HYDER - FIRST ALASKA TOWN THAT CAN BE REACHED BY PAC1FIC-YUKON-ALASKA HIGHWAY
t " — --—1 '
SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
SUBSCRIPTIONS
•3.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
VOLUME 10, NUMBER 28.
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 1934.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
SENATE AWAITS TIP
CN DIES SILVER BILL
Senate action on the Dies sil
ver bill i's being deferrel pend
ing an expression of the admin
istration attitude regarding the
measure, which passed the
House last week.
Silver state senators are said
to regard the bill as inadequate
and would like to substitute a
measure which would establish
a board to negotiate for the
sale of agricultural surpluses
abroad, and accept silver pay
ment.® at a premium over world
prices. They also favor use of
the silver as backing for new
currency.
Alaska Treasury Balance
Shews Good Gain
The Territorial Treasury was
$173,356.79 better off at the
end of February than on the
same date a year ago, accord
ing to the monthly report of
Treasurer W. G. Smith.
The net cash balance at the
clove of business February 28
was $690,918.23, as compared
to $517,561.44 at the end of
February, 1933. The total
cash balance for each year was
$765,238.07 and $574,086.68. |
Alaska License Law
Before Circuit Court
A suit filed by non-resident
fishermen attacking the valid
ity of the Alaska fishermen’s
License law, imposing a $25 li
cense tax ion all non-resident
fishermen operating in Alaska
waters, is up for hearing in the
curcuit court of appeals at San
Francisco. The law, which im
poses a tax of only $1 on resi
detn fishermen, was upheld by
Judge G. F. Alexander in Jun
eau last fall. Attorney gener
al James S. Truitt has gone
south to represent the Terri
tory.
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Record Alaska Halibut Caught
A four hundred and twenty
five pound halibut, said to have
been the largest ever caught in
Alaska waters, was brought to
Seattle recently by the fishing
schooner Venture.
The huge fish was 8 feet 6
inches long and 4 feet 3 inches
wide and was caught on the
Portlock banks in the Gulf of
Alaska.
A halibut weighing 375 ■
pounds is said to have been ,
landed in Ketchikan some
years ago. The average for j
large halibut is about 150 1
pounds.
ERROR HALTS ALASKA
DRY LAW REPEAL
The bill repealing dry laws
in Alaska, after passing both
houses of Congress, has been
again delayed as a result of an
amendment inserted in the
House giving the governor of
Alaska power to pardon per
son? convicted under prohibi
tion laws. Vesting of this pow
er in the govern/or is declared
to be unconstitutional, but the
fact was not discovered until
the repeal bill had been sent to
the White House for President
Roosevelt’s signature.
To remedy the defect, Dele
gate Dimond on Tuesday intro
duced a resolution to call the
repeal measure back to the
Senate and House floors.
Reports stated that although
the Delegate expected immed
iate action by Congress to rect
ify the error, he did not expect
the president to sign the bill
until he returns from his fish
ing trip to Florida.
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Homestead Act
Given Approval
The De Rouen bill amending
the homestead laws ito permit
purchase of five-acre tracts by
3-year homestead residents and
providing right of way for
railroads of Alaska has been
repbii.ed favorably by the
house public lands committee, j
The measure would permit
citizens to purchase 5 acres as'
a homesite for $2.50 an acre |
after 3 years residence thereon, i
without showing as to the ap-;
plicamt’s occupation. The com
mittee adopted a resolution of
fered by Delegate Dimond pro
posing that surveys should be
made ,of such lands without
cost to the applicant when he
had erected a habitable build
ing or done business on the 1
land for three years.
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Interior Man Killed
In Airplane Accident
Struck by the whirling pro
pellor of an airplane from
which he had just landed with
upplies for prospecting on
Salcha River, 70 miles from
Fairbanks, Charles Bailey, 64.
pioneer interior man, wa> i
killed when he attempted to
push the plane free when cne
ski struck snow.
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Laying of the new iflcor in the
oublic school was started last
Friday by Nick Belyin and
f\ngus Kennedy and completed
luring the first days of the pre
sent week.
The work was done under an
2WA appropriation to the i
rerritory for school repair :
work in all parts of Alaska. :
RAILROAD FRANCHISE
IS AGAIN RENEWED
Word ccmes from Victoria
this week that the British Col
umbia Legislature has renewed
after stormy debate the char
ter of the local Canadian North
Eastern Railway from Stewart
to Fort Grahamc, B. C., under
the stipulation that construct
ion wcrk is to start within one
year and is to be completed
within the charter period of
five years:
The extension was ably sup
ported by William J. Asseltine,
representative of the local or
Atlin district, in a vigorous and
forceful address.
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JAPAN AND U. S. PLEDGE
PEACE IN NOTES
In an exchange of notes be
tween Secretary of State Hull
and Foreign Minister Hirota,
the United States and Japan
mutually pledged peace be
tween the two nations.
Bad news for the jingoes and
munitions manufacturers.
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ALASKA ELECTION BILL
UP TO PRESIDENT
The Dirnond bill setting the j
second Tuesday in September
as the date for holding the bi
ennial general election in Alas
ka was passed by the Senate
last week and sent to the White
House.
The measure also, provides
that the Alaska legislature
shall hereafter convene on the
second Monday in January
every second year after the
present one. The election pro
vision becomes effective this i
year.
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j
Famous Banker
Philantropist Dead ■
Otto Kahn, famous banker,
ail patron and philanthropist
died suddenly Thursday.
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Change in U. S. Mail Schedule
A change in the schedule cf
Ketchikan which will change
he weekly mail boats frbm
he day of arrival from Thurs
day to Tuesday will become ef
fective next week, according to
a statement by officers of the
vessel on their last visit.
-: -o
William Gray, proprietor of j
he Hyder Lumber Company,
■eturned Thursday from his
innual winter vacation in the
;'outh.
I BILL PROVIDES FOR
TARIFF NEGOTIATIONS
_
A bill authorizing President
Roosevelt to raise or lower tar
iffs in exchange for foreign
trade concessions was passed
Thursday by the Senate.
Authorization of the Presi
dent to negotiate tariffs in re
turn for trade concessions and
to raise and lower 'tariff rates
as required is looked upon by
many economists as the 'only
practicable method of remfav
ing present obstacles to foreign
'trade.
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Packers Abandon
Contract Labor
The Alaska Packers Associa
tion has announced discontinu
ance of the contract system of
hiring cannery workers for the
association salmon canneries in
Alaska, as a result of the con
viction of four San Francisco
labor contractors for violation
of the California peonage laws.
The association will hereafter
hire its own workers and will |
probably employ most of them '
from the ranks of unemployed '
Alaskans, the announcement j
said.
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Georgia River To
Resume Development
Helena Gold Mines, which
took over the Georgia River
Gbld Mines property on
Georgia River a year ago, will
resume development activities
shortly, according to reports
from the south. Work will be
conducted in accordance with
recommendations, made by B.
W. W. McDcugall, well known
mining engineer, and is expect
ed to open sufficient ore to
place the property in product
ion.
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Alaska-Juneau Profits
$193,950 Last Month
The Alaska Juneau mine,
operating on ores averaging
nly 67.22 cents per ton, made
a profit of $193,950 in Febru
ary, according to the monthly
statement of estimated profits
from the San Francisco office.
Ore milled aggregated 320,
590 tons, from which gold val
ued at $212,500 at the old price
($20.67 an ounce) was ob
tained. Lead and silver pro
duction totaled $3,000. Oper
ating costs, including office ex
penses totaled $172,000, or
53.65 cents per ton of ore
handled.
Estimated revenue from the
price received for gold in ex
cess lof $20.67 per ounce
amounted to $145,250.
i
SAYS SILVER RATIO OF
16 TO 1 IS TOO HIGH
That the proposed 16-to-l
ratio is too high and insistence
upon its adoption is a stumbling
block to international stabiliz
ation is indicated in a recent
market letter of Wolverton and
Co., of Vancouver, whose pene
trating analyses of mining and
financial conditions have at
tracted much attention in re
cent years.
With reference to the subject
the letter says:
“International recognition of
a 5000-year standard involv
ing the use of silver as a basis
for money, is coming. Many
intermediary steps have al
ready been taken and more are
coming up for adoption from
month to mlonth. The basis of
permanent Stabilization of sil
ver in relation to gold is a mat
ter of paramount importance
The old basis of 16-to-l is too
high. Probably if the so-called
American silver bloc had been
satisfied to recommend a basis
of about 40-to-l, equivalent to
86-cent silver, the WTheeler bill
would have been passed in the
United States Senate in Janu
ary. However, many econom
ists, formerly wedded to the
gold standard, were thunder
struck when that bill was only
beaten by a vote of 45 to 43.
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N.R.A. Code For Alaska Mines
A code for the gold mining
industry in Alaska is in course
of preparation, it was an
nounced recently in Juneau.
It was stated on the authority
of Hugh J. Wade, deputy NRA
administrator for Alaska, that
good progress was being made
but no details of the plan were
made public.
CWA Payroll Further Reduced
Two more men will be
dropped from the CWA pay
roll next week in response to
instructions received Tuesday
by J. K. Green, director of lo
cal activities, from A. F. Ghig
lio>ne, engineer in charge. The
curtailment will leave a total
of sixteen men employed on
the Salmon River flood protect
ion project, where excellent
work is being dlone in clearing
the stream of timber debris artd
removing from the banks bru?h
and trees which threaten fu
ture obstruction by undermin
ing.
Instructions were also re
ceived to advise all employees
that present CWA regulations
indicate no accident compensa
tion will be paid after March
31.