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K. N. B. Publishing Company,
..Published every Friday by the Alaska Native Brotherhood
Publishing Company, at Petersburg, Alaska.. Entered in the Post
Office in Petersburg as Second Class Matter.
Subscribtion Rates:
Hie Alaskan, six months, $2.50
The Alaskan, per year, $4.00 Louis F. Paul, Editor-Manager.
“A Complete Failure”
“Complete failure of the Cook
Inlet herring fishery added a
(Msmal chapter to the story of
Alaska herring curing in 1929,
the most disappointing season
this industry has ever experienc
ed * * * the failure being even
more complete than that of the
Kodiak Island fishery.”—Pacific
Fisherman.
The failure of the herring
fishery which was so evident in
1929, was predicted several years
ago by the Alaska Fisherman
and this publication. Every effort
was directed to combat the use
of herring for fertilizer and
oil. Other industries so depend
ent upon the herring fisheries
would be completely destroyed
unless the destructive methods
were discontinued.
The system still sits in the
saddle with their methods. The
resident halibut fishermen and
businessmen who benefit most
by and through these fisheries
are lulled to sleep by a false
sense of security They are fool
ed into believing their position
secure because for the present
they can secure all the bait they
need, most of the time.
The downward trend of the
herring fishery was noticeable to
keen observers even when fer
tilizer production required only
from one to three million pounds
of herring. The industry now
demands from fifteen to twenty
million pounds annually. Which
means several million more her
ring annually for fertilizer. And
Employment In Alaska Fisheries
The Bureau of Fisheries is
authority for the statement that
31,086 persons, exclusive of those
engaged in the halibut and off
shore cod fisheries, are employed
by the fishing industry.
Last year there were 425 float
ing traps, 305 pile traps, 3,127
gillnets, 135 beach seines, 577
purse seines and 7,806 trolling
lines. The seines caught 25 per
cent of the fish of southeast
Alaska; gillnets, 1 per cent; 71
per cent by traps and by trolling
lines, 3 per cent.
Seven hundred and twenty
five traps in Southeast Alaska as
compared to 577 purse seines.
Combining purse seines, gillnets
and trolling lines, still the traps
procured more fish than the
three combined.
An average purse seiner em
ployes five men so that roughly
speaking 2775 men were employ
ed in purse seining. Fact of the
Low Pay Makes Them
Unworthy
Employers who fail to pay a
living wage g,nd who throw
workers out of their jobs in times
of industrial depression were
scored by P. H. Callahan, presi
dent of the Louisville Varnish
Company, in a remarkable
speech at the Religious Educa
tion Association’s convention re
cently in Atlanta, Ga.
Mr. Callahan is one of the
leading manufacturers of Ken
tucky.
. .In this speech, he said: “’When
industry fails to pay the laborer
a wage sufficient to keep him
self and family in comfort, it no
longer deserves to exist. Indus
try was made for man and not
man for industry.
“A so-called living wage is
further meaning the more rapid
destruction of the industry.
The day will come when those
most interested will wonder why
they are unable to get bait. The
reason is before them now—if
they would only see ft.
COUNTING FISH
Since critcisms have been di
rected toward the employment
situation in Alaska, the Bureau
makes effort to justify the em
ployers. Which reminds us of a
story. _
Not long since a u:erk watch -
man was stationed ai a certain
creek. One of his duW s was to
count fish. For a long time no
fish showed up at t.*.c stream but
finally when the *‘c:o,-c season
rolled around a fev . sh shower
up and he begi-n hi; 'iount. Tin
first day he count • ‘'00; tne
next day he c: antec 2' u and ior
a total of ten day-; he counter
200 each day. Telling a passing
fisherman of his count, he said:
‘I have counted 2,000 salmon in
the creek since they began com
ing in ten days ago.”
The fisherman went up the
stream for about a mile and saw
no fish in the creek anywhere.
About the mouth of the creek
about 200 salmon were anxiously
waiting for the creek to raise!
?o that they could perform their!
last function. Ten times 200 is;
two thousand, alright. But it]
aid not mean there were 2,000,
actual salmon in the creek. So
the farce of making sure of a 50
per cent escapement is contin
ued.
matter not 2500 men are so en
gaged. The trap employes an
average of two men per trap or
■ 1,460 men—the greater portion
l* of whom are imported from the
States and paid off in Seattle.
The 2,500 purse seiners are resi
dent fishermen who are paid off
in Alaska, have their homes here
!
; and pay taxes and spend their,
‘ money here.
An increase in purse seine op
eration, no one can deny, would
be of immeasurable benefit to
resident business.
i Resident business is willing,
'/ea, anxious to participate in the
i sale of goods to fishermen. What
i are they doing to guarantee ev
: ery fisherman a good summer’s
wage; what are they doing to
help increase the fishing popu
. lation. You who read this an
swer for yourself, fairly and
squarely.
miscalled if the employer is free
to lay off workers and thus have
them carry the burden and the
sacrifice every time the business
| barometer signals unfavorable
weather.
There is no more justifica
tion for the continued existence
of a business that cannot carry
its normal force in times of de
pression than for one that can
not pay a living wage.”
Gain for Alaska
x
A one per cent gain in consum
ing power of Alaska home mark
et is equal to a 9 per cent boost
in markets foreign to Alaska;
and the Alaska market is within
jour own control while markets
beyond the territory are under
control of other governments,
customs or financiers.
A higher wage for the resident
fishermen will give them a buy-,
i
3
ing power and the home marke
will increase in full proportion.
During one month the town o:
Kake sent outside $17,000 to th<
catalog firms doing business ir
Alaska; the following montl
they sent out for $9,000 worth o:
goods.
They could receive goods al
catalog prices local stores ol
Kake, Juneau, Petersburg oj
Wrangell could not compete
with. The low earning of these
people drove them to a market
that is ruinous competition foi
lesident business. Yet in sell
protection, these people spenc
where they can get the most foi
their money—and so do many
others besides the natives oi
Alaska.
.. When the earning power oi
lesident fishermen is large, they
spend more largely in Alaska;
when their earning power is at
a point where it is not even a
living wage they get larger pur
chasing power from each dollar
away from home markets.
Who suffers from this compe
tition? The fishermen or the
business men?
. Bring 'Em On
-x
Down in Seattle, recently, J.
W. Troy, editor of the Juneau
Empire is quoted as declaring
that “Alaska’s population and
payroll will increase tremendous
ly under the stimulus of the pro
jected $15,000,000 pulp wood de
velopment near Juneau.”
About the time of each terri
torial election. Troy goes into
lhapsodies over the “proposed”
pulp wood development in Alas
ka. The resident citizens are be
coming anxious for that develop
ment. Especially down Ketchi
kan way where there is consider
able more men looking for labor
"han can be supplied with labor.
The First City has bumped some
pretty bad financial bumps dur
ing the past year and they want
more than buncombe which has
been ^promised several years.
-X
Ask For Alaska Products
Down in Juneau, we note with
a great deal of interest and con
siderable pride even though they
are far away from us, that the
Juneau Lumber Mill is “knock
ing ’em dead.” We are especially
glad they are enjoying a splen
did business because they are
giving a practical demonstration
of what wo have preached for
years; that if Alaska is to devel
op it must grow from within and
not from without. Buy every
thing in Alaska and doubly so if
it is made in Alaska.
What Juneau can do all other
towns in Alaska can also do, ev
t
; en if on a smaller scale.
The Juneau mill, we under
• stand, has about 100 men on the
! payroll and just recently, owing
t to the large number on hand
i and ever increasing orders, the
■ former 8-hour shifts have been
extended to 10, with a corres
; ponding increase in pay.
Thirty years and more living
• off the products of the states is
■ about long enough in any man’s
! land. Alaska has poured milli
ons into the coffers of Outside
■ firms whose products could just
as well be raised or manufactur
ed in the Territory.
Summer is here so from now
on, get this habit; when you ask
for vegetables, berries, potatoes,
soda pop, candy, lumber, coal,
etc., get Alaskan. And for good
ness sake, fellow Alaskans, lay
off this mail-order stuff.
No need then to ask “What’s
the matter with Alaska ”? The
answer is in the paragraph just
above.. Seward Gateway.
True Enough
-x
The Alaskan agrees with the
Gateway in its cry patronize
home industry” but goes a step
farther.
When will the press awaken to
th reason for mail orders from
Alaska?
.. The smaller the earning of re
sident fishermen, the more mail
orders going outside. Resident
business is aiding in the cutting
of its own throat so long as it
does not stand back of the fish
ermen in the^r demand for a cul
tural wage.
A man with a family of four
to support certainly will not
spend $25 for shoes with resident
) business men when he earns on
ly $150 during a whole summer’s
labor. That $25 looks just as big
to him as $250 probably looks to
the business man. When the re
sident fisherman earns more, he
spends more locally. When he
earns less, he sends outside to
corporations that do not contrib
ute to the immediate wealth of
the Territory.
-v
Acknowledged ?
-X
! That the Empire broadcasts
that Rustge.Jd “is acknowledged
to be candidate of the Hoover ad
ministration in Alaska” it ac
knowledges the federal forc
j es backing the O’Malley adminis -
J tration of the fisher/es was back
i of the election of Rustgard. Mr.
i O’Malley is the Hoover adminis
tration in Alaska.
Dan’s Choice
Dai. Suther’and’s choice for
delegate to Congress was John
Rustgard. When he first inti
mated to his friends that he was
Good cooks know that ham must have real
quality to begin with. That’s why they choose
FRYE’S “DELICIOUS” BRAND HAM, the
kind that cooperates with the cook, wheth
er It be boiled or broiled, baked or fried.
Unexcelled freshness is one of the big reas
ons for the popularity of FRYE’S “DELI
C OUS” BRAND HAM.
Send 3c to Frye & Company, Seattle, for a copy
of their well known “Meat Gucde,f
i
!
!
i
I
| not going to be candidate for re
! election he urged that Rustgard
be supported for the position.
But John already was playing in
the Empire’s political field so his
friends were afraid of him and
refused to back him. They pre
vailed upon Judge Wickersham
to agree to file with the result he
secured the nomination.
When Sutherland saw the lay
of the political situation he then
made no further overtures for
Rustgard. That Rustgard believ
ed Dan had turned against him
.vas evidenced by his needless at
tack upon Dan during the cam
paign. It is not improbable that
had John refused the support of
the Empire and had he not turn
ed against Dan, he would have
made a much stronger race for
nomination than he did.
MONEY FOR PESTS SOUGHT
Plans for a 10-year war on
predatory animals is being back
ed by the Department of Agri
JOSEPH O. RUDE
^PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON
Over People’s Drug Store
Office Phone 61
Home 66
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culture. Secretary Hyde is lining
up all his influence behind a bill
to appropriate $13,737,000 for a
campaign against, wolves, co
yotes, bobcats, cougar and other
pests, by Representative Scott
Leavitt.
ladjeTshoes
With style, quality
fit and long wear
built into them by
shoe specialists.
Require no slow and
painful breaking-in.
Fit
Wear
Priced
A COMPLETE LINE
Now on display
At
Goodman ’s
WE Move Anything Loose On One End
RELIABLE TRANSFER
Phones
General Hauling
3 and 12
A
aM SKYMAN’S Ml,
BARBER SHOP
BEAUTY PARLOR AND BATHS
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( et your Drugs, Medical Supplies and Sundries at
>:
People’s Drug Co.
DAHL and SKEI, Owners.
2
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Prescriptions filled by Graduate Pharmacist >
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Watch tor itl
Blue Plate Lunch - A service
You will appreceate.'
Grand Cafe
I
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Passenger accom
odations on all the
Admiral Line Ves
sels have been'
completly and ma
terially improved.
You will find them
very attractive and
comfortable.
regularly and dependably.
Northbound from Seattle
Watson April 30
Rogers _ May 8
Evans • May 14
Watson May 21
Southbound from Petersburg
Evans May 9
Rogers May 2
Watson May 17
Regers May 15
INFORMATION AND TICKETS:
Ed. Locken. Agent.
Petersburg ... Alaska
ADMIRAL LINE
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WILLIAMETTE BUILDING & LOAN ASSOCIATION
Of Portland, Oregon.
Open a savings account, we pay 6 compounded
semi-annually, funds can only be loaned on im
proved real estate first mortgages under state
supervision.
A. O. Elstad — — — — Representative.