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VOL 7, NO. 35
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 1931.
PRICE TEN CENTS
SELUKWE WAITING
FOR PREMIER MOVE
The report of the annual
meeting of the Selukwe Gold
Mining and Finance Company I
was received from London this
week and reveals the com
pany attitude with respect to
the B. C. Silver in the follow-;
ing statement by Mr. Crom
well Hockley, chairman and
managing director:
To close we come to the af- !
fairs of the B. C. Company. |
The Engineer’s Report is in !
your hands. The footage ac- j
complished was 2,973 feet, j
Last year the Engineer report- \
ed in the following terms:—
“The downward extension of j
the Premier 4-D stope was en-1
countered at roughly 550 ft
from the shaft. This zone is
too close to the boundary line
to show much possibility of I
tonnage above the No. G level.’ |
To indicate the conservativi j
methods adopted in reporting j
values, this year’s work on the ;
same level shows that the j
main development raise No
G51 on the B2 zone, exposed
high grade ore for a distance
of 50 feet above G level, ai
which point a sublevel, to tin
north-east was started. The |
values obtained in the raise
averaged considerably bettei j
than the sampling of the 6
level drift reported in the pre- '
vious year. I am, therefore
encouraged to think that wher. J
mining commences average )
values will be secured. Share
holders may remember tha,
at the meeting held on April
28 last year Mr. Banks, you)
consulting engineer, stated
that in his view the develop
ments at that date might
reasonably be expected to pro
duce ore of value of between
$6,000,000 and $10,000,000.
The Directors enquired wheth
er he wished, in, so far as the j
opening up of the orebodies 1
had gone, to modify or ampli
fy this statement, to which he
replied “The development
work recently done on the ore
bodies of the B. C. Silver has j
not altered my views, as ex
pressed at last year’s Selukwe
meeting, as to the ore that
might reasonably be expected
from the property.” (Hear,
hear.) Much time has been oc
rnnied and some exDense has
been incurred in surface work I
surveying alternative mill and j
other sites, applying to Gov
ernment for grant of water
rights, and so on. These mat
ters, although sounding trivial,
take up a long time, and with
regard to the water the Gov
ernment require very exact in
formation. Some Shareholder.
are, I fear, very naturally mis
led by the name of the B. C
Silver Mines into thinking that
the fall in the value of the
precious metal, if, indeed, it is
any longer precious, must de
stroy the value of our products.
May I say that when publica
tion of the assays appear' in
the monthly reports they are
obviously based on the current
valuation of the metal. Perhaps
it would encourage Sharehold
ers to know that through some
unexplainable freak of nature
the proportion of gold in the
B. C. ore is about 60 per cent,
of assay values, and is frac
Celebration Plans Increased
Arrangements for the big in
international celebration, to be
held here July 18, 19, and 20.
with Hyder, Stewart and Pre
mier participating, have now
reached the stage where sub
committees may be appointed,
it was decided at an informal
meeting of the central com
mittee Thursday. The repre
sentatives from the three com
mittees were authorized to
make such appointments and
submit them at the next reg
ular meeting Monday.
It was also decided to re
construct the grand stand at
the Stewart ball park and
build an arena in Hyder for
the drilling and mucking con
tests, which will be a feature
of the celebration.
tionallv higher that the gold
values contained in the ore of
‘he neighbouring Premier
mine.
Shareholders will expect
some comment on the para
graph extracted from the Pre
mier Gold Mining Co.’s report.
The President of the Premier
Co. mailed the Board a copy
of that company’s annual re
port. There had been some cor
respondence between him and
me, aimed at discovering, with
he approval of my co-Direct
3i's, some basis for a fusion of
nterests directed to obviate
he waste of money involved
by duplicating mill machinery.
After receiving the report 1
suggested to the President
■ hat when his Company was
ready they should put up
■ome alternative proposal to
ours. To this suggestion he
answered, “I suggest that we
leave further discussion of
these matters in abeyance for
he present until we can see
more accurately the real re
maining life of the Premier
ore reserves.” There the mat
ter remains. Now how do we
stand? We have by patient
and sustained development
proved that a considerable
volume of payable ore is pres
ent on the property. By stop
ing, driving and drilling at
different horizons we are sat
isfied that an average assay
value is obtainable. We see no
reason for supposing that the
same fortune that has hitherto
attended the Premier stoping
will not fall to the lot of the
B. C. Silver Mines. For years
the Premier company has been
able to replace mined ore by
new supplies which previous
ly, through adopting careful
methods of estimation, had
been excluded from calculation
Yet none the less the ore had
always been present. We are
satisfied that to any reason
able person we have proved
the worth of the property, so
development work as such will
cease, although technical and
statistical work will continue
pending the receipt of the fur
ther communication from the
Premier company, to which I
have referred, when we shall
have to decide upon what lines
the mine shall be worked and
equipped. Fortunately, we do
not require to ask Sharehold
ers for any funds. We have
sufficient to maintain your
Company’s assets and to stay
: the course indefinitely, and
I there I must leave it.
HIGHWAY COMMISSION
TO MEET SHORTLY
The joint international com
mittee appointed by the United
States and Canada to consider
the feasibility of the proposed
Pacific-Yukon-Alaska high
way will meet shortly after
the close of the present ses
sion of the Canadian House of
Commons, according to a re
cent announcement by Pre
mier Tolmie of British Colum
bia. It is necessary to wait un
til the close of the parliament
ary session because the speak
er of the House, the Hon Geo.
Black, is one of the Canadian
commissioners, the Premier
said.
The joint commission wiV
meet in Victoria, because all
the data so far gathered on
the highway project is filed
there. The Canadian commis
sion is composed of Hon. Geo. j
Black, who represents the Yu-'
kon Territory, J. M. Wardle,
chief engineer of parks, rep- j
resenting the federal govern
ment of Canada, and G. P. Na
pier, assistant engineer of the
public works department of
British Columbia, who repre
sents the latter province. The
members of the Uniter States
commission are Herbert R.
Rice, Ernest Walker Sawyer,
and Major Malcolm Elliott.
Interest in the Highway pro
ject is steadily increasing, the
Premier said.
AIR TRAFFIC RULES
TO BE ENFORCED
Enforcement of federal and
territorial regulations affecting
aircraft and aerial navigation
will be tightened up at once,
it has been announced by Maj.
Wiley Wright, inspector for
the Aeronautics Division of the
Department of Commerce, ac
cording to the Juneau Empire.
Major Wright visited the Ter
ritory recently on a trip of in
spection.
In the future noncompliance
with the regulations will be
met with drastic action and
; laxity on the part of enforce
ment officials will no longer
be tolerated.
Explaining the attitude of
his department Major Wright
said that to properly develop
and promote aviation in Alaska
closer supervision will be giv
en and it is the intention of
1 that department that an in
! spector pay a semi-annual visit
to the Territory, each visit to
last two or three months.
Major Wright said it is ap
parent that rapid strides are
being made in aviation in the
| Teritory.
“Nowhere is the airplane in
greater need than in Alaska,”
he declared.” It is the means
of joining together the outly
j ing districts and it is the only
' means of transportation by
which all sections of the Ter
) ritory can be linked with any
degree of quickness. The air
plane in Alaska is the chariot
of mercy as well as the chariot
j of industry and commerce.
-o
M. M. O’Brien, mines man
! ager for the Consolidated
Mining and Smelting Co., left
Thursday for the south after
a short visit at the Big Mis
j souri.
PEACE OUTLET MAY
BE DECIDED IN JUNE
Intimation that the Peace
River outlet question may be
decided at conferences to be
held in Ottawa this month was
given a few days ago by Pre
mier Tolmie of British Colum
bia following his return from
an extended visit in Ottawa.
Important developments in the
solution of the Pacific Great
Eastern Railway problem may
also occur as a result of the
conferences, the Premier said.
“The surveys of the P. G. E.
lands and the proposed Pacific
coast outlet to the Peace River
district have been completed,
the available passes have been
carefully examined and a point
has now been reached for the
first time where it is possible
to seriously consider the solu
tion of the Peace River ex
tension and the P. G. E. prob
lems, the Premier said.
o
U. S. TO DISCUSS
CALENDAR CHANGE
An international conference
on calendar simplification is
scheduled to take place at
Geneva this fall, with the Unit
ed States participating. The
conference is sponsored by the
League of Nations and is de
signed to take definite action
to secure calendar improve
ment.
In the United States there
are two major plans under con
sideration, the International
fixed calendar, which pro
poses a 13-month year, and
the World Calendar, which
provides for a 12-month year
The “Swiss” plan, favored
in Europe, and the World cal
endar are fundamentally the
same, as the halves and quart
ers are equalized and a per
petual calendar is effected in
each, but the arrangement
within the quarters is differ
ent.
Improving Chickamin Trail
Work started this week on
the improvement of the Banded
Mountain trail, for which the
Forest Service trail bureau re
cently authorized the expendi
ture of $200. The work is be
ing done under the direction
of W. W. Metcalf, manager of
operations on the Metcalf and
Fendley group, who was dele
gated by the bureau to super
vise the job. Four men are em
ployed.
Owing to the high cost of
transportating materials into
the Banded Mountain section,
not a great deal can be done
with the small sum approved
by the bureau, according to
Mr. Metcalf.
Everything taken in must be
back-packed over the ice of
Chickamin Glacier, a slow and
laborious operation. By way of
illustration, Mr Metcalf said
it recently cost $118 to pack
in 6 boxes of powder, 2 cans
of gasoline and a few pota
toes, a total of 10 packs, and
this did not include the cost of
the commodities.
Zapora Due
The Wills Navigation Co.
motorship Zapora is expected
to arrive today, having left
Seattle at midnight June 2, ac
cording to the schedule.
interesting Figures on
Alaska Population
The director of the census
has announced, for the Terri
tory of Alaska, the number of
persons 10 years of age or
over engaged in gainful occu
pations, by industry groups, as
follows:
Of the 59,278 persons resi
dent in the Territary, a total
of 27,752 persons 10 years of
age or over were reported as
having gainful occupations on
October 1, 1929, which num
ber represents 46.8 per cent of
the population. Persons usual
ly working at gainful occu
pation, but unemployed at the
time the census was taken, are 1
included in the number of j
gainful workers.
Of the 27,752 gainful work
ers, 24,898 were males, rep
resenting 69.6 per cent of the
male population; and 2,854
were females, representing
12.1 pe rcent of the female
population.
The whole number of gain- 1
fill workers was distributed by
industry groups as follows:
1.198 in agriculture, 397 o.
whom were engaged in gen
eral farming, 420 in fur farm
ing and 381 in the reindeei j
farming industry; 5,187 in
forestry and fishing; 4,787 in
coal mines and other mines
and quarries; 3,034 in manu
facturing and mechanical in
dustries, including 1,032 ir
food and allied industries, 616
in building industries, 318 ir.
independent hand trades, 289
in iron and steel industries
226 in saw and planing mills
23 in other wood working in
dustries, 126 furriers, 61 ir j
clothing and other textile in |
dustries, 55 in printing, pub
lishing and engraving, 36 ii
automobile repair shops, 25
shoe and snow-shoe makers
14 tanners, and 213 in othei
manufacturing industries; 3,
006 in transportation, includ
ing 1,260 on steam railroads
1,746 were engaged in trade
including banking and insur
ance, and fur dealers and trad
ing post dealers; 915 in pub
lic service; 1,406 in profession
al service, 6,099 in domestic
and personal service; and 374
in industires not specified.
New C. N. R. Schedule
The summer schedule of the
C. N. R. steamers will go in
to effect next week. It is un
derstood that the Prince
George will make the next
trip, arriving Sunday morn
ing, June 7. The Prince
Charles will make the folliw-1
ing sailing arriving Tuesday,
June 9. The Prince Rupert oi
Prince George will then make
the first sailing from here un
der the summer schedule, ar-j
riving Saturday, June 13th, at!
6 A. M. and leaving at 9. A.
M. Thereafter the schedule
will be Tuesday’s and Satur
day’s during the summer sea
son.
-O
F. R. Nagle, proprietor of
the Hyder moving picture j
theater, in cooperation with |
the Pioners of Alaska and the |
Moose lodge, gave a free
movie show to the children of
Hyder and Stewart this after
noon.
M. R. Bryant, of the Bryant
Clothing Co., Prince Rupert,
was a visitor here this week.
OU COOPERATION
CAN STOP DEPRESSION
One of the most hopeful in
dications that national leaders
are commencing to realize that
only heroic measures can re
lieve the world of the present
great industrial and economic
depression is to be found in
the statement made recently to
the League of Nations Coun
cil at Geneva by Rt. Hon. Ar
thur Henderson, British for
eign secretary, in reference to
the existing world conditions.
“The only remedy possible,’’
he said, must come from inter
national co-operation.”
Continuing the subject, Mr.
Henderson said:
“In our countries, unemploy
ment, poverty and actual star
vation exist, and yet, while
men walk the streets unable
to find work to earn bread for
their hungry families, the gra
naries of Europe and the coun
tries overseas are bursting
with food that cannot be sold.
Our potential duty to create
wealth is greater than it has
ever been. Countless millions
of capital are lying idle in our
banks. There are hundreds of
millions of people in the world
whose demands, not for com
fort or luxuries, but for the
3trict necessities of life are
not satisfied in anything like a
reasonable measure and thus
far we have been unable to
find a means of breaking
through this vicious circle.”
Progress on Metcalf Group
W. W. Metcalf, coowner and
manager of development oper
ations on the Metcalf and
Fendley group, was a visitor
in town this week and report
ad that the new prospect tun
nel was in a distance of 50 ft.
md making fine progress at
he time he left the camp.
The new tunnel is being driv
en from a small draw near the
edge of the big gold-bearing
are zone and is expected to
strike the ore at about 70 feet
from the portal. Owing to the
sharp inclination of the zone,
he tunnel will give a vertical
iepth of approximately 55 feet
at the lower side and about
90 feet at the upper edge and
should reveal an excellent
nross section of the mineral
ized belt at that point.
Mr. C. L. Hibbard and G. W.
Skinner, Seattle capitalists who
are backing the development
of the group, will visit the
property next month. They
plan to leave Seattle July 8,
Mr. Metcalf said. Nine men are
now employed on the property,
including Mr. Metcalf and his
partner, Joe Fendley. The oth
er seven are Bert Bobo, Larry
Thornton, Chris Crone, A1 Sof
fee, George Lemmons, C. L.
Turner and C. L. Stickler, who
does the assaying.
-o
The Bureau of Public Road;*
motorship Highway arrived
Thursday evening from Ket
chikan with L. W. Turoff, bu
reau engineer, who was super
vising engineer on the local
road construction work of the
Bureau of Public Roads for
several years. Mr. Turoff’s
visit is in connection with the
Salmon River road improve
ment now in progress.