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SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
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VOL 7, NO. 14
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, JANUARY 10,1931.
PRICE TEN CENTS
BENNEIT GOVERNMENT
FAVORS CHINA LOAN
Plans of'the new Canadian
government for granting a bil
lion loan to China, designed to
reinstate the value of silver all
through the Orient and finally
to place China “on her feet ” so
completely that she will be
come a huge and profitable
market for British, Canadian
and American goods, were re
vealed by Hon. H. H. Bennett,
Canadian Premier, at an ad
dress at Regina, Tuesday.
Press accounts state that
Premier Bennett merely hinted
at the great plan, which has
as one of its objects the sale
of 100,000,000 bushels of Can
adian wheat in China. Accord
ing to the announcement, Hon.
Herbeit R. Mailer, head o!
Canada’s embassy to the Ori
ent, has been sent to China on
what is described as “a great
diplomatic and commercial
mission” from which , “it i.; |
entirely possible Canada wil
sell a hundred million bushel
of her grain.”
Mr. Bennet the reports say
did not attempt to outline tlu
“very interesting and stupen j
dous plan which is now beim ,
discussed in London, New j
York, Washington and Ottawa j
for the rehabilitation of silvei
and the general reorganiza ■
tion of Oriental trade and mar
kets.” Generally, the plan is t< j
call together the leading wai j
lords of China, and to endeav i
or to induce them to realiz: j
that every one would be in
finitely better off if the Chin j
ese Armies were turned inti
industrial units, carrying on
great public works. If a semb
lence of peace can be thus at
tained. then Great Britain and
the United States would .joint
ly arrange a loan of a thou
sand million dollars, to be j
spent in opening China b\ j
railways and highways and tc
supporting other schemes t< j
bring about an era of orderly !
civilization throughout the na
tion. The plan is said to haw
been worked out by lion. li
H. Stevens, Canada’s ministci
of trade and commerce, wh:
has been a close student 01
the silver question for severa
years.
Mr. stevens, since Ins return
from the Imperial conference
in London, where he was un
able to bring the silver ques
tion before the conference, but
discussed it with various in
fluential banking groups, ha,
been invited to New York to
outline his plans to United
States financiers, who 'arc
said to think so well, of r
that they are arranging fo:
fuither conferences.
-o
Current rumors say Mel. M.
O’Brien, mines manager for
the Consolidated Company,
is to take personal charge of
operations on the Big Missouri.
W. E. Aitchinson, former
manager, left Thursday for the
south and is slated to take
charge of the nitrate fertiliz
er production business recently
established by the Consolidat
ed company.
Douglass Campbell is now in
chaige at the Big Missouri.
-o--——
Stewart Village will elect
new town commissioner’s Jan
uary 29. _ L
Mineral Production
of Alaska in 1930
| Minos in Alaska are' eati
j mated 1o have produced min
eials to the value of $13,602,
! 000 in 1930 as against $16,
1066,000 in 1929, according to
a statement issued by the
j Alaska branch of the geologi
! cal survey. The total value of
ihe mineral output of Alaska
j since 1880 is approximately
I $629,000,000. The figures for
i 1930, wliieh are preliminary
j estimates and consequently
■ subject to revision, are take’;
from the Geological Survey’s
annual report on the mineral
resources of Alaska. The
source of this mineral wealth
was approximately as follows:
For comparative . purposes
I the production figures for 1929
! aie also shown below.
1930
Gold
$8,394,000
4,100.000
158.000
609.000
341.000
Copper
Other minerals
13,602,000
1929
Geld
$7,761,000
7,130,000
252.000
528.000
395.000
; Copper
; Silver
j Coal
; Other minerals
16,OGG,000 I
General industrial conditions j
! umilar to those of the United;
I States and of practically all j
: >ther countries of the world j
I prevailed in Alaska in 1930 j
and ate reflected in the de- \
creased value of its mineral
rutput. The prices paid for the
i mineral commodities other
hart gold were so abnormally
; ow as compared with 1929
hat more than two million
lollars of the decrease was due
i o this cause alone. The low
; urines, however, had perhaps I
: an even greater effect in de-1
erring development of mines j
whose ores cary principally the .
Pare metals, so that their out-1
•put was either curtailed or al-l
ogether stopped. Obviously:
his is a'temporary condition :
1 hat will disappear in time, j
j and there is nothing in the j
j general condition of the!
Alaska mining industry to in-1
licate a permanent decline. I
;n fact, the statement says,
! he increased production of
• old from the Territory in
] 1930 in the face of the serious
iepression in so many of the j
nation’s industries is an en
couraging feature that gives
assurance oT still further
[growth as general conditions;
mprove and capital and effort
| once more seek productive em
povment. The growing educa
J tion of peope to the really fov
irable conditions that prevail
jin Alaska constant improve
I ment ip transportation facili
ties, the experience gained in
past mining ventures, and the
success of mining enterprises
throughout the Territory, al
though diminishing the glam
i our of Alaska, are all aiding
in removing handicaps that
hampered development of
several of its basic industries,
of which mining will long con
tinue to be one of the most
productive.
The total production of gold
from Alaska mines in 1930 is
estimated at $8,394,000, i>r
about two-thirds of a million
dollars more than in 1929.
The finding of two airplane
wheels from the plane piloted
by Robin Renehan near Ketchi
kan during the past ten days
has provided the only tangible j
clue so far discovered as to the |
possible fate of the plane I
bearing Pilot Robin Renehan,
Frank Hatcher and Sam Clerf j
which disappeared mysterious
ly October 28 near Prince
Rupert. One wheel was found
on the beach of Annette Is
and, the other near Point Dav
idson, 15 miles south of Ketchi
kan. It is believed, however,
that the wheels were thrown
overboard by Renehan to
lighten his ship, as no wreck
age of the plane has been
found in the same area.
Pilot Anscel Eckman, oner j
ating from Prince Rupert, has 1
been searching the country !
north and east of that point
during the past week in the !
hope that Renehan might j
have left the coast and landed ;
comewhere in the interior, j
Eckman flew over Hyder anc!
Stewart Tuesday afternoon
but did not land. Late reports j
from Prince Rupert say he may
make Stewart his base for a
continuation of the seaich from
here.
This marks a noteworthy iff
crease, not only over the pre-1
eeeding year but over any of
the preceeding ten years. By
far the largest amount appears
to have come from the placer
mines, which yielded about 57
per cent of the total, as against!
13 per cent from the 1 nle
mines. During the entire period |
that gold mining has been in j
progress in Alaska about $390-!
000,000 has been, won, of
which almost exactly tv.o
thirds has come from placer
deposits and one-third from
lodes.
It appears that about 80 per
cent of the placer gold that
was recovered in 1930 was
mined by dredges; in 1929 the
ratio was about 71 per cent.
So far as reported, 26 dredges j
were in operation during 1930,
as against 30 in 1929.
No new finds of placerj
ground that yielded any con-'
siderable amount of gold
were made. during the year.
Prospecting for new deposits, i
however, appears to have been i
somewhat more active than it j
has been in the recent past, i
The bulk of the lode gold
continued to come from the j
properties of the Alaska Jun
eau Gold Mining Co. The j
operations were extremely sat
isfactory, and during the year ■
the bonded indebtedness on |
the property was paid up from !
the profits. Small amounts of i
lode gold were also recovered
by two of the lode mines on
Chicagof Island. Reported
finds of promising sulphide
leads in the Taku region were
explored rather fully by both J
underground and surface
work, but the results were not
sufficiently encouraging to
lead the larger mines to con
j tinue extensive work. There is
j no reason to believe that the
•search has yet been thorough
enough to warrant a conclusion
that the possibilities of find-j
ing ore there are exhausted.
oil riveo
A decisive and timely move
to relieve the local unemploy
ment situation and incidental
ly secure additional flood pro
tection relief for the town, was
made Thursday by the Hyder
^Chamber of Commerce with
the dispatch of telegrams to
Alaska delegate Dan. Suther
land, Territorial Auditor Cash
Cole, Governor George A.
Parks and Highway Engineer
Roht. J. Sommers requesting
their assistance in securing a
Congressional appropriation
for immediate flood protection
work on Salmon river as an !
unemployment relief measure. \
The message to the delegate |
recites that 90 per cent of our!
workers are unemployed and J
in need of assistance and urges j
him to use his efforts toward '
securing an amendment to the 1
Unemployment Emerge n c y
Construction Bill, now before
Congress, providing for an im
mediate substantial appropr
iation for river protection work
along the lines ot the improve
ments made by the Territorial j
Highway Board and also those i
recommended by the War De-1
partment Engineering Board !
last year. The message points
out that work done on the river
in this connection will not be
lost but will be in the nature of
continuation of the work done
by the Territory, and will also j
supplement the work contem- j
plated under the plans pre- i
pared for the War Department i
engineering board by Major
Gillette.
The telegram also advises
the delegate that the absence
of snow this winter will permit
such work to be proceeded ;
with immediately. Attention j
is also called to the recent act-!
ion of the British Columbia!
government in appropriating]
$35,000 for river improvement
work in Stewart this winter as ;
an unemployment relief meas- j
ure.
The message to the Tenitor-j
ia! officials is of the same ten-j
or and urges their cooperation i
in securing the desired relief.
Herald readers will recall
that the Unemployment Emer
gency Construction Bill, passed
recently by the House of Rep
resentatives, provides unem
ployment relief appropriations
totaling $272,000 for public
improvements at Ketchikan,
Seward and Port Alexander, in
Alaska. This measure is now
in the Senate and Chamber of
Commerce officials are hope
ful that the Alaska delegate
can have a local relief amend- ■
ment added in the upper j
house. The fact that a flood j
control survey of Salmon river1
has been strongly recommend- j
ed by the Board of Engineers j
for Rivers and Harbors will, it j
is believed, have a strong ef- j
feet toward securing the de- i
sired appropriation.
Whatever the outcome, the j
Chamber of Commerce is to be
warmly commended for its ef
fort to relieve the local unem
ployment situation, which is in
every respect the worst in the
history of the camp and will
lead inevitably to much dis
tress unless relief is speedily
forthcoming. Owing to the de- i
cline in metal values during
i Alajka Seen as Vital
Military1 Spot in Pacific
Aviation squadrons at Fair
banks and Seward; a coaling
i station at Seward, supplied by
the Alaska Railway, and the
connection of Seattle with
j Fairbanks through British Col
; umbia by an automibilc high
| way are the hopes and rec
ommendations of E. W. Saw
| yer, member of the Alaska
i Yukon-Pacific Highway Com
| mission, made at Washington
i yesterday when he explained
I a special map published by the
[ commission.
| This map, which is a Great
Circle projection, centers
around Fairbanks and picture:
Alaska as the dominant
stiategic point of the Pacific
Ocean for military purposes.
Mr. Sawyer pointed out that
steamship travel from Sar.
Francisco to Manila would br
shorter by 400 miles if routed
via Alaska instead of Hawaii,
the distance being 7,300 miles
on the northern route as com
pared with 7,700 on the south
ei n.
The map shows the tentative
route of the proposed 2,000
mile highway also recom
mended, and also gives the
distances between Fairbanks
and many of the world’s great
cities.
Strange Mammal Found Near
Canada is Pike Whale
The Smithsonian Institute
has identified the mammal
skeleton found several weeks
ago on Glacier Island, near
Valdez as that of a pike whale,
according to an announcement
made by Regional Forester
Charles H. Flory. It was be
lieved that it might be some
kind of a prehistoric creature,
but photographs submitted to
scientists revealed it belonged
to the whale family, although
its exact type was not dis
closed until the pictures were
submitted to the Smithsonian
experts.
It is a rare speciman of the
pike whale and of undoubted
value in the scientific world.
Under instructions from the
Smithsonian Institution it will
be shipped to the United
States National Museum at
Washington, D. C. where it
will be preserved.
District Forest Supervisor W.
J. McDonald, of Cordova, will
go to Glacier Island and get
the skeleton, taking it to Cor
dova to prepare it for ship-1
ment east, Mr. Flory said, in- j
structions for proper removal
and packing for shipment have (
been forwarded to him.
ihe past year, this camp has
felt the widespread industrial
depression more than any other
in Alaska and stands probably
in far greater need of unem
ployment relief than any of the
Alaska towns included in the
bill now before Congress.
With most of our mine devel
opment activities at a stand
still owing to the low price of
silver, copper and lead, our
sole productive resources, and
with mine development funds
almost impossible to obtain as
a result of the great depress
ion, this district is facing a far
worse outlook than any other
section of Alaska. For this
reason it is in far greater need
of governmental relief than
any of the towns mentioned in
DANIEL LINDEBORG
PASSES BEYOND
Daniel Lindeborg, pioneer
settler of the Hy>der d^istrict
and the man who, more than
iny other, was responsible for
the foundation of the town of
Hyder, passed away in Van
couver Tuesday, according to
telegraphic advices received
by local business associates.
Mr. Lindeborg was about 65
years of age and is survived by
one or more relatives, who re
side in Sweden, the land of
his nativity.
Mr. Lindeborg came to this
country about the year 1885 at
the age of 19 years and made
his home in America continous
ly during the remaining years
of his life. During the greater
part of his career he was en
gaged in mining and it was
this predilection which ult
mately resulted in his becoming
I a settler in this district in 1903
or 1904. Aside from the know
ledge that extensive minerali
zation existed here, little was
known of the Hyder district
at that time. After looking
over the country, Mr. Linde
borg and his brother, the late
Andrew Lindeborg, decided to
settle here. Later he took up
as a homestead the 79 acre
tract of land which comprises
the present Lindeborg addition
to the Hyder townsite. This
was subsequently taken over
by the Hyder Townsite and
Improvement Company, of
which Mr. Lindeborg and Mr.
J. A. Hall were the founders.
He was also interested in the
foundation of the Hyder Radio
and Telephone Company and
Lhe Bank of Hyder, two of the
town’s most important insti
tutions. He also acquired by
location some of the district’s
most important mineral prop
erties, including the famous
Big Missouuri, the Riverside
mine, the Forty-Nine, and
others of lesser note. These he
later disposed of at figures
which yielded him a substan
tial fortune.
Mr. Lindeborg resided here
until 1922, when he moved to
Vancouver, where he made
his home up to the time of his
untimely death.
No information regarding
the cause of Mr. Lindeborg’s
demise had been received up
to Friday afternoon. Death
appears to have overtaken him
suddenly, as he was known to
be in good health up to a short
time ago. Also nothing is
known here regarding the fun
eral arrangements.
Deceased was a member of
Hyder Igloo No. 20, Pioneers
of Alaska and that orginization
has ordered a floral wreath
for the burial services and also
has maintained the flag on
Pioneer hall at half mast since
receiving the news of his death.
. -o
Hector McDonald, Premier
mine foreman, returned Thurs
day from a holiday visit to hi3
home in New Westminister.
the Emergency Construction
bill, all of which have a large
number of industrial resources
to assist in providing employ-.
inent for their workers.