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AN ALL
ALASKA'
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HERALD
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VOL 5, NO. 12
RYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22.1928.
PRICE TEN CENTS
»• WISHING EVERYONE A MERRY CHRISTMAS-*
PREMIER DIVIDENDS
PASS $13,000,000
NEXT MONTH
With the payment to stock
holders of the fourth quarterly
dividend for 1928 on January
4, the famous Premier Mine,
will have paid to share holders
in dividends a total of $13,
050,497.
The forthcoming payment
will total $300,000 and repre
sents 6 per cent on the $5,000,
000 capitalization. Payment
will be made to share holder.'
of record December 14. The
dividend will be the third ot
the same amount paid to share
holders this year and repre
sents a decrease of approxi
mately $100,000 in the divi
dend paid every quarter from
June 30, 1923 until the end ot
the first quarter of the present
year. Prior to June 30, 1923,
the quarterly dividends ranged
from $409,000 to upward ot
$700,000, the highest being
$757,500,paid for the quartei
ending June 30, 1922.
-O
LOCAL MEMBER ON
HOSPITAL BOARD
The Stewart General Hospita
Association, has announcet
tjirough its secretary, Mr. Jos
H. Wilson, the appointment oi
Mr. E. D. Haddon to member
ship on the hospital board
which directs the maintenance
of the Stewart General Hospi
tal.
The election of Mr. Haddor
was made at a mass meeting
of the members of the hospita’
association held Nov. 16 and
was unanimously endorsed by
the gathering. As a result ol
the association’s action Hydei
will have active representat
ion in the affairs of the hospi
tal, a rather unusual honor in
view of the fact that Hyder h
not in Canadian territory.
Since the hospital is in part
supported by grants from the
Provincial government, Mr.
Wilson informs the Herald that
there was at first some quest
ion as to the propriety of Mr.
Haddon’s appointment, but
the matter was referred to
the Provincial secretary and
elicited a reply stating that he
knew of no objection.
-The Association also acknowl
edges with thanks the donation
of $100 from the Hyder Com
munity Club, to be applied to
the hospital account of James
Carter, a Hyder resident who
passed away recently in Stew
art hospital after an extended
illness. The indicated sum rep
resents the net returns from
the dance given recently by
the Community Club in aid of
the hospital.
-o
F. J. Crossland consulting en
gineer for the Premier Border
Gold iMning Co., Ltd., left for
Vancouver Thursday after in
specting the diamond drilling
operations on the Virginia
Group, one of the several
large holdings of the company
near 13-Mile.
-O
C. A. Devlin, of Ketchikan,
returned to the First City Wed
nesday after a week in camp.
HARDING NOMINATION
REPORT CONFIRMED
Confirmation of recent re
ports of the nomination of
United States District Attorney
Justin W. Harding for Federal
Judge of the First Division was
received during the present
week.
Announcement of Mr. Hard
ings selection for the most im
oortant judicial post in Alaska
was announced in Washington,
0. C., December 10.
The new nominee to succeed
he late Judge Thomas M.
•Heed was appointed U. S. Dis
rict Attorney for this division
February 14, 1927, succeeding
Vrthur G. Shoup, and took the
>ath of office on March 16.
Mr. Harding is a native of
Warren County, Ohio, where
le practiced law for several
/oars a Lebanon. .He is a grad
late of Phillip-Exeter Acad
;my and the University of
Michigan and served three
erms in the State Assembly as
epresentative from Warren
bounty. He is a World War
/eteran, having entered the
■ervice in May 1917 as aCapt
lin of Infantry. Later he was
promoted to the rank of Major,
following his discharge from
he army Mr. Harding came to
\laska and spent one summer
n the Juneau district.
His nomination for the dist
rict attorneyship was recom
nended by the late Senator
•'rank B. Willis and Senator
Simeon D. Fess, of Ohio and
vas supported by leading re
>ublicans throughout Ohio.
-o
W. R. (“Rube”) Hull, news
iditor of the Stewart News,
eft Thursday for Rupert, ac
:ompanied by Mrs. Hull, the
rip being prompted by a sud
len attack of severe eye
rouble.
The affliction is apparently
he result of eye strain, and
las induced a serious impair
nent of vision. Failing to se
:ure relief in Rupert, Mr. and
Mrs. Hull plan to continue on
o Vancouver.
o
R. C. Young, popular tonsori
ilist, who has been in charge
-> f the Traversy barber shop
Jor several months, left for the
?outh Thursday, accompanied
by Mrs. Young. Mr. Young’s
departure was occasioned by
iis recent purchase of an inter
est in one of the leading barber
-hops at Cleelum, Washington,
where he formerly resided.
-o—
Chas. Goldberg of the Pre
mier tram forces, left Monday
day evening to spend the holi
day season in the south.
Aside from all its remaining
source of material wealth,
“Alaska is worth 100,000,000
tons of news print, or $5,000,
000,000 in paper as it is load
ed into ships from the manu
facturing plants,” writes Col.
W. B. Greeley, former United
States Forester, in an article
in the current number ot
World’s Work.
NEW LIGHT PLANT
READY JAN. 1ST.
The new Granite Creek power
plant of the International
Electric Company, Inc., de
signed to provide increased
electric power for local con
sumption, will be placed in op
eration January 1, according
to Attorney Ernest Blue, sec
retary and director of the com
pany.
Save for a small amount of
work around the power house,
the new electric plant is now
in readiness to operate. Work
on the transmission line from
Granite Creek to Hyder, is
now in progress and will be
concluded in ample time to
have the system in operation
by the first of the coming year.
The plant is capable of devel
oping 100 horsepower of elect
rical energy and is expected
to provide ample current for
local demands for an extend
ed period.
Like the plants of the Inter
national Electric Company,
Ltd., of Stewart, the Granite
Creek plant is under option to
Canadian power interests as
sociated with the Power Cor
poration of Canada, but will
remain under the present man
agement until such time as the
option is exercised. Mr. Blue
states that there is no foundat
ion for recent local rumors of
impending changes in current
charges.
-o
“KID” DANCE DRAWS
GOOD CROWD
The “Kid” costume dance
given by the Hyder Commun
ty Club attracted a good sized
crowd of dance devotees to
Pioneer Hall Saturday evening
and proved a decidedly enjoy
able entertainment. The num
ber appearing as “kids” was
sufficiently large to provide a
decidedly unique aspect to the
gathering.
Total returns for admission
amounted to $108, the surplus
from which will be used to
purchase gymnasium equip
ment for the newly organized
school athletic association
sponsored by the Community
Club.
-o
The Crawfor Transfer Com
pany, Ltd., of Stewart, has es
tablished a winter stage service
between Stewart and Hyder
and the Premier and B. C. Sil
ver camps in the upper Salmon
basin.
The stage, known as the Big
Four, is warm, commodious,
and weather-tight, insuring
passengers the utmost comfort
attainable in stage transportat
ion in winter.
The traveling schedule will
be found in the company’s ad
vertisement appearing in an
other section.
-o
The motorship Norco arrived
from Seattle direct early Tues
day evening with 73 tons of
local cargo and one passenger
bound for Hyder, B. C.
COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS
TREE MONDAY EVE
The annual community Christ
mas celebration, dearest of all
local festivities to the kiddies
of the community, will be held
in Pioneer Hall Monday even
ing under the auspices of the
local Moose lodge and the citi
zens of the district.
The committee in charge of
the festivities, headed by John
Hovland, Chairman, have been
working like the proverbial
Trojans making preparations
for the great event and prom
ise a Christmas celebration
second to none held so far in
the district.
The kiddies have also been
busy under the direction of
Miss Geraldine Torrance and
will contribute a selected pro
gram of songs and recitations
while awaiting the arrival of
Santa Claus, who will person
ally distribute the gifts hung
by his orders on the Christmas
tree.
Members of the committee
say that good old St. Nick, has
been even more generous than
usual to the local little folks
this year and not a child in
the community but will receive
presents from his kindly hands.
Some of their elders are also
likely to participate in the gift
distribution, as Santa also likes
to remember the grown-ups as
well as the little ones at
Christmas time.
So if anyone wishes to enjoy
a real good time and witness
an outpouring of real, un
adulterated joy from childish
hearts they should not fail to
be on hand when the entertain
ment starts.
The Hyder Grocery has in
stalled one of the most strik
ing Holiday window displays
seen in the camp in a long peri
od. One of the large windows
is given over to a wide assort
ment of green vegetables em
bellished with real holly and
ither Christmas decorations,
the other window being devot
ed to an appetizing display of
fresh fruits and candies, also
in a setting of holly and ever
greens. The interior of the
store is also nicely decorated
in keeping with the Holiday
spirit.
-o
Following a pleasing custom
practiced by business firms in
many communities in the
States, a major portion of the
local business houses are pre
senting in the present issue of
the Herald special display ad
vertisements conveying to cust
omers and the public their
holiday greetings and express
ing appreciation for the pat
ronage tendered during the
past year.
A majority of the offerings
are presented on the last page
in place of the regular adver
tisements, which have been
temporarily removed to other
sections.
Mrs. Frank Fisher returned
I Monday from an extended visit
| with relatives in Oregon.
DEATH TAKES
DAVE O’LEARY
Dave O’Leary, pioneer mining
man and one of the most wide
ly known residents of the Port
land Canal district, passed
away in Stewart General Hos
pital Monday.
Deceased was a mining part
ner of Chas. L. Lake and as
sociated in the ownership of a
number of highly valuable
properties in the upper Salmon
basin and other sections of the
district.
Fueneral rites for the depart
ed old-timer were held in
Stewart, Thursday, and were
attended by a large gathering.
Following the services, the
remains were laid at rest in
Stewart Cemetery.
■o
SMALL POX EPIDEMIC
REPORTED SPREADING
With small pox reported in
epidemic form in villages scat
tered over 1,000 miles in the
northwestern part of the Ter
ritory, the Territorial Health
department is now turning itf
efforts toward preventing the
disease from spreading into
the Arctic coast settlements
and those in the district be
tween the Yukon and Kusko
kwim Rivers according to a
recent summary of the situat
ion published by the Juneau
Empire.
It is now known that small
pox exists in epidemic form in
villages from Marshal on the
Yukon to Kotzebue Sound,
with hundreds of active cases
reported. The villages where
epidemics have been reported
include Marshal, Mountair
Village, Pilot Station and Una
Iakleet on the Yukon and
Candle and Deering in the Kot
zebue Sound region. Advices
received by Governor Parks re
ported 100 cases of the disease'
in Deering and vicinity and 22
at Candle. Whether the dis
ease is prevalent in the areas
between Teller and Kotzebue
Sound and north of the lattei
district, is not known, owing
to the absence of communicat
ion. The authorities are also
in the dark regarding the sit
uation between the Yukon and
Kuskokwim.
Dr. H. C. DeVighne, Commis
sioner of Health, is not opti
mistic regarding the chances
for early control of the epi
demic. Sanitary conditions ir
the affected areas are not fav
orable for stamping out the
disease and the customs of the
native residents make it diffi
cult to treat them effectively
As soon as the epidemic ap
pears, those not sick desert
their villages and move tc
other localities, scattering the
disease in their wake. This and
the shortage of medical per
sonnel leads the authorities to
fear that it will take months
to wipe out the disease.
-o
John Campbell, who entered
the Premier hospital last week
after an extended illness at
home, is reported very much
improved.
WINTER SOLSTICE
MARKS BEGINNING
OF LONGER DAYS
Today, is the shortest day of
the year, and marks the be
period of the winter solstice,
so called owing to the sun, hav
ing arrived at that point in the
ecliptic farthest south of the
equator, appearing to stand
still for several days.
There are two solstices in
each year, the summer and
winter. The former occurs
June 22, when the sun reaches
its greatest northern declin
ation and the other at the pres
ent period, when the sun ar
rives at the limit oT its south
ern declination.
At both the summer and
vinter solstices the sun scarce
ly changes its declination for
several days. As a result of
this both the day before and
the day after the actual sol
stice are of parctically the
same length, the actual differ
snce being so slight as to be
determinable only by the clos
est measurement.
Following the summer sol
stice, at which the longest day
of the year occurs, the days
gradually shorten as the sun
declines to the south, until th?
winter solstice, after which
she days lengthen again until
the summer solstice is reached.
This is only to be understood
)f the Northern Hemisphere,
is in the Southern Hemisphere
she longest day occurs De
;ember 22, while the shortest
s on June 22.
o
WINE DIVIDENDS
BREAK RECORDS
Dividends paid by American
nining companies that make
nublic their disbursements to
stockholders paid during the
nonth of November break all
last records for this month,
fhe dividends paid in Novem
>er of 1927 totaled $17,943,
>48, as against $19, 247,397
n November, 1928. There are
nany small companies and
leasing syndicates that do not
make public their dividend
lisbursements. If all dividends
md mining profits were tabu
ated the total would no doubt
le far in excess of $20,000,
)00 for the month, says the
Denver Mining Record.
Copper producers have been
able to reflect higher earnings,
esulting from the recent im
nrovement in the copper situ
ition. The result is larger divi
lend payments. Speculation is
nfe in financial circles j.ust
now as to the identity of the
next copper producer to an
nounce an increase in its divi
dend rate. The latest to be
stepped up were Kennecott’s
quarterly rate from $1.50 to $2
Calumet and Hecla’s from 50
nents to $1, and Chile Copper’s
:rom 62 cents to 75 cents per
share; Kennecott’s payable in
January and the others in De
:ember.
-o
Joe Linke left Monday even
ing enroute to Grand Forks,
North Dakota, where he will
'spend a short vacation.
I