Elr.ic Joffors,
FAL. TR, ALASKA
Actin'! Editor
Fublishcd every wool' at Palmer, Alaska’ for the Katanuska Valley Parmer's Cooler at inn
Association for'the purpose of gluing nows of the Associations rTorI:, Problems and
Accmiplishments, as well as Her;a of general interest to the Valley. \
SUBSCRIPTION RATP 31.75 per year
10# a eony
"e hear numerous complaints to the effect- that Seattle wholesalers charge higher
prices to stores in Alaska than they do those in Seattle, The comments on a letter
from a lady in Petersburg appearing in the Alaska *7sol;ly is north consideration.
n The letter in part follows: Fhy do wholesalers charge a higher wholesale price
to stores in Alaska than they do to stores in Beattie, so that canned milk is )6.43
a case in Ballard at the A & F and 'jS.no in Petersburg.
rTty are two boxes of Oregon nears shipped by my mother from Portland by railway express
refused in Seattle because of an "3mbargo" on fresh fruit to Alaska and returned rot
ten to "ortland?
Fhy can't the International Fisheries Commission (located in Seattle) enforce and
regulate lay-up time for the fishing boats so the men won't have to strain themselves
to keen up with the rest?
T"e 11,' these are the three things I know about, but tliero are probably many other injus
tices.' Seattle has made a lot of money in Alaska and doesn't want to lose out in the
future. Couldn't it be satisfied with half a "gold nine" instead of the whole busi
no ss.
let us answer the ruestions one at a time: 1.Ivory wholesale grocery house in Seattle
bills a case of milk to a trader in Point Farrow or a dealer in Petersburg at exact1■
the same rrice at which he sells it to a groceryraan whoso wlace is located throe blo
cks away in Seattle. It costs money to lay that case of milk down in Petersburg In
cluding freight'and wharfage charges at both ends which must bo added to cost by th.c
A’a ska merchant, FUrtho- more the volume of A L business permits a lor markup on the
individual item not possible to the Petersburg grocer. But the fact remains, as sta
ted in the opening sentence of this paragraph., that the Petersburg merchant buys the
case of milk from the Se ttle wholesaler at exactly the same -'rice as the Seattle pit -
ccr buys it from the Seattle wholesaler,
Frequent ticuos and uncertainty of sailings more than five
American Railway 3xprcs~ Com any to place an om’oar :0 on ox
fruits to -Alaska. ’ -ThO’ or dor naturally did hot originate in
plicoblc to Seattle alone. It was national. The local Ala
Avericon Railway 3xpross is at a loss to understand our cor
t‘ is instance since, they tell us, such'a shipment should n
the "ortland office in the first "lace end shipments which
•at the. best realisable nrico fir the consignor's account an
consignor. In any event, to reiterate, there is a PATIO’' L
ments of fresh fruits to Alaska...not a Seattle embargo.
years ago caused the
ross shi-nent" of fresh
Seattle nor was it as'
ska department of the
■respondent's complaint in
ot have boon accepted by
do siin by arc sold here
d never returned to the
embargo on exnress shin
The International Fisheries Commission is an organization devoted to the conservation
of the Halibut fisl sr; r t3 o d T Canada and "the TJnitdd States... and- its fisher
men. Its function is not mir.ari.ly to make it easy for fishermen but to save the
fish. It is composed of throe C nad’ian meant or s ard three \mcrican m.anbcrs rho moot
more often than other"*lso at some Canadian point for conference. ~hilc this com
mission has established on enviable record for snicsblo c cs.ro r on iso it should he rc
mp.0 berod that the very fact that camnroniso is nocos - ary means that there arc diffor
ates between the nationals or. the Commission. To say that "Seattle fishermen arc
the ones who influence such decisions" is fully as propostorous as to say that the
fishermen of Vancouver, 3.C. , or New "estnir. star dictate the decisions. The Inter
national Fisheries Commission in advance of policy making and regulation sessions
have made it a pract iwo to invito and encourage suggest ions from all interested part
ies and would doubtless give considerate attention to the ideas of the fishermen of
Ictcrsburg.