HYDER - FIRST ALASKA TOWN THAT CAN BE REACHED BY PACIFE-YWKON-ALASKA HIGHWAY
'
SPECIALIZING IN
MINING NEWS OF THE
PORTLAND CANAL
DISTRICT
t
J
HYDER WEEKLY HERALD
/ ■■■*
SUBSCRIPTIONS
$3.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
VOLUME 9, NUMBER 23.
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 1933.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
GOV. PARKS URGES
DRASTIC ECONOMY j
Declaring that there should
be no increase in Territorial
taxation, as Alaska industries
are already burdened with all j
the taxes they can bear, Gov
ernor George A. Parks, in his
message to the Alaska Legis
lature, stressed ^repeatedly the
seriousness of the present eco
nomic situation and rcom
mended drastic economy in !
Territorial appropriations and
expenditures.
Among the numerous econo
mies recommended by the ex
ecutive were suspension of the
eagle, wolf and coyote bount
ies; airplane field construct
ion; agricultural fair grants;
telephone, shipping and other
subsidies, and appropriations
for protection of salmon fry.
The governor also urged an
8*,4 per cent cut in school sal
aries, a 10 per cent cut in re
funds, and a 50 per cent re
duction in night citizenship
school funds, with previsions
for charging an enrollment fee
of 810 in such schools. He fur
ther recommended that rural
schools be required to defray a
part of the cost of their main
tenance, and the creation of
school districts authorized to
levy special school taxes to as
sist in lessening the cost of ed
ucational activities of the Terr
itory.
Keduction ol lerritorial road
appropriations to $100,000 for
the biennium was recommend
ed, as was also a change in the
piesent system fior the relief of
destitution. He urged that such
relief be placed entirely in the
hands of the governor, with au
thority to cooperate with mu
nicipalities in cai'ing for desti
tution on a 50-50 basis. This,
he suggested, would permit
launching of an emergency
public works program with
funds now expended on
straight charity.
The governor also advocated
a revision of the method of
granting Pioneer pensions and
advocated the selection of the
Commissioner of Education be
removed from politics and
placed in the hands of the
Board of Education.
-o
Gtanby Plant Reported Active
Steamship passengers from
Anyox pa iring through here
this week reported that the
Granby company have resumed
activities in both the mine and
mill, both of which were closed
down some weeks ago as a re
sult of a labor strike. It is un
derstood that a full crew has
not been obtained, but a suffic
ient number have been em
ployed to make operation prac
ticable.
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE
ALASKA LEGISLATURE
The Hess bank stabilization
bill, authorizing the Territor
ial Banking Board to declare
banking holidays and issue reg
ulations designed to protect
Territorial banking institutions
and bank depositors, passed
both houses early in the sess
ion. The measure was passed
unanimously by the Senate and
received but one opposing vote
in the House; Joe Green, of
Hyder, voting no, according to
Juneau reports this week.
Bills introduced include a
Senate measure by Shattuck, of
Juneau, to reorganize the Terr
itorial school system, providing
for a Board of Education com
posed of one member from
each of the four judicial divis
ions, to be appointed by the
governor and confirmed by the
legislature; the Board to ap
point the Commissioner of Ed
ucation and have authority to
dismiss him for cause.
A House measure by Near
land, of Fairbanks, would abol
ish the date of January 1, 1906,
as a bar to allotment of Pioneer
pensions and would permit
pension grants to needy per
sons over 60 years old who had
resided in Alaska 20 years.
A House bill by Scott, of
Nome, would reduce the legal
rate of interest from 8 to 6 per
cent in the Terrtory.
A House measure by Taylor,
of Cordova, would create a
^mall debts court in connection
with U. S. Commissioner’s
courts, which would handle
debt claims not exceeding $20.
A Senate memorial by Walk
er, cf Ketchikan, urges Cong
ress to enact legislation to pro
tect Alaska industries from
countries having depreciated
currencies.
Swanberg, of Nome, intro
duced a House measure to abol
ish publication of delinquent
Lax lists and to substitute post
ing.
Repeal of the Alaska Bone
Dry Law without Congression
al validation is proposed in a
House bill by Hellerich, of
Nome.
A joint resolution by Green,
of Hyder, urges Congress to
adopt the Wheeler plan for re
monetization of silver at 16 to
1 to stabilize world currencies.
A bill by Nordale, Fairbanks
representative, requires public
school buildings erected to ac
| comodate 100 or more pupils
must be constructed ,of rein
i forced concrete, stone, or brick.
House bills by Taylor, Cordo
va, would in one instance alter
! present methods of examinat
j ion for admission to the bar
1 and in another would give in
' heritance rights to illegitimate
MEGER REPORTS DEATH
OF PETER MORRISON
Paul Meger, well known min
er and prospector, who spent
the greater part of the past
year prospecting in the Bows
er Lake-Bell-Irving River reg
ion north of Stewart, returned
to town Sunday to report the
recent death at his camp of
Peter Morrison, Hazelton In
dian trapper, who has hunted
and trapped in that section for
years.
Morrison apparently died
from some form of intestinal
obstruction resulting from an
injury received last year. Mr.
Meger reported that he found
Monison severely ill in a tent
on Taft Creek, a branch of the
Bell Irving and some distance
below his own camp on the
Bell-Irving. The tent in which
the deceased was living was
left on Taft Creek last year by
the prospecting expedition
headed by Ernest Blue of Hy
der, one member of which, J.
M. MacRitchie, died and was
buried at that point while en
route to the Taylor Creek sect
ion.
Morrison had been suffering
acutely for five days when lo
cated by Mr. Meger, who sled
ded him to his own camp. Ef
forts made by Mr. Meger and
his partner, Charles Beale, to
relieve the stricken man were
unavailing. Mr Meger then at
tempted to sled him to Stew
art but he was too ill to stand
the long and severe journey
and the effort was abandoned.
After several days of intense
suffering Morrison expired and
was buried near the camp. Mr.
Meger then left for Stewart to
report, accompanied by Mor
rison’s widow, who accompan
ied her husband on his trap
ping expeditions.
Mr. Meger informed the Her
ald that he and Beale have not
been able to do much prospect
ing since last fall owing to the
snow but plan to resume then
search for placer deposits a?
soon as conditions permit.
He said his findings last sum
mer convinced him that the
region possesses excellent pi ec
er possibilities and ho i? confi
dent of finding something
worth while in that line. He
plans to remain here se ' val
weeks before returning to ‘he
district.
children.
The Senate passed a joint res
olution urging the appointment
of none but Alaskans to feder
al office? in the Territory, and
the House passed a joint reso
lution urging the immediate
appointment of a Democratic
governor for the Territory.
NEW PUBLIC SCHOOL
DIRECTORS NAMED
Mrs. Holger Johnson and Ed
gar Prcvinse were the choice of
Hyder voters in the annual
School Board election held last
Saturday. In the smallest vote
in the camp’s history, Mrs.
Johnson received 14 votes for
director for the three year
term, against 12 for her only
opponent, Mrs. Hubert W.
Thomas. Mr. Provinse received
16 votes against 6 for Louis
Watkins and 4 for B. B. Smith
for the two-year term.
A total of 28 votes were cast,
of which two were spoiled.
Richard Wirth, Ben Oien and
Ray Snyder officiated as super
visors of the election.
The new board held an or
ganization meeting Friday at
which Mrs. Haddon was elect
ed Treasurer of the board, Mrs.
Johnson as Clerk, and Mr.
Proivinse as Director.
•o
Silver Bills Again Introduced
In an effort to further recog
nition of silver in the monetary
emergency, Senators Burton K
Wheeler, of Montana, and Key
Pittman, of Nevada, reintro
duced the silver measures pre
sented by them to the last
Congress, it was reported from
Washington. The W'heelei
measure proposes remonetiz
ation of silver at a ratio of 16
to 1 with gold.
The Pittman bills would in
one instance permit Great Brit
ain to pay up to $100,000,00 1
of her war debt in silver a1
the market value of that metal
up to 45 cents per ounce, while
a second measure would auth
orize the Treasury to purchase
up to 5,000,000 ounces of do
mestically produced silver a
month.
The use by President Roose
velt of the word “adequate” in
his inaugural declaration that
“There must be provision for
and adequate but sound cur
rency” i3 considered by silver
advocates as indicating poss
ible early action toward recog
nition of silver as a currency
basis. Rep. A. L. Somers, who
will head the new House coin
age committee, expressed the
view that had not the president
been thinking at least favor
ably of silver he would have
left “adequate” out of his ad
dress, as, while adequate cur
rency could be obtained by
other means of legislation, sil
ver represents the only means
of providing both adequate
and sound new currency.
Representative Rainey said
| that although the president’s
policy on the silver question
’ has not been decided, he per
i sonally thought that silver leg
j islation is advisable.
PREMIER INCREASES
PROFITS IN 1932
An increase of more than
$200,000 in the operating prof
its of the Premier Gold Mining
Company in 1932, compared
with the preceding year, is
shown in the annual report of
the company, recently issued.
Profits for 1932 are placed at
$1,095,961, as against $883,
871 in 1931.
This excellent return was
achieved over and above all
charges, including depletion
and write-offs against the Por
ter-Idaho and Prosperity in
vestments. Furthermore it was
made in the face of the lowest
price for silver in history and
substantially curtailed activ
ities resulting from the depress
ion and other causes, hence it
must also be considered a
splendid testimonial of the
managerial efficiency of Mr. D.
L. Pitt and his staff.
The report shows $1,547,115
in cash on hand at the clbse of
the year.
-o
Death Claims P. L. Wood
Percy L. Wood, head of the
commissary department at the
Premier mine, passed away
suddenly Tuesday night as a
result of heart trouble. The de
ceased had complained of not
feeling well for two or three
days before his demise but at
tributed it to a temporary stom
ach derangement.
Mr. Woods had been em
ployed at the mine for several
years, coming there fi’om Van
couver, where he was engaged
m the restaurant business. He
was fifty-five years of age and
a native of the United States,
but had resided in Canada 20
years. He is survived by his
wife, who resided at Premier.
The funeral was held Friday,
with interment in the Hyder
cemetery, following services at
Premier conducted by Rev. G.
H. Moody. . Funeral arrange
ments were directed by E. E
Charlton, local mortician.
-o
Lynn Smith Crosses Divide
Lynn Smith, for many years
United States Marshal at Fair
banks and known to a majority
of old-time Alaskans, passed
away in Seattle a few days ago,
according to radio reports.
Death culminated a long ill
ness due to diabetes.
-u
Sir Henry Thornton Passes
Sir Henry Thornton, famous
lailroad man and former head
of the Canadian National Rail
way, passed away Tuesday at
the age of 62 years.