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Published every Friday by the A N B. Publishing Co., Petersburg
Entered in the Post Office in Petersburg as Second Class Matter
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MONEY IS ALL GONE
A prominent business man of
Ketchikan spoke to Mr. Henry
O’Malley—“Why don’t you ex
tend the fishing season for the
seiners and let them fish on
thru. You know they haven’t
made any money.”
To this O’Malley replied, “If
I did, the creeks would be full
of fishermen.”
Mr. Businessman said: “Do
you mean to say that you spent
all your money guarding only
fish traps so they could fish and
have none for the seiners?”
Mr. O’Malley replied: “That’s
about right.”
We suppose that if O’Malley
had spent all his money by Aug
ust 1st, he would have closed
clown all fishing at that time—
at least so goes his logic.
BECOMING CONVINCED
-x
As the salmon seasons roll
by, more and more of the Alas
kan business men see the folly
of listening to rhe mouthpieces
of the Canning Trust. Senti
ment in Ketchikan is turning
about face an 1 they are meeting
the issue sqaarely and finding
the solution.
Said a prominent business
man of that city: “Paul is abso
lutely right and from now on
I am going to support Paul.”
Another business man who
supported the Troy-Chronicle
Cannery ticket last year said:
There is no justice in the pre
sent situation” speaking of the
trap question.
After they • ; * hit in the pock
etbook right ht’ d—so that they
have to write off fishermen
credits, they stop long enough
to get salvatio.*—until the next
time.
ILLEGAL FISH
-x
We charge that not one can
nery of Alaska—the entire Ter
ritory— but cans illegally caught
fish. And knowingly can said
illegally caught fish.
Just as in the old days when
they threw cheaper grades of
fish away by the millions, and
sent their fishermen into creeks
for the higher grades, they send
their fishermen out and take
their salmon knowing that they
were illegally caught.
The seiner has no other way
to catch his fish,except on rare
occasion. A simple perusal of
the Packers’ regulations set
forth by the Honorable Henry
O’Malley will prove that.
These days when salmon are
scarce ,the traps put in full time
fishing. The only time they
are closed is when they expect
or see the fish wardens and at
times they just don’t care. For
we can point to occasions when
traps were fishing with wardens
alongside the traps and no ar
rests made.
Kill! Kill! Kill, kill ’em all off
for the sooner will the country
be rid of the fish hogs.
HOW FISHING AFFECTS THE
FIRST CITY
It is already being reported
that two large stores of Ketchi
kan are going to close their
doors this winter. The spend
ing power or fishermen has be
come so curtailed that the buy
ing power of those stores will
not justify operating during the
winter months when fishermen
need credit. There will be oth
ers whose doors will close—it is
the law of credits, purchasing
power, earnings. Resident busi
nessmen have flirted with the
Canning Trust and kissed Mr.
O’Malley’s hind foot to the end
that they kiss themselves out
of business.
When they are all done with
the fisheries of Alaska, they will
have driven the most of the
fishing population out of the
country.
HOPELESS FOR SEINERS
-x
“Reports indicate that the
seiners are not doing as well as
might be hoped for in South
eastern Alaska. This is unfor
tunate but it is becoming recog
nized more and more each year
that the seine boat is antiquat
ed as a method of catching fish.
Gradually, but surely, the sein
ers will disappear from the wat
ers of the north, and legislation
will not save them.—Chronicle.
HOPELESS?
-o
The Chronicle is trap mind
ed. It dare not be anything else.
It is not big enough to stand
four square and meet the issue
as it knows it should.. It is but
the puppet of a Punch and Judy
Show and sings the songs of its
masters. It does not own its
awn soul. It is the slave of the
system which will destroy the
jirculation of that paper.
“Gradually, but surely, the
seiners will disappear from the
waters of the north * * *”
The seiners and fishermen of
'.he north are the reading and
buying population 12 months of
the year. When the only means
jf earning a livlihood is taken
from them, they will move to
other climes. Then who will
‘patronize home industry” and
who will read the Chronicle?
The Indians? Perhaps Sir Ed
ward is and has been so solici
tous of the Alaska Indian that
they will keep up his circula
tion and save the bother of pur
chasing other paper from the
stores.
THEY KILL THEMSELVES
The high seine boat at Excur
sion Inlet this summer had a
catch of 26,000 salmon; low boat
was under a catch of 4,000.
The big run in Icy Straits
section was mostly newspaper
bunk and Bureau of Fisheries
propoganda for the purpose of
befooling the authorities.
The salmon put up this year
—reputed to reach 5,000,000 cas
es) is at the expense of seed
fish. The catch of the seiners,
which is from spawning areas
and adjacent waters, indicate
that there has been no escape
ment to spawning areas this
year. The fish were caught by
traps before they reached those
areas. The fishing industry and
Alaskans, eventually must pay
the price.
THEY KNEW IT BUT DID
NOTHING
-x
Henry O’Malley, Czar of Alas
ka, said in substance in discuss
the failure of the run of salmon
at Karluk:
“The failure of reds in the
Karluk was not unforeseen. It
was predicted in 1926 by Dr.
CharlesH. Gilbert and Dr. Willis
H. Rich in an official report cov
ering the red salmon runs to
the Karluk river. j
“The question of whether an[
overcrowded spawning area j
would be disastrous to succeed
ing cycle runs of salmon was!
discussed at some length. In
1924 there were tremendous
runs of both humpies and reds
to the Karluk. Many of the
fish did not even reach the
spawning beds. The lake and
river were polluted with both
fish and spawn. The 192G run
of pinks, the next in cycle or
der, was a failure. Observing
these conditions, Drs. Gilbert
and Rich, after setting up these
facts, said—If a similar fate
befell the 1924 red-salmon eggs
we shall have an extremely
limited fingerling run in 1920
and a failure of the run in 1929.
“The current season has bourne
out the prediction of these
specialists. The red run was a
failure, but the run of pinks
has been fair.”
The Prediction of the Specialists
While the overstocking of the
river was going on, the “special
ists” did nothing—but talk. The
time to act was then. The fish
that caused the overstocking
were wasted for they should
have been canned. Resides
these same fish polluted the dy
er. After the damage was done,
the “specialists” predicted that
there would be a failure in 1926
and 1929. Henry O’Malley feels
"vindicated” in the fullfillmenf
of their predictions.
The same thing happened in
Southeastern Alaska in 1927—
the year O’Malley abolished the
second fishing season. Our
streams were overstocked while
the canneries were begging for
the very fish that were doing
the damage.
The thing occurred again las.
year—notably at Klawock where
a million salmon were wasted
while Henry O’Malley looked on
BUT DID NOTHING. ..
The History
The record of the Bureau of
Fisheries is but a repetition ol
this—they saw what was going
on, but they would ilo nothing
until the damage was done.
We Alaskans are the ones tc
suffer.
O’Malley gets his salary. We
can only tighten our editorial
belts and hope that the good
Lord will soon make an angel of
Henry and put him alongside
of St. Peter and other vdid
of other cannerymen angels
who have blazed the trail. For
the powers on earth, getting
their information from Henry
or his beneficiaries, believe in
the infallibility of Henry. We are
disposed of, by being called a
name—“Bolshivik” while our
people hunger. Any change
that might be made in the of
fice of Commissioner of Fisher
ies would give the people of
Alaska hope. Certainly the sit
uation could not be worse.
-X
BOARD OF EQUALIZATION
-x
The Board of Equalization
held its meetings this week and
listened to objections raised by
those taxpayers who held that
they had a grievance.
The appraisal of the proper
ties was made by J. E. Johnson
of Ketchikan. Prior to this ap
praisal, he made appraisal of
Juneau and and Ketchikan in a
very staisfactory manner. His
knowledge of real estate values
and experience having been
quite comprehensive, he came
well fitted for the undertaking.
Prior to the appraisal for this
year, the Council has allowed
$160 to anyone who would un
dertake to do the work. In the
main, it was paying a man to
copy the appraisals of previous'
years. The equalization was!
based on friendship, relation
ship and whatnot. Properties
that were valuable were apprais
ed at a low figure and proper
ties with low valuation socked
up to the hilt for all it would
carry. There was no justice in
the system. It was an expens
ive method of securing finances
to operate the town. And unless
you were of the favored few,
you financed the town.
This year most of the prop-!
erties are jumped to a full val-]
nation. Some already were theie j
and over. Those that were ov- '
or were lowered.
Insofar as we have been able
to learn, Mr. Johnson has done
his job in a pretty fair manner.
And for which he should be s
commended. There are some i
who feel that they have a griev- j
ance—and they have the chance j
to present their case. On the
whole, the majority state, that
if all properties are raised in
proportion, they will be satis
fied.
TIIK INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL
-x
The United States Govern
ment is about to build an in
dustrial school for Indians in
Southeastern Alaska. We are
told that Dr. Cooper, head of
the Bureau of Education, now
in Alaska ,is about to select a
site for this proposed school.
Commercial Clubs (like Ket
chikan’s) which have always
fought against every just de
mand of the Alaskan Indians,
are now demanding that this
school be placed “in their
midst.”
The 500 British Columbia na- !
tives who reside at Metlakatla ■
i
are claiming the right to name
the site.
The only group of people
whose voice are requested to be \
stilled are the 4,500 Thlingets j
and Haidas who will supply the j
great majority of students for :
that school.
The ALASKA NATIVE BRO
THERHOOD is the mouthpiece j
of this group. This organization
wishes the school placed at
Shoemaker Bay four miles east
of Wrangell. The proposal to'
place this school at the Mason i
Homestead, tributary to Peters
burg, has been defeated by ob
jections of the War Department'
transmitted by Governor Parks, j
The reasons for placing the j
school at Wrangell are:
First, the community of j
Wrangell is the most friendly in
! Alaska to the needs of the Alas
ka Indians.
Second, the location is as near
central to all Southeastern Alas
ka as can be selected.
Third, it has the only good
harbor of the accessible places
| which have been mentioned for
| the school site.
| Fourth, it is on the regular
| steamer run.
i Fifth, the climatic conditions -
; excell every other site mention- !
led, the rainfall being less than |
j one-half that of the Ketchikan1
district.
WE GIVE UP ALL HOPE
-x
We gave considerable effort
to securing the industrial school i
proposed for the Indians of the j
First Division, in Wrangell Nar- I
rows. In spite of considerable j
sub rosa opposition and some
open, we worked for what we ,
believed would be of benefit to
the people directly to be bene
fited and secondly to the town
itself. The most serious was
made by Governor Parks for
the War Department. That op- '
position was the final straw ;
that forces to concentrate on 1
Wrangell, rather than see it go ;
to Ketchikan or any site with- ;
in short distance of that city. ;
The environment of that town ;
is one that will tear down and )
undermine the morals of a «
large number of those who must ;
pass through that city enroute ]
to the school. We are strong 1
believers that environment has !
much to do with the upbuilding !
of any race of people. And to *
throw a people into the dregs ]
of jife and expect the majority *:
to come out as clean as they go •:
in or cleaner, is to expect more *i
of those peop1^ than any other j
race living. ♦:
- - ;3
Lying is a certain mark of j
cowardice. j
i *j
The early morning has gold in t
its mouth.—Franklin. ‘ *
Leave Seattle
SB
Petersburg
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Aug 13 Aug 21
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Aug. 27 Sept. 4
Pass. & Freight to S.E. & W. Alaska.
Phone 15 Petersburg, Alaska
The New Vorl^
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Pool Billiard And Card Room f
Choice Cigars, Tobaccos And Candies f
New Tables And Equipment *
Dick Kuwata, Prop.
c^x^K X^X-^X-^X-X-^X^X-XX^X^'^X^X-XX^I-X^
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& A complete line of men’s
furnishings for work or
dress. A fine line of
Goods for women
(IkuiiimatiH’
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ATTENTION !!
Boat Owners
We can take care of general repair in wood and caulking
and all the blacksmith work on any boat up to 100 feet in
length at '
Petersburg Marine Ways
J. C. Holton & Ed. Walwick
::
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I T&eveer SIw&Vqs I
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portrait’s
Landscapes
i COPYING AND ENLARGING] l|:
> TINTING AND COLORING DONE IN OIL • |
FRAMING DONE TO ORDER ’ ¥
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Alaska
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Service first
Oxo-Acetylene Pipe Fitting And
Cutting & Welding Sheet Metal Work s
GENERAL
BLACKSMITHING
John R. Kolstrand.
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Petersburg, Alaska « ¥
l£ Front Street.