VOLUME NO. VI.
PETERSBURG, ALASKA,
AUGUST 7, 1931
NO. 3
Alaska Conditions
Seen by Seattleite
-X
J. A. Green, Seattle banker,
spending a few days in Alaska
returned to the Queen City and
immediately declared that “This
lias been a better year than 1930
for the fishermen of Alaska.
Particularly in the Bristol Bay
district the run has been better
than that of last year and has
cheered up both workesr and
canneries.”
It must be true for Mr. Green
is honored by no less a company
than the People’s Bank and
Trust Company and his integrity
may not be questioned.
But when Mr. Green represents
such rosy conditions for the
fishermen, it is wondered just
where he met those fishermen
and what he knows about their
earnings.
In the Ketchikan district up
to last week, the fishermen had
not made their salt. Those few
who were lucky to catch a few
fish received as much as 4 cents
per salmon and no one is report
ed as being in the income pay
ing class this year.
In Wrangel section the catch
per boat will average about 40,
000 at three cents per salmon,
each crew will gross an average
of $1,200 for five men. After
operating expenses are deduct
ed there will be a net of less
than $200 per man—for his
summer’s work.
In Petersburg, the two crews
operating expect to earn about
$200 per man. Reports from
the West Coast have not reached
this point as yet but with the
present indications, there will
not be much earned until after
the 15th of this month and the
season ends on the 22nd.
Long Years of
Litigation
Seven years of litigation over
the estate of the late O. B. Wil
liams, pioneer sash ana door
man of Seattle, continued in a
new chapter last week before
Judge McFarlane, with prospects
of the fight dragging on for sev
eral more years to come.
Recent developments indicat
ed the executor was ready to end
the litigation by turning the
O. B. Williams plant to his em
ployees, as specified in his will.
But the terms did not suit the
employees and litigation was be
gun again.
In consolidated suits now be
ing heard, the employes asked
that they be deeded about $150,
000 worth of real estate besides
the plant, an dthat they receive
about $150,000 in profits the
plant has earned since the liti
gation began.
The widow, and Williams’
adopted son, Lloyd, were left in
excess of $25,000 each.
-x
Writer in North
-x
Barrett Willoughby, author of
“Rocking Moon,” “When the
Sun Swings North,” “Gentle
Unafraid,” “Sitka,” and the
“Portal of Romance,” is on her
way through the Territory to
secure material for another
book.
—--x—
OLDEST MASON DIES
\ -*
Leprelet Logee, aged one hun
dred and five years, five months
and twenty days, of Charlton,
Mass., believed to have been the
oldest Mason in the world, died
last week in the Massachusetts
Masonic Home.
... .--- -
“Buddy” Burke returned from
Wrangell by plane today.
Annual Finance
Drive of S. A.
-x
! One of the greatest lessons
which the Christian religion has
taught is, that the possession of
time and money carries with it
a duty of service to mankind.
The Salvation Army in Peters
burg is endeavoring to fulfill its
responsibilities in that direction.
During the past year we have
made extensions in our work
amongst the young people and
their mothers. Once more we
are appealing to our friends for
their assistance financially. The
money which is given is all used
to carry on the local work.
We are grateful for the sup
port we have received, and the
interest that has been shown
in our work during the past
year. We trust that during the
coming year, we may be able to
render such service to the com
munity as will justify its con
tinued support.
On Monday the tenth, the of
ficers will commence their An
nual Drive. Captain Briefly and
Lieutenant Fulton, the local of
ficers in charge, will be calling
upon the citizens for their kind
ly and generous assistance.
-x
Canada Said Be
Backing Fight
-V
The Alaska press now comes
to the fore and alleges that the
opposition of the American Pa
per and Pulp Association to fur- 1
ther development of timber and 1
power sales to that industry, Le t
flue to the power and intriguing '
of the Canadian newsprint in
dustry.
It is pointed out that 18 years .
ago Canada secured control of
the American pulp and news- •
market and has retained that'
control. The American news
print makers produce only one
third of its necessary consump- ]
tion while Canada supplies 87 j
per cent of the quantity deliver- :
Pd and 80 per cent of Cana la s ^
production is marketed in the {
United States.
The opposition to the Alaska ;
pulp development is said to be 1
not based upon a need for or
the desireability of protecting 1
the purely American newsprint ]
industry.
-x
Ford Stops Work
-x- |
Officials of the Ford Motor j'
Company suspended manufac- j
turing operations on the first of;
this month and announce that)
they will not reopen during thej
month.
Operations will be continued 1
on the assembly line in Detroit ]
and eleven of the thirty-six as
sembly branches throughout the
country.
-x
EXPRESS YOUR OPINION OUT
LOUD, IS REQUEST
-x
. .The City Council is asking an
expression of opinino from th<
tax payers about the tax levy for
this year..
The levy may be dropped from
20 to 17y2 mills, and a drop of
$3700 from taxes.
Th levy may be left at 20 mills
to provide funds for school gym
nasium.
Or retaining the tax levy, the
$3700 could be used to retire a
portion of the school bonds and
thereby save $250 a year in in
terest.
The Council desires expression
of opinion from the public as to i
desired course of procedure in;
the matter.
-x
Frank H. Foster returned on
the “Brant” to Juneau. I
Judge Harding
Upholds Tax Law
Judge Justin W. Harding of
the District Court at Juneau,
last week upheld the Territorial
tax of $250 on non-resident
trollers, overruling a demurrer
filed against the Territory’s
answer which in substance up
held the Act of 1929 a' second
tune.
This case was brought by the
Seattle Trollers’ Association thru
Wood Freeman. It was alleged
that this tax was prohibitive
rud contrary to the guarantees
i the law of 1924. Freeman al
Yging that the average earn-'
ngs of the trollers was $500 and i
this contention was upheld by
the Circuit Court of Appeals in
San Francisco last year.
Attorney General Rustgard in
bis answer contended that the
average earnings of the fisher
men was $3,000 and that the tax
al $250 was not unreasonable or
prohibitive. Counsel for de
fense, H. L. Faulkner demurred
,o the answer as not constitut
ing any defense and so two
veeks ago the case was tried be
fore Judge Harding. Counsel
for defense contended that the
ef 1929 wTas invalid in that
t fixed a discriminatory license
rate between resident and non
esident trollers. As defense at
forney did not deny the Terri
,ory’s allegation relative to the
rollers’ earnings, Judge Harding
leld that the answer did consti
ute a valid answer therefore he
iverruled demurrer.
The case will again be appeal- .
id to the Circuit Court.
x
big Losses Shown
In Pulp Business
-x
The Grays Harbor Pulp and
3aper Company reports a profit 1
rom operations, before interest
tnd depreciation, for the fiscal
fear ending April 30, 1931, of |
,437,402. Interest paid amount
d to $244,735. After all charges
md write-offs, the net! result for
he year was a loss of $205,165.
And the Rainier Pulp and Pa
ler Company of San Francisco, •
eports a net profit of $65,535
before extraordinary expenses
md losses for the fiscal year I;
mded April 30, as against a net1
jrofit of $471,623 for the previous •
iscal year. Extraordinary ex-j,
senses and losses amounted to
>235,C54, however, resulting in a
t l^<? of $170,118 for the
fear of the report.
“The Camerons are coming” j
md “Zellerbach’s are coming,”
vhen they get ready to come—
io sooner. !,
Bios Up in Air j:
Senators Peter Norbeck of
South Dakota and Frederick j
Walcott of Connecticut, and,
Paul G. Redington of the Bio
ilogical Survey made a three-1
sour aeriel survey of game con-1
rations on the Kenai Peninsula,
last Friday, out of Anchorage.
They returned with closeup
photographs of five brown bear,!
thirteen moose and about fifty (
mountain sheep. They left for
Mount McKinley and Fairbanks/
from whence they will return to
the coast. They are holding
hearings regarding fur regula
tions.
-x
Arthur Tveten left this week
to visit with the Alfred Howe
family in Ketchikan.
-x
Henry Hasbrouck has the con
tract for building the gravel
bunkers on Prlewy Island.
Oregon Court
Makes Ruling
-x
A supreme court decision, in
terpreting in a most liberal way
the Oregon rights of commercial
fishermen on the Columbia from
encroachment on their Ashing
grounds by Ash traps, other
types of stationary gear, or
structures involving the use of
piling in the navigable waters
of the Columbia, was handed
down in the Supreme Court,
Monday. The decision was writ
ten by Justice Kelly, and slightly
modiAed the decree handed
down by Judge Howard K. Zim
merman in the case of T. L. Dr<>
coll and other Ashermen against
the state Ash commission and
Otto Berg.
Justice Kelly holds that all
citizens of Oregon have a com
mon right to Ash in the waters
:.f the Lower Columbia River a id
that to deprive any one citizen
jf that right is to violate the
state Constitution.
The highlight of the decision
is that portion which enjoins
the deefndant Berg and ail
other persons from operating
poundnet Ash traps or any
other stationary Ashing device
in the water of the lower Co
lumbia River, or from driving
any piling in the navigable
waters of the channel of that
stream which (might) inter
fere with the operations of
drift net or other Ashermen.
The decision, according to As
;oria attorneys represents a most
iberal interpretation of the stat
jte in favor of Aoating gear Ash
;rmen and will effect other cases
low on appeal, such as the
5trandholm case which involves
joth a dock and Ash traps.
Its effect, it is believed will be
;o put a halt to any further sta
ionary gear construction on the
Oregon side of the lower Colum
bia.—Astorian Budget.
x
^EATTLE-KETCHIKAN SPEED
RECORD
-x
A new speed record between
Ketchikan and Seattle was es
tablished recently by Pilot Anscel
ilckman of the Alaska-Washing
;on Airways when he set his
Lockheed Vega seaplane down in
Lake Union, Seattle after a 4
icur and ten-minute flight from
Ketchikan. He made the trip
it an elevation of 10,000 feet.
-x
Norse Monument
-x
Plans for a fitting mon imeiv
it Churchill to the sturdy Norse
men who entered Hudson Bay
md discovered the harbor of
Churchill, September 7, 1619,
?,re being planned by the Nor
wegian Lutheran Church of
Canada, according to a recent
jublished announcement.
Sixty-one members or the ex
pedition of sixty-six sent out by
King Christian IV of Norway
:ind Denmark to seek Live north
vest passage, died at Churffhill.
-x
“HOOVER WINE”
-x
“Hoover Wine” is the name be
stowed upon the 1931 vintage of
Rhine wines. This christening
svas in accordance with an an
cient custom* of naming each
year’s vintage, in Strasbourg, j
Germany, for some person or
current event of prominence.
Last year’s vintage was named
“Evacuation,” to mark the with
drawal of Rhineland occupation
forces.
-x
Qon Reyburn is in from Doug
las Bay, . J
Forest Service Has
Made Changes
-x
R. A. Zeller whose office has
been in Ketchikan for several
I years, has been transferred to
Minnesota; Harold Smith has
been moved to Cordova as of
September; Charles Burdic of
Sitka steps into the Juneau dis
trict; W. J. McDonald steps into
the vacancy in Ketchikan cre
ated by the transfer of Mr. Zel
ler and will be Regional Forest
er; -J. M. Wyckoff will be shifted
to Petersburg from Ketchikan
and Mr. Archibold who has been
in Petersburg for several years,
will be transferred to Ketchi
kan.
Mr. Charles Flory stated re
cently stated that this would
expedite the business and poli
cy of the department and place
greater responsibility upon the
administrative agents and pro
mote efficiency in the dealings
of the Forest Service organiza
tion with the general public.
-x
Hop Pickers Must
Be All Iftet
-x
Only those who favor anti
prchibition were to be employed
in the Willamette Valley hop
fields, according to a resolution
adopted by the growers. Grow
ers from many sections were re
presented at the meeting.
The resolution urged that in
asmuch as the hop growing in
dustry is one of Oregon’s great
est industries, creating a payroll
of over $2,000,000 annually and
the harvesting of the crop em -
ploys over 40,000 men and wo
men, and as “we have suffered
and our product is in jeopardy
through prohibition .. .. we em
ploy those in sympathy with
modification of our present law.”
O’Malley, White
Visit Here
Henry O’Malley and Senator
White, author cf the White Fish
Law which governs in Alaska,
arrived in port on the “Brant”
about nine o’clock and spent a
few hours in town.
Mr. Ohmer, mayor of the town
had quite a visit with Commis
sioner O’Malley and later with
the party where the fisheries
situation in the Territory was
generally discussed. Mr. O’Mal
ley has expressed himself satis
fied with the condition of the
fisheries this year and declares
the run to be normal.
Senator White is in the Ter
ritory more on a pleasure jaunt
than business but while in the
Territory he is looking into the
fisheries situation.
A number of fishermen talked
cf meeting with Senator White
and Commissioner O’Malley, but
felt it would be a waste of timej
to all parties concerned to pre
sent the sad state of affairs to
which the fishermen are .sub
jected. They passed up the op
portunity of trying to put across
the perspective of the fishing in
dustry from the fishermen’s
angle.
The party left for Juneau dur
ing the night.
-x
Frank Dunn, ships caulker of
Wrangell came over to do some
work in the Anderson Shipyard.
Everett and Joe Petigrew re
turned from Snow Pass and left
today for Ketchikan.
-x
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Sommer,
for many'years residents of Pe
tersburg left for the Sound to
make their future home. Au re
American Pulp Association
Protests Alaska Timber Sales
From Juneau Empire
| Washington, D. C., and Fair
| hanks despatches to the Empire
I indicated that the protest of the
! American Paper and Pulp Asso
ciation against large scale pulp
and paper development in Alas
ka was unnecessary and that
such development was not ex
pected to occur as long as pre
sent conditions prevailed in the
[newsprint industry.
The Association, Sunday sent
a letter to President Hoover urg
ing him to halt pending nego
tiations for the sale of national
forest timber in Alaska on the
ground that pulp production
there “would thrust unwarrant
ed products upon an over ex
panded industry struggling with
diminishing demand and van
ishing products.”
Not Force Development
A Washington despatch to The
Empire said: “Under present
conditions in the newsprint in
dustry it is expected interested
Government officials will delay
indefinitely the development of
a large wocdpulp industry in
Alaska which is feared by the
officers of the American Paper
and Pulp Association.”
“The situation involves a pro
tected development in Tongass
National Forest by use of pro
posed power plants at Ketchi
G.O.P. Bickering
„ Not So Good
x
Bitter factional rows among
the Republicans may throw con
trol of the next Congress into!
the hands of the Democrats, j
This possibility has been con
'cedecl by Senator George H.
Moses of New Hampshire, presi
dent pro tempore of the Senate,
whose place is a bone of conten
tion in the Republican ranks.
The chances of an upset i i
the House is more probable by
election of John N. Garner of
Texas as Speaker The Progres
sives in the Senate and also in
the House now hold the balance
of power.
However, the Democrats are
reluctant in assuming control
of both branches of Congress
as with control of Congress
comes responsibility* for legisla
tion that will be enacted.
--—x
Given Judgement
-x
Judge Justin W. Harding re
cently handed down a decision in
favor of Paul Luketa and seven
ether herring fishermen against
the United States Alaska Pack
ing company at Port Hebert and
Warm Springs. The men sued
for sums due for herring deliv
ered the company last year. Ac
tion was instituted under the Ter
litorial Act of 1923 which gives
fishermen a lien for material and
was allowed plaintiffs.
-x
SUN-FRIED EGGS IN N. Y.
-x
During a reecnt heat wave
Silver Creek, New York, a skillet
was greased and an egg fried on
the roof of a Silver Creek furni
ture store. Several witnesses
were called to watch the pro
ceedings which was in settle
ment of an argument.
-x
The new Coliseum Theater,
formerly the MacGregor was op
ened last Saturday and the pa
trons have expressed themselves
as being highly pleased with fin
ish, accoustics and all the trim
kan and Juneau. Each plant is
expected to cost $15,000,000.
“One of the developing groups
is headed by George T. Cameron
publishrer of the San Francisco
Chronicle, and Harry Chandler,
publisher of the San Francisco
Times. The other is headed by
Zellerbach brothers of San Fran
cisco.
F’ory Denies Forcing Issue
Charles H. Flory, Commission
of the Department of Agricul
ture, is quoted as saying the As
sociation’s protest is unjustified.
“We are not, trying to force the
issue or to throw more paper on
the market, but we are in readi
ness to go ahead when condi
tions change.
We have the timber and power
to build up American produc
tion when the time is right,” Mr.
Flory added that negotiations
between the Forest Service and
applicants for timber were dis
continued early last spring be
cause of the business depression
and present over-capacity of ex
isting mills.
-x
It is a nold saying that Two
heads are better than one head,
even if one is a cabbage head.
Now what would be said about
the cabbage stalk grown in the
North Carolina country which
brought forth nine well-develop
ed heads?
-x
TELEVISION ON TRIAL
A host of civic, radio and stage
celebreties went on the air re
cently during the dedicatory ex
ercises of visual reception or tel
evision in New York. The pro
gram was limited to a compara
tively small area of the Atlantic
Coast, since long-distance tele
vision transmissions are not yet
feasible. So th- program was
built for listeners as well a^
as “lookers-in,” and there were
plenty to hear.
-x
WELTERWEIGHT IS INDIAN
-x
Mike Payan. welterweight who
recently outpointed Jack Pur
vis of Indianopolis, is a full
blooded Yaqui Indian.
Cortez, who has been knocking
’em cookoo” on the Coast, is al
so an Indian, hailing from the
clan of the Nez Perce.
-x
LONG DISTANCE FLIER
-X
A Denver, Colorado carrier
pigeon, released at Nome, flew
2,550 miles to return to its home
roost and. establish what is be
lieved to be a new long distance
record for birds on the Ameri
can continent.
“HdhHawau”
The sketch “Hellow Hawaii’
staged last Friday night in the
Coliseum Theatre under the
auspices of the American Legion
was a complete success from the
viewpoint of the audience and
from the monetary angle by the
Legion.
-x
Norman Tate is out of the
hospital now.
-x
Mrs. M. F. Marriage and her
daughter, tourists of Seattle on
the Rogers, were forced to lay
ever in Petersburg on account of
sickness of the younger woman.
She is recovering in the hospital.
-x
Ole Ekrem, Sam Gauffin, Ole
Borseth, Tom Elsemore, C. V.
| Brown left for Ketchikan to at
tend an affair of the Masonic
Order. Ekrem, Borseth and
Brown are to initiated into the
Shrine.
i