Candibates Adopt Paul's Trap View
-x
During the past ten years I
have seen that the resident
Alaskan has been getting less
and less from the profits of fish
industry. I am a resident and
property owner of Ketchikan
where everyone knows that the
fishermen has been getting poor
er and poorer and consequently
where property owners and busi
ness men are likewise affected.
We, property owners and busi
ness men, know now if we didn’t
know it before that we and the
fishermen are all “in the same
boat.”
What can we do to get the
benefits due us from the fish
erie? I believe in the Territorial
control of the fisheries. And, if
the Territory does not have the
power to abolish traps, I believe
the traps could be limited by a
graduated tax on the catch
until the tax would be prohi
bitive. I would like to see the
FISH TRAP ABOLISHED, and
will work to accomplish this if
the opportunity arises. This may
be a selfish view on my part as
I believe my business would be
better off if the traps were
abolished. And, furthermore, if
all traps cannot be abolished, I
would like to sec the traps re
maining be operated by Alas
kans.
J. E. JOHNSON
Candidate for Senator
First Division
* * *
5000 SEINE BOATS
vs.
CORPORATION TRAPS
-x
How many men would 5000
seine boats employ?
How many men do the fish
traps employ?
How many Native fishermen
own traps?
How many Native fishermen
own seines?
How many independent trap
owners were there in 1925-1926
1927?
How many independent trap
owners are there in 1932?
How many independent trap
owners made money in 1931?
How long will it be before no
independent can own a trap? ;
Is the first division canned
salmon any cleaner or better
than the red salmon pack of
Bristol Bay? (Bristol Bay uses
seiners and gill netters.)
Can’t conservation be enforc
ed with seines as well as traps‘d
Can’t human element be tak
en into consideration in the op
eration of the fisheries as it
should be in every industry? -
Can’t the fisheries of Alaska
be Americanized?
Do the people of Alaska, the
fishermen, get an even, fair and
honest • chance under the trap
rule to make a decent living?
I have answered all these
questions to my own satisfac
tion. Why not you answer them.
I have no grudge against the
corporations but I do have a de
cided preference for seines a
gainst traps. Think this over. If
I am elected to the legislature
I will do everything in my power
to bring about the abolition of
traps—I will work with that one
idea in mind.
I believe in the territorial con
trol of fur, fish and game.
The general public, the mer
chants, the man in the streets
and in some cases the canners
themselves are outspoken a
gainst a condition which denies
the Alaska workmen the right
and opportunity of earning a
living from the natural re
sources that are so plentiful
and yet so restricted by unna
tural Bureaucratic Government.
I want a change—do you?
P S.—There is no other issue
before the people.
EDITOR NOTE—Believe it or
| not we had nothing to do in the
writing of the above. Joe Kehoe,
Democrat, has gotten religion as
others must.
Petersburg Gets 'Prosperity’ from
Road Construction
During the past several
months there was much talk of
road work, federal appropria
tions for road constructions, to
aid in bringing back prosperity.
Along the Petersburg-Scow
Bay road a group of men are
working—employed by an Aber
deen, Wn., contractor. Since the
bids were let for this woik,
many local men looked forward
to the time that they would be
employed on the job. It is stated
new that the crew on that job
were hired in Juneau and that
one qualification for the job is
to be unmarried and without
dependents.
Draw your own conclusions as
to just how beneficial such con
structions are to each communi
ty with the pay roll leaving
town and going to other sources
outside of the snuff, chewing
and smoking that is usually pur
chased on such jobs.
Single men only are employed
on the Petersburg-Scow Bay
road under construction of the
Wright Company. The Arctic
Hotel register shows a number
of these nomads housed there
and these men are said to be re
quired to sign a contract for
meals at a local boarding house
at $1.50 per day and the house
keeper makes a charge of $35
per month for each persons
board. The contractors are said
to be putting the $10 differential
between their charges and the
boarding house charge into a
ditional improvements in the
road - - bulleive it or not mostly
not. The main requisite is that
each laborer must be without
dependents or family. With fif
teen men employed on the job,
the contractors will get $150 per
month back from the amount
which should properly be paid
| The Petersburg Chamber of
I of Commerce is not in session
1 else the situation and conditions
would be brought before them
officially. However, the Execu
tive Committee functions these
days and it will not be amiss
for them to undertake to get
these matters straightened out.
We do not quarrel with the
charge of $1.50 per day for the
board—the boarding house
keeper is entitled to all that she
charges and we fail to see how
the contractors are entitled to
one single solitary dime over
the charge made by the boarding
house management. This addi
tional $10 charge which the con
tractors stick into their own
pockets is that sort of petty
graft with which too much of
this coutnry is being stunk up
with. A ndwhile they are doing
this at the expense of the lab
orers the politicians lead us to
believe that road construction
work will relieve the depression.
It does alright—in those quart
ers where relief is not so neces
sary. f
The prosperity is not such a
rosy picture and it is not per
colating from the bottom up—
;and mighty little of it is per
colating from the top down --
like it or not.
—-x
Reports are out that deer are
new bothered with the hoof and
mouth disease. It is said that
some agent suggested that any
such specimen be brought in
and placed in the Petersburg
Cold Storage. An idea just about
as smart as the bureaucrat that
suggested. Such storage would
be a fine breeding place for such
a disease and place humans in
danger of such contacts.
God Helps Those Who Hellup j
Themselves ,
x
These are fine camping days
and many are taking advantage
of the weather. Some don’t even
bother to take out blankets, food
and clothing. Walk up to a camp
break down the doors, move in
take all the grub needed for a
couple of days; even help your
self to such cooking utensils as
you might need. The owners pro
bably don’t need ’em that is why
they leave them in camp. Walk
out into the garden, clean out
a-1 the strawberries and rasp
berries; help yourself to all the
vegetables you want and then
be sure to take more home. The
persons who planted those gar
oens probably did it just to kill
t’me and to help cut down your
expenses. Don’t let anyone know
that you were in the cabin and
that you took any supplies out.
If you did you would be carry
ing on as did the pioneers of the
country.
In the early days the latch
strings of all cabins were out.
On going to such a cabin the
traveller would find wood in the
box and grub in the pantry. He
would use the wood and before
leaving he would replenish the
box; he would put a note on the
table so that the owner would
know who visited the cabin and
i what he took and if he was able
to, the visitor usually left a bit
| of change to cover the goods he
I used. Each person respected the
! property and rights of the other
| fellow and all were at peace with
the world. That is the difference
between the new and the old
order and we must admit we ad
mire the old order a bit more.
This spring a couple of boys
were arrested on a felony charge
--having broken into a couple
of cabins across the Narrows.
They were up to boyish larks
and pranks and meant no harm.
They helped themselves to a bit
oc grub because they were hung- 1
ry. When adults, supposedly re
sponsible persons go up and,
down the Narrows and to other j
points where there are cabins,!
break down doors or unlock
them and forget to lock them
again, walk off with cooking and
eating utensils, they are more
guilty of violation of the laws of
the land than boys who enter
cabins in the same way and do
no more than their seniors.
j A number of complaints have
come in from owners of cabins
in this district. And from all in
dications those entering the
cabins are not just the poor fish
ermen travelling up and down
the line. It is even said that
doors and windows are being
taken from some of the cabins
| to adorn other houses in other
' districts.
We think that Alaska is get
ting too civilized and its old
miners law to much forgotten
There are times when it is well
I to return to the old order of
I things.
Being Useful
-x
i The Alaska Game Commission
1 *
I has a group of men on Admiral -
J ty Island taking a census of the
brown bear which inhabit that
island. Just how they manage to
I arrive at even approximate fig
ures we do not know but we
imagine that these pets of
Stewart Edward White and Doc
tor Hornaday are very accom
modating. Perhaps the bear just
stick around in one place wait
ing for the census takers to
come along to take the count.
| And no doubt all the bear on the
; island come out to points of
| vantage so that the census tak
ers can make accurate count.
! Anyway, it gives the Game
Commission something to do
I They at least have an excuse
| for receiving their salaries. And
| the country will benefit by the
j census—believe it or not.
A Bit of Figuring
-x
A crew of four men left
.Petersburg this summer to fish.
jThey caught 40,000 salmon and
j shared $110. for a month and a
jhalf of labor. The seining opera
tions, actual fishing and run
,ning time is more than double
the hours of ordinary labor.
I Figure out for yourself juso at
what scale of wages the resident
, fishermen are working this sum
mer.
At current prices the average
crew must deliver 150,000 salm
on to the cannery to clear $400.
The average catch is around
25,000. What is Alaska benefit
ting from her greatest industry
with her fishermen earning
nothing and imported labor be
ing paid off in Seattle? Do your
own thinking and a bit of your
own figuring!
-x
A Fisherman Writes
-x
Ketchikan, Alaska
Aug. 20, 1932
Editor, The Alaskan.
Dear Sir:
I feel that the readers of The
Alaskan should be Informed a~
regards the fishing activities in
the Ketchikan district and that
their information should come
first-hand.
i !
1 During the early run of i
humpies in July, most of the fish1
canned were trap-caught and
delivered to the canneries daily.
There was a heavy run of dog
s & 1 m o n in all the fishing
grounds. The seiners were told
that dog salmon were not want
ed. But during this same period
scow-load after scow-load of
mixed humps and dogs from the
traps were delivered every day
The top prices paid to seiners
for their fish was: Sockeyes, 10
cents; humps, 1V2 cents; chums,
2 cents; cohoes, 5 cents.
About the middle of this
month, a committee from the
local Chamber of Commerce
asked Mr. O’Malley for an ex
tension of the fishing season
which was granted. On the 18th
ct August resident fishermen
were forced to dump 20,000
salmon while the canners used
their supply from their fish
traps. We were told that Mr.
O’Malley had given the exten
sion of fishing season so that the
poor Alaska fishermen and can
nery workers could make a few
dollars. We can’t make many
collars by dumping our fish
overboard and we are compelled
to believe that O’Malley is using
mere words for Washington’s
consumption. Anyhow, the can
ners are the only ones benefit
ting by the season’s extension.
It might interest you to know
that the highest average per
share among the fishermen this
summer is $30 to $50 per man.
The big spending power of Ket
chikan is now returning to town
without any money to spend. We
are wondering just how soon the
Chambers of Commerce will a
waken to the fact that their
prosperity depends upon the
prosperity of the fishermen?
Sincerely yours,
“FISHERMAN”
-x
THE END OF THE
SOURDOUGH’S TRAIL
By James R. Little
-x
’Tis a little journey, now we walk
Hardly time for murmurs—time
for talk;
We can see the ending of the
long gold trail.
Life each day grows shorter.
Vision starts to fail!
Yester years were sunshine. Now
they’re sometimes dark,
Sometimes care and sorrow leave
their mark.
Often there was laughter—of-1
ten there were tears.
Sometimes there were losses felt,
for years.
Now we walk the pathway side I
by side,
Where so many “Sourdoughs”'
lived and died!
We can see the mortal—under-1
stand
Let us still walk always hand in
hand.
Let’s go on rejoicing seeking
colors still,
Filling in the shadows, finding
yet a thrill!
Just a little journey now, soon
gone by.
Let’s share love and friendship
ere we die!
-x
WHERE A SOURDOUGH
WASHED GOLD
-x
There’s a broken down windlass. |
A murmuring creek flowing by,
A tumbled in cabin, with weeds
growing high.
There’s a narrow winding path
| partly hidden from view,
[That leads to a spring where wild
I flowers grew!
i There’s piles of bright tailings,
i a sluice box or two.
I
An old rusty gold pan, many
j colors went through,
As I gazed on this scene of the
! long, long ago.
j Where hopes, and the dreams of
j some Sourdough
Staked on this claim and here
washed gold!
! I thought of the years he had
toiled through the cold!
And I fancied his loved one’s
were waiting each day,
!Back in the old home, till he
struck the pay.
Then memories returned of the
years that have gone
| When I, myself, mushed through
i twilight and dawn,
'And over on yon hillside, stands
j a crude, wooden cross
And a grave half-sunken, partly
covered with moss.
Beneath lies our hero in deep
sweet, repose
In the land that he loved, among
all Sourdoughs!
And I knelt on his mound, in
the Alaskan moss,
And shed silent tears on the
crude wooden cross!
And I wondered if his loved ones
now turned gray,
Were still waiting at home till
he struck the pay?
And I brushed from my eyes.
salt-blinding tears,
For I loved this man I knew
through the years.
And there I left him near the
creek’s gentle flow,
Where cotton-woods whispered
to the dear Sourdough!
Where the colors of sunset softly
let fall
IL’s gold and it’s crimson where
caribou call.
Dream on dear Pal! Beneath the
green sod,
In the land you loved best, mid
trails you have trod!
-x
Monte Bay Pool HaL
-X
Candy - Cigars - Soft Drinks
A place to meet your friends
Yakutat, Alaska
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^Vmerteaw 'Beavx\^ ^ arVor
(Mrs. Jack Wilson)
SPEC1ALIZI1TG 11ST
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The most painstaking professional artistry and individual
attention is given to each customer. x
Valentine Building, Juneau, Alaska $