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VOL 7, NO. 25
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, MARCH 28,1931.
PRICE TEN CENTS
CLAIMED HOOVER TO
DOOGE SILVER ISSUI
That President Hoover i:
likely to dismiss without actioi
the suggestion for an internat
ional conference on the silve
situation, suggested in the Pit
man resolution, passed recent
ly by the Senate, is the inter
esting information contain •(
in a Washington press repor
of recent date.
As will be recalled by Her
aid readers, the Pittman reso
lution, which was based upor
a long series of investigation!
and numerous hearings on tin
silver question by a sub-corn
mittee of the Senate foreigr
relations committee, urged tin
president to call an interna
tional conference of the majoi
nations in an effort to fine
some solution of the work
silver situation.
Although the silver situat.’oi
is now almost universally c*1
ceded to be one of the prime
causes of the great world trad*
depression , the report say;
Mr. Hoover may take no ac
tion on the conference sug
gestion because of a view belt
in some undesignated quarter
that the calling of such a con
ference would open what ma\
be. to quote from the report
“a Pandora’s box of interna
tional problems, including tin
British policy in India.”
“However,” the report con
tinues, “if he decides a con
ference is feasible, he may lim
it the agenda to prevent i
from being an international af
front to some of the nation
involved.”
As indicated above, the re
port does not state who tin
parties are who see in the call
ing of a silver conference
such direful possibilities of in
ternational trouble as the re
port suggests.
Senator Pittman and numer
ous others who should knov
whereof they speak have re
peatedly charged that the Brit
ish policy toward India and hei
action in dumping largi
amounts of Indian silver on thi
market, in an attempt to plac<
India’s monetary system on ;
gold basis, are largely respon
sible for the world-wide sil
ver depreciation, which ha
brought deprivation and suf
fering and misery to uncountec
millions of the world’s peoples
including many of our own
President Hoover himself, ii
public speeches, has attribute!
some of the business depres
sion in this country to the fal
in silver, but is neverthles
disinclined to do anythin]
about it owing to a prospec
of possibly treading on some
body’s toes.
One of the most speetacula
and thrilling phases of the Civ
il war will be depicted in th
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer prc
duction of “Morgan’s La.«
Raid,” to be presented at th
Hyder movie show Sunda
evening. The star of the pvt
duction is Tim McCoy, whic
is safe assurance of plenty c
action.
Additional features will b
a Laurel and Hardy corned
titled “Habeas Corpus” and a
interesting Oddity, “Brow
Gold."
New School Board
Is Organized
. The newly elected Hyder
School Board was organized
formally Monday evening and
! I is new in charge of the local
11 school administration.
The board selected as its of
ficers for the coming year Mr.
D. J. Mulcare as president and
director; Mrs. H. R. Cross, sec
retary; Mrs. E. D. Iiaddon,
i treasurer.
-o
Marshal Martin to Transfer
I Following his return from
, | Ketchikan Tuesday, Deputy
j United States Marshal Donald
E. Martin announced his for+h
1 coming transfer as incumbent
1 of the local Marshal’s office
to the head office of the Unit
ed States Marshal at Juneau,
I where he will be permanently
i located. Marshal Martin ex
I peets to leave for his new sta
tion next week, but Mrs. Mar
tin, who is in charge of the ln
1 cal public school, will remaht
here until the end of the school
teim.
Mr. Martin informed the
Herald that he had not been
officially advised regarding
who will be his successor in
the local office.
Marshal Martin has been
the local representative of the
Marshal’s office since 1927 and
has conducted the business of
the office in a most efficient
and painstaking manner. His
departure and that of Mrs.
Martin will be greatly regret
i Led by their many local friends,
as well as by the commun
ity at large, all of whom will
wish them the best of success
1: in their new field.
-o
Foreign Trade at Lew Point
The effects of the silver de
' pression on our foreign trade
are disclosed in department of
commerce reports showing that
foreign trade in January was
i at the lowest point in ten years,
! with a total value of $433,
000,000. Total exports were
valued at $250,000,000, as
| compared with $275,000,000
| in December, and were lower
than in any month since Feb
ruary, 1922.
Imports totaled $183,000,
• 000, compared with $208,
650,000 for December and
were below and month since
1! September, 1921.
The total trade was $50,
I 834.000 below December and
• $288,817,000 under January,
1930.
o
1
i
Frank Blasher came down
from Texas Creek Thursday
* afternoon and reported about
8 feet of snow still on the
' i creek. This is an usually small
L t amount for this period of the
season. Quite a number ot
' slides are visible along the
| new Texas highway but no
| considerable damage has been
>’ | done so far as can be seen.
-1 Frank has been engaged in
? | putting the finishing touches
- on his new two-story camp
l building at Emerald Lake,
e 1 -o
y
li
f
y
n
n
Joe Fendley, Bert Bobo and Ole
Tvvedt left this morning for Texas
Creek to transport mining supplies
to the Metcalf and Fendley property
i on Chickamiu Glacier from the Seims
j Spokane Co. camp on Ibex Creek.
The supplies were transported by
| Messrs Metcalf and Fendley some
days ago, but could not be taken
'through to the property because of
j unfavorable freighting conditions. Mr.
Metcalf plans to leave in a few days
lor the property, which will be the
scene of extensive operations during
the summer.
GOLD PROBLEM IS
ALSO VERY SERIOUS
The silver problem of the
world is aggravated by the
equally serious gold situation
according to a report to the
senate foreign relations com
mittee, which says gold stand
ard governments are exper
iencing great difficulty in ob
taining gold to meet their bud
gets and pay their obligations
“Silver is more than a com
modity with more than hall
of the people of the world,’
the report continues. “It it
more than a commodity with
all the countries of the world
except six or seven. In fact,
with the exception of those
countries that have both es
tablished the gold standard
and have the gold to back such
standard, silver always hat
been and is now money, the on
ly measure of wealth, and tilt
only monetary instrument ol
trade and commerce.
“The moving cause for the
great and abnormal depres
sion in the price of silver stili
exists and threatens a furthei
and unlimited depression.’
the report says.
The same silver crisis pre
vailing in China also exists i
Mexico, South America, Ind: *.
Asia and all other silver usinjj
countries, the report sa Ts
They have little or no gold nnc
their purchasing power, like
; that of the people of China
has been reduced one-half,
their credit has been destroy
ed, trade restrained and Iheii
utter ruin threatened. A f»\\
of the governments of the
peoples mentioned arc on s
1 gold or semi-gold basis, but o1
these governments none op
' pear to have anywhere nea)
an adequate gold reserve
! while the rest of them eithei
have no gold reserve or sucl
reserve is utterly defecient.
The report points out that
in November, 1930, the tota
gold holdings of the centra
banks and governments in 4f
countries was $10,909,000,000
Of this amount the United
States held $4,220,000,000
France held $2,037,000,000
: England had $767,000,000
Germany $519,000,000, the
Argentine $417,000,000, am
Japan $409,000,000, India i.
the same month had $128,
000,000, exactly the estimate!
gold holdings of that country
in November 1929. This is th<
present basis of the proposer
gold standard for India will
its large area, great trade an.
300,000,000 of people. During
that same interval the holdint
of the United States increa.s
i ed by $220,000,000, while th<
gold holdings of France in
creased from $1,600,000,00(
to $2,037,000,000.
The report concludes witl
the following significant state
j ment:
The silver problem is aggra
i vated by the equally seriou
jgold situation. Gold standan
I governments are experiencinj
j great difficulty in obtainini
1 gold to meet their budgets am
I pay their obligations. Peopl
1 in the gold standard countrie
are competing with each othe
in the sale of their product
i to obtain gold with which t
; pay their debts. The who!
world is suffering from th
1
PETE WILSON
1 DIES SUDDENLY
Perley Rupert Wilson, en
gineer at the Hyder Lumber
Company saw mill and one of
the camp’s best known char
acters, passed away suddenly
in the Ideal Cafe building la3t
Saturdal evening as a result of
| heart disease.
The deceased, who was
j slightly under 60 years of age.
had not been in the best of
health for some time but d'd
not become actually ill until
a few minutes before his din
ner. Shortlyy before going to
the Ideal for dinner, he com
plained to his friends of ;.
pain in the back of his neck,
but refused suggestion to see
a physcian. While sitting in
the cafe, he complained of ill
ness to proprietor Max Behv
j man, who suggested that he g.
upstairs and lie down. To this
he acceded but refused to have
a doctor called. Ralph Young
visited the room a few minutes
later and found the deceased
had left the bed and was sit
ing in a chair breathing ster
torously and apparently un
able to speak. Dr. Whillans
was summoned from Stewart
immediately by telephone but
Mr. Wilson sank rapidly and
expired within a few minutes,
in spite of efforts made to re
suscitate him by Messrs Young
and Behrman. When Dr. Whil
lans arrived a few minutes lat
er, life was entirely extinct.
Following an examination of
i the remains, Dr. Whillans an
nounced that death was due
primarily to chronic myocar
ditis, a form of heart disease
| with arteriosclerosis as a con
tributing factor.
Mr. Wilson was a native o?
Solon, Maine, and is survived
I by several brothers and a s:s
j ter, who reside in various par*
i of the States. He was an old
I timer in the North, having r -
sided in Alaska and the Yukon
for 25 years or more. He was
a resident of Dawson in the
early days and resided in var
ious Alaska camps between
Dewson and Nome at various
I times. He became a resident
j of Hyder shortly after the dis
j covery of the Premier mine
I and, save for a few vacation
; trips to the States, lived here
continuously until his demise.
During the course of his res
idence he became associated in
the ownership of the Hyder
Lumber Company plant with
William Gray, present owner,
and Robert Andrews, but lat
' er sold his interest to Mr. Graj
; several years ago and took a
position as the company en
s gineer; which he still held
- During his residence here he
• became interested in the well
known Ninety-six group oi
i I mining claims on Mineral Hill
. ‘ a short distance north of Hy
der, and held a third intere-1
in the property at the time oi
. his death. He was a man oi
[ quiet and abstemious habits
| and possessed the regard of d
^ who knew him. He was a mem
j her of the Masonic order anc
, also of the Pioneers of Alaska
3 The funeral was held at ■
. Continued on Page Four
) destruction of silver money anc
? the hoarding, stagnation anc
3 maldistribution of gold.”
i
John W. Dunn Passes
Senator John W. Dunn, of
tlie Fourth Division, veteran
j legislator, and one of the most
widely known men of the
North, passed away in Juneau
March 19, following a stroke
! of paralysis. Mr. Dunn was
! attending the present session
of the Alaska legislature. He
was aged 61 years and was
i entering upon his third four
! year term in the legislature.
Lccal Boy Gains
Scholarship Honors
Leonard N. Fisher, son o'
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Fisher ol
Hyder, who is now a junior ii
the school of pharmacy at the
Washington State College a;
Pullman, Wn„ is among the
students listed on the Washing
ton State all college higl
scholarship roll, according t:
an announcement received b,v
the Herald from the college
, authorities.
Only 464 out of the total en
i rollment of 3270 student:
earned this honor, indicating
that approximately 14 per cent
made better than B average.
The figures are for the first
i semester of 1930-31.
o
Saw Mill Starts Scon
The mill of the Hyder Lum
; ber Company will resume
lumber cutting operations as
soon as repairs and renova
tions now in progress are eom
j pleted. A new smoke stack
has been installed during the
| past few days.
_,
The Hyder Lumber Company,
in cooperation with contractor
Nick Belyin, proprietor O. F
Hill of the Hyder Drug Com
pany, and Edgar Provinse
completed this week a valu
able public improvement by
constructing a substantial
elevated sidewalk from a point
on the radio sidewalk near the
rear end of the Hyder Drug
Company store to Premier
Avenue opposite the old light
plant. The lumber company
furnished the lumber; Mr.
Belyin and Mr. Hill contribut
ed the labor, and Mr. Prov
inse provided the nails used
--o
Dick Olson, former local
! mine blacksmith, who left re
| cently for Russia to become
mine blacksmith instructor for
| the Soviet government, in a let
1 ter to C. N. Crone from New
J York City, said he expected to
leave there March 18 enroute
to Moscow. The agents of the
Soviet government in New
York treated him fine, pro
viding lodging and board at a
first class hotel during his
stayr and otherwise showed
him every courtesy. The Soviet
agency, he said, occupied all
of ten floors in one of the big
buildings and appeared to be
doing a land-office business.
-o-•
The Zapora will leave Seattle at
midnight April 2, according to a wire
received by the Herald from Wills
I Navigation Co., today.
-O
Albert J. Mayer, proprietor
I of the Hyder Machine Shop,
j left Tuesday for Ketchikan to
secure medical advice regard
ing an obscure complaint
which has afflicted him for
1 some time. He expects to re
1 turn next Tuesday. Ray Sny
l der is looking after the mach
ine shop during his absence.
ANNUAL REPORT
PREMIER COMPANY
Copites of the annual report
of the Premier Gold Mining
Company for 1930 received
during the week provide an
interesting insight into the ac
tivities of the company on the
Premier, Prosperity and Porter
Idaho properties in this sec
tion. Owing to extreme length,
only the salient features of the
report can be given here.
Regarding Premier, the re
oort discloses a reduction of
£390,000 in net returns for the
rear resulting from the decline
n silver prices.
Total earnings of the com
pany for the year, before de
ducting administration ex
pense, taxes, depreciation, de
pletion and prosperit amorti
sation were $1,318,962.09,
compared with $1,685,879.93
in 1929.
Earnings from the Premier
mine itself, after deducting
earnings from the Prosperity
during the operating period
and miscellaneous profits
amounted to $1,072,092.37,
compared with $1,553,131.73,
for 1929.
The decline is attributed
chiefly to the drop of approx
imately 15 cents an ounce in
the average price of silver in
1930 as compared to 1929.
The financial statement discloses
that $1,050,773.43 was distributed to
shareholders during the year. Total
assets are placed at $4,869,295, com
pared with $6,100,860 the previous
year. Mining property after depletion
and depreciation is shown at $2.
226,727, compared with $3,048,628 in
the preceeding year.
Ore reserves were 49,831 tons less
at the end of 1930 than at the end
of 1929, and although the report says
efforts will be continued to prolong
the life of the mine, no encourage
ment is held out in this direction,
the oreshoot having been found to
te bottomed slightly above the fiftli
level, except at the eastern end
where 12,000 to 20,000 tons were un
covered.
Explorations for new ore during the
year included a series of 15 drill
holes aggregating 7733 feet, put down
from the surface in areas east and
southeast of the main ore zone. Four
teen of these holes showed no values,
the other hole cut two thin bands of
about $10 ore but of doubtful con
tinuity, the report says. Further in
vestigations will be made this year.
Underground exploration and develop
ment above the 5th level, more par
ticularly in the footwall of the main
orebody, continued fairly successful
in the way of finding and opening
various spurs and stringer veins ag
gregating a substantial tonnage of
profitable ore.
During the year 256,836 dry tons of
ere, with an average assay content
of 0.36 ounces of gold and 11.1 ounces
silver were mined. At the end of
1930 combined broken and unbroken
ire reserves were 49,831 tons less
than at the end of 1929, This, the re
port says, means that 207.005 tons
of new ore were found and opened
up. This compares with the explora
tory results of 1929, when 229,805 tons
were thus found.
The estimated ore reserves as at
December 31, 1930 are placed as fol
lows: Broken in stopes 286,535 tons,
averaging 0.34 ounces gold and 10
ounces silver. Withgold at $20 and sil
ver at 25 cents, this represents a
gross value of $9.30 per ton. Assured
and probable unbroken ore down to
the 6th level amounts to 82,670 tons
averaging 0.43 ounces gold and 7.30
ounces silver. With gold and silver at
above stated prices, this represents
a gross value of $10.42 per ton. The
total of above estimates of broken
and unbroken ore reserves is placed
at 369.205 tons, averaging 0.36 ounces
gold and 9.40 ounces silver, repre
senting a gross value of $9.55 per ton.
Ore reserves at the end of Decem
ber, 1929 were reported as 419.036
tons averaging 0.36 oz. gold and 9.86
cz. silver.
The tonnage mined at Premier in
1930 was about 9,000 tons less than
in 1929, the gold content slightly less,
and the silver content slightly more
than in 1929.
Relative to the Prosjerity opera
tions, the report states that active
development and production on a
scale commensurate with the small
size and irregular nature of the ore
bodies was begun in November, 1929,
and continued throughout 1930. Pro
duction and shipments to smelter
amounted to 18,049 tons, averaging
Continued on Page Four