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VOLUME 10, NUMBER 37.
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 1934.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
PREMIER DECLARES
USUAL DIVIDEND
The Premier Gold Miining
Company has declared the
usual three cent 'per share divi
dend for the second quarter of
1934, according to an an
nouncement made in the south.
The dividend will be paid in
Canadian currency and will in
volve total payments of $150,
000. The distribution will
bring to $17,558,074 the total
amount *0if dividends paid to
shareholders since the local
Premier mine became produc
tive fourteen years ago.
The dividend will be paid on
July 16 to shareholders of rec
ord June 15.
-o
Rev. Bushfield To Transfer
Rev. Frank Bushfield, pastor
of the United Church of Stew
art and the Methodist Episco
pal Church of Hyder during
the past two years, has been
transferred to Port Essingbon,
British Columbia, and will
leave for his new post about
June 25, accompanied by his
family.
Dr. Bushfield will be suc
ceeded in the local pastorates
by Rev. G. A. Harvey, B. A.
Dr. Bushfield returned Thurs
day fr'om Vancouver where he
attended the annual confer
ence of the United Churches of
Canada.
-o
Air Freight Line for Alaska
Alaska’s first air freight
transport service will be in
augurated shortly by the Ptar
migan Air Lines, a company
organized recently in Califor
nia by Frank Dorbandt, fam
ous Alaska airman, according
to reports from the south.
Dorbandt left Seattle last
week in a huge tri-mo to red
all-metal Ford transport air
plane enroute tto Fairbanks, by
way of Edmonton, Skagway,
Cordova and Anchorage. Four
teen passengers were carried
on the trip.
The company plans to start
a freight transport service op
erating on a regular schedule
between Cordova, Anchorage,
Fairbanks and other interior
Alaska points. Later on it is
planned to extend the service
to northwestern Alaska and
Siberia for ten months of the
year. Five of the huge trans
port planes, carrying from two
to ten tons of freight apiece,
will be operated in the new!
service.
-«
Born—to the wife of Feilix Sep.
pi at Prince Rupert, May, 30,
a son.
I Reported Meeting On
Big Missouri Intrigues
Local speculation is much
concerned regarding a report
ed meeting of Consolidated M.
and S. officials at Trail, B. C.,
which was to decide upton wrhat
future action will be taken with
respect to continuing work on
‘the local Big Missouri proper
ty.
The meeting was supposed to
take place lasit Tuesday but so
far nolthing has been heard re
garding the 'outclome.
In the meantime reports from
the property indicate that work
is proceeding on the new up
raise, started some days ago
with the evident object of pro
viding ventilation to the ex
tensive underground workings.
From which this journal opines
that the property is not likely
to be closed down for some
considerable time to come.
-o
Reduction In Library Hours
After June 19, the Hyder
Public Library will be open on
ly on Wednesday afternoons,
it was announced Friday by
Librarian B. B. Smith at the
quarterly meeting of the Li
brary board. This schedule
will Continue through June,
July and August.
-o
Alaska Highway Is
Described To President
A complete word picture of
the proposed international
highway through British Col
umbia to Alaska was given to
President Roosevelt recently by
Alaska Delegate A. J. Dimond
and Clyde (Slim) Williams,
rioted Alaska musher who
made the trp overland by dog
team from Copper Center,
Alaska, to Chicago last year.
The project was explained to
Mr. Roosevelt at a White
House dinner at which the Del
egate and Mrs. Dimond and
Williams were the guests.
-O-.
Clay Porter Returns
Clay Porter, developer of the
Porter-Idaho mine and pioneer
mining man of the district, re
turned Thursday after a winter
in the south and will resume
development work on the Ar
gentine Syndicate property
north of Stewart, in which he
is the controlling figure.
-O
Despite the coast shipping
tie-up, an average sized con
signment of mail, including
Some from the states, arrived
from Ketchikan on the motor
ship Windsor.
DEVELOPMENTS IN
SILVER SITUATION
The past week has witnessed
no new moves of importance in
connection with the silver pro
gram advocated hy President
Ro/oseveDt in his recent mes
sage.
Reports from Washington in
dicate that leading members
of the Senate si'lver group have
declined to approve the presi
dential measure until 'they
have^ had sufficient itime to
study its priobable effects and
and determine whether or not
efforts should be made to
strengthen it. These include
Senators Thomas, Borah,
Wheeler and McCarren.
Senator Thomas has dom
plained that silver is not made
money under the bill any more
ithan greenbacks, of copper, or
nickel is made money.
Senators King, Adams and
Pittman have voiced .'the senti
ment that free doinage of sil
ver on a fixed ratio with gold
must continue to be the ulti
mate goal.
rittman announced that the
President viewed the bill as
putting silver on the same ba-is
as gold. The Nevada senator
characterized the bill as an
other forward stride in the
struggle to rehabilitate silver.
Washington opinion inclines
to the view that .the bill will
pass in substantially its pres
ent form, although the ^ocalled
irreconciliables of the senate
silver group are far from satis
fied and may put up a deter
mined fight for changes when
the measure reaches the floor.
Senator J,oe Robinson, demo
cratic leader, sees little op
position but Senator Carter
Glass and other members of the
gold group will oppose the sil
ver purchase declaration and
vote against the bill.
British and European finan
cial leaders were reported
much alarmed that the silver
move will destroy all hope cf
an early return to the gold
standard, but British official
quarters have indicated no
anxiety over the outlook. It
was indicated by treasury
sources that an early return to
'the gold standard was not ex
pected anyway.
WalU Street’s reaction to the
presidential program was re
flected in a three or more point
drop in leading metal and oth
er leading stock issues.
A treasury explanation of the
silver bill proposal pointed out
that adoption of the measure
will not mean bimetallism, as
the gold dollar will continue to
be 'the standard unit of value
and the United States will re
main 'on what was designated
as the international gold bullion
standard.
! President’s Silver Bill
Passes Lower House
The administration silver bill,
i embodying the 25-75 silver
gold ratio plan, was passed by
j 'the Mouse of Representatives
jon Thursday, by a large major
| ity, and after all amendments
| had been voted down.
Alaska Land Bill Passed
—"
I The Dimond bill providing for
j the purchase of small tracts as
homesites in Alaska was'passed
by Congress last week.
The measure provides that
American citizens whio occupy
a homestead for not less than
five months each year for three
years may purchase the ground
occupied up itO five acres at the
rate 'of $2.50 per acre without
further formality.
Not more than one such tract
may be obtained by one person
except upon a showing of good
faith and necessity to the sec
retary of the interior and the
minimum purchase price al-j
lowed is $10.
-a
i Alaska Packs More Salmon
Than All Others Combined
The salmon pack of Alaska in
1933 was greater by 1,380,000
cases than the combined pack
of all other packing districts,
according to a recent an
nouncement .of the United
States Bureau of Fisheries.
The report places the packs
of the various districts as fol
lows :
Cases
Alaska 5,226,000
British Columbia 1,265,000
Pacific Coast States 1,137,000
Japan 773,000
Siberia 671,000
Total 9,072,000
The combined pack of 1933
was almost 600,000 cases
greater than that Of 1932, the
repoi’t states, although 1,300,
000 cases less than the pack of
1930.
The pack of the Pacific Coast
States was 74 per cent greater
than for 1932. The Alaska
pack was about the same as
that of 1932.
-o
P.W.A. Gives Funds
For Jail Repairs
The Public Works Adminis
tration has allocated to Alaska
$14,000, to be used for repair
ing department tof justice
buildings (consisting mostly of
jails) at Anchorage, Seward.
Valdez, Unalaska and Dilling
ham,according to an announce
ment made to Alaska Delegate
A. J. Dimond last week.
DOCK WORKERS LOAD
ONE SHIP FOR NORTH
The tie-up of Alaska ship
ping resulting from the strike
of longshoremen on the Pacific
Coast continues to be a source
of widespread apprehension
i throughout the Territory.
Despite the demand of Presi
dent Roosevelt for a lifting of
the blockade, only one vessel
has been permitted tosail with
food supplies during the week.
This was the motorship North
Wind of the Northland Trans
portation Company, a small
vessel totally unable to carry
a quantity of supplies suffi
cient to meet the requirements
of more than a small portion
of Alaska’s 'population.
So far as known, there is at
present no acute shortage of
essential food supplies any
where in the Territory, al
though a continuation of the
shipping tieup for another
week or tw<o is certain to result
in a critical food situation at
many points. Shortages at
present appear confined prin
cipally to fruit3 and perish
ables. Reports from Prince
Rupert, B. C. this week state
that the motorship Prince of
Wales had loaded thirty ton3
of fresh fruits and vegetables
at that port for Juneau a few
days ago. Mention was also
made of an earlier shipment of
fresh meat to Ketchikan.
Reports from Ketchikan this
week make no mention of food
shortages but express serious
concern regarding the outlook
for the salmon canning indus
try, which normally opens ear
ly in June.
Inability to move shipments
has resulted in a cessation -of
fishing at Ketchikan, Sitka and
other points. Prince Ru'pert
reports a marked reduction of
halibut receipts from American
vessels during the past week.
Responsibility for the Alaska
shipping embargo now appears
to rest entirely with the Puget
Sound longshoremen as the San
Francisco and Portland unions
have agreed to the exemption
of Alaska vessels from the
tieup.
Exceptionally large numbers
of passengers are reported
passing to and from Alaska on
the Canadian steam-hip lines.
Seattle news dispatches Mon
day quoted Charles W. Hope,
secretary of the Regional Labor
Board as saying that the Fed
eral government is negotiating
to charter several vessels to
carry supplies ito northwestern
Alaska.
This shipping was to be on a
non-ciommerciail basis, how
ever, /the government determin
ing the supplies needed.