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VOL. 4.
PETERSBURG, ALASKA, DECEMBER 6. 1929
No. 24
Indians Will Sue
For Old Rights
At the recent convention of
the Alaska Native Brotherhood
at Haines, that organization de
cided to initiate steps to sue the
government for compensation
for lands of which they were dis
possessed without due process
Contracts were drawn up be
tween the organization and Hon
James Wickersham and William
L. Paul to act as their attorneys.
At conservative figures it is es
timated that around $20,000,000
will be involved in the proposed
action which involve lands, fish- !
mg streams and waters, hunting
and trapping grounds, forests j
and mineral lands.
This action was predicted be
fore the Committee on Merchant
Marine and Fisheries by William
L. Paul in 1921. He asserted
then that it was the wish of the I
Indians of Alaska to secure a
decent livlihood from the fisher
ies but if prevented from so do
ing by the regulations promul
gated by the Bureau of Fisher
ies, their only recourse would be
to turn back the pages of history
and demand due compensation
for rights of which they were
dispossessed,
In their brief, it is contended
by the Brotherhood that Indians
were in possession of Alaska dur
ing the days of Russian owner
ship and that the lands occu
pied by them including tidelands
and forested areas were recog
nized as theirs by right of the
Russian Government. When the
United States acquired Alaska it
merely transferred sovereignty
and ownership of unoccupied or
unappropriated lands and re
sources but which did not de
prive the Indians of any right
+hey held under Russian rule.
I urther, Congress itself, has on
occasion, recognized these rights,
but that in the passage of years,
most of them have been taken
away and are now held by oth
ers with the consent and support
of the Government.
Eielson Still Missing
■-x
Hopes of. finding Col. Ben Eiel
son and his mechanician Earl
Borland are almost at lowest ebb
still every possible effort is be
ing made in the Arctic Circle by
friends, to locate him if possible.
Frank Dorbandt and Joe Cros
son on Wednesday set forth in
their planes for the Siberian
Coast but were compelled to re
turn to Teller from the Diomede
islands in Bering Straits. The
weather reports indicate calm
weather but an impenetrable
fog.
MAKES LAST VOYAGE
--o
William Broughel, purser on
the Admiral Liner Queen died
•n the Petersburg Hospital last
Monday from a perforated gas
tric ulcer followed by acute peri
tonitis.
An operation was not per
formed as was reported by the
Associated Press representative
here and published in the Ju
neau papers. The condition o
Broughel was such that an op
eration was not possible.
The remains were shipped t(
Seattle on the vessel of whici
he was purser.
Nineteen days till Christmas.
The Fisheries Bureau and the C anning Combine Seem to Have
A very Good Working Agreement On Fisheries Conservation. .
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Enrollment in Schools
—o
To date the enrollment for the
year at the Sheldon Jackson
School, Sitka, is 133 with 33 in
the High School. A number of
pupils are still to come, and in
dications are for a school. The
prospects for the future of the
High School are good with 30 in
he Seventh, 23 in the Eighth,
j and 12 in the Ninth grades.
There are but five Fourth grade
pupils in the school. Nine years
ego more than 50 per cent of
the pupils were in classes lower
than the Fourth grade. The
natives of Alaska are rapidly
• appropriating the benefits of the
I public schools.
Attendance in the Bureau ol
| Education schools runs to about
3500 from the primary grades
1 through high school. Average at
tendance has risen from 63 per
cent to 95 per cent and still
greater effort being made to se
cure a higher per cent of at
tendance.
The Alaska Native Brother
hood began an intensive drive
twelve years ago to secure a
higher standard of education in
the Bureau schools, which at
that time did not carry many
pupils beyond the fourth grade.
; After getting cooperation from
| the Bureau in this respect, the
organization turned to its own
, membership and began a drive
with the above results.
NEW MEMBER IN FIRM
Karl I. Sifferman, partner ol
| Earl Ohmer in the Alaska Gla
cier Sea Food Company, has pur
chased Charles Craig’s one-fortb
interest in the Yukon Fur Farms
operating across the Narrows
The owners in teh firm are now
E. N. Ohmer, Karl Sifferman
Fred Porter and Jesse Ames.
Mr. Ames, who is manager ol
I the company, left for Juneai
' during the week to organize £
Mink Breeder’s Association. /
meeting was held there on Mon
day when preliminary step;
’ were taken to perfect the or
II ganization. There is no doub
but that this organization wil
be of great benefit to the mini
breeders.
WILL BE LUXURIOUS LINER
The big liner Aleutian, which
will enter the Alaska service un
der the flag of the Alaska Steam
ship Company, will be one of the
most luxuriously appointed ves
sels on the Seattle-Seward run.
There will be 56 de luxe rooms,
and will carry 55 more passen
gers than the steamer Yukon.
Halibut Fisheries Is
In Serious State
! _
The late report of Commis
sioner O’Malley relative to the
! halibut is anything but optomis
tic. The recent issue of the Pa
jcific Fisherman of Seattle feat
ures “Westward Halibut Banks’
Productiveness Declining” by
the Staff of the International
! Fisheries Commission.
The report indicates that the
; catch has declined from 106
! pounds per unit of gear in 1926,
| to 88 pounds in 1927 and 73 in
! 1928. At which rate ten years
hence the catch will be a minus
quantity.
The situation on the British
j Columbia Coast is not any bet
| ter. In fact states the Interna
tional Fisheries Staff, “were it
to fall farther the fleet would
meet with disaster.”
The Commission feels the
| gravity of the situation and
| there is no doubt that they will
' take severe steps to prevent the
| further depletion of the fisheries
and start further steps to aug
! ment spawner supply.
i
i
LABOR LEADER DIES BURNS
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! James P. Noonan, Vice-Presi
dent of the American Federation
of Labor and President of the
' International Brotherhood ol
, Electrical Workers, died of burns
received early Wednesday morn
k ing in his apartment at Wash
. | ington, D. C. It is believed that
, I he had gone to sleep while smok
. i ing and the fire started from a
u1 cigarette.
I --
: | Do your shopping early anc
do it at home.
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Extend Wash. Fishery
An extension has been granted
the fishermen of South Bend,
Washington, which will allow
them to fish for commercial pur
poses up to and including the
15th of December in the north
ern part of Willapa river. The
original State order provides the
close reason as of November 30.
The extension was granted at
the re .ufst of fishernvr from
NasQho 1- emah, Palix ?nd Bear
river districts. State Senator
Charles R. Norman presented
'the fishermen's case. In addi
tion Charles R. Maybury, state
director of fisheries and Charles
R. Pollock, supervisor of fisher
ies, Governor Hartley was call
ed into conference.
The fishermen requested the
late December season in order
| that they might have a chance
at the late run of silversides that
-fid not reach the streams of the
; southern portion of the harbor
each year until after the Novem
I ber season closed.
The fishermen are pleased at
the action of the State fisheries
' directors.
i
I
Suggest Wireless
On Big Vessels
Mr. Ohmer has token up with
| the Fishing Vessel Owner’s As
sociation the matter of equip
ping the larger vessels with ra
| clio equipment and has askec
them to take the matter intc
consideration at their next re
gular meeting.
| The idea being suggested bj
| the recent catastrophies in the
Gulf of Alaska when halibu1
vessels and seine boats were ir
distress with no possible way o:
securing or calling help unti
beyond any possible aid.
It was suggested that vessel:
over a certain tonnage be re
c.uired as a matter of protectior
to carry radio equipment an<
one operator.
The first snow of the seasoi
1 fell this morning. Just a notici
4 of what is to follow.
WILL MAKE DRIVE FOR FUND
FOR PIONEERS
-x
W. D. Gross, moving picture
magnate of Juneau and Ketchi
kan plans to arrive on the Alas
ka Steamship Company’s boat
Northwestern this week. He will1
carry on his annual drive for
Christmas funds for the Old
Timers of Sitka Pioneer’s Home.
Mr. Gross instituted this drive
and it has grown from a very
nnall contribution to one which
gives decided comfort and cheer
to those who by force of circum
stances have had to turn to the
Territory for help in their de
clining years.
Fred E. Bronson Dies In
Seattle
The report that Fred E. Bron
son, Deputy Collector of Cus
oms at Wrangell, had died was a
shock to his many friends in ev
ery town in the First Division.
He had gone south recently for
a vacation and medical treat
ment. ■ While a sick man it was
not thought that he would pass
out so unexpectedly.
Mr. Bronson came to the Ter
ritory when a young man. Was
stationed at Sitka, then the cap
ital and later was transferred to
Wrangell. He was honest and
diligent in his duties and had
a great heart and kindliness for
all with whom he came in con
tact. Of all the deputy collect
ors, boat men speak of him most
kindly for while severe in the
actual performance of his duties
he oft times aided in remission
of fines when he believed that
the spirit of the law had been
satisfied.
He is survived by his Widow
Mrs. Bronson, daughters Miss
Margaret Bronson of Wrangell,
Mrs. Doctor Buschmann of Se
ttle and son Fred.
" Woman is Assaulted
-o
Mrs. Mary Shakes of Wrangell,
wife of the late “Chief” Shakes
was viciously assaulted by a man
who was said to have approached
her with view of buying moc
casins she hed, he asked her if
she had any money and when
lie received the negative an
swer insisted she show him
where she had it cached. Failing
to scare her into showing him
her money ,if she had any, he
threatened to kill her, saying
“If you don’t give me money, or
show me where you keep it, I’ll
murder you.” Ho beat her very
severely, fracturing her skull
and breaking her ribs by kick
ing her and her face was a mass
of bruises.
Commissioner Thomas sen
i fenced the man to five months
in jail and a fine of three hun
( dred dollars.
WRANGEL MAN UP FOR
ASSAULT
-x
! Paul Alexis, was recently con
victed of assault in Wrangell
[and sentenced to serve ter
months in jail. He was taken tc
1 Juneau by deputy U. S. Marsha
H. D. Campell.
Dr. Alberts, in charge of tht
1 federal experimental stations ir
1 Alaska was a Seattle bound pass
enger on the Queen, yesterday.
1 Next in order in social life is
i Christmas entertainments anc
i suggestions.
Paul Wins Appeal
On Contempt Case
The United Circuit Court of
appeals in San Francisco re
versed the order of the District
Court for the First Division for
Adjudging Attorney William L.
Paul of Ketchikan, guilty of con
tempt of court on two counts.
Paul, representing Maxfield
Dalton of Klawock, stated in the
court that his client had been
deprived of his property in the
Commissioner’s Court at Craig
without due process; he stated
Dalton had been arrested for
illegal fishing and that the Dis
trict Attorney, then Justin W.
Harding, had threatened that if
I he did not plead guilty and pay
1 fine of $400. his boat and oth
?r equipment would be confiscat
ed.
Harding sitting as judge of the
district court charged that Paul
had made untrue statements and
did not spare Paul for being de
liberately untruthful and con
temptuous of the court.
For this he fined Paul $75 and
sentenced him to serve 35 days
in jail.
The second count involved the
statements filed in an affidavit
of prejudice filed by Paul where
in he sought trial before another
judge in the same case. The
affidavit setting forth that Judge
Harding had made statements to
the case that were prejudicial
and disqualified him. His form
er representing of the District
Attorney’s office and handling
or direction of the case preclud
i ed fair trial for the client. In
I this instance Judge Harding held
[Paul in contempt and ordered
i him to pay a fine of $100 or serve
50 days in Jail.
Attorneys James Wickersham
and Henry Roden of Juneau re
presented Paul in his appeal
while District Attorney Stabler
represented the Court.
Paul received the congratula
tions of virtually every attorney
in Juneau and his friends are
glad of his vindication by the
Superior Court.
!
BRISTOL BAY STRUCK BY
TERRIFFIC STORMS
Last Friday, what was one of
i the most terrific storms in the
| Bristol Bay area was reported
j by way of Seward.
| The post offices at Nushagak
and Sagak, with entire contents
wire wept swept away by a huge
idal wave which struck that
region on the 24th. Later re
ports indicate that the damage
! was not as bad as at first report
* ed.
j WOMEN’S CLUB TO STAGE
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The Petersburg Business Wo
men’s Club held its regular
meeting at Tate’s on Tuesday
evening at which time they de
cided to put on a Christmas
Ball on Saturday the 21st.
The committees appointed are
Miss Mabel Otness, Decorations,
Miss Esther Karnes, Decorations,
Miss Madeleine Koester, Public
ity, Miss Elsie Jaksway.
A very brilliant affair is plan
1 ned by this, newest civic organi
f nation of the Town.
I At the next meeting several
' new members will be initiated.
j A letter has been received by
| the organization from Col. G. W.
i, Peacock in appreciation of the
II Club’s reception of Col. and Mrs.
i Peacock and his staff of officers.