HYDER - FIRST ALASKA TOWN THAT CAN BE REACHED BY PACIF1C-YBK0N-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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SUBSCRIPTIONS
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IN ADVANCE
VOLUME 10, NUMBER 8.
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1933.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
WHEELER TO PRESS FOR
SILVER REMONETIZATION
Senator Burton K. Wheeler
of Montana, America’s fore
most silver champion, is pre
paring to revise his bill for the
remonetization of silver when
Congress convenes in January
and is confident the measure
will pass, acording to press re
ports from the south.
Senator Wheeler declared we
must have some form of refla
tion if prosperity is to be re
stored. Gold purchases will
not go far enough and it is a
choice between reflation by
paper or silver, the senator
said.
Senator Wheeler indicated
that his insistence on silver re
monetization does not mean
a break with the administra
tion.
Silver is now over 40 cents
per ounce, the highest point in
two years.
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Gold Still Climbing
Gold, under the spur of gov
ernment price fixing, continues
its steady upward climb and is
now close to 60 per cent above
normal.
The Thursday quotation an
nounced at Washington was
$33.15. This was an advance
of 10 cents over the preceding
day and 41 cents above the
London market.
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Canadian Dollar Close to Par.
With the Canadian dollar
again virtually at par with the
American dollar, local merch
ants are relieved of the diffi
cult burden of having to dis
count around 90 per cent of all
money received by them in
trade, because of the scarcity
of American funds in this
neck of the woods.
With discount rates ranging
up to 20 per cent over a long
period, the profits of local
dealers on many lines of staple
goods have been virtually
wiped out and their bills, pay
able in American funds, cou’i
be met only with much diffi
culty. With the Canadian
money again at par they are
one more able to look upon the
local trade situation with more
equanimity.
The Canadian dollar is now
worth more in U. S. funds than
at any time since the fall of
1931 and may go above par if
President Roosevelt’s plans for
depressing the dollar value suc
ceed.
-o
Teaching of music in the Hy
der public school is being
much facilitated by the action
of the Methodist Church board
in loaning a piano to the school.
Civilian Work Camp
Ordered Closed Nov. 15
Despite vigorous efforts by
the Chamber of Commerce and
citizens to secure continuance
of the local emergency employ
ment work camp during the
winter season, orders were re
ceived this week from the for
estry bureau officials in charge
of the Alaska program to sus
pend operations on November
15.
The effect of the order will
be to throw some 20-odd men
out of employment for at least
or: months h id at a time when
i > t’her 'mp'oyment can poss
udy be oV t.ned.
^side fr ;n: somewhat vague
re.' erencei to snow conditions
being likely to hamper oper
ations, no explanation regard
ing the reasons for the order to
close have been forthcoming.
As President Roosevelt has
authorized a continuance of
the civilian employment work
camps throughout the country
for an additional six months,
and as camps at Ketchikan and
other points in the district are
to be continued during the win
ter, the order closing the camp
is resented by all residents as
unjust to local labor and the
community generally. It is
pointed out chat there is no
certainty that snow conditions
would prevent continuance of
the camp’s activities after
November 15, as during most
of the winters road work could
be maintained without great
difficulty until January or lat
er. It is also claimed on reli
able authority that much need
ed repair work on the govern
ment-owned rock jetty on Sal
mon river, which protects the
Salmon highway from floods,
can be carried on throughout
the winter season without ser
ious interference by snow con
ditions.
The general view is that,
whatever the snow outlook
may be, the camp should be
permitted to continue at least
as long as winter conditions
permit and not be summarily
closed on a mere expectation
that widely variable climatic
developments may interfere.
In an effort to secure a re
scindment of the order, the
Chamber of Commerce has
forwarded telegrams to H. C.
Flory, director of the civilian
employment camps in Alaska,
J. J. Connors, Democratic nat
ional committeeman, and other
officials whose influence may
be counted on in that direction.
It is also rumored that some
citizens are contemplating tak
| ing the matter direct to Presi
dent Roosevelt as a last resort.
EXPORTS INDICATE
TRADE UPSWING
Exports of gold and silver
valued at $2,022,983 and mer
chandise shipments totaling
$1,960,084 during the month of
October are shown in the
monthly statement of Collector
of Customs J. J. Connors. The
gold shipments were nearly
one million dollars greater in
value than for any month since
November, 1929, while the
merchandise exports for the
[month were exceeded only
twice during the present year.
A small but substantial in
crease is shown in virtually all
lines of exported commodities
and suggests that Alaska pro
duction is again on the up
swing. The complete list of
exports and vajues follows:
Animals .$ 4,380
Curios . 45
Fish:
Fresh and frozen -
Halibut . 104,210
Salmon . 32,161
All other. 575
Canned -
Salmon . 1,009,624
Cured or preserved -
Cod .,. 54,847
Herring. 220,705
Salmon . 111,894
Shell-fish:
Clams. 9,268
Crabs . 24,279
Shrimps . 10,398
Other fish products:
Meal . 30,573
Oil . 43,280
All other fish and
fish products. 3,585
Furs and fur-skins:
Blue fox . 210
Silver or black fox 282
Red fox . 3,335
White fox. 40,387
Mink . 619
Muskrat . 399
Beaver . 7,677
All other . 9,990
Manufactured furs .. 440
Lead . 10,816
Reindeer meat. 19,274
Trophies, specimens 4,250
Wood, timber, etc. .. 542
All other articles .... 26,872
Total value of prod
ucts of Alaska.$1,784,917
Products of United
States returned . 127,330
Total value of for
eign products. 47,801
Total value of ship
ments merchandise $1,960,048
Gold . 2,018,549
Silver . 4,434
Grand Total . $3,983,031
-o
M. M. O’Brier, mines mana
ger of the Consolidated Mining
and Smelting Company, ar
rived Thursday on a visit to the
Big Missouri property.
I Government May Issue
New'Silver Certificates
That the government may
soon increase the volume of
paper currency by means of a
new issue backed by silver, was
the interesting news that came
from Washington, D. C., last
Saturday.
The basis of the new issue, it
was intimated, would be 811,
000,000 in silver bullion re
ceived by the government last
June from Great Britain as
part of that nation’s war debt
payment. Utilization of the
silver in that way is virtually
the only means the governin' nt
has for making it useful. In
addition it will increase the
supply of sound currency in an
equivalent amount with out
payment of interest, as is nec
essesary when the government
issues bonds to increase its cur
rency resources—with result
ant hardships on the tacoay
ers, who have to pay the inter
est.
Some day the public will re
alize the folly of the g ivern
ment’s practice of paying inter
est to some one for the privi
lege of using money which the
government itsel creates and
gives value to.
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Local Talent To Present Play
The Women’s Association of
the United Church of Stewart
i3 making extensive prepar
ations to stage a theatrical
performance in Stewart on De
cember 1st and 2nd, with some
7or 8 talented Stewart people
in the cast. The play is to be a
farce comedy of most amus
ing character and promises to
provide one of the best enter
tainments ever presented in
this locality. Full details are
not available at present and
will be published later.
Mrs. H. D. Rochfort is chair
man of the committee in charge
and Mr. P. S. Jack is director.
-O
Williams To Boost
Highway To Roosevelt
Tired of this “hero business”
but determined to continue
drawing attention to the Inter
national highway, “Slim” Wil
liams plans to remain at Chi
cago until the Century of Pro
gress Exposition is ended.
Then he will start for Wash
ington by dog team, using his
novel sled mounted on wheels
by which he traveled during
the early summer from South
ern Canada to Chicago.
Slim calculates it will take
him about a month to make the
trip to Washington. He hopes
to have an interview with
I President Rosevelt and tell the
' chief executive all about the
‘ highway.
SHORT OPEN SEASON
FOR BEAVER ALLOWED
A forty-two day open season
for taking beaver in a major
portion of Fur District No. 1,
which includes the First Ju
dicial Division, is allowed in an
amendment to the game regu
lations authorized by the act
ing secretary of agriculture.
The amendment, effective
December 10, provides for an
open season on beaver in all
parts of Fur District No. 1 ex
cept on Chichagof and Bara
nof Islands or within the posted
area in Mendenhall Valley ad
jacent to Glacier Highway,
from December 10, 1933, to
January 20, 1934, both date?
inclusive. Not to exceed 10
beaver may be taken during
this period. The previous reg
ulations continue in all other
fur districts.
Moose Park Road Finished
The E.C.W. work camp crew
has completed the construction
of the Moose Park road and in
spection of the work done re
veals a stretch of highway
which will be a distinct benefit
to patrons of the park. With a
trifle more surfacing the road
will be the equal of any in the
district.
Pending final decision as to
continuance of the camp after
November 15, the crew is now
engaged in various road im
provements at other points. In
cluded in their activities of the
past few days was the cutting
down of many of the small
trees along the curve in Pre
mier avenue opposite the Wat
kins residence, where foliage
so obscured the view as to
make the curve a distinctly
dangerous spot for traffic, ow
ing to the propensity of some
auto drivers for exceeding the
speed limit and cutting the
turns as closely as possible.
Wheel marks shew that some
of them in cutting the curve
actually encroach upon the
n-arrow sidewalk. As a result,
pedestrians have lately been
compelled to exercise caution
while traversing the curve to
avoid possible injury from
passing cars.
The cutting away of the
trees permits a clear view of
the roadway from both sides of
the curve and is therefore an
important public benefit. It is
hoped, however, that next
year the government will ad ot
more effective methods of
dealing with reckless drivers
than by cutting down trees.
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Alex. A. Frazer, owner of the
Frazer Hotel, returned Mon
day from a business trip to Se
attle, Portland and Vancouver.