 with the wages paid for similar labor in 

 the United States. The pay of axemen 

 and ordinary laborers in southwestern 

 Alaska is fixed at $75 a month and board, 

 and in the interior at $90 a month and 

 board. For similar work the wages paid 

 in the Pacific Coast States is from $45 to 

 $50 a month and board. 



Because of the exhaustion of appro- 



priations, work on the railroad this win- 

 ter will have to be considerably lessened, 

 if not suspended. Otherwise there are 

 no serious obstacles to continuing certain 

 classes of construction work for the 

 greater part of the year, especially along 

 the southern end of the line. If appro- 

 priations are made available, for instance, 

 it would be advisable and economical to 

 grade a considerable part of the Mata- 

 nuska branch during the winter season. 



PLAN TO OBVIATE SLIDES 



From Matanuska Junction to the coal 

 fields the line follows practically for the 

 entire distance the drainage of the Mata- 

 nuska River. This stream for a consid- 

 erable part of the distance is banked by 

 cliffs of gravel and sand, in places a hun- 

 dred feet high or more. To attempt to 

 cut into these banks, in many places 



585 



