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V
I VOLUME 10, NUMBER 16.
Jr __
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 1934
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
SILVER SUPPORTERS
HOPE FOR VICTORY
1
Supporter? of silver remonet
ization in Congress have lost
no time in launching 'their
fight to restore the white metal
to parity with giold as a monet
ary medium and are hopeful
of ultimate victory, according
to Washington, D. C. reports
this week.
m
The first move in >the coming
struggle in Congress was made
Thursday, when Senator Wil
liam H. King of Utah intro
duced a bill providing for re
monetization of silver at the
ratio of 16 to 1 of gold.
Just how soon the silver ques
tion will be brought to issue is
conjectural, as leaders in both
houses are intent upon a set
program involving immediate
attention to recovery issues.
Washington forecasts of the
legislative outlook as it relates
to the monetary question indi
cate that of all the varieties of
currency expansion being ad
vocated in Congress, remonet
ization of silver appeared to
have the most followers.
Senator Borah, in a public
statement, said he approved of
the present silver coinage plan,
but declared that it is a mere
incident to that of broadening
the metallic base of our monet
ary system and he hoped it was
taken as such.
Speaker Rainey also charac
terized the administration’s sil
ver program as “a very small
bite at the cherry and nothing
to get excited about,” adding
,hat the encouraging thing
out it is that it is evident that
ithe President is “thinking now
in terms of silver.”
An intensive campaign tor
■silver remonetization was
launched December 30 when
27 Senators went on record for
free and unlimited coinage of
both gold and silver at a con
ference called by Senator
Wheeler of Montana. The
conference adopted a resolu
tion that “we favor bimetallism
free and unlimited coinage of
both gold and silver at a ratio
to be established by law.” Nine
other Senators sent word they
were for the proposal.
Senator Wheeler predicted
the Senate would approve and
the House must follow suit if
a vote can be obtained in that
body and the President does
. not interfere.
Relative to the latter pros
pect, a Washington report last
Saturday intimated that ad
ministration congressi o n a 1
leaders are under orders to
block all silver legislation thi- I
winter pending the outcome of
the London agreement effort to i
increase the price of silver.
President Roosevelt is deter-!
New Smelter Planned
For Everett, Washington
Construction of a new ore
smelter and refinery at Everett,
Washington, is, announced by
George W. Tweeddale, vice
president of 'the Miners’ Smelt
ing and Refining Corporation
in a letter to 'the Hyder Cham
ber .of Commerce this week.
The plant is being construct
ed for the benefit of and will
be largely owned by “the in
dependent mines of Alaska and
Washington,” according to the
communication. The plant will
be of modern 'type and ship
ments of smelting ores and con
centrates are solicited.
-<t
Blue Back In Newspaper Game
Christmas cards received
from Ernest Blue convey the
interesting news that he is once
more back in the newspaper
game, with which he was for
merly associated in Alaska at
Ketchikan.
He is now connected with the
Redding “Independent” at
Redding, California, but does
not state in what capacity. His
Christmas card, printed in
bizarre style, reads; “Tie that
Depression bull Outside. It’s
Christmas Time, get Happy;
Dag Nab Ye.”
•o
Democrats To Hold Caucus
A call for a precinct cau ;us
of the Democratic party on
January 9th has been issued
by N. M. Traversy, precinct
dommitteeman.
The meeting will be held in
the Mose Hall, starting at 8:"0
p. m. The primary object of
the session will be the election
of'two delegates to a divisional
Democratic convention to be
held in Juneau January 24. A
local or precinct committee will
also be elected.
-•
Hubert Thomas, proprietor
of the Boundary Gift Shop, suc
cumbed this week to the cold
epidemic which has afflicted
many residents in varying de
grees during the past few
weeks, and is confined to bed.
Little Bert Thomas, his son, has
also been confined to bed with j
the same malady forsomedays. J
mined ito deal with silver with
in the scope of international
agreement and will on that
basis of policy resist the con
gressional remonetizat i o n
group.
He may eventually go beyond
the London agreement itself,
but if so, the next move like
wise would be the outcome of
international discussion.
C. V/. A. WORK ORDERS
REDUCE PAYROLL
Changes in the local C. W. A.
work regulations) Ordered this
week by the Alaska'Road Com
mission officials increase by
one worker the number iof men
to be employed in each 30 hour
work period, but reduce the
‘total number of hours of em
ployment during the work per
iod ending February 15th by
a substantial amount through
abolishing of the so-called
staggering system her^tofire
permitted. The curtailment of
hours also involves a substant
ial reduction in 'the amount
which would have been paid
to workers under the prior sys
tem.
The new regulations provide
that after January 1st only one
crew of eleven men, including
the foreman, is to be employed
for 30 hours each week.
The weekly work periods are
to start on Friday morning and
end Thursday night. As the
daily work period's are of six
hourg duration, the latter pro
vision enforces a two-days loss
of 'time in each weekly work
period, during which no work
can be carried ion. Under the
earlier staggering system there
was no loss of time, as one crew
succeeded another immediately
at the conclusion of each 30
hour work period.
The loss of time resulting
from the change will reduce
by approximately $345 the am
ount that would have been
paid to local labor under the
earlier system had it been con
tinued until February 15th.
The new regulations permit
an entire change of crew, with
the exception of 'the foreman,
every Friday morning, thus
permitting retention of the
men now on the payroll.
Work on the Salmon river
flood protection project is
making good headway under
the direction of Representa
tive J. K. Green and will be of
beneficial effect i>n confining
the unruly stream to its present
channel, where the danger of
an overflow is reduced to the
lowest minimum possible under
present conditions. A consign
ment of 40 boxes of blasting
powder, fuse, caps and blast
ing tools was received from the
Commission last week and is
now being used to remove ob
structions from the channel.
■o
Library Board Meets
The first meeting of the new
board of trustees of the Hyder
Public Library was held at the
library building Friday even
ing to receive the report of the
auditing committee and trans
act other business of routine
character.
I Wolfle Case Taken
To Supreme Court
Final resolution of theWolfle
case is now before the U. S.
Supreme Court in Washington
and has developed an interest
ing sidelight in the argument
that a letter from a husband j
to hfs wife, dictated to a sten-1
ographer, cannot be used
against him in a criminal act
ion.
George M. Flood, counsel for
W’olfle, contended that in the
present day, when stenograph
ers are commonly employed, a
husband has a right to have
dictated communications con
fidential and not admitted as!
evidence against him.
Wolfle, who wat convicted
in Seattle on charges of using
the mails to defraud in con
nection with his promotion of
the local Cantu property, is
said to have written a letter to
has wife concerning this activ
ity in which he used the ex
pression, “I am going to rob
every last one of them blind.”
-.—o
Alaska Juneau Nets $63,000
On Ore Averaging 71 $
Working on ore averaging \
only 71.22 cents per ton, the ;
Alaska-Juneau mine achieved
a 'net profit of $63,000 in Nov
ember, according to the official
estimate of the company. Act
ual earnings were considerably
greater as the return given was
based on gold at the old price
of $20.62 per fine ounce.
Ore mined and trammed dur
ing the month amounted to
357,300 tons, which yielded
gold valued a1*. $250,500, an
average of 70.10 cents per ton.
Lead and silver returns were
valued at $4,000.
Mining and tramming costs
were $103,500,, averaging
28.96 cents per ton. and mil
ling costs totaled $67,500. All
operating costs averaged 53.59
cents per ton of ore, leaving an
operating profit of 17.63 cents
per ton of ore.
■o
New Books At Public Library
Receipt of the following new
books at the Hyder Public Li
brary is announced by Librar
ian B. B. Smith.
Mandoa Mandia, Winifred
Holtby; The Shape of Things
to Come, Wills; They Bought
This Woman, Ferber; The Sec
ond Violin, Grace Richmond;
As a Man Lives, Oppenheim;
Lord Jim, Joseph Conrad; The
Cabin, S’iewart E. White; The j
Eagle’s Mate, Anna Chapin.
The last five mentioned
were donated by the I. Finlay
son family through Mrs. Ray E.
Snyder.
NO INSURANCE FOR
ALASKAN BANKS
Banks in Alaska are not elig
ible for deposit insurance un
der the provisions of the Glass
Steagall banking act according
to a recent ruling by the coun
sel of the Federal Deposit In
surance Corporation.
Territorial banks are ineligi
ble because they are not mem
bers of the Federal Reserve
'system, it was stated in the
ruling, which was given at the
request <of Delegate Dimond.
■o
Income Tax Blanks Available
Income tax blanks for 1933
are now available for distribut
ion, according to John C. Bow
en, collector of internal reve
nue for the, Washington and
Alaska district.
Under the present income tax
law every individual is re
quired to file a 1933 return if
his or her net income was $1,
000 or more, or the gross in
come $5,000 or more, regard
less of the net income, except
in the case of a husband and
wife residing together during
the year. A husband and wife
residing together during the
year must file a return if the
combined net income was $2,
500 or the combined gross in
come was $5,000 or more, irre
spective of the combined net
income.
Those who filed returns for
1932 will have return blanks
mailed to them. Those who
did not file a return last year
will not and should request one
from the collector if liable to
tax.
1934 Auto Licenses Available
Automobile license plates for
1934 arrived last week from
the Territorial Treasurer’s of
fice in Juneau and are now
available to car 'owners.
Under the 1933 automobile
license law all automobiles,
trucks, delivery cars, motorcy
cles and tractors are subject to
tax. Autos and trucks used for
hire are subject to a tax of $15
per annum. For all other mo
tor vehicles the tax is $10 per
annum. License plates must
remain on the car for which is
sued in case of a sale and ev
ery licensed vehicle must carry
two license plates so attached
as to be plainly visible from
the front or rear. Operation
without both license plates is a
misdemeanor under the law
and when a plate is Lost an
other complete set must be ob
tained, although the second
set will not cost the original
sum.