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
HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
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/OL. 8, NO. 7
HYDER, ALASKA, NOVEMBER 28, 1931
BY THE YEAR $3.0'
SEES NEED OF SILVER
FOR WORLD'S TRADE
Prospect of an international
silver agreement among major
silver producers of the world
looms as a result of recom
mendations of the Internation
al Chamber of Commerce.
Meanwhile Solomon R. Gug
genheim, metal magnate, has
issued a statement saying re
turn of silver to its pre-war
use “seems to be essential for
restoration of world trade,” ac- \
cording to press reports.
Informal conferences toward
the international silver agree
ment already have begun. Rep
resentatives of the most im
portant silver interests in the
United States and Europe are
expected to be invited soon to
meet here or in London to
study the committee’s stabil-1
ization program.
The experts’ report express- j
ed the opinion an internation- j
al conference was not to be ex-1
pected soon, but its recom
mendations were said to have
prompted- steps for a meeting
to give effect to the practical
features of the plan. An ef
fort will be made to obtain co
operation of various govern
ments, especially the United
States, Great Britain, China j
and India.
In his statement the metal
magnate, member of the firm I
of Guggenheim Brothers,
warned against the possibility
that silver speculation “may |
go too far too soon,” but ad
vanced the belief that “if the
world returns to the same use
of silver that it had before the j
war it would seem quite cer
tain that the price automatical- j
ly would be somewhere around
the prewar level and perhaps i
slightly above it.”
“Such a rise,” he said, “would
almost double the value of
silver hoards of India and of
the money now in China. It
would tend rapidly to restore
the rate of those countries to ;
the prewar levels when silver j
was at the price I have stated
(an average of 55% cents be-!
tween 1909 and 19U1).”
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Traversy Named Local
Democratic Committeeman
Noel M. Traversy, has been
advised by J. J. Conners, Dem
ocratic National Committee
man for Alaska, of his ap- J
pointment as committeeman
for the Democratic party in I
the Hyder precinct. Mr. Trav
ersy's appointment is the first j
permanent party appointment j
to be made here in connection
with the coming campaign. !
Mr. Traversy will work in j
conjunction with the precinct;
committee, consisting- of B. B.
Smith, W. C. Blanton and J. K. ;
Green, elected at the Demo- i
cratic organization meeting
held here recently.
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Yukon Stopped November 17
The Yukon river stopped |
running at Dawson at 7:30 p. !
m. November 17, with the
temperature at 27 below, ac
cording to Dawson reports.
The main river and all tribu
taries were reported frozen!
solid.
Chamber of Commerce
Holds Enjoyable Dance
Close to 100 people from
both sides of the internation
al boundary line attended the
Thanksgiving Eve dance giv
en by the Hyder of Chamber
of Commerce in Pioneer Hall
Wednesday night.
The dance was a financial
as well as a social success and
netted somewhere in the
neighborhood of $35, which
will be used by the Chamber in
furthering its highly creditable
activities looking to the pro
gress of the town and district.
A tasty cafeteria luncheon
was served and the music pro
vided by the Electrola phono
graph installed for the occas
sion was all that could be de
sired, according to attendants.
Both in the matter of tone and
volume, the big amplifying
machine was able to fill the
hall in most satisfactiry man
ner.
The committee in charge,
consisting of Oren F. Hill, R.
C. Young and E. D.. Iladdon
are entitled to unstinted praise
for their efforts and the suc
cess achieved. The committee
desires that we extend their
thanks to all who assisted in
the success of the entertain
ment by services or attend-!
ance..
It is the intention to hold
another dance in the near fu
tue, which it is hoped can be
made even more enjoyable as
a result of the experience gain
ed in this first entertainment
held under the Chamber
auspices.
Fur Exports Valued
Over 2 Million; 1930
Skins of fur-bearing land
animals to the number of
494,547 and valued at $2,
128,148, were exported from
Alaska in 1930, a report from
he Alaska Game Commission
o the Biological Survey, U. S.
Department of Agriculture,
shows. This is $2,385,715 less
than the value of the 1929
•hipments, although 197,245
more pelts were exported. The
•vmaller return for 1930 re
sulted from a general decline
n the market value of individ
jal furs.
The report is based on the
statements that fur shippers
ire required to file with agents
:'or transportation companies
jr with postmasters handling
he shipments, who in turn
must forward them to the
Alaska Game Commission.
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Spokane Meeting
To Discuss Silver j
The silver question will be
tn important issue at the con
tention of the Northwest Min-!
ng Association, to be held in j
Spokane December 11.
The white metal's future is
ilso expected to occupy an im
portant place on the agendas
af several other conventions in
Spokane next month, including !
that of the western division of
the United States Chamber of
Commerce.
ALASKA HIGHWAY TO
COST 14 MILLION
The proposed Pacific high
way to Alaska will cost ap
proximately $14,300,000, Ern
est Walker Sawyer, member
of the International Highway
Commission, announced orally
at the Department of the In
terior Nov. 6.
Mr. Sawyer said the annual
charge, including interest and
maintenance, should not ex
ceed $i;804,000.
The following additional in
formation on the latest devel
opments of the project was
supplied by Mr. Sawyer:
Experts have been busy es
timating the cost of construct
ing the 2,225 mile road.
The proposed road is divided
into the following links; From
Blaine to Hazelton, 815 miles,
already completed; from Haz
elton to the Yukon boundary, |
610 miles through virgin!
country; across Yukon to Alas-!
lea boundary, 530 miles; and '
from the Alaskan boundary to !
McCarty, 180 miles. From Me-!
Carty to Fairbanks the dist- j
ance is 90 miles.
It is believed that the Yukon.!
section needs complete regrad- j
ing for its total of 530 miles
at an average cost of $7,500 1
per mile, or $3,975,000, plus
$600,000 for the bridges in j
that section.
The Alaska section is estimat-!
ed at $10,000 per mile, or a!
total of $1,800,000. The sec- i
tion from Hazelton to the Yu-!
kon border is estimated at
$13,000 per mile, including
bridges; this totals $7,930,000 j
for British Columbia. The road \
from the United States as far 1
as Hazelton, 815 miles, is now j
completed and in continuous:
use for 12 months of the year, j
The entire expenditure nec- j
essary, therefore, to construct
a well graveled highway to
the heart of Alaska is $14,
305.000.
■o
Roden Takes Jail
Sentence For Contempt,
Henry Roden, pioneer Alas-'
ka attorney, elected to serve i
time in the federal jail at Ju
neau rather than pay a fine
of $200 imposed by the feder
al judge Justin W. Harding
under contempt proceedings
instituted by the court, accord
ing to press telegrams.
Roden is alleged to have ap- i
plied the word.“liar” to a wit- j
ness and refused to apologize |
although he tendered apolo-1
gies to the court.
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Sue Airplane Company
For Accident Damages
Damage suits aggregating
$77,924.50 have been filed by
Mrs. Grace Selig, C. J. Alex
ander and Axel Dano against
the Pioneer Aairways, as a re
sult of the airplane accident
last summer at Salmon Lake,
near Ketchikan, in which Steve
Selig, Ketchikan fish buyer,
was killed, and Alexander and
Dano were injured.
All the complaints allege the
smashup was caused by “gross
and reckless negligence” on
the part of the company and
Mr. Alexander charged the
pilot permitted the plane to
become overloaded.
a ENGLAND TO
CALL CONFERENCE
The Federation of British
Industries and the Empire Ec
onomic Union want the British
government to set up an em
pire central bank and an em
pire currency in which silver
would be utilized as part of
the reserve.
These points were included
in an all-empire policy set
forth in a resolution adopted
recently by a joint commission
of the organizations, according
to cable reports from London.
The resolution urged the gov
ernment to summon an inter
national conference on silver
with out delay and rec
ommended the restoration
of silver to “its former place
in the monetary system of the
world.”
The two organizations do not
contemplate restoration of sil
ver as a standard of exchange,
nor do they call for establish
ment of a permanent system
of bimetallism. Their resolut
ion recommends that measures
be taken to increase the pur
chasing power of such consum
ers as India and China by
authorizing central banks to
keep a portion of their metal
lic reserves in silver.
‘The British empire,” the
committee found, “is not in
the political sense a unitary j
state. The is no central author-1
ity, as in the French empire,)
which could impose a single1
currency system. Any mone
tary unity must be arrived at j
by free cooperation.
“There would seem to be no
constitutional or practical dif
ficulty in the central banking
authorities of the empire
agreeing to constitute a cen-:
teal empire bank which would
act as a clearing house for all.”
The committee suggests that;
an empire conference be sum
moned to go into the currency!
problem.
Urge Use Of Silver
i
Aa part of the campaign to
remonetize silver Colorado
merchants and banks are in
sisting on the use of silver dol
lars to the exclusion of paper
bank notes behind which there
s no silver reserve.
“Use more silver dollars,” is
he slogan adopted in Colorado
and residents are urged as a |
rivic duty to demand their I
rhange in silver.
Silver bars are displayed in
bank and store windows and
residents, also as a matter of
rivic duty as well as invest
ment, are urged to buy.
i
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Quake Rocks Anchorage
A pronounced earthquake
af almost one minute’s dura
ion rocked Anchorage shortly
after noon on November 20,
according to press reports. The
first shock was followed by
another less severe a half min
ute later. The first quake was
accompanied by distinct rum
blings. Buildings swayed but
no damage was reported.
! Drill Work Continuing
At Big Missouri
i -
Reports from the Big Mis
! souri mine this week state that
! the extensive diamond drilling
I program inaugurated some
; weeks ago is continuing full
j blast under the direction of
| Douglas Campbell. However,
! nothing can be learned regard
j ing either the objective, or re- j
j suits of the drill campaign, ow
j ing to the customary official
; i eticense regarding company
affairs.
It is understood that present j
orders for continued activities j
j extend up to December 15th. i
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j !
Chamber of Commerce
Dinner Meeting Wednesday
The monthly dinner meeting
of the Hyder Chamber of Com
merce will be held at the Sil
ver Grill restaurant next Wed
nesday evening, December 2,
at 6 p. m.
The holding of a monthly
dinner meetings has proved a j
decidedly popular custom |
among the business interests |
of both Stewart and Hyder |
and the dinners are invariably j
attended by virtually all the :
live-wire business men in the ',
two towns, in addition to1,
representitives from Premier, i
B. C., a number of whom are ' i
members of the Hyder Cham- 1
ber. ! i
The Board of Directors of j i
the Chamber will also hold a (
meeting next Monday after-!
noon to consider a number of i
subjects which will be pre- i
sented at the regular meeting ]
Wednesday.
o
i
Big Tonnage on
Bunting Holdings (
William Hunting, former lo- ,
cal mining man, returned re- j (
turned recently to Vancouver!,
after spending the summer on I,
his Gold Chord gold property! c
near Haines, Alaska, and is re-; t
ported as being optimistic that1,
the big free milling group will
develop into a large proposit- j (
ion, once the necessary cap-j,
ital takes hold of it. t
Considerable work was done N
on the main vein, four feet ^
wide, which was stripped for r
2400 feet, and a 100-foot j
shaft sunk, the width of the (
vein and the values maintain- ^
ing all through. It is estimated (
that about 600,000 tons of
probable ore has been proven.
Mr. Bunting found three
more veins, fairly high grade, j
The property, located in Brit
ish Columbia territory, is j
reached via Haines over a l
road 42 miles long, thence by j l
about six miles of trail. | i
Two Old-Timers pass 1
On Almost Together ^
Al. Shipley, 85, and Ike Bur
en, both well known old-tim-,®
ers of the Ketchikan district,:1
passed away vTithin a few i t
hours of each other in the s
First City a few’ days ago. j
Shipley is said to have en
tered Alaska before it w'as 1
purchased from Russia. c
-o-r
Born—to the wife of Jack ^
Brooks, Thursday morning in t
Stewart hospital, a son.
c
ASK LOOSENING Of
GAME REGULATIONS
At the recent meeting at
Fairbanks of the Alaska Game
Commission a lengthy petition
was presented from nearly all
the residents of the Tanana
section asking, in view of the
existing depression and hard
times in the interior of Alaska
and particularly among the
Natives, that the season bo
opened on martin and beaver
and not the catch of trappers
to any specified number, and
to allow trappers to shoot
beaver with a rifle.
The Commission opened the
season on both beaver and
martin and each trapper is
allowed to trap 15 beaver and
10 martin. But now complaint
has been made to Delegate
Wickersham that the trapping
of beaver thru the ice is im
possible during the months of
lanuary, February and March,
rltho the Natives know how to
rap on land and are good
•hots with a rifle. The petition
?rs claim that the Commission
nakes such regulations that
iardly any one can follow
.vithout breaking. The manner
)f sealing game is also object
ed to and the request is made
hat the Biological Survey
lave seals issued direct to the
rappers as well as to the
lame Wardens. The matter i3
)eing taken up with the prop
er officials.
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Big Copper Strike in Nizini
A copper strike made re
ently by Martin Radovan on
xlacier Creek in the Nizini
ountry is declared to be the
>iggest strike of copper glance
nade in the north since the
liscovery of the famous Ken
lecott mine. The lead shows
ight feet of solid copper
dance, runing better than 60
ler cent copper and showing
.11 signs of permanence.
With betterment in business
onditions and a rise in copper
irices, it is virtually certain
hat the Copper River Railroad
vill be extended some 30 miles
o take out ore from the new
nine. This will involve the ex
lenditure of several million
lollars in that locality and
till result in new activity in
lopper River valley.
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Gives Potato Raising Tips
Persons interested in potato
aising in Alaska will find
luch useful and interesting
iformation in a new govern
ment pamphlet entitled “Po
atoes in Alaska,” issued July
931 by the Alaska Agricul
ural Experiment station at
itka. The pamphlet, known
Iso as Bulletin No. 9, gives
esults of experiments in po
ato raising in this and other
ections of Alaska also the
istory of potato culture in
he Territory from Russian
ays. Copies of the bulletin
may be obtained from the
agricultural Experiment Sta
ions, at Juneau, Alaska, with
ut cost.