HYDER-- FIRST ALASKA TOWN THAT CAN BE REACHED BY THE PACIFIC-YUKON-ALASKA HIGHWAY
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VOL 7, NO. 44
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 1931.
PRICE TEN CENTS
SAY INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE NEEDED
Senators Borah and Thomas
of Idaho and Smoot of Utah
agreed in a conference with
Utah and Idaho mining men
held recently in Boise, Idaho,
that an international confer
ence is “essential to the rehab
ilitation of silver.”
A concrete plan for silver
stabilization was presented by
Senator Smoot, but no an
nouncement of the plan was
made. Following the confer
ence, all members of the dele
gation, remained noncommital
on the plan, explaining it had
been agreed beforehand that
it should be submitted to Pres
ident Hoover before being
made public. It was learned it
would require congressional
action.
Other subjects, including the
decision of Mexico to go on a
silver basis, the London confer
ence and other international
matters were discussed inform
ally, delegates said.
A statement issued after the
conference, said:
“The world-wide awakening
to the importance of the silver
problem has resulted in an
agreement among leading
authorities that stabilization of
silver as money should be
made by the nations of the
world.
“Press dispatches from world
financial centers indicate the I
imperative need for immediate j
action to avoid the collapse
of the great credit structure
upon which international
trade depends.
“To place the matter square-1
ly before agriculture, industry,
labor and statesmen it is nec
essary that some specific plan
be agreed upon by the manyj
powerful groups which real
ize how destructive is the in
creasing discrepancy between
the comparative price of com-1
modities and human labor on
the one hand and the inade
quate and diminishing gold
supply on the other.
“To this end conferences
are being held among the lead
ing students of this vital ques
tion. Furthermore, it is deemed
vital that the question be kept
out of partisan politics, al
though it is recognized that
action by the president and the
congress will be necessary un
der sympathetic and courag
eous leadership.
“It is the conviction of Sen-'
ators Smoot, Borah and Thom
as that a constructive program
will be worked out which ’
will meet the approval of fin-;
anciers, economists and states- \
men and which will be a j
prime factor in restoring!
world stability and prosper
ity.”
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To Extend Bear River Road
The Stewart News reports;
receipt of a telegram from the
Minister of Public Works an
nouncing that an extension of
the present Bear River road is
included in the unemployment
relief program of the provin
cial government.
Up to Friday morning 125
unemployed persons had reg
istered in Stewart.
New Forest Officials
For This District
I W. J. McDonald, who has
| been supervisor of the Chu
jgach National Forest for years,
j will be placed in charge of the
j southern division of the Ton
gass National Forest, embrac
ing this district,according to a
recent announcement by As
sistant District Forester M. L.
Merritt, printed in the Juneau
papers. Mr. McDonald will be
assisted by C. M. Archbold.
The change in officials is in
line with a recent announce
ment by Charles H. Flory, Dis
trict Forester, that the forest
service in Alaska was being
reorganized on a different
system with a view of cutting
down on supervision work
and making more men avail
able for district field work.
J. M. Wyckoff, district rang
er and formerly stationed at
Ketchikan, has been placed in
I charge of the Petersburg dist
i ict of the Southern division,
1 in addition to other changes in
! officials in both the Tongass
and C’hugach forest districts.
Chickamin Prospectors
Get Food By Air
Food supplies for Wendell
Dawson and a companion, who
are prospecting at the head
waters of the Chickamin and
Leduc Rivers are being drop
ped to them from an airplane,
according to Ketchikan re
ports.
Dawson and his companion ]
are prospecting in a region
where transportation of sup
plies in quantity is almost im-;
possible.
The first supplies taken to
| them by air were dropped by
Pilot Ray Howard July 29.
The food was contained in two ]
double bags lined with five
inches of ground cork to keep ;
them afloat should they drop I
into water. Each bag weighed
150 pounds. Pilot Howard will
drop two such bags of food
each month while they remain
in the district. The two men j
i went into the district a month
j ago.
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Moose Hold Big Picnic
Members of the local Moose
lodge and their families and
friends enjoyed a big picnic j
and general good time at
! Moose Park Wednesday even
i ing. Some 75 persons from both
| sides of the boundary partici
! pated. A tasty dinner of salad
j coldmeats, fruits, cake, tea and
; coffee was served, after which
; the “Howdy Pap’s” held a
song fest for which John Nag
le provided accordian accomp
animent, while many enjoyed
the pleasure of swimming and
wading in the big swimming
pool, which was delightfully
warm as a result of the sunny
weather of the past two weeks.
Moose Legion to Visit Camp
The Moose Legion of Ketch
ikan is planning a visit to this
district on Labor Day, Sept
ember 7th, according to infor
mation received this week by
the local Moose lodge. As a
result, the lodge is planning
an extensive program for the
entertainment of the visitors.
This will include a dance and
i other interesting events.
ALASKA SECOND IN
II, S. GOLD PRODUCTION
Gold and silver valued at
$0)6,785,629 were produced in
ithe United States, Alaska and
the Phillippine Islands in 1930,
with gold accounting for $47,
247,600.
Announcing these figures to
day, the bureau of the mint
| said that of the total of 2,285,
! 603 ounces of gold, Alaska
j produced 407,356 ounces, val
; ued at $8,420,800 while Cal
I ifornia led the way in gold
production with 450,289 ounc
es valued at $9,398,300. South
Dakota produced 406,297
ounces valued at $8,398,900.
The 1930 gold production
was $1,596,200 more than in
1929, while silver showed a
decrease of 10,597,741 ounces
as compared with the preced
j ing year.
! Ihe 1930 gold production by
I states included:
i State—
Alaska .
California.
South Dakota
Colorado .
j Idaho .
| Montana .
Oregon.
Washington ..
Phillippines ..
Value
$8,420,800
9,308,300
8,398,900
4,511,800
438,200
969,500
295,600
75,400'
3,828,600
«■
Alaska Juneau
Increases Production
June production of the Alas
ka Juneau mine exceeded pro
duction in May by $180,000,
with a total, $325,500. Of this
total, $325,000 was gold, sil
ver $500.
According to the company’s |
monthly statement, the recov
ery value per ton of ore was
95.06 cents and operating ex
penditures averaged 50.66
cents per ton. Net operating
surplus without deducting for ,
depreciation and depletion was
$154,800. Tons of ore mined
and trammed to mill totaled
324,440.
-o- i
I
Greatest Seal Catch
In 20 Years
Government fisheries officials
reported at Juneau a few days
ago that the take of fur seals
on the Pribloff Islands this
summer was approximately
49,515, the greatest number
taken in any season since the
government took over the seal
herds in 1910, with the killing
of the animals registered by i
the government since that\
time.
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Alarkan Breakfasts in Frisco; |
Has Dinner In Ketchikan.
—
Dr. W. W. Council of Ju
neau recently enjoyed the
unique experience of having
had breakfast in San Francisco
and dinner in Ketchikan in the ;
same day as a result of an air- j
f plane flight from the Coast!
metropolis to Alaska.
Stewart Urges Action on R. R.
The Stewart Board of Trade
has addressed a letter to Pre
mier R. B. Bennett urging
action on the Peace River out
let.
SEN. KING FORCING
ACTION ON SILVER
Determined to force the sil
ver issue in spite of administa
tion reluctance, Senator Wil
liam B. King, of Utah, an
nounced a few days ago that
unless Hoover or some other
government head acts in the
near future to call an interna
tional silver conference, he
will summon the committee of
the International Chamber of
Commerce, of which he is
chairman, for consideration of
the matter.
| Senator King declared Mex
j ico’s action in placing her cur
j rency on a silver basis has
j challenged the attention of
other nations to the necessity
of rehabilitating silver, and
predicted an international con
ference for that purpose will
be held in the near future.
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Scarlet Fever Raging
In Wide District
The entire Nushagak river
district of western Alaska is
being swept by an epidemic of
scarlet fever, according to ad
vices received in Juneau.
No estimate of the number
of cases or report of fatalities
were available.
A supply of antitoxin has
been rushed from Anchorage
to Dr. W. A. Borland, govern
ment physcian, who is combat
ting the epidemic, and an ad
ditional supply is enroute from
Seattle. Nurses have also been
sent to the affected district,
which is located on the shores
of Bristol Bay on the Bering
Sea side of the Alaska Penin
sula.
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Fcod and Drug Inspectors
Visit Canneries
A. W. Hanson and E. A.
Gray of the Federal Food and
Drug Administration are in the
Territory at present inspecting
the fish canneries on behalf of
the government.
Inspectors of the Food Ad
ministration visit the Territory
every year during the canning ■
season, observing the precau
tions taken by the canners to
insure a sanitary and healthy
pack. In the past two years the
inspectors have found the can
neries in good shape and have
praised the methods taken by
the operators to insure a high
quality pack.
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Alaska To Have
Normal Fish Pack
Alaska will have its normal
salmon pack this year despite
some trouble between boat
owners and operators and buy
ers, according to a statement
by Henry O’Malley, fisheries
commissioner, after his annual
inspection of the western Alas
ka fisheries area.
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The Johnson-Gardner Com
pany has completed the wid
ening of the Salmon River road
as far as the Texas Creek
bridge and is making good,
headway beyond that point.
Many Distinguished Visitors
Come to Territory This Year
—
Never in the history of Alas
ka have so many distinguished
| people visited the territory as
: in the past month senators con
jgressmen, bureau officials and
others numbering several score
have visited various parts of
the Territory, some officially
and others as sightseers. In
cluded among the number
whose names were observed
in the Territorial press were:
j Senator Tasker L. Oddie; Sen
ator Smith, Idaho; Henry O’
Malley ; Senator White ,
Maine; Congressmen Jos. W.
Byrns, Tennessee; Congress
man Frank Murphy, Ohio;
Congressman Ed. L. Taylor,
Colorado; Congressman Wm.
W. Hastings, Oklahoma; Con
gressman Scott Levitt, Mont
ana; Congressman Don Cotton,
Utah; W. A. Duvall, assistant
clerk of the house of appropri
ations committee; Congress
man W m. H,aton, Colorado;
Congressman Robt. Luce, Mas
'sachusetts; F. J. Baily, assist
ant director of the budget; H.
j W. Albright, director of nat
ional parks; W. C. Menden
hall and D. F. Hewett, of the
j geological * survey, Ernest
Walker Sawyer, assistant sec
retary of the Interior; Stew
art Edward White, famous
novelist. Henry Fleischmann,
millionaire yeast manufacture
and Mack Sennett, famous
motion picture producer.
Paul Reddington, head of
the Biological survey, is also
among the visitors at this
time.
R. W. Dunlap, assistant sec
retary of the department of
agriculture will also be a vis
itor in the Territory this
month.
Title for Pioneers’
Home is Now Wanted !
As the last session of the Ter.!
ritorial Legislature provided a
Commission to determine the
proper place for the erection
of a new Pioneers’ Home and
the status of the title of the
land upon which the perman
ent Home is to be construct
ed, and the proper means for
acquiring title thereto, the
question of the title of the
present location of the Home
is now under consideration.
The land is owned by the gov
ernment and title has never
been transferred to the Terri
tory. It will require an act of
Congress to transfer the title
and if the Commission, com
posed of the Governor, High
way Engineer and Superinten
dent of the Home, request the j
Delegate to introduce the nec
essary legislation to give title
to the Territory, he will intro
duce a bill to that end at the
next session.
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Charged under the Alaska
Bone Dry Law with the pos
session of liquor, Jim Lacy,
Sitka resident, was fined $100
and sentenced to 60 days in
jail last week.
-o
The Zapora was scheduled
to sail from Seattle for Hyder
at midnight Friday and should
arrive here Monday.
HASH AIK CO,
MAKES FINE RECORD
The Washington-Alaska Air
ways established a unique
record for Alaska air transpor
tation during the year ending
June 30 by carrying 4,922 pas
sengers 161,141 statute miles
without a single mishap, ac
cording to the annual report
made by the company to the
Territorial Highway Engineer.
The company planes trans
ported the stated number of
j passengers 574,638 passenger
miles during the year, carry
ing 3,890 passengers on cross
country flights and 1,341 on
sightseeing trips, beginning
and ending at the same place.
In addition the company trans
ported 3,299 pounds of ex
press. Five planes were used in
its operations although not
more than three were station
ed in the Territory at one
time. Not a single forced land
ing was made during the year
and no accident occured in
volving injury to either pas
sengers, empliyees or equip
ment. The company had but
one accident in territorial
waters but not in commercial
work. This occured last fall
when Pilot Pat Renehan dis
appeared while on a rescue
trip into Northern British Col
umbia.
Census Shows Few Illiterates
Despite the large native In
dian and Eskimo population in
Alaska, tabulation of the 1930
census returns for the Territory
show a comparatively small
percentage of illiteracy.
For the Territory as a whole,
the number of persons 10 years
of age and over returned as
unable to read and write on
October 1, 1929, was 9,416 as
compared with 10,874 in 1920.
The percentage of illiteracy
was 20.1 as compared with
24.8 ten years ago. The white
and Indian classes of popula
tion show lower percentages
of illiteracy in 1930 than in
1920, while the percentage of
illiteracy in the other races
shows a slight increase.
The number of persons from
5 to 20 years of age attending
school in 1930 was 9,133 as
compai'ed with 6,455 in 1920.
Persons attending school rep
resented 54.2 per cent of the
total population within the
ages specified in 1930, as com
pared with 46.7 per cent in
1920. Of the total number of
school children 5 years of age,
in 1930, 19.8 per cent were at
tending school; of the child
ren 6 years of age, 48.3
per cent; of those 7 to 13
years of age, 70.0 per cent; of
those 14 and 15 years, 71.2
per cent; of those 16 and 17
years, 53.2 per cent; and of
those 18 to 20, 19.0 per cent.
In addition 255 persons 21
years of age and over were re
ported as attending school as
compared with 160 in 1920.
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E. C. McKechnie, chief field
engineer for the Consolidated
Mining and Smelting Co. ar
rived Tuesday morning in con
nection with the Big Missouri
development activities.