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MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
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VOLUME 10, NUMBER 25.
IIYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 1034.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
THOMAS PROPOSES
NEW AID FOR SILVER
A new currency measure
aimed at broadening President
Roosevelt’s present silver pro
gram and providing both an in
crease of national currency and
a widely increased market for
domestic as well as foreign sil
ver, ie proposed in a bill pre
pared by Senator Elmer Thom
as of Oklahoma, leader of the
currency inflationists.
The bill provides for purch
ase by the Treasury of all do
mestic silver available and
mined before the effective date
of the President’s present sil
ver program, December 22, es
timated by Thomas as around
200,000.000 ounces.
The silver purchased would
be paid for at the rate of $1.29
per ounce, half to go to the per
son .tendering the metal and
the remainder to the govern
ment, as is done at present.
Payment would be made with
newly issued silver certificates
backed by the purchased sil
ver, thus providing a “sound”
new currency.
In addition, the bill would al
so authorize the purchase af.er
January 1, 1935, at the same
late, of all silver offered,
whether domestic or foreign, i
up to a maximum of 100,000,
000 ounces a month. Provis
ion is also made for halting1
coinage of silver dollars after
passage of the act, except un- j
der direct orders of the secre
tary of the treasury.
Senator Thomas claims he
has been assured of consider
able support.
--O-*
Marked Revival Of
Mining Claim Location
Marked revival of interest in
local mining possibilities this
year is shown in the filing of
nearly 60 new mining locations
in the recording division of the
local U. S. Commissioner’s 1‘
fice in recent days.
The ground covered by the
new preemptions extends from
from the vicinity of the Salmon
glacier to a point on the east
slope of Salmon River valley
ea-t of the mouth of Fish
Creek. Virtually all of the
new claims are relocations of
former mining properties, the
previous ownership of which
had lapsed.
The number of claims filed
is the largest in any year since
1927, according to the records.
-o
A ski tournament, which is to
be followed by a dance in the
evening, is providing diversion
for Premier residents today.
Asseltine Reports Interest In
Local Mining Development
Wide increase of interest in
the south in the mineral devel
opment possibilities of diis
district is reported by W. J.
Asseltiine, M. L. A., in a letter
to the Herald this week.
Writing from Victoria where
he is attending the spring ses
sion of the British Columbia
Legislative Assembly as repre
sentative of the Atlin district,
in which Stewart and Premier
are located, Mr. Asseltine
states that he is “very glad to
report that there is a stream of
questions” coming to him daily
regarding the mining possibil
ities of the Portland Canal dist
rict.
Mr. Asseltine’s commuta
tion also denies recent local re
port? that he has severed his
connection with the Premier
Gold Mining Company, with
whom he has been assoc1'ated
for approximately a decade as
mill superintendent. Mr. As
seltine indicates chat instead of
leaving the company perma
nently he has merely obtained
leave of absence to attend the
parliamentary session—^some
thing his- numerous local
friends will be very glad to
learn.
-O
Fupert Chamber Urge3
Wider Silver Use
Wider use of silver in busi
ness and minting of the entire
Canadan silver output were
urged by the Prince Rupert
Chamber of Commerce in reso
lution's passed at a meeting
held last week.
One resolution passed by the
Chamber pledged members to
make free use of silver in all
monetary transactions in lieu
of paper money and urged co
operation of all merchants in
the district.
A second resolution urged
the federal government to pur
chase the entire domestic sil
ver production of Canadian
mines and coin all of the metal
under the Currency Act.
The Chamber also recomend
ed that crown granted mineral
claims reverting .to the govern
ment for non-payment 'of taxes
be thrown open for relocation.
-o
Possible revival of Indian
Mines is indicated by the re
cent reappearance of Indian
shares on the board of the Van
couver Stock Exchange. Trad
ing in February included 9,800
shares sold at prices varying
from 1 Y-i to 2 cent? per share.
The present price is 3 cents.
The annual meeting of share
holders was scheduled for
Thursday, last week.
PREMIER DIVIDENDS
NOW UP TO $13,339,633
The usual three per cent
| dividend will be paid by the
i Premier Gold Mining Company
for the first quarter of 1934,
according to annauncements
made in 'the south,
j Payment will be made on
I April 16th to shareholders of
|'record on March 16th. The
i announcement ha.- set at rest
j recent rumors to the effect
■ that the company would de
clare a dividend of double the
iKiral amount.
The payment will bring the
| tdiai of dividends paid from
| operation of the famous Pre-I
j mier mine to $16,699,603.
Local Slocks Moving Up
Substantial upward movement
I in local mining stocks on the
Vancouver S uck Exchange in
recent day? indicates marked
| renewal of interest in the local
mining field.
Premier Gold has moved
up to as high as $1.68 during
j the week but was quoted at
$1.67 in ihe late, 1 reports re
ceived. This was the highest
figure reached by the stock in
a long period. Stock in the
Premier company’s latest de
velopment operation, Alexan
dria Mines, was at .08 cents.
Big Mis: ou: i was quoted at
44 during the week, up 3 cents
| over the preceding week. Dun
well reached 33; Georgia Riv
| er .0314; National Silver.06;
i Porter Idaho .16; Silver Crest
.03; Salmon Gold .31 'j, and
United Empire .25.
I
Yukcn Fishing Bill
Outlook Is Gccd
A fav.arable report has been
ubmitted by Fisheries Com
missioner Frank T. Bell on the
bill introduced by Alaska Dele
gate A. J. Dimond for opening
the Yukon and Kuskokwim
Rivers to limited commercial
fishing for King Salmon by na
tive and bona fide white resi
dents of Alaska.
A report from the Delegate’s
office states that the income
| which will accrue from such
commercial fishing will com
pensate in large measure if net
altogether for che revenue
which became a thing of the
past when airplanes supplant
ed dbg teams along the river
and the market for dog feed
was virtually wiped cut.
The measure was introduced '
by the Delegate in response to
a plank in the Democratic
party’s platform.
t Administration Giving
Large Aid To Territory
Nearly $60 is being expended
for each resident of Alaska—
both children and adult:'—un
der allocations from the vari
ous Roosevelt emergency ad
ministrations, according to a
report from Delegate DimOnd’s
office.
This does not include the
regular appropriationsfromthe
federal government. With the
setting up of the emergency
organizations Alaska began to
benefit almost immediately.
Allotments were made to the
regular government depart
ment: and to new agencies and
the flood of federal money
started to spread over the Ter
ritory.
From the Public Works Ad
ministration alone has come a
total of $3,017,463, the report
states. Add to that figure an
other $300,000 expended un
der the Civil Works Adminis
tration and another $250,000
spent for Emergency Conserva
tion Work.
Add to that the probable reg
ular Alaska appropriation,
which will amount to aproxi
mately $2,319,744, and we
have a grand total of $5,887,
207.
That is $2,315,702 more than
was made available for Alaska
in the Hoover 1933 budget.
o
B. C. Unemployment
Allowance Increased
The unemployed in Stewart
and ether sections of British
Columbia are rejoicing in an
announcement from Victoria
last Saturday that the Pro
vincial government has in
creased the food allowance for
unemployed by ten per cent.
The increase was authorized
as a result of a recent survey
of living costs in the British
Columbia Department of Labor
and applies to both single and
married recipients.
-o
Alaska Souvenir For President
A beautiful fountain pen
de;k set made of ivory from the
Cape Prince of Wales district
of northwestern Alaska was
presented to President Roose
velt a few days ago as a gift
from the International Sour
dough Reunion, according to
Washington reports.
The presentation to-the Presi
dent of this interesting souven
ir of the north was made by
Alaska Delegate to Congress,
A. J. Dimond, who also invited
Mr. Roosevelt to visit Alaska
and to attend the Sourdough
Reunion at Tacoma next fall.
STRAYING CANINE
CREATES SCARE
A nocturnal visit of Albert J.
Mayer’s dog, Treve, to the
Nine-mile camp of Che Premier
company and also to the cabin
iof Chas. Fehring, watchman at
the Riverside mine, caused con
siderable uneasiness last Satur
day regarding the welfare of
Mr. and Mrs. Mayer at their
snow-isolated ranch on the
north fork of Texas Creek.
The dog is known to be al
most inseparable from Mr.
Mayer and as the animal ap
peared .to be in an excited
Hate when it appeared a. Mr.
Fehring’s place and succeeded
in arousing him from slumber,
Mr. Fehring became apprehen
sive that something might have
happened which had caused
the dog to make the long trip in
from Texas Creek.
It appears that the dog had
previously tried to gain admit
tance at the Premier camp.
His efforts to obtain entrance
were heard by some of the
men but no one was inclined
to get out of bed to let him in.
The matter was reported to
Premier tram superintendent,
Frank Fisher, who instituted
an inquiry Saturday morning
and during the afternoon Mr.
Fehring and Louis Forsythe,
snowshoed out to the Mayer
place, where the well-known
couple were found to be enjoy
ing life as usual.
The dog’s actions were be
lieved by Mr. Mayer to have
been due to the animal having
been drawn away from home
while chasing wolves or
coyotes.
Sen. Robinson Favors Alaska
Alaska Delegate to Congress
A. J. Dirnond, during a recent
visit with Senator Arthur R.
Robinson, found >the Indiana
legislator keenly interested in
Alaska, according to a report
from the Delegate’s office.
Senator Robinson, wh'o as a
member of the Senate Commit
tee on Territories is in a posi
tion to be of material assistance
to this Territory, assured Mr.
Dirnond of his desire to help
wherever and whenever pos
sible.
Senator Robinson is no stran
ger to Alaska, having visited
the Territory last summer.
-o
Two teams of Anyox basket
ball players, one composed of
members of the fair sex, passed
through her§ Thursday on the
C. N. R. boat enroute to Prince
Rupert, where they will con
test with teams of that place.