ALASKA'S CRAB
INIUSTRY THREATENED
According to word. received
from Co L* Anderson, director
of the Alaska Department of
fisheries, the Department of
State plans to negotiate
trade agreements with Japan
in February in Geneva, Switz
erland under the sponsorship
of the countries associated
in the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade* ©ne of
the tariffs open to discus
sion is one on crabmeat*
The United States Tariff
Commission and the Committee
for Reciprocity Information
are currently conducting
hearings and accepting state
ments relative to the tariffs*
involved* The Commission and
the Committee are concerned
with determining the peril
point findings on the various
tariffs and the anticipated
effects; of possible tariff
concessions by the United
States. The peril point of a
tariff is tho minimum tariff
necessary to protect the dom
estic production of a product
and reductions in the tariff
below the peril point will
injure or destroy the indus
try involved*
‘The present tariff on can
ned crabmeat is 22|$ and 15$
on fresh or frozen crab.
Since the profit margin of...
$2.5C to $4.00 per case of
Alaska canned crab, selling
at $32 per case, is so small,
any reduction in the crab
tariff will annihilate the
HARD
on
SOFT
ICE CREAM
By the p^Ljit and quart*,
Vanilla, Chocolate aslcl
Strauhorry *in frozen s
form to take out* J ;"
AT THE
DARI-DELITE.
Alaska Crab industry, -ander
son pointed out that fisher
men realized $>866,352 during
1953 for their crab landings,
T7hile processors produced an
Alaskan pack valued at .#2,
098,833 the’same year. Up to
November 30, 1954, ^ith in- i
comp lo to returns fr#m the
various processors, the^value
of the Alaska crab pack has
already reached $2,614,364*
The cost of production.in
the Alaska crab industry is
high due to high capital out
lays necessary for boats;
fishing gear such as pots,
trails and nets; canneries;
freezing plants both ashore
and afloat; and the necessary
high cost of skilled fisher
men and cannery workers. This
skilled force ,of people must
command uages commensurate
with the -high cost' of living
in Alaska, ihe Alaska cran
industry and Alaskan fisher
ies in general ard extremely
vulnerable to imported crab
and fisheries products from
areas of lou labor and other
production costs, "&ny reduc
tions in the crab' tariff
~ould deal a fatal clou to
the crab industry of Alaska*
deductions in the crab
tariffs have other implica
tions, Anderson pointed out.
Under the International Con
vention of the High Seas
Fisheries of the North Pacif
ic signed in Tokyo in May,
1952, by the ; United States,
. Jap an and Canada, abstention
from a fishery can only be
asked by one of these nations
providing three conditions
are met. These are4: First,
the particular resource is
under scientific study; sec
ond, it is already fully ex
- plotted; and third, it is un~
| der regulations to keep it on
j- a sustained yield basis, Un
«; der these principles/ Canada
j*- and Japan do ’not 'fish for
[ salp-on'. in the 'eastern Bering
: Sea;"’ and Japan agrees not to
.fish) for salmop, halibut and
herring T7hich originate on
the United States-Canadian
side of the Nojrth pacific.
The crab fishery is not an
abstention fishery to any of
"the member nations* Japan
has entered the king crab
fishery in the Baring Sea and
is competing ^ith - Alaskan
fishermen on those grounds.
Japan is ready and able to
greatly expand their crab op
erations. Reductions in the
present tariffs on crabmeat
^ould tripe out the Alaskan
crab industry, and uould give
Japan the incentive to great
ly expand their crab opera
tions , presumably right up to
the three milo limit. Should
Japan continue to expand
their current studies on crab
and fully exploit the crab
fisheries off of Alaska, Jap
an could regulate the crab
fisheries adjacent to Alaska;
The Japanese trould have com
plied uith the three condi
tions necessary to declare
the .crab fishery as an ab
stent ion fishery. If this
should occur. Alaskans could
not re-enter the crab fishery
right in their ownfront yard
The Alaska Fisheries Board
and the Alaska » Department of
fisheries have filed a state
ment with the U.: 3* Tariff
Commission, the Committee for
Reciprocity Information and
the Department of State pe
titioning, "that the existing
tariff level on crabmeat con
stitutes the peril point, and
that no reduction in the ex
isting tariff covering crab
meat be made." The Alaska
Fisheries Board is* composed
of Ira ftothwcll, Cordova,
chairman; Robert C. ’&allen
berg, Dillingham; J. H. Wake
field, Port ^ akofield; 'Kien-V
neth D. Boll, Fairbanks; and
Henry Denny, Saxman*
COMMONWEALTH CUJB TO MEET
NEXT WEDNESDAY
The Homer Commonwealth
Club will meet next ' ednesday
January 12 . at the Skyway'
Theater, according to L. H*
Duncan* Election hn<i instal
lation of officers will bo
held. Meeting time is*7:30
p.m* and the public is'invit
ed to attend*
DRIFTWOOD
by Bill Raver
Notts Notes and Comments on
Topics of the Bay,
With the c oining of a depu
ty marshal to Homer in the
near future, the recent
statement by President Luther
C. Steward of the National
Federation of Federal ihiploy
ees, should be of interest*
Luthe;r said that U. S.
Deputy Marshals have been re
moved from the ranks of fed
eral employees appointed un
der Civil Service Commission
merit principles and such
positions under the Eisen
hower administration will now
bo passed out without respect
to ability and qualification*
"Tho Civil Service Com
mission has acceded to de
mands of spoilsmen in remov
ing positions of Deputy Unit
ed States Marshals from the
merit system,M Steward said*
*Congross repeatedly with
stood attomptod assaults on
those positions," he contin
ued. "Legislation to take
the Marshals out from under
the merit system and make
them subject to patronage ap
pointment was introduced over
' a long period of years. But
.Congress always defeated the
proposal as contrary to sound
public personnel administra
tion—as a step backward, as
a clear-cut violation of the
merit principle in the feder
al service, as thoroughly un
sound ,and unwise from every
standpoint."
"Now," added, "the Civ
il ^Service Commission in an
unpublicized action apparent
ly taken weeks ago, has plac
ed U. S, Marshal positions in
Schedule B*. which will enable
the Justice Department to
filj the. positions without
regard to normal Civil Ser
vice* rules and regulations."
xiximxi
If wq are to take Presi
dent Gene Browning of the PUD
(Cont. on Page 6, Col. 1)
WXJ 'W.W, WW—
BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER!
- and only $3.^ PER YEAR . . . •
H l
ER ME
H
s
YC4JR. COMMUNITY
i NEWSPAPER.
■ ■•■SIX ",
' PAGES
■/EVERY"'
WEEK
WRITE BOX 255
FOR YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
■ t ....
DO IT TODAY!
: ■ \
f ?
VF r'S/X
P>4G£$
EVERY
WEEK