Ch- FUaklmn
A. N. B. PUBLISHING COMPANY
henry JB. PHILLIPS - - --- EDITOR AND MANAGER
SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
Tbs Alaskan, six months,........ .. $2.50
Tbp Alaskan, per year . $4.00
Published every Friday by the a. N. B. Publishing Co., Petersburg
Entered in the Post Offlce in Petersburg as Second Class matter.
GANNERIfiS LOSING MONEY
The average profit on. investment
in salmon canneries and equipment
was only two percent in tfie past,
six year average, says Mr. August
ii us oilman. We remember when
tne Alaska Packers' Association
lost $750,000 during one season and
that same winter they deciared a
dividend ot |3ti.Q0 per share. Dur
ing the past lew months they again
declared an extra dividend ot $3
per sfiare tor the quarter ended,
these companies could operate at
a loss and still declare dividends.
We wish that they would pass their
secret along to resident business
men so that tfiey too might be able
to put everything in the blue in
stead ot tfie red because ot lack
ot earning power ot tfieir resident
trade.
Craig Miller, manager ot tfie
Switt-Artfiur-Crosby Co., at Warm
cfiuck is anotfier canneryman al
ways “losing” money. His brotfier
the late Bert Miller said, “ lwould
like to lose money like my brotfier.
Ho is always losing money tfirougfi
uis cannery operations yet fie fias
a personal bank account ot over
$50,000 and fie started witfi
nothing.”
Hike wise, we migfit say, we
would like to- see resident business
men get an average dividend ol
two percent tor tfie next six years
and fiave personal bank accounts
ot $50,000 out ot tfieir business,
leaving still sufiicient to install
complete line ot new equipment
to avoid tfie fiigfi income tax rate.
“FISH TRAPS BSSHNTiAL. ”
Appearing before the Senate
Committee, August Buschman,
president of tiie Deep Sea Sal
mon Company. Port Althorpe, near
Sitka, declared that The salmon
canning industry of Southeastern
Alaska couldn't operate without
traps, it could not get enough fish
to keep its plants turning, and even
if it could, it couldn't sell the hsh
it packed.”
Mr. Buschman has forgotten a
whole lot that he learned about
fishing prior to the advent of that
efficient instrument of depletion—
of population as well as salmon.
There are many men right in Pe
tersburg who remember when the
Petersburg Packing company put
up its entire * pack from seines and
their was no special difficulty in
selling the pack. If we are cor
rectly informed, the Buschmann
family put up this cannery. Others
point to the Alaska Packers’ Asso
ciation canneries at Loring and
Wrangell which put up 100,000
and 60.000 cases respectively and
WITHOUT THE USE OF A SING
LE TRAP. Wrangell employed 20
crews employing from one to one
hundred and twenty men and in
proportion the Loring canneriy em
ployed a larger crew. The Santa
Ana Cannery. Northwestern Fish
eries Company put up 35,000 cas
es and employed about ten crews
averaging 60 men to the pack.
Those who are familiar with fish
ing conditions of 20 years ago cer
tainly know that the packs were
put up by seines and to declare it
impossible to do so at this date is
a falsehood.
The fish sold today are done so
under a more intensive campaign
and through national advertsing. In
the old day these same fish were
sold by the hit or miss method and
canneries were built and paid for
Irom the profits of the pack. The
hsh sold just as well then as they
coi;ld be . now. The packers to-'
day need give only a little human j
and. humane consideration to the
resident hsherinen.
When Mr. llusehinann talks oi
the “high quality” of the salmon
sold irom trap production we only
point to the report of the Congress
>onal committee which called atten
tion to the putrid salmon sold the
nrmy during the war tor “pay-tri
ouc” reasons; to the conliscation or
several thousand cases this winter;
to the method ot handling trap sal
mon in large scows carrying twen
ty, thirty and lorty thousand sal
mon two and three hundred mile;
ana the salmon laying in scows tor
to 5 b hours. The same salmon
packed as “pure” tood when the
nsh at the bottoin of the scows had
to be shoveled out because the
nsh pues tore through the llesh
ol “mushy” salmon.
There is not one statement made
by Mr. Buschman that can sianu
searching investigation and a fair
trial by those ahected by the ndus
try.
WlUbhN IB (JOA BKK V AliOA V
I
boon atter raking oluce in March,
xy21, my attenion was called to
this ruthless destruction then in
course by the then director ol lish
I eries, Dr. Hugh M. bmith. it was
my manilest obligation to interest
myself in its remedy. Proposals
had been for some time before
congress for an extension of auth
ority beyond the very limited act
•
of 190H (which act had proved in
sufficient to meet the situation). i
was informed that that there had
ueen opposition from canners to such
legislation and a wide conflict ot
opinion among them as well as oth
ei parties as to methods.
“With a desire to secure some
unity of action, I invited THE
BANNERS to attend a meeting in
Washington in November, 1921,
and 1 believe the chairman of your
committee attended that meeting,
which was also open to the public,
i appealed to the canners in na
Jonal interest to act constructively
in support of your committee. A
majority of them agreed to do so.
A minority refused to support re
strictive legislation.* * * Meantime,
1 was informed by the commission
er- of fisheries that a large expan
sion in canning was projected in
tne less exhausted waters of north
western Alaska. There was no stat
uatory remedy for control of this
emergency situation except the lim
ned authority of the law of 1906.
The first serious suggestion which
came to me for the handling of
this emerency was from Dr. Smith,
who PROPOSED THAT EXECU
TIVE RESERVATIONS SHOULD
BE CREATED in this area as
could be promulgated in this area
as would hold the situation in sta
tu quo pending action by Congress.
President to create the Alaska Pen
insula Reservation, which was sub
sequently extended to the whole of
Northwestern Alaska. Commis
sioner Smith drew up rules and re
gulations for control of the reesr
vation in accordance with the
authority contained in the Presi
dent’s order. The basis adopted
was the licensing system, whicu
had been fully discussed by Dr. Gil
bert and Mr. O’Malley as early as
1919 in their official report c* s
special investigation of the situa
tion in that year, which pppears
in a publication entitled “Alaska
Fisheries and Fur Industries in
1919,” issued by the department.
Secretary He 'bert Hoover, in a let
ter addressed to the Chairman the
Committee on Marine and Fisher
ies.
DAMNING ADMISSIONS
. .Soon afer 1921 Mr. Hoover’* at
tention was called to “this ruth
PACIFIC COAiT SALMON PACK, 1926
King or
Districts Chinook
Cases
ALASKA _
Southeastern 10,679
Central . 26,683
Western . 18,114
Total . 62,476
BRITISH COLUMBIA: (2)
Diet. Mo. 1, J'raser River 32,932
Dist. Mo. 2, Maas River 6,964
Skeena River . 20,694
Rivers inlet. 686
Smith s inlet . 112
Bella Coola - Kimsquit 1,629
Queen Charlotte island 660
Outlying . 423
district Mo. 3
(Remainder ol Prouince) 6,260
iota! British Columbia 69,169
Red or
Sockeye
Cases
173,81*1
630,505
1,352,691
2,167,087
97,634
15,929
81,370
56,703
17,922
13,409
708
30,583
41,200
355,458
Coho or
Silver
Cases
96,389
104,309
1,829
202,527
21,783
4,274
30,208
7,284
158
8,100
3,716
27,786
59,037
162,346
Humpback
or Pink
Cases
2,158,699
1,144,1^0
35,470
3,338,349
32,256
50,785
210,064
12,814
289
25,547
200,512
123,455
116,842
772,664
Chum
Cases
618,397
243,808
^O, 238
902,443
88,4i>o
16,392
63,627
11,727
26
26,462
168,319
136,326
191,969
702,242
Steelheac
Cases
39
376
1,762
11
686
287
3
3,153
Total
Cases j
3,058,065!
2,146,485 1
1,448,342
6,652,882
273,139
92,719'
407,515
89,224
18,607
75,833
373,815
318,869
415,311
2,064,922
less destruction” of Alaska’s fish
eries. We remember as far back
as 1913 a report by the then bureau
agent in Alaska, Mr. E. P. Walk
er, calling to the attention of the
department tbe danger of over-pro
duction. Not making mention oi
petitions and memorials that nad
been sent to Washington.
With production of over 6,000,
000 cases last year, how can the
Secretary justify his position of
conservation salmon when he per
mits greater expansion in the in
dustry under his conservation meas
ures than at any time before he at
tempted to regulate the industry?
The proposed Executive orders for
the reservation system which Mr.
Hoover declared to be only a tem
orary d6vice, was again attempt
ed through legislation but it had
met the wrath of Alaskans and
failed of passage. These same re
gulations and reservation system
were set forth in San Francisco by
the Alaska Packers’ with Mr.
O’Malley as chairman of the meet
ing. And it is to be noted by care
tul reading of the regulations that if
was adopted as presented by the
packers without any change what
soever.
In the face of these facts, those
who have made a study of all pre
sent discriminatory regulations of
our fisheries can only condemn Mr.
Hoover and his cohorts in the Bu
reau of Fisheries as being the ap
pointed tools of the packing indus
try.
TRAP OWNERS PROTEST
W. T Mahoney, formerly United
States Commissioner at Ketchikan;
E. J. Murray, formerly associated
with C J Alexander and Company.
and Joseph Baronovich, all inde
pendent salmon trap owners and
authorized representatives of the
independent trap owners organiza
tion of Ketchikan and vicinity, ar
rived in Juneau last night on the
gasboat Golden West They are
here to oppose the proposed in
crease on taxes on traps and fish
ermen.
Mr. Mahoney declared that
“There are more than 100 inde
pendent trap owners in the First
Division south of Wrangell. They
are all permanent residents of
Alaska. Most of them have their
homes and families. More than a
dozen Indians are interested in
trap ownership. and operation.
They have some $875,000 invested
in traps and $240,000 in boats, in
addition to their homes and other
property. ,
“The independent trap owners
; sell their fish to the canneries,
j which give them fine treatment and
co-operation in doing business.
“These trap owners give employ
1 ment to hundreds of people be
sides furnishing a market for log
gers and sawmills for pilqp and
timber and lumber, in addition to
other supplies and equipment pur
chased from the local merchants' at
Ketchikan. Wrangell and other
points.—Juneau lmpire.
“Kinky” Alexander, formerly
superintendent of the Hoonah Pack
ing Company was a fisherman on
the Sound and according to a man
who was operating in the same
game at the same time, he is said
to have gotten his start in the
business by robbing traps.
Not so many years ago “Joe”
Baronovich operated his seine boat
out of Ketchikan and he condemn
ed the trap system which deprived
him of making a decent living. He
got in to the trap game and now
tries to kid himself into believing
a great injustice being done the
independent trappers. He forgets
his brother in Kasaan and other
relatives struggling for the few
dollars to keep the wolf from the
Jhack as well as the front door.
These men are kidding them
selves into believing that they are
lighting a battle for the independ
ent trap owners when they are only
pulling the chestnuts out of the
Hire for the big trap men.
Talk about hurting the logging
industry. Did you read about the
Yes Bay bringing up $10,000 worth
of piling from the sound just a
short time back and other tows of
l piling that the industry does not
mention? And they prate about the
hurt done the logging industry—
bunk.
The Trap Interest Fog Horn tells
ol Nick Neussbaumer, manager
of the Wrangell Mill and Power
Company leaving an affidavit pro
testing the tax measures on the
trap system. Nick has changed his
views a whole lot since getting his
old job in the mill back. We re
member his expressing hig views
Quite pointedly against the “damn”
traps. ’ But then Nick has a job and a
hold it, he must speak the little
piece his boss “Johnny” Grant
gives to him.
INDIAN CLASSED AS AN
AMERICAN
.The American Indian is not an
alien in the sense that he may be
barred from this country under ex
isting immigration laws, in the
opinion of Judge Oliver B. Dickon
son, of the United States District
Court.
Judge Dickinson has so ruled in
the case of Paul Diabo, and Irri
quois of the Caughnawaga reservu
ton, Canada, who was arrested,
charged with having entered
this country without a visa. The
decision brought a step nearer con
clusion the long legal contest be
tween the immigration authorities
and attorney for Mr. Diabo, who
were engaged by the Six Nations,
, the confederation of six big Indian
j tribes of North America, to defend
I the case.
i Pending possible appeal by this
Government, Mr. Diabo was re
leased from the custody of the im
migration authorities in $500 bail.
The case was first heard before
; the Commissioners of Immigration
I at the Port of Philadelphia, who
decided Mr. Diabo was an alien and
ordered him deported. This deci
sion was sustained in Washington
by the Secietary of Labor’s board
of review. As Mr. Diabo was
about to be deported, his counsel
obtained a writ of habeas corpus
and the decision of Judge Dickin
son just rendered was on tnat
writ.
Commenting on his decision,
Judge Dickinson asserted that he
might have taken too broad a
view of the question, but that the
Indians had always been recogniz
ed- by the United States as a nation
and as a race independent of the
Government in the ordinary sense
of the phrase.
“The boundary line to establish
the respective territory of the
United States and of Great Britian
was clearly not intended to, and
just as clearly did not affect the
Indians.” the court said.—Chris
■ mn Science Monitor.
The ruling of the courts in this
case is being watched with inter
est by the people of Metlakatla as
they are travelling back and forth
from and to Old and New Metla
katla. While the question has nev
er been raised in Alaska, it could
be and cause no end of incon
venience.
HATCHERY BUNK
At a particular control over Al
askan salmon it is estimated that
1,668,750,000 eggs and fry were
launched into life and 3,740,000
adult fish, came back and it is
thought all who escaped infant
mortality did come back—so that
the loss was 99.77 per cent. Or,
in other words it took 450 fry to
make a fish. And at this rate the
annual one billion, one hundred
million fry and fingerlings from
the whole battery of hatcheries
would produce one-third of a fish
per fishermen per annum.—Secre
tary Hoover.
The outlook for the coming or
large capital for the development
ot Alaska resources was never
brighter. Things are going nicely
und the course ahead looks fine.
It is a time to sit pretty and not
ock the boat
Give them the Territory and
then get out.
A POOR JOKE
“The gentleman from Alaska in
dicates that the regulations spac
ing traps a certain distance apart
to relieve the canning companies,
the expense of maintaining dummy
traps and to maintain the trap mon
opoly. This is absolutely errone
ous. The regulations of 1926,
which increased the lateral dis
tance between traps in southasternj
Alaska from 1,800 feet to 1 mile, |
were promulgated solely in the in- j
terests of conserving the salmon
fisheries. No consideration whatev
er was given as to whether traps
of large or small companies or in
dividuals would be eliminated or
in an way effected. In this way
traps as well as other types of fish
ing gear were made to feel the
burden of the regulations.”—Con
gressman Free in the Congressional.
Record.
The most sickening drivel that
Alaska fishermen have had to read
in a long time. Even the trap in
terests themselves have admitted
that this regulation was of great
benefit to them in the cutting out
of the expense of putting in dummy
traps. Wonder why this champeen
of the trap Interests does not in
sist on having traps in the Cali
fornia waters. He is welcome to all
the burdens that he} wishes to im
pose on resident Alaskans.
Quality
and
Quantity
For less at
The
Modem Grocery
~ v:,«whv
Buy at Star Bakery and Save Money
Fresh Doughnuts, iup Cakes, ookies
and Cinnamon Roils
Always on Hand Fresh
STAR BAKERY
AMERICA FIRST arrives in Pe
tersburg Friday morning, leaving
i'or Juneau via Kake and way ports
bbout noon.
HAHOW TRANSPORTATION
COMPANY
ALASKA CAFE
George Kim, Proprietor
Me .is at all Hours
| Good Services, Fair Prices
| We Solicit Your Trade
When in Town Stop at
ARCiil iiOiCiL |
First Class Rooms
Reasonable Rates
ct RL ROGER, Pro.
SITKA HOT SPRING
HEALTH RESORT .
Rate $3.00 per
day and up
Dr. Goddard, Pro.
Saniiary Market
A Roast you’ll like
The Very ( hoicest Reef
Mu'ton and Pork
Vegetabl e in S^a or |j|
Dr. Kae L. t a ^son
EYESIGHT SPECIALIST
KETCHIKAN, ALASKA
Home Service Mending
of Laundered Goods
We give full value for your
money.
H.OYAMA.pro.
O830CR5O»O^W<»Ch>O-:>OOO -*0R W-"
. e v*7r*>*n
* ( v\l LJ-Yv Utu v
1 tuiPT'. v roppTi '
All: ccU
Y«r
ile
S<uh. L <«|
»»*
MB
MB