HYDER - FIRST ALASKA TOWN THAT CAN BE REACHED BY THE PACIFIC - YUKON - ALASKA HIGHWAY
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SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
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HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
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VOL. 8, NO. 17
RYDER, ALASKA, FEBRUARY 6, 1932.
BY THE YEAR $3.(K
HOPE FOB EARLY
ACM RIVER
Possible early action by the govern
^nent on the construction of the pro
posed flood prevention works on Sal
mon river is indicated in a telegram
received Thursday from the United
States Engineer's Office in Juneau’
asking for information regarding the
most favorable period for conducting
such operations with the least inter
ference from the recurrent risings of
the turbulent and unruly river, which
annually threaten serious damage and
possible destruction of the town. The
message, directed to the Hyder Cham
ber of Commerce, reads as follows:
"During what continuous periods of j
320 days could improvements on Sul- i
mon River be conducted with least
flood interference?"
Following receipt of the message,
the board of directors of the Chamber
of Commerce held a special meeting
and later dispatched a reply to the et
fect that the work could be done to
best advantage witli respect to floods j
between April 1 and August 1.
The exact import of the war depart
ment message is not clear. 1 is pre
sumed in some quarters that the inqui
ry may be the result of efforts made
by James Wickersham, Alaska dele-1
gate to Congress, who was recently j
requegted by the Chamber of Com
merce to attempt to expedite action on ;
the report of the survey made by the j
l'. S. Engineer's Office last summer. !
This report was recently transmitted :
to Congress by tlie Secretary of War '
»>uii iuyuiuuie nTunimnuuumii.
The Chamber of Commerce message
to the Delegate urged him to endeavor
to have the report considered as an
emergency measure, with a view to re
lieving severe local unemployment.
As will he recalled by Herald read
er^, Judge Wickersham replied to the
effect that the outlook for early act
ion was not favorable, and that the
project would probably be held over
tor inclusion in the annual Rivers and
Harbors bill., but he may nevertheless
have been able to have the project tak
on up as a special measure, as it was
discovered recently that the War De
partment report was refered to the
Foreign Commerce commute of the
House, instead of to the Rivers and
Harbors committee, as is customary.
This view, however, does not take
into consideration the fact that the
report provides that Hyder interests
must agree to contribute $7,000 toward
the construction costs, in addition to
providing S200 annually for mainte
nance after construction, if this de
mand is adhered to there is small
likelihood of the work being started
until the cooperation provision is
agreed to. either by local interests or
the Territory.
-o
Mellon Leaves Treasury Job
Andrew Mellon, secretary of
the treasury in the Hoover cab
inet, has resigned that position
to accept appointment as the
U. S. Ambassador to Great
Britain, according to a radio
announcement Wednesday
evening. Mellon is to be suc
ceded as treasury head by
J. Ogden Mills, who has held
the post of under secretary of
the treasury.
-o
Fester a Candidate
Frank H. Foster, Juneau at
torney and member of the last
Territorial legislature, has
filed his application as a can
didate for the office of At
torney General of Alaska at
the April primary. Mr. Foster
will make the race as a repub
lican.
It is rumored that O. D.
Cochran, pioneer Nome at
torney, will be a candidate for
the democratc nomination for
the same office.
—-o
Fairbanks Man Out
For Highway Engineer
F. E. Wann, an employee of
the Fairbanks Exploration
Company, at Fairbanks, has
filed for republican nomination
for the office of Territorial
Highway Engineer, according
to reports received in Juneau.
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Zapora Arrives
The Wills Navigation Co.
motorship Zapora arrived
from Seattle early Thursday
morning with a good sized
batch of local cargo composed
mainly of merchandise for lo
cal dealers.
Wanls Boycott of
Silver From India
Senator Pittman, of Nevada,
foremost senatorial exponent
! of silver rehabilitation, in urg
ing an international confer
ence on the silver problem,
declared it to be his opinion
that the real cause of the de
pressed price of silver is dump
ing of the metal by India and
declared that the practice can
be stopped by an agreement
among the silver-interested na
tions not to import silver from
India.
“It is not necessary,” he said,
“that the British government
or the government of India be
party to such an agreement if
the United States, Canada,
Mexico, South America, Cen
tral America, China, Japan,
Australia and New Zealand
alone agree not to debase or
melt up silver coins and that
no silver shall be imported in
to any such countries from a
country not a party to this
agreement.
J iien India would be forced
to abandon her destructive pol
icy because there will be no
where for her to sell her sil
ver.”
Pittman expressed his views
in a letter to Frank M. Smith
of Spokane, which he placed in
the Congressional Record.
In his letter, Pittman com
1 mented on other silver bills
pending before congress.
He particularly criticized the
bill introduced by Senator
Smoot for accepting silver in
payment of foreign debts, say
ing the silver accumulated in
this country would act as a
; “bear” on the market in the
| same way Indian silver does
now.
He said the bill “offers an
| excuse for refraining from
j supporting proposals for an in
' ternational conference.”
Pittman also said bills for
authorizing the coinage of
! silver at the ratio of 1G to 1
are “impracticable at this
time.”
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New Postage Stamp Issue
I
A new series of postage
[stamps all bearing the likeness
of George Washington was is
sut'u January i uy cue united
[States government to commem
i orate the bicentennial observ
ance of Washington’s birth
day. The series includes 12
1 stamps ranging from a brown
half-cent to an orange-hued
ten cent stamp. Each stamp
shows a likeness of Washing
' ton copied from one of the
i several paintings of the na
tion’s first president or from
i the famous H-oudon bust in
marble. The stamp which
| the public will become most
familiar with, because of its
use on most mail, is the two
cent bearing the likeness of
Washington copied from the
i Gilbert Stuart Athenaeum por
trait, done in 179G. The por
! trait is also on the new issue
of one-dollar bills.
The series includes a half
cent, brown; one cent, green;
! a one-and one-half cent, light
I brown; two-cent, red; three
cent, purple; four cent, warm
brown; five cent, blue; six
cent, orange; seven cent,
black,; eight cent, olive green;
nine cent, pink, and ten cent,
orange.
I
SOLONS ORGANIZE
TO BENEFIT SILVER
Close alignment of the pro
ponents of silver stabilization
in the lower house of Congress
is indicated in a press an
nouncement that twenty West
ern members of the House
have organized to work in the
interest of a general stabiliza
j tion of prices for the particular
benefit of silver, but without
1 emphasizing the silver question
| only. The group designated
ihe following committee to
actively handle the work: Rep
resentatives Colton (Rep.,
Utah), chairman; Arentz
(Rep. Nev.) ; Levitt (Rep.
Mont.); Eaton (Rep. Colo.) ;
Hill (Dem. Wash. ) ; sTaylor
(Dem. Colo.) and Douglas
(Dem. Ariz.).
Other representatives in the
I group include Representative
jGlover (Dem. Ark.), who re
I centlv introduced a house res
olution requesting the presi
dent to call an international
conference to establish a ratio
of money value of gold to sil
ver; Representative McKeown
(Deni., Okla.), who introduced
house joint resolution No. 199
requesting the president to call
an international conference to
secure agreements to suspend
the practice to melting up or
debasing silver coins and sales
of silver by governments, to
establish the uses and status
of silver as money, to insure
maintenance of the parity in
value of gold and silver, and
to establish a safe system of
bimetallism at a ratio which
will insure permanence of rel
ative value between gold and
silver; Representative Evans
(Deni., Mont.), who introduc
ed house resolution No. 6712
to establish a bimetallic sys
tem of currency, employing
gold and silver, to fix the rel
ative value of gold and silver
at 16 to 1, and to provide for
the free coinage of silver as
well as gold.
Representative Dies (Dem.,
Tex.) said the only way to
raise the price of silver is
through bimetallism.
Pointing out that since 1896
paper money has replaced
silver as currency. Represen
tative Eaton said the govern
; mem snouiu uiscumiuue pn
, per money and use silver.
“If those who are in favor
of silver can show us a way,
we will go with them,” said
Representative Abernthy
(Dem., N. C.)).
While sympathizing with ef
forts to improve silver, Rep
resentative Knutson (Rep.,
Minn.) ■-said that unless a lim
itation is placed on the coin
age of silver, it would result
I in inflation because of the
large production of silver.
While not favoring aband-]
l onment of the gold standard,!
Representative Lankford (Rep.
I Va.) said the value of the dol
lar should be reduced to com
modity values, pointing out J
that some articles had declined .
75 per cent in value.
Representative McClintic
(Dem., Okla.) said if other
| countries continue to abandon
the gold standard, the United
States will Ibe forced to change
its monetary system.
Senator Borah (Rep., Idaho)
who introduced senate bill No.
j 2630 (referred to finance com
!mittee), which he said was
SILVER STABILIZATION
MEANS BIMETALLISM
While Hyder, as a silver pro
ducing community, is unani
mously in favor of silver re
habilitation, there appears to
be a marked divergence of
ideas regal ding whether or
not stabilization by the Unit
ed States of the price of the
white metal would not be in
effect an adoption of bimetal
lism. That such would be the
case is explained by Mining
and Metallurgy as follows:
One error on which manjr
proponents of the stabilization
of silver persistently fall is
this: they deny with emphasis
that an effectual fixing of the
price of silver would automat
ically create a bimetallic
standard — or bimetallism.
Probably the widespread and
passionate—even somewhat
unreasoning — prejudice a
against “free silver” moves
mom 10 maae me aeruai. mey
applaud miono-metalism and
disown any thought of dis
turbing the sancity of the gold
standard: but with the same
breath they demand that by
some potent means the price
of silver be fixed at an ap
propriate figure between say,
50 and 132 cents per ounce.
No matter what the price
may be, and no matter what
the method or instrument
used, the minute effective sta
bilization is achieved bimetal
lism is in operation. To attain
hue stabilization some agency
with ample resources must be
prepared to buy silver in any
quantity at the specified price
n terms of what? Of gold or
Is equivalent! Theoretically,
t would also be in position to
°ell at the same price to meet
any demand, thereby prevent
ng the market from advanc
ng temporarily above the fix
ed price. But that contingency
s not a source of anxiety. If
you have gold and silver free
y interchangeable on the bas
s of any fixed relative value
vou have bimetallism: and all
the denials in the world would
not alter the fact.
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Sea Plane Visits
The seaplane Northland of
the Ketchikan Airways was a
visitor here for several hours
last Saturday, arriving at 1 p.
m. and leaving again shortly
after •"> p, m. The trip was
made to pick up local passen
gers, including D. L. Pitt, Ed
gar Province and Hubert
Thomas. Mr. Pitt was to ap
pear as a witness before the |
district court, Mr. Province
went on a business trip to the
First City, and Mr. Thomas
was enroute to Seattle to ap
pear as a witness in the Wol
fle case.
W. C. Blanton was a passen
ger over from Ketchikan.
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The A. .1. Mayer sawmill in I lie up
per Salmon section is out of cominisu
ion at present, the snow having caved
in the roof, which was some 80 feet in
length. Mr. Mayer reports about 12
teet of snow in that locality.
drafted by former Represen
tative Lafferty of Oregon, pro
viding for deposit of silver
ounces at mints in return for
ounce treasury notes, the sil
ver to be minted into ounce
coins or held jp bullion.
No Information
Regarding Highway
In an effort to ascertain the
views of the international
commission regarding the
three tentative routes select
ed for the proposed Pacific
Yukon-Alaska Highway, the
Herald recently addressed a
I letter to Mr. George Napier,
■ of the Canadian Commission.
| The reply, received a few days
I ago, said it had been decided
j that no information in oon
j nection with matters discussed
! at the last joint meeting would
I be made public until a report
! had been submitted to the gov
j ernments represented.
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Alaska Juneau Mine
* II1US
rvicn <jre
Development work carried
on 600 feet vertically below
the tunnel where the main
| mining operations are now
| carried on in the Alaska- Ju
j neau mine has encountered ore
i that averages as high as $28
a ton in gold for 15 feet, ac
cording to a press report from
1 San Francisco where the head
i offices of the company are lo
icated.
' This compares with an aver
age value of about $4.50 a tor.
j for the full 600 feet of depth
below the present haulage lev
el and with less than $1 a ton
: in the main operations during
all of 1931.
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Silver Meeting Of
Governors Feby. 15
1 he conference of state gov
ernors to discuss an interna
tional conference and other
means of stabilizing silver,
proposed by William Jennings
Bryan, of Hollywood, will be
held in Denver February 15,
according to press reports.
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CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
TO MEET WEDNESDAY
The monthly meeting ot the 1-iyder
Chamber of Commerce will be held in
Chamber of Commerce Hall next Wed
nesday evening. February 10, starting
! at 8 p. m.
i The closing down of the Silver Grill
} has necessitated postponment of the
i usual monthly dinner meeting and n
j will be held later if satisfactory ar
! rangements can be made. The date
| will be announced later.
|-°
Tries New Fire Alarm
N. M. Traversy, chairman of
the Chamber of Commerce
fire protection committee, was
engaged during the past week
in trying out a fire alarm de
vice in the shape of a steam
whistle operated by com
pressed air, with a view to ere
ating a better fire alarm than
i is provided by the big iron tri
angle at the chemical shed on
! Main Street.
j Mr. Traversy is of the
1 view that more effective fire
1 protection can be maintained
by installing some form of
alarm that can be heard in all
parts of the camp, as the lust
iest hammering on the old tri
angle can be heard only a
short distance. This opinion is
! shared by many who realize
that early summoning of all
possible help is a primary nec
essity in a community where
no regular fire department
can be maintained and bucket
brigades are frequently the
most efficient means of check
ing fires. Unfortunately, Mr.
Traversy’s scheme did not
work out as well as expected
and other means will have to
be found to provide an effect
ive alarm.
WHEELER HIRE
HTTMCTSIHTEREST
The silver bills recently in
troduced in both houses of
Congress by Senator Wheeler
and Representative Evans of
Montana appear to be receiv
ing major attention on the
part of silver relief propon
ents, according to recent press
reports.
In order that our readers
may understand the scope of
this measure, the full text is
printed below.
“A bill to establish a bimet
allic system of currency, em
i ploying gold and silver, to fix
I the relative value of gold and
silver, to provide for the free
coinage of silver as well as
gold, and for other purposes.
“Be it enacted by the senate
and house of representatives
of the United States of Amer
ica in congress assembled,
j that the proportional value of
j silver to gold in all coins which
j are by law current as money
| within the United States shall
| be as 16 to 1, according to
j juantity in weight, of pure
| diver or pure gold; that'is to
•ay, every 16 pounds weight
i of pure silver shall be of
equal value in all payments
with one pound weight of pure
gold, and so in proportion as
to any greater or less quant
ities of the respective metals.
“Section 2. There shall be
free coinage of both gold and
I silver, at the ratio fixed in this
act, subject to the conditions
and limitations now provided
by law with respect to the coin
age of gold; and all the laws
of the United States relating
to such coinage or to recoin
age, exchange, or conversion
i of coin, bars, or bullion of
! gold, shall apply equally, so
far as practicable, to silver.
“Section 3. The dollar con
sisting of 25 8-10 grains of
I gold nine-tenths fine, or of
1121/2 grains of silver nine
Lenths fine, shall be the stand
ard unit of value, and all forms
af money issued or coined by
he United States shall be
maintained at a parity of value
with this standard, and ia shall
be the duty of the secretary of
the treasury to maintain such
parity.”
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Bill Asks Salaries For
U. S. Commissioners
Regular salaries for United
States Commissioners in Alas
ka, ranging from $750 to not
more than $3,000 per annum,
are proposed in a measure in
troduced in( the lower House
of Congress by Alaska dele
gate James Wickersham.
The measure is aimed at do
ing away with the present fee
system, which in many instanc
es fails to provide a living
wage for the incumbent.. Ef
forts made in earlier years to
have Alaska Commissioners of
fices placed on a salary basis
have failed to receive the
sanction of Congress.
The Wickersham bill pro
vides that the basis for deter
mining the initial salary of the
various offices shall be the ag
gregate amount of fees collect
ed by individual offices dur
ing the fiscal years 1928, 1929,
1930 and 1931. The act, if
passed, is to be effective from
January this year.