f '
SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
j- -*
HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
T
1
SUBSCRIPTIONS
*3.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
>-i .— I . V
VOL. 7, NO. 50
HYDER, ALASKA, SEPTEMBER 26, 1931
BY THE YEAR, $3.00
SILVER CAUSE GAINS
INCREASED HEADWA1
That the silver stabilizatioi
movement is gaining increase!
impetus daily is clearly dis
closed in the outside press
One can scarcely pick up i
metropolitan newspaper with
out the eye encountering som*
article relating to the silvei
problem, while increasing ref
evences thereto are to be heard
in the radio broadcasts. Not
able statements on the subjecl
made in recent days include
the following:
Senator Reed Smoot, of Utah
made in Salt Lake the same
prediction that Senator Key
Pittman made in Spokane
September 1, to the effect tha1
President Hoover would call
an international conference by
October 1.
Lord Hunsdon announced in
London last Friday that he
would submit to the House ot
Lords on September 20 a mo
tion requesting the government
to confer immediately with
members of the British Em
pire and the United States on
the desirability of dealing
with the silver problem to in
crease the purchasing power
of a large portion of the world.
Winston Churchill, famous
British statesman proposed re
cently in the British House of
Commons that an international
conference be called to deal
with “the question of the gold
standard.” He said the United
States now has a “gold-and
coffee standard,” referring to
the recent interchange of
American wheat for Brazilian
eortee.
The Vancouver Sun, in a re
cent editorial, declared that
unless silver is remonetized
the world will have to aband
on all pretense of operating
on a metallic basis, demoni
tize gold and substitute cur
rency based on national credit.
Addressing the mineral law
section of the American Bar
Association at Atlantic City on
Sept. 16, Frances H. Brown
ell, chairman of the board of
the American Smelting and
Refining Co. urged the restor
ation of silver as monetary
metal as a cure for the depres
sion and declared there is no
difficulty in restoring the val
ue of silver to its pre-war
status.
“All that is necessary,” he
said, “is that the nations of
the world retrace the steps
taken since the war; that they
stop any further demonitizat
ion of silver now in use, that
the e-overnments, while not es
tablishing any fixed ratio be
tween gold and silver, make
clear their intention to resume
the use of silver to the «ame
extent as before the war.”
“Thi* automatically would
rstore silver to pre-war values.
It automatically would pre
serve it for present and fu
ture monetary needs of the
world.” Mr. Brownell added
lhat this step is easily taken
if the will to take it exists.”
It needs only cooperative
action by the more important
industrial nations of the world.
Formal action in the shar»e of
treaties is not required,” he
said.
John Hays Hammond, famous
mining engineer, who a year or
so ago advocated partial sta
bilization of silver at 60 cents,
advocated world bi-metalism
in an article in the Boston Post
a few days ago.
“To reopen the markets oi
Delegate to Ask for
Alaska Air Ma
I | Alaska Delegate Jame
I Wickersham is interested i
| establishing a new air mai
I route between the Unite*
States and Asia and will like
ly introduce a bill for the e;
j tablishing of a route to joi;
the two continents.
, A recent issue of a Wash
ington, D. C., newspaper de
voted considerable space to th
delegate’s proposals. Delegat
Wickersham contends tha
such an air route seems per
, fectly feasible since the Lind
bergh’s and Post and Gatt;
blazed the trails in their re
cent flights. The delegate ex
pects to have those celebrate<
flyers appear before Congres
sional committees to outlim
their experiences in Asiatic
flying.
-O--—
Canadian Exchange Renewed
Long abandoned exchang*
rates on Canadian currencj
were resumed here this wee!
as a result of a decline in th<
value of Canadian money, fol
lowing the fall of the British
pound sterling.
Early advices from the south
indicated an exchange rate ol
) cents, but was superseded
Thursday by a rate of 6 cents
With so much Canadian mon
ey constantly in general circu
lation here, the high rate ol
exchange, if continued, wil!
prove a serious handicap tc
local business firm, who can
not demand exchange from
every customer and at the
'ame time must pay for their
supply purchases in United
states money, thereby losing
he amount of the difference
in currency values.
! Ketchikan Mail to
Arrive Saturdays
Advices from the Seattle
postal authorities to Postmast
er Hill this week state that
after October 9, Hyder mail;
| via Ketchikan will leave that
oort at 6 p. m. Fridays. This
j s one day later than indicated
i n instructions received by the
oostmaster last week, stating
| hat such mails would leave
| Thursday evenings. Thus, if
he last advices stand, mails
from the First City will arrive
here on Saturdays between
October 9 and March 22.
o
round Sterling Down
To $4. 40 Thursday
Postmaster O. F. Hill was
notified Wednesday by the
Seattle mail authorities that
effective September 24, con
version rates on the British
pound sterling in international
monetary exchanges would be
on the basis of $4.40 for Great
Britain, North Ireland, Irish
Free State, New Zealand and
the Union of South Africa.
China and the Far East we
should,inagreement withother
powers, adopt some effective
measures to restore the value
of silver in international
trade,” was the recent declar
ation of Rodger W. Babson,
famous economist and finan
cial expert in an article in the
Denver Mining Record.
Mr. Babson discussed the
gold and silver situation al
considerable length and con
eluded by declaring that “the
time has come when the Unit
ed States, England and France
must get down to brass tacks
and work out these condit
ions.”
■ CLAIMED SOVIETS
J WANT ALASKA
l -
i
Senator Lewis, of Illinios,
* who has been engaged in
studying conditions in Europe,
* j has brought back the interest
1 ing news that the view is held
in Germany that Russia is pre
paring to make war on the
United States, with the acqui
? sition of Alaska as the main
J objective.
According to this view as
given in press reports, the
“non-aggression pacts” Russia
has been concluding with
European nations recently are
really directly against the
* United States.
Senator Lewis is reported as
saying, it is the German view
that Russia will raise the con
tention that the sale of Alas
| ka to United States was accom
| plished by deception on our
I part, and the Soviets will fight!
1 to win the Territory back. And
while Russia is taking Alaska
■ from the United States she will
permit China or Japan to take
the Phillippines.
-o
, I
S. S. Companies Reduce
Service To Alaska
Steamship sei’vice between
Seattle and Alaska will be cut
down to one boat a week dur
! ing the winter season* as a re- j
| suit of an agreement reached
between the Pacific Steamship
1 Company, “the Admiral line,” j
and the Alaska Steamship i
Company, according to press
reports.
Under the terms of this agree-'
ment, sailings from Seattle |
will take place every Tuesday
morning up to and including
March 15th. Two vessels will
I.be used on the Alaska run by
I the Alaska Steamship Co.,
j while the Admiral line will
employ only one. The new
schedule will be inaugurated
October G by the steamship
i Alaska.
Stewart Teams Win
Ball Contests
Two soft ball games played
i on the local ball ground by
Stewart and Hyder teams Sun
day afternoon resulted in vic
tories for the visitors.
In one contest the Stewart
Moose team beat the Hyder
I Moose team by the scant mar
1 gin of one run in a hard fought
1 game, the final score of which
| was 17 to 18 in favor of Stew
art.
The second game, between
Stewart High School and the
regular Hyder team was an
nexed by the school lads, who
l were far too fast for their
I more elderly competitors. The
| score was 9 to 2 in favor of the
school.
-O- -.—
Granby Cuts Wages
Granby Consolidated Min
ing, Smelting and Power Com
pany has placed into effect at
the Anyox mine and smelter a
10% wage reduction. The en
tire crew of 1000 men is af
fected. Charles Bocking, pres
ident and general manager, ex
plained that the necessity was
regretted, but that the con
tinued low price of copper
made the action necessary if
the company was to remain in
production at Anyox. The
Copper Mountain plant of the
same company, near Princeton
B. C., is closed.
SAYS HIGHWAY WILL
INCREASE MINING
Ernest Walker Sawyer fore
casts impressive development
| of the Alaska mineral wealth
! with the building of the Pa
j cific-Alaska highway linking
I the states with the territory,
j in an address at the Eighth
Annual Pacific Foreign Trade
Convention at Oakland, Cal,,
last week.
i “Population and prospecting
will follow the motor car,”
Sawyer said.
Sawyer declared that the
I importance of the highway
i was indicated by figures show
ing 70 per cent of the world's
population was within 5,500
; miles of Fairbanks, Alaska.
| Alaska Cost U. S. Over
$7,000,000 In 1930
—
j The net cost to the United
'States for running Alaska dur
ing the fiscal year 1930 was
$7,485,371, according to a re
cent announcement by the de- j
partment of the interior. The j
cost'during the preceding year
was given as slightly under j
$6,000,000.
Total government expendi
tures in the territory in 1930*
were placed at $12,321,646,i
with receipts to the govern
ment from territorial sources J
amounting to $4,846,275.
The expenditures represent
ed include approximately $1,
000,000 more than the expens
es of the previous year, while
receipts were less by about
$500,000.
Washington Portraits
For Alaska Schools
The Alaska Delegate is ar
ranging to send to every school
100m in the Territory a beau
tiful portrait-poster of George
Washington, executed in col
ors, and 22x28 inches in size.
These posters are being dis
tributed in cooperation with
the United States George ■
Washington Bicentennial Com-1
mission of Washington, D. C., i
in order to stimulate interest j
among the thousands of school ,
children of the district in the !
coming nine-months celebrat-j
ion of the Two Hundredth
Anniversary of the Birth of;
the Father of Our Country.
TERRITORIAL SCHOOLS
ENROLL 5,200 PUPILS j
Although definite figures
^ were not available, something
over 5,200 public pupils were
enrolled in the Territorial
public schools at the com
mencement of the present
tchool term, according to es
timates announced by W. K.
Keller, Commissioner of Edu
cation.
The school system comprises
17 schools located within in
1 corporated towns or incorpor
ated school districts, 63 rural
schools, and 8 special schools,
with a teaching staff of 270
persons.
Over 600 pupils were en
rolled in Ketchikan and about
an equal number in Juneau.
-O
Charles Kelly, convicted to
being drunk in a public place
in Ketchikan, was sentenced
last week to serve 90 days
in the Federal jail there.
D. L. Pitt Gives
Interesting Address
| In what was undoubtedly
cn of the most interesting and
! illuminating talks on the gold
j and silver situation evei
heard in the district, Mr. D. L.
Pitt, manager of the Premier
Gold Mining Company, speak
ing at the monthly dinner
j meeting of the Stewart Board
I of Trade, last week, said he
doubted if ever the residents
of the district realized the ex
tent of local gold production.
“When I tell you that this
district has produced in one
year as much as fifty-five per
cent of the total gold produc
! tion of British Columbia and
'fifteen percent of the total an
; nual gold production of Can
| ada, you will get some idea of
jits importance,’’ Mr. Pitt said.
Continuing the speaker said
that one mine in this district
produced as much as two and
one-half avoirdupois tons of
j gold in one year, while the dis
| trict has produced as much as
I four tons of gold in one year.
Relative to the silver pro
i duction, Mr. Pitt asserted the
| district has produced as much
l as one hundred tons of that
t metal in one year.
“This illustrates,” he said,
the status of this district in the
mining industry, and the ex
tent to which it will benefit by
any stabilization of the market
for silver, for use as money.”
The remainder of Mr. Pitt’s
address was devoted principal
ly to a discussion of the pres
ent situation with respect to
gold and silver as a monetary
medium, in which he outlined
the views of the upholders of
the gold standard and those
who advocate the use of both
gold and silver, and declared
that the present depreciation
of silver is due entirely tc
manipulation of the bankers
and traders which have had
the effect of robbing fully one
half of the world’s peoples of
all of half of their purchasing
power.
Mr. Pitt concluded with a
plea for support of the de
mand for silver remitization.
■o
Non-Tarnishable Silver
Is Produced at Lasl
| _
j The International Silvei
j Company of New York has
1 announced the production oi
I “palladin,” which, it is claim
ed, will successfully resist tar
nish under any known eondit
ions. The new metal is to be
placed on the market shortly
according to press reports
j which state that the develop
ment of the new silver alloj
j is hailed by many silver ex
J perts as one of the greatesl
S discoveries of the age, and is
i regarded as a development
i which should do much towarc
bolstering declining world sil
i ver values.
j According to experts, everj
conceivable test has been triec
and no substance has yet beer
! found that will stain the bright
i sheen of palladian.
%
ALASKA JUNEAU MINE
BREAKS ALL RECORDS
Production of the Alaska
Juneau mine to the end of
August broke all former rec
ords of that famous property
with a net yield of $1,127,400,
I according to press reports.
, The August output was $320,
500, a gain of 8 per cent over
August, 1930, while the net
surplus before deduction for
depletion, depreciation and
taxes of the company was
$144,800, an advance of 43.8
per cent over the same month
last year. The net so far this
year was about equal to the
net for the best preceding cal
endar year, which was about
51,100,000. Even if the next
few months does not exceed
.he average made in the past
chree years, the net for the
current year is considered
certain to exceed $1,500,000,
and it will reach $1,700,000 if
operations for the closing third
of the year continue at the rate
set in the first two-thirds.
----
American Legion
Elects Officers
Ralph W. Reeser, of Fair
banks, was elected department
commander of the Alaska de
partment of the American Le
gion by the convention held at
Petersburg a few days ago.
Fairbanks was chosen for the
next convention.
Other officers elected by the
Legion are as follows:
Clyde R. Ellis, of Cordova,
first vice-commander; Delight
A. Chase, of Ketchikan, second
vice-commander; Warren Ty
ner, of Cordova, judge adjut
ant; Claud Helgesen, of Ju
neau, department service of
ficer.
Mrs. Edyth Sheelor, of Ju
ieau, was elected president of
-he American Legion Auxil
ary. Mrs. Grace Liebe, of Cor
lova, was elected first vice
)resident, Mrs. E. M. Polley,
>1 Juneau, was elected second
/ice-president and Mrs. J. T.
etrich, of Juneau, was elect
'd secretary.
| vlayo Continuing
Silver Shipments
teports from Mayo district are
o the effect that 6,000 tons
jf high grade ore and concen
.rates from the Tread well-Yu
kon mines on Keno Hill and
Galena Hill are on the river
bank at Mayo and will be
shipped to the Bunker Hill
smelter via Whitehorse this
season.
Considering the low metal
market, the shipments from
Mayo this season are except
ionally large.
Ketchikan Has First
Hold-Up In Years
The first hold-up Ketchikan
has had for years occurred
September 14, when Joe Has
san, an itinerant vendor, was
stopped by two men, who re
lieved him of $200. One of
the men was armed with a
! pistol, the other with a knife,
according to the story told by
Hassan to the police. The hold
up took place within a block
of the police station.