Pribilof Islanders Oppose Wage Plan
Aleut Leader Says
Plan Wrecking Economy
Will Increase Welfare
(Editor's NOtC: Oh July I Of tills year a MOW Wage plan went into
effect for the Pfthilttf islanders who harvest seals for the U.S. Govern
ment. In the fofegolttg article, the Rev. Oeaeoh Smile V. Gromoff,
president Of the Aleut cOthttltinliy Of St. Paul Island, voices strong
opposition to the plan.
The Rev. ClfhHiOff <f:ivs his people were pushed into approving it,
that the plan is One Of the most shortsighted and destructive policies
in the history of the PrlHiiofs, and that it Will result in increased
welfare.
The substance of the article is contained In a letter to Senator
E. L. Bob) Bartlett, a copy of which was sent tb Governor William i
A. Egan and Asst. Secretary Of Interior Frank P. Briggs.)
By f ME REV. OEAGON S»tlLE V. GROMOFF
President. St. Paul Island
My people here on the Pribilof
Islands were hasty to approve a
new wage plan last Jtlhb that be
came effective Oh Jtlty 1.
I wafhed my pbbpli? both Oh St.
George and St. Paul fsilahds tb
study the plan fbr a thedr befor’e
voting fbr its appf-bvdl.
Under the new plan, sbthc of the
workers Will work fttr Ohly three
full mdhths Of the ^bhr Shd be bh
relief the remaihth'g ihbhths.
Just bhdjjlne, the adHilhlitratioh
(the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Ser
vice) edrrie to us with the hbw plan
in April and We had ohly about two
months to study It. fhe people who
formulated the plan prbbdbly start
ed work on It two years ago. The
administration was pUsHihg it to go
through this year.
It is my opinion that on any
thing big, like this new wage plan,
that! will affect the entire popula
tion on both islands,-<we should be
given ample time to’ study it.
—-- X -
We, the sealers on both islands,
were taken for granted — we, who
since the discovery of the Pribilofs
have had sole right to catch seals.
In 1942 when the war broke out
in the Aleutians, the population of
both islands was evacuated to south- 1
eastern Alaska.
During the time we were there,
the administration was worried j
that we sealers might not return to
bur homes. v
"If they do not return, who will
catch the seals for us?” one of the
government men asked.
Taken For Granted
To some people we may be noth
ing, and be taken for granted but
to our government and state, we
are very important people as long
[ as the Lord provides us with fur
i seals.
The pay in the new plan looks
1 good on paper but by the time we
are charged for food, rent, fuel,
i electricity, water, garbage, gas, a
35 per cent handling charge, our
pay checks will shrink to mere sav
ings.
Our fuel bills especially are tre
mendously high when most of our
men are laid off from work.
More Welfare
The administration of the Pribi
lof program in laying off half of
the workers is trying to save mon
ey. Still the government is going
to lose money because those unem
ployed will have to draw welfare.
Supposedly un'tqr the new plan
all Aleut workers wt e to have top
priority over nr -re 'dents in get
ting jobs if — ad. is a big if —
if the Aleut employee were quali
fied for the job.
In July the >■ ire u brought in a
man from the 1 .vr states to super
vise in catchi • s'" Is. I understand
he will be he a’’ winter and that
he earns don e the amount of two
Aleut emplo ^s.
We feel h is rot needed because
we have qu 'fled Aleuts who could
do the sarm job or less money and
at the same title save money for
the govern lent.
And the Aleuts are better quali
fied to su‘* vrv se the catching of fur
seals. WllboU us, who would want
to go out rnd jatch the seals. Catch
ing seals h s been our heritage,
passed down to us from our ances
tors.
Questions Asked
Why is it that, whenever anything
big comes up, it is not entrusted to
us Aleuts, who are experienced in
this field of catching seals?
Why can’t the administration en
trust us. at least one of us, to su
pervise the catching of seals? It
takes only common sense, not high
er education, to catch seals.
We know some of the jobs require
special skills in the office work
1 here. In the near future we will
have many Aleuts with higher ed
ucation who can qualify for these
administrative jobs, Dut will Wash
ington give the go ahead for those
who qualify or Will they Still Hire
non-residents who always qualify
for whatever job that is open here.
Feel Defeated
The whole Aleut population on
the Pribilofs feel defeated under
this new plan. We feel we are the
victims of one of the most short
sighted and destructive policies ev
Advice
“When the weather is extremely
cold, do not work up a sweat."
This advice from the ancient Es
kimo grew out of experience. Great
exertion causes sweat and along
with it — fatigue.
To sweat in extreme cold weather
is to invite disaster. When sweat
ing, minus zero temperatures cools
you off too fast. More exertion will
keep you warm but at the same
time you are adding to your fatigue
that overcame you at the outset.
You may come through without
freezing to death but the wise thing
to do is not to work up a sweat
in extreme cold weather.
er in the history of the PHbiloffs,
It Is stated in the law that was
passed lh 1910 that the Secretary o£
the Interior shall look after the
welfare of the sealers, to provide
food, shelter, and essentials of life
to us sealers, but Under this new
plan we will have to provide these
things for ourselves even without
the security Of a lob.
Could not the state of Alaska sup
port our efforts under the leader
ship of state officials to establish a
council for Pribilof Affairs to help
us in our problems?
In today's world our natural re
sources, the fur seals, are vital to
the U. S. government and to the
state of Alaska. In every aspect of
Alaskan fur seal development the
story has been the same, a story of
Indifference and even of flagrant
government discrimination against
Alaska seal hunters.
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