Now that we have finally attained statehood here in Alaska what are we going to do about it?  Are we going to give up and quit the country altogether?  I say no, that  the battle is just started. Although  we  are faced with higher taxes, high costs of living and principally seasonal employment, there is a way out for us.

The economy of any state depends a good deal on its being self-supporting or to be able to purchase goods elsewhere at no additional cost, than to produce them locally. In the past, we have been hindered in production, as we had no vote in Washington, D.C., or practically nothing to say about how Alaska was managed. We have had to pay exorbitant prices, from outside, for practically everything we use, or consume. The key move in our .state economy, is to produce or raise everything possible  here in Alaska that we can economically.

Here at Gustavus, we had available for settlement, until 1939, 100,000 acres of fine agriculture and stock   raising   land.   Why   the  Glacier Bay Monument was extended, at that time, to reserve all the unpatented land around our homesteads and for what, purpose, I'll never  know, unless it was a deliberate attempt to stop all production here.  By considerable newspaper publicity and dozens of letters  to Congressmen  in Wash. D.C.,  my son  and I were  able  to secure  release of a  few thousand acres,   the   Glacier   Bay   National Monument had taken over, of Gustavus  land.   But  these  few   thousand   acres   even   under   full   production,   would  only  feed  a   small portion of our states population.

What   we   need  here   is  the  full  restoration of Gustavus land, as the  boundaries were defined prior to 1939.  A dock to be built off Icy Passage, to handle our needs and to ship out our meat and farm produce. Roads across this land to encourage settlement and as a means of transportation.   Long term loans, to settlers, at a reasonable low rate of  interest so these homesteaders can start to  produce without undue delay.

Now that we have finally attained statehood here in Alaska what are we going to do about it?  Are we going to give up and quit the country altogether?  I say no, that  the battle is just started. Although  we  are faced with higher taxes, high costs of living and principally seasonal employment, there is a way out for us.

The economy of any state depends a good deal on its being self-supporting or to be able to purchase goods elsewhere at no additional cost, than to produce them locally. In the past, we have been hindered in production, as we had no vote in Washington, D.C., or practically nothing to say about how Alaska was managed. We have had to pay exorbitant prices, from outside, for practically everything we use, or consume. The key move in our .state economy, is to produce or raise everything possible  here in Alaska that we can economically.

Here at Gustavus, we had available for settlement, until 1939, 100,000 acres of fine agriculture and stock   raising   land.   Why   the  Glacier Bay Monument was extended, at that time, to reserve all the unpatented land around our homesteads and for what, purpose, I'll never  know, unless it was a deliberate attempt to stop all production here.  By considerable newspaper publicity and dozens of letters  to Congressmen  in Wash. D.C.,  my son  and I were  able  to secure  release of a  few thousand acres,   the   Glacier   Bay   National Monument had taken over, of Gustavus  land.   But  these  few   thousand   acres   even   under   full   production,   would  only  feed  a   small portion of our states population.

What   we   need  here   is  the  full  restoration of Gustavus land, as the  boundaries were defined prior to 1939.  A dock to be built off Icy Passage, to handle our needs and to ship out our meat and farm produce. Roads across this land to encourage settlement and as a means of transportation.   Long term loans, to settlers, at a reasonable low rate of  interest so these homesteaders can start to  produce without undue delay.