HYDER -- FIRST ALASKA TOWN THAT CAN BE REACHED BY PACIFIC-YUKON-ALASKA HIGHWAY
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VOLUME 9, NUMBER 32.
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, MAY 20, 1933.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
FLOOD PROTECTION
WORK UNDER WAY
Work on the Salmon River
flood protection project auth
orized by the Territorial Road
Commission with a grant of
$4,000 from the First Division
roads fund attached, Started
Thursday morning in the vicin
ity of the rock cut near the
north end of town, with a crew
of 20-odd men employed under
the direction of Representative
J. K. Green, who will be in
direct charge of operations
untiu their completion.
Work for the present is di
rected to preventing the com
ing high water from breaking
through the old jetty, which is
said by Mr. Green to be serious
ly weakened at several points
and is almost certain to give
way under a sudden rush of
high water, such as may occur
at any time. The embankment
will be strengthened by filling
in the weak points with brush
and rock, and snags and other
debris will also be cleared
from the adjacent river chan
nel. Later the work will be di
rected to diverting the stream
farther to the westward and
clearing away obstructions
along the lower channel.
Mr. William A. Hesse, Terri
torial Highway Engineer, whc
* i ci o uuv. 11
ucicpaicu vy
roadboard to direct the work,
is scheduled to arrive here
Monday.
The work is now furnishing
employment to virtually all
'die laborers in the camp, aside
from some fifteen or twenty
men who are disbarred from
employment by the Territorial
law forbidding employment of
non-citizens on public works.
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Atsessment Work Not Likely
It is not likely that owners of
mining claims will have to per
form assessment work this
year, according to a letter to
the Alaska press from E. L.'
Bartlett, secretary to Alaska
Delegate A. J. Dimond.
Mr. Bartlett’s letter was
written May 8 and says the
House committee on Mines had
reported favorably the suspen
sion bill passed by the Senate
some days ago. This measure
exempts from the moratorium
provisions owners of claims
who paid income taxes for 19
32. These will have to do their
wcrk or forfeit their rights of
ownership.
-o
The Canadian National boat
schedule changed this week,
with vessels arriving and leav
ing on Saturday, instead of
Thursday.
Delegate Protect*
Alaska Homeowners
By projecting himself vigor
ously into the rough and tum
ble debate in the Hiouse, Alas
ka Delegate to Congress A. J.
Dimond was successful in hav
ing Alaska specifically includ
ed in the bill to protect small
home-owners from mortgage
foreclosures, according to re
ports from Washington, D. C.
While the bill did not specif
ically exclude Alaska as orig
inally drawn, the Delegate was
apprehensive that the Territory
might be excluded by adminis
trative decision. That his
fears were well grounded was
disclosed when he was in
formed by the president of the
Farm Loan Bank Board that
the Territories assuredly be ex
cluded unless the bill did con
tain a specific provision to the
contrary. The Delegate there
upon introduced an amend
ment including both Alaska
and Hawaii and managed to
get it passed; thereby enab
ling the small home owners of
Alaska to secure a measure of
relief through the federal gov
ernment if they find them
selves hard pressed in paying
for their homes.
-O
Legislature Passes Many Bills
A summary of the accomp
lishments cif the Eleventh Alas
ka Legislature discloses that
120 bills were passed during
the session. A majority of the
enactments aimed at the cor
rection or repeal of existing
statutes but many important
new measures were enacted in
to law. Every measure passed
also received the approval of
the governor.
In the matter of appropri
ations, the legislators displayed
excellent judgement by refus
ing to grant funds for unessent
ials and at the same time hold
ing fixed appropriations to the
lowest essential requirements.
The total amount appropriated
was less than $2,000,000 and
there was no increase in tax
ation.
-o
Three Divide $50,000
Nenana Ice Prize
C. M. Browning , of Hot
Springs, and Eric Larson and
A. B. Dunbar, of Fairbanks,
were the lucky winners of the
annual Nenana ice derby this
year, according to Fairbanks
reports received by mail this
week. As reported earlier the
ice moved at Nenana at 7:20
p. m., May 8th.
-O
Hesse Arrives Unexpectedly
William A. Hesse, Territorial
Highway Engineer, arrived to
day from Ketchikan, three
days earlier than anticipated,
to inspect the flood control sit
uation.
UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF
PLANS ARE OUTLINED
Plans for local unemployment
relief work through federal
and Territorial agencies were
outlined by Representative J.
K. Green at a public meeting
held Wednesday evening in
Pioneer Hall under the auspic
es of the Hyder Chamber of
Commerce. The meeting was
attended by virtually the entire
working population of the
camp and most of the business
men. Chas. F. Sandford, pres
ident of the Chamber, presided.
The proposals outlined by
Representative Green included
the Territorial flood protection
project on Salmon river and the
Federal reforestation propos
als as applying to Alaska.
Relative to the latter propos
al, Rep. Green said the employ
ment of 325 men in the two
national forests in Alaska had
been authorized. The employ
ment period would be five
months and the rate of pay $30
per month, in addition to sub
sistence, clothing and medical
attention. The work would in
clude road and trail mainte
nance work, improving ranger
stations and administrative
sites.
Being purely a relief meas
ure, only men in need and
possessing dependents would
-] T> 4-U ~
>-» V VUi J.kV<U * V kV bliv
latter inhibition, Rep. Green
said he realized that it would
disbar a considerable number
of local men who do not poss
ess dependant relatives but ex
pressed the hope that the pro
vision would not be enforced in
Alaska, where conditions are
in no way comparable to those
in the States. The question
would be taken up with the
administrative officials, h e
said and every effort to secure
a modification would be made.
Rep. Green pointed out that
while enlistment was required,
it was not compulsory for the
workers to remain on the job
for the full five months period.
They could leave at any time if
able to secure other jobs, pro
vided they worked long enough
to pay for all the clothing furn
ished them in connection with
their enlistment. He then urged
that all who wished to take ad
vantage of the offer make
application at once in order
that the number desiring work
may be transmitted to the For
est authorities under whose di
rection the work will be con
ducted and who must be ad
vised in order that proper pro
visions may be made.
Mr. Green said he had con
ferred with the Forestry offic
ials while attending the legis
lative session in Juneau and
had recommended to them the
Republican Paper Pay*
High Tribute To Green
Characterizing Hyder’s rep
resentative ,Joseph K. Green,
as the “most conscientious”
member of the last Alaska Leg
islature, The Alaska Press, of
Juneau, (formerly Stroller’s
Weekly) in a summarization of
the personalities and capaci
ties of the various legislative
members, pays him the follow
ing high tribute:
Conspicuously the outstand
ing representative from the
First Division, Mr. Green, who
comes from Hyder, did excell
ent work during this, his first
year in the legislature. An ex
cellent speaker, a clear and
straight thinker, he was often
heard on the floor of the House
in defense or in opposition to
I seme measure. He was a hard
worker, saw the necessity of
knowing the Rules, studied
them assiduously, and was a
match for any man in the legis
lature in making them serve
his purpose.
He was the author of a
number of measures which
achieved the distinction of be
ing first rate legislation,
among these being the bill to
increase the taxes on mining
profits, the Bimetallism mem
orial, and others. He intro
duced House Bill 113 (requir
:__* —
deed transferring the family
home or homestead), constitut
ed himself 'its guardian, and
was ever on the alert to see
that it got a square deal. Only
his vigorous fight for it secured
its passage in the face of the
unfavorable committee report
which it received. His judge
ment was sound, his courage
unqestioned, and his voting
record fundamentally sound.
Next to Nerland he rates eas
ily as the ablest man in the leg
islature this session. Another
year in legislative work should
see him heading the list of able
men. He voted for the Indust
rial Insurance Act, against the
indefinite postponment of the
Community Property Bill, for
House Bill 113, and for prac
tically all bills that would tend
to protect the defenseless and
helpless.”
construction of the cemetery
Moose Park road and work on
the Fish creek trail.
A letter from W. J. McDon
ald Regional Forester, to T. H.
Evans, local representative of
the Bureau of Public Roads,
bearing on the same topic was
also read by the chairman. The
| message asked for a canvass of
'the local labor situation to de
' termine how many men here
j would work under the pre
I scribed conditions. Mr. Me
APRIL COMMERCE
SHOWS GOOD GAINS
Exports of Alaska merchan
dise to the United States in Ap
ril were valued at $614,216, ac
cording to the monthly state
ment of Customs Collector J. C.
Bride. This was $159,789
greater than for the preceding
month and also exceeded ex
ports for April, 1932, by $127,
160.
Gold and silver exports for
the month totaled $498,645,
making the grand total of all
exports for the period $1,112,
861. The full list of exports
and values follows:
Animals. $ 950
Curios . 175
Fish: fresh and froz
en (except shell-fish)
Halibut. 33,595
Salmon . 14,510
All other . 128
Canned (except shell
fish)
Salmon . 347,346
Cured or preserved
(except shell-fish)
Cod . 3,076
Herring . 22
Salmon . 267
Shell-fish:
Clams . 11,271
Crabs . 12,650
Shrimps . 3,452
All other fish products 3,161
Furs and fur-skins:
Blue fox. 18,720
Silver or black fox .. 510
Red fox. 11,325
White fox . 11,031
Mink . 6,072
Muskrat . . 114
Beaver . 3,746
All other . 525
Lead . 5,940
All other articles. 8
Total value products
■of Alaska.8 521,481
Products of United
States returned . 92,735
Total value shipments
of merchandise . $614,216
Gold . 496,481
Silver . 2,164
Grand Total . $1,112,861
Donald also asked for reco
mendations for needed trails in
this locality and suggested that
widening the Fish creek trail to
caterpillar width would be a
good project, although he was
not sure it would be warranted.
Summing up the local unem
ployment situation, Mr. Green
said Hyder is not so bad off as
many other Alaska towns and
cited 900 on relief in Ketchikan
and about 600 in Juneau as ex
amples.
Rep. Green then discussed the
flood protection project andex
plained how his original bill
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