No Ice In Alaska

A. 1'. Swineford, of Marquette, reccntly appointed governor ol Alaska, bas been in Detroit gevend days. Mr. Bwinefbrd has interested hlmself for several years in Alaskan affulrs nul is euthusiastic over the undeveloped commercial udvmiit&gea wHiuli tliat Int nurtliarii t. sesees. .. '¦The popular idea that Alaska is n cold country is entirely erroneous,'' said lie 1 1 1 i .- iiioi iiiutr. " Tiie tact is the climate is mucli warmer tlian that of Detroit, nd it is ubout as deligliiful as that of California. The warm jrulf stream sweeping around from the Jnpanese islands keep the ti mperature very warm. In Januaiy of last year tlie average temperatuie was 38, nnd lliat lor August of last year wms 63. It is even imposible te get ice at Sitka w itliout im porti ug it. There is a Miiill lake just buck of the city, and there is never enough ice on it during the coldest winters to skate on. Last year there were but twenty-two davs of suow in the wliole year at Sitka. ín the southerly portion of the territory the ve;etatioii is luxurianl, aud the grazin;; is as fine as the continent adorna. Steamers ging north trom Pugct 8und usually curry a herd of cattle whicli they leave on these tieldi on the way up and colle;t ajaln, in an iiuproved condition, ou the trip down. "In mineral and timber resources the territory is one of the richest setions of the country. The timber is of the vei ;v best, and comprises many grades Df lfr and cedar. The latter is woith $mi i thousand in San Francisco. All that is needed is transportaron in order to put Alaska lumber in the California markets at a large profit. One of the dlsadvantages to lumbering lias been that there bas been no surveys in the territory and tltles cannot be perfeted to the lands. One of my first eltbrts will be to have B thorough survey made. "The seal fishinjf is a monopoly purChved trom the government for a term of years. It is conducted on two small 8land. Each year 100,001 seals are caugtit, and the governu.ent take a royalty on each catcli besides retting a larrental for the inlands In 18C7 SecretanSeward paid $7,200,000 for the territory, and already these two small seal islands havt; yielded the goyernnient a revcnue of over $4,500,000 o? more than half of the purchase price. "Coal is abundaut and the crews of steatner go asbore and dii theirown supplies of coal near the surface. The industry of canning salmoaand cod is very large, and mucli capital is iuveste.l in tintisheries. The only reaeon people have óf tfiè popular error as to its bëlllg aT? ion of perpetual snow. "ÁS SOOIl ao I wasuppnhitcd I i i-queSICtl a compilalion of the laws ot the country, and the attorney general's law cleik is now at work on tliem. This compilation has never before been made. On securhlK it, I will be in a position to know iiat cliangesor iniprovementslcan introduce. lf there is any money availablf, I will endeavor to have the country tully surveyed at an early day. This will develop the timber industry and the governmeut will be in a position to draw revenue froui sale of land."