Timber upon the public lands of Alaska not included in national forests may be purchased, upon application to the receiver of the proper United States land office,1 in quantities limited to actual necessities for consumption in the Territory from year to year, and the prices charged are those fixed by appraisals. However, a settler, resident, individual miner, or prospector for minerals may, without charge, take timber from the public lands for his own use for firewood, fencing, buildings, mining, prospecting, and for other domestic purposes, in an amount not exceeding 30,000 feet b. m., or 60 cords, each.

The coast forests, which comprise the most heavily timbered areas in Alaska, are nearly all included in the Tongass and Chugach National Forests, having a combined area of 20,948,850 acres, or slightly less than 6 per cent of the total area of Alaska. These are under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. A forest supervisor, with headquarters at Ketchikan, Alaska, is locally in charge of their administration, under the district forester at Portland, Oreg. To expedite the handling of local business on the Chugach, a deputy supervisor, who reports to the supervisor, is stationed at Cordova, Alaska.

The best estimates available place the total stand of merchantable timber on the Tongass National Forest at 70,000,000,000 board feet, and on the Chugach at 8,000,000,000 board feet. This timber consists largely of hemlock and Sitka spruce, although there is considerable western red cedar and some yellow cypress, chiefly on the Tongass. The timber is suitable for construction material, finish, and a very large amount is suitable for paper pulp. The conditions for the manufacture of pulp are very favorable. Logging distances are short, since the great bulk of the timber is situated within a short distance of the shore line. Transportation to the point of manufacture is comparatively cheap. Unlimited water power for purposes of manufacture is available and may be used without charge for the manufacture of national forest products. From points of manufacture, all of which must be situated on tide water, deep-sea transportation is available to the great world markets.

The best data available indicate that approximately 700,000,000 board feet per annum can be cut indefinitely from the Tongass National Forest and approximately 80,000,000 from the Chugach. This will leave a very large surplus for possible export after supplying local needs.

Mature timber on either forest may be purchased on reasonable terms. A sufficient amount of timber will be included in any sale to justify fully the investment required for logging and manufacture. Reasonable cutting periods will be allowed, based upon market demands and the capacity of the plant. Payment is required on the basis of actual or scale measurement in comparatively small amounts immediately in advance of cutting, thus doing away very largely with carrying charges. Sales in which the value of the timber exceeds $100 must be advertised at least 30 days. Settlers, farmers, prospectors, fishermen, and others may take timber from these forests for personal use free of charge and without permit in amounts not exceeding 20,000 board feet, or 25 cords of wood in any one year.

Occupancy of national forest lands is permitted under reasonable restrictions and at low charges. Water powers may be developed under permit at a very moderate charge, or without charge if the power is to be used in the development of national forest products. Lands which are more valuable for agriculture than for other purposes may be acquired under the forest homestead act. A very large part of the business of the national forests is handled locally. Full information regarding the sale and free use of timber, as well as all

1 Boundaries of land districts are given on p. 36.

other uses of the forests, may be obtained upon request from the forest supervisor, Ketchikan, Alaska, the district forester, Portland, Oreg., or the Forester, Forest Service, Washington, D. C.

PUBLIC LANDS.

General.

Most of the land in Alaska is unappropriated, but neither the Department at Washington nor the district land offices can furnish information as to the location of those tracts which are adapted to agricultural purposes or are valuable for minerals.

The Territory is divided into three land districts (see p. 36), the land offices being located at Juneau, Nome, and Fairbanks. The surveyor general for the entire Territory has his office at Juneau. Detailed information and regulations may be obtained from one of these offices or from the Commissioner of the General Land Office, Washington, D. C.

The homestead laws have been extended to the Territory; moreover, soldiers' additional homestead rights may be located there, but no other kind of scrip; and provision has been made for the purchase of tracts occupied for trade, manufacture, or other productive industry by citizens of the United States, associations of such persons, and corporations organized under the laws of the United States or of a State or Territory. The area of such a claim is limited to SO acres and the price of the land is $2.50 per acre.

Homesteads.

A homestead claim may be initiated by any person qualified to make entry in the United States, the maximum area being 320 acres. Where the tract is covered by the public surveys, the laws and regulations governing the initiation and completion of the claim are not different from those in force in the United States. Where the land is unsurveyed, the claim must be located in rectangular form, not more than a mile long, with side lines due north and south, the four corners being marked on the ground by permanent monuments; to secure the land against adverse claim the location must be recorded at the proper local recording office (that is, with the United States commissioner) within 90 days from the date of settlement. Unless the public system of surveys is extended over the land, patent can not issue until the settler has procured a survey at his own expense by a regularly appointed deputy surveyor. An entry is commutable to the extent of only 160 acres, on 14 months' residence, cultivation of one-sixteenth of that part, and payment therefor at $1.25 per acre. A plat must be filed showing its location within the surveyed claim. Except in case of commutation, the settler must (under the general law) show at least 3 years' residence and cultivation of one-sixteenth of the area in the second year, followed by one-eighth during the third year and until submission of proof, unless the requirements as to cultivation be reduced pursuant to application duly filed; absence of 5 months in each year is permitted, divided into two periods, if desired, but notice of leaving and returning to the claim must be filed at the district land office.

Surveys.

Though Congress has made provision for the extension to Alaska of the public system of surveys, less than 50 townships and parts of townships have been actually surveyed; but the work progresses, no vicinity being considered unless

it be shown that the land is agricultural. However, the laws provide for private surveys, to be made at the expense of applicants under the various acts, in order that they may make entries for the lands sought.

Minerals.

Deposits of mineral in the public lands and national forests in Alaska other than coal, oil, and natural gas are subject to location and purchase under the general mining laws of the United States by citizens, or those who have declared their intention to become citizens, at $2.50 per acre for placer mining claims and at $5 per acre for lode mining claims. Each lode mining claim is limited in area to a tract not exceeding 1,500 feet in length by 600 feet in width, but the law imposes no limit as to the number of locations which may be made by a single individual or corporation. A placer mining location in Alaska may not exceed 20 acres in area for an individual location or 40 acres for an association of two or more persons, and no person is permitted to locate or to procure to be located for himself more than two placer mining claims in any one calendar month.

COAL.

The control and disposition of the coal deposits in the public lands of Alaska are provided for by the act of October 20, 1914, whereby lands containing coal may be leased for mining purposes under the direction and supervision of the Secretary of the Interior.

The President of the United States is required to reserve not exceeding 5,120 acres of coal-bearing lands in the Bering River field and 7,680 acres within the Matanuska field before opening these fields under the leasing act. The unreserved coal lands are thereafter to be divided by the Secretary of the Interior into leasing blocks or tracts of 40 acres each or multiples thereof in such form as will permit the most economical mining of the coal, but in no case exceeding 2,560 acres in any one leasing block. The lands having been thus divided into leasing blocks, the Secretary under the act is then authorized, and not before, to offer such blocks or tracts for leasing, and award leases thereof through such plan as he may adopt, either by advertisement, competitive bidding, or otherwise. The survey of the coal areas, which is a necessary preliminary to the determination of the leasing blocks or tracts, has been made. On this survey the coal areas will be divided into leasing blocks or tracts and timely notice will be given by the Secretary of the Interior, with due opportunity to all who may desire to submit applications for a coal-mining lease.

Regulations of December 30, 1914, carry into effect the provisions of section 10 of the coal-leasing act, which provides for the prospecting for mining and removal of coal, under permit, from small areas of the public lands in Alaska for strictly local and domestic uses without payment of royalty or rental. In view of the pressing need for coal for local consumption, these regulations provide against irritating and damaging delays by allowing the applicant to begin his mining operations as soon as he has mailed his application for a permit, subject, of course, to the subsequent approval of his application.

Lands Bordering on Streams.

No claim under any of the public land laws, other than mineral, may extend for more than 160 rods along the shores of navigable waters, and between all such claims a space of 80 rods in width must be reserved, for possible use for wharves, etc. Additional restrictions are imposed in case of locations under soldiers' additional homestead rights.

Town Sites.

The act of March 12, 1914, authorizes the reservation of such areas as may be needed for town-site purposes. Such portion of these areas as is needed for railroad purposes is set aside for that use and the remainder is surveyed into blocks and lots of suitable size and into reservations for public school and for other purposes and for Government use. The unreserved lots are sold at public outcry to the highest bidder at such time and place and after such publication. of notice, if any, as the Secretary of the Interior may direct. One-third of the price must be paid in cash before the close of the day next succeeding the one on which the sale was made. The remainder of the purchase price may be divided into five equal annual installments payable in one, two, three, four, and five years.

Boundaries of Land Districts.

Boundaries of Nome land district.-Beginning at a point where the one hundred and forty-ninth meridian west from Greenwich intersects the north boundary of Alaska, and running thence south along said meridian to the sixtysixth parallel of north latitude, thence west along said parallel to the one hundred and fifty-fourth meridian west from Greenwich, thence south along said meridian to the sixty-second parallel of north latitude, thence west along said parallel to the right bank of the Kuskokwim River, thence down said river, along the right bank thereof, to the Kuskokwim Bay, thence following the coast line of Alaska to the point of beginning, including the islands of Alaska situated west and north of the said Nome district as thus described.

Boundaries of Fairbanks land district.-Beginning at a point where the one hundred and forty-ninth meridian west from Greenwich intersects the north boundary of Alaska, and running thence south along said meridian to the sixtysixth parallel of north latitude, thence west along said parallel to the one hundred and fifty-fourth meridian west from Greenwich, thence south along said meridian to the sixty-second parallel of north latitude, thence east to the crest of the Alaskan Range of mountains, thence northeasterly, easterly, and southeasterly along the summit of said range to a point where it intersects the one hundred and forty-sixth meridian west from Greenwich, thence due east to the eastern boundary line of Alaska, thence north along said boundary line to the north coast of Alaska, thence along said coast to the point of beginning.

Boundaries of Juneau land district.—All parts of Alaska not included within either the Nome land district or the Fairbanks land district, as hereinbefore described, constitute the Juneau land district.

TRANSPORTATION.

A brief statement of the topography is first desirable. Alaska is a Territory of great size, about one-fifth that of the total area of the United States. About a quarter of its area lies north of the Endicott Range, which is itself north of the Arctic Circle. This portion of the Territory is Arctic, and it alone presents the bleak and frozen aspect popularly associated with Alaska. South of this range in Alaska there is an area greater than that of all the States east of the Mississippi and north of the Ohio River and Mason and Dixon's line, which is as capable of high development as many well-settled and rich countries.

The Pacific mountain system fronts the coast, extending from British Columbia in a huge arc and tailing out in the Alaska Peninsula. This system is widest in the several ranges which divide central Alaska from southern Alaska, just north of Prince William Sound, and stands as a barrier separating the comparatively small coastal valleys from the two great inland valleys of the Yukon and the Kuskokwim, which themselves are separated by a comparatively low