r‘ ’ '
SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
- -»
/■
SUBSCRIPTIONS
$3.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
j
VOL. 7, NO. 51
HYDER, ALASKA, OCTOBER 3, 1931
BY THE YEAR, $3.00
TIME NOW RIPE FOB
SILVER CONFEBENCI
Senator Key Pittman, dis
cussing the sudden temporary
suspension of the gold stand
ard by Great Britain, said
that it was “impossible to con
ceive” that the British gov
ernment would decline longer
to accept an invitation from
President Hoover to partici
pate in an international con
ference on the silver question.
“Since the suspension of the
gold standard by Great Brit
ain,” he said, “it must appear
obvious that the future effort
of the British government of
India to place that country on
a gold bullion standard basis
must be abandoned. In aban
doning such a policy India will,
of couse, abandon the practice
of melting up silver rupee
coins and disposing of the met
al as bullion.
“It is now undoubtedly to
the interest of Great Britain
and India to restore the price
and purchasing power of sil
ver. Great Britain can not ob
tain gold, but she can obtain
silver from India. Great Brit
ain on a silver standard would
have an advantage over the
United States and other gold
standard countries.
This is another reason why
cur own government must as
sist in raising the price of sil
ver, restoring its purchasing
power and thus raising its ex
change value with gold.”
-o
No Wage Cuts at Premier
A rumor current during the
week to the effect that the
Premier Gold Mining Com
pany had made a ten per cent
cut in wages on October 1 is
without foundation, according
to members of the Premier of
fice staff.
Despite reduced income and
other difficulties due to the
times, the Premier has steadily
maintained the wage scales of
the past several years and as
far as is known here has nc
present intention of making
reductions.
This is a most commendable
attitude, as wage reductions al
this time would entail a severe
hardship to the entire commun
ity, which is depending large
ly on the mine payroll for sup
port in the present almost com
plete standstill in other mining
activities.
Dunwell Machinery Sold
A major portion of the mill
ing machinery from the 100
ton concentrating plant of th<
Dunwell Mines company nortl
of Stewart will leave for th<
south Saturday on the Coast
wise Steamship Co. steame
Griffco, as a result of a sail
of the equipment to Bralorm
Mines, Ltd.
The consignment weigh
something over a hundred ton
and includes the grinding am
filtering, and also the convey
ing equipment of the plant.
The Dunwell mill has beei
closed down since Novembei
1927 owing to the depletion o
the available ore resources.
Bcrah Urges Hoover to
Adept Bimetallism
Senator William E. Borah, of
Idaho, called upon president
Hoover yesterday afternoon to
j urge upon him the need for
} adoption by the United States
| a bimetallic monetary system,
j according to radio announce
| ments Friday evening.
The reports said bimetallism
was becoming an increasingly
important topic in the national
capital.
| -o
I Must Have Special
License To Hunt
Now that the fall hunting
season for deer, goats and
other game is on, attention is
directed to the provisions of
the Alaska game laws forbid
ding aliens to take game birds
or animals within the Alaska
territory or to own or possess
firearms of any kind without
having in their possession a
special alien hunting and trap
ping license.
The provision referred to
I applies to all persons who are
| not citizens of the United j
' -States or who have not de-j
dared their intention to be
come citizens. The fee for
;uch alien special license is
5100 per year. Infractions of
j .he law subject the offender
| to a fine of not less than $25
or more than $500, or impris
onment for not more than 6
months, or both fine and im
prisonment. The law also per
mits confiscation of firearms
found in the possession of al
iens who do not hold a license.
Citizens of the United States
who are not residents of Alas-,
j 'ca are also required to have
: -ither a general hunting and
.rapping license, the fee for
j which is $50 per annum, or a
i non-resident small game hunt
; ng license, for which the an
nual fee is $10. Non-residents
: ire also forbidden to have any
protected animal or bird in
! iheir possession at any time
! without first having procured
1 non-resident hunting or
trapping license. The law fur
her provides that persons
hipping out of Alaska game
inimals or birds, or parts
| hereof, must first procure an
export license.
Chamber of Commerce
To Elect Officers
—
i The annual meeting of the
| Hyder Chamber of Commerce,
• Inc., which includes the annual
•; election of trustees, will be
; held at the Silver Grill next
i Wednesday, October 7.
: The elections will be held at
- Chamber of Commerce hall
immediately following the din
; ner at the Silver Grill.
* Seven trustees are to be se
lected. Following their elect
5 ion, the trustees will elect from
5 their own members the officers
1 for the ensuing year.
The present board of trust
ees includes Henry R. Cross, E.
l D. Haddon, Holger Johnson,
, Frank Reichenback, N. M.
f: Traversy and Chas. F. Sand
I fohd.
HIGHWAY COMMN,
TO MEET OCT, 10
Victoria press reports this
week said Premier Tolmie of
British Columbia, had receiv
a wire from Rt. Hon. R. B.
Bennett stating that he had in
structed the Dominion dele
gates on the British Colum
bian-Yukon-Alaska highway
committee to hold themselves
in readiness for a meeting of
the committee to be held in
Victoria on October 10. The
United States delegates are
expected on the Coast at that
time, the message said, add
ing that much valuable data
as to the British Columbia
Yukon-Alaska portions of the
proposed highway will be laid
before the group at its first
official meeting.
Governor Urges Action
On Unemployment |
Governor George A. Parks,
in a letter to the All-Alaska ;
Chamber of Commerce, urges
the necessity for each Alaska
community taking early steps
toward coping with local un
employment conditions before
the situation becomes acute.
The Governor’s message says
that incomplete reports from
various parts of the Territory
indicate an unusual amount of
unemployment during the com-'
ing winter and suggests that
this situation may be met
without unnecessary hardship
if precautions are taken at
this time to provide adequate
plans in each community to re
lieve it.
“Although the situation is
not acute at the present time,’’
the message says, “it may be
come serious unless steps are
taken to provide work or other
assistance for the unemployed
in each community. From in
formation now available, it
seems almost certain that if
every community will assume
the responsibility of caring for
those within its borders who
are unemployed, Alaska will
not be confronted with the nec
essity of resorting to bread
lines. Every community in the
Territory should be able to
provide means whereby assist
ance may be rendered to local
residents during the winter.
This is the only logical way of
meeting the situation.”
| Continuing, the governor’s
j message points out that the
i city of Juneau, through the
American Legion and Chamber
of Commerce, is making a
canvass to determine the num
ber of unemployed and a rep
resentative committee has un
dertaken to devise ways and
means to provide those in ur
gent need with part time work,
and suggests that similar act
ionbe taken in every commun
ity.
-o
Sir Thomas Lipton Dead
Radio reports last evening an
nounced the death in London
of that grand old sportsman,
Sir Thomas Lipton, at the ad
vanced 'age of 80 years.
PREDICTS REVIVAL
OF SILVER ISSUE
Revival of the silver issue
which made the presidential
campaign in 1896 one of the
bitterest in American history
was predicted last week by
Senator Walsh , of Montana.
Walsh said the bimetalism
question was forcing itself up
on the world today as a re
sult of the maldistribution and
shortage of gold and the “de
struction of the purchasing
power of a large part of the
orient and Latin America.”
The veteran Montana sen
ator said he was interested in
reports Great Britain desired
an international conference on
the gold problem and said he
hoped England could be in
duced to consider silver as
well as gold.
-o
No Marked Rise In Silver
Reports circulated locally
to the effect that silver had ad
vanced 14 cents since the Brit
ish financial crisis appear to
tally unwarranted in the light
of outside press reports. These
show that although silver pric
es and currencies based on that
metal have maintained a con
tinued advance, the actual in
crease amounts to no more
than three or four cents.
Thursday’s quotations, the last
available, placed the price of
bar silver in New York at
28% cents per ounce.
Bar silver was quoted in New
York at 29 ‘/a cents on Septem
ber 23. This was the highest
level reached since July 3 and
was 2 cents under the highest j
for the year.
u
Duck Season Now Closed
The duck shooting season,
curtailed recently by presiden
tial edict to a period of 3b
days, came to an end Wednes
day night. As the shooting sea
son was over before the fall
flights from the north ap
peared here, local sportsmen
scarcely had an opportunity to
enjoy the usual fall feasts ot
roast duck. Whoever was re
sponsible for the presidential
proclamation plainly did not
know much about the duck
| situation in southern Alaska or
that the birds seldom appeal
in more than negligible num
[ bers on the coast until Oct
i ober and November.
For this reason the Hoover
i edict caused a great storm ot
protest throughout southeast
Alaska but the powers that be
refused to extend the season,
although similar protests by
i sportsmen of more influence in
j the south resulted in changes
in a dozen or more states, ac
cording to press reports.
Contrary to Washington an
ticipations, Canada did not
curtail the duck season in the
least.
, -o
Snow Hit* Upper Valley
Reports yesterday say that
there is one foot of snow at
the Big Missouri and 4 feet
at the Forty-Nine.
The Exchange Riddle
One of the least understood
developments connected with
the present moneary situation
is the marked decrease in the
exchange value of the Canad
ian dollar.
The vagaries displayed by
exchange during the past week
have apparently been without
any basis of reason. The dis
count has ranged from 7 per
cent to as high as 18 per cent,
the latter figure being the
quotation announced at Prince
Rupert one day this week.
Seattle quotations placed the
discount as high as 12 percent
)n bank checks and 18 per
cent on Canadian currency and
press reports indicated similar
rates at Alaska points where
Canadian money circulates.
The peculiar feature of the
situation is that no one ap
pears to know of any justifi
able reason why Canadian cur
rency should be worth any less
at present than before the re
:ent decline in the British
pound sterling. Perusal of doz
ens of outside press comments
•elative to the situation has
tailed to reveal the slightesi
jxplanation as to the why and
wherefore and there appear;
o be neithed definite factor.
rr variety of conditions which
would account for such wide
fluctuations as have appeared
during the week. To the man
'n the street, the situation sug
gests nothing so much as a
money changers scheme to
mulct the public.
Whatever the reason, the ex
change quotations are the
highest in more than a decadt
and to the average man ap
pears to be utterly unjustified
by conditions, as Canada’s as
sets and reserves have been in
no degree impaired by the
fall in sterling or Britain’s fi
nancial situation.
-O
Premier Suspends Work
On Salmo n-G o 1 t
The Premier Gold Mining
Company suspended their dia
mond drilling activities on thi
3almon-Gold property in thi
Summit Lake section Wednes
lay, owing to unfavorable
.veather conditions and the im
minence of the snowy season.
The company has been en
gaged during the past montl
n drilling the several promis
ng gold bearing veins fount
nn the property by Tec
Morris and is said to have done
extensive development work ii
that line. Virtually no informa
ion concerning the results o
he drill work has been per
mitted to reach the public ant
nothing can be said regarding
the outlook for future develop
ment by Premier.
--o
A. F. Halloway, represent
ative of “The Alaska Weekly,’
spent several days in camf
this week enlisting local sub
scriptions to that well knowr
journal. He will leave enroutt
to Seattle tonight.
-o
Paul Elliott, late mill super
intendent at the Big Missouri,
left for Trail, B. C., Saturday
night.
DEMOCRATS TO
HOLD CONVENTIONS
A territorial Democratic con
vention in Fairbanks begin
ning January 12 and a divis
ional convention in each of the
four judicial divisions in Alas
ka not later than December 10,
have been called by T. J. Don
ohoe, chairman of that party’s
Territorial committee, accord
ing to the Juneau Empire.
The time and place of each
of the four divisional conven
tional is to be decided by the
divisional chairman.
It is said in explanation that
the democrats plan not so
much to reorganize their party
as to strengthen the present
organization and extend its
scope of activities in prepara
tion for next year’s campaign
and have turned to the conven
tion method to achieve that ob
ject.
In his call Mr. Donohoe out
lined the purposes of the con
ventions as follows: The div
isional gatherings are to nom
inate full legislative tickets;
elect complete divisional com
mittees of 7 members and elect
15 delegates to a territorial
convention. The territorial con
vention will nominate a candi
date for delegate to congress
and a full territorial ticket, in
addition to candidates for na
tional committeeman, dele
gates to the national democrat
ic convention, and a territorial
committee.
•O’
Georgia River Gold
Renews Activities
Planning extensive develop
ment work on the promising
series of gold bearing veins
lefinitely known to exist on
he property, the Georgia
tiver Gold Mines, Ltd., resum
id activities on its extensive
leorgia River holdings this
veek and will continue work
luring at least a large part of
he winter season, according to
>resent contemplations.
The work will be in charge
f Richard Bosence, who with
1. S. Chapman and four other
nen, arrived from Vancouver
ast week.
It is the intention of the com
>any to extend the drift tun
lel on the Bullion vein to a
mint about 40 feet beyond the
iresent face and thereafter
un a crosscut to the main
/ein, some 250 feet. Follow
ng contact with the main vein,
hat important lead will be
Irifted on with a view to gain
ng increased depth and an in
crease of gold values which
irevious operations indicated
ould be expected with deep
r operations.
Two shifts will be run, using
he machine drill plant install
ed a year or so ago.
-o
No Work at Juneau
The Juneau Chamber of
Commerce has issued a wani
ng to unemployed labor to
keep away from Juneau. The
unemployed situation there is
said to be acute, with a large
number of men idle and no
prospect of future work.