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VOLUME NO. 5.
PETERSBURG, ALASKA, MAY 22, 1931
NUMBER 44
Canada to Name
Road Delegates
Ernest Walker Sawyer, admin
istrative assistant to Secretary
■Vilbur of the Interior Depart
ment, and member of the inter
national commission on survey
the proposed Alaska-Yukon
Highway, lecently advised Sen
ator McNary of Oregon, that ap
pointment of the Canadian
members is expected daily after
which a meeting will be arrang
ed in the City of Washington,
to fix definitely the plans for the
survey. «
The American members were
named by President Hoover last
winter—Ernest Walker Sawyer,
H. H. Rice, assistant to the Pres
ident of General Motors Cor
poration of Detroit, chairman
and Major Malcolm Elliot, pres
ident of the Alaska Road Com
mission.
-x
Many Tourists to
Come to North
. .The Territory of Alaska, says
a statement from the Depart
ment of the Interior, is becom
ing popular as a resort for tour
ists. Thirty-five thousand ex
cursionists last year visited
Southeastern Alaska. An ex
cursion of the Los Angeles
Chamber of Commerce took 173
people to the Far North, and is
being repeated this year with
the expectation that there will
be 200 people in the party. Fol
lowing the lead of Los Angeles.
Seattle sent 37, and now Port
land Chamber of Commerce is f
sending an excursion of 80 peo-i
pie to Alaska, and the Sierra j
Club of San Francisco is also!
Sponsoring a party. All of these j
agencies and many others will;
operate on excursions for the
coming summer.
Many of these excursions go:
no further than Southeastern!
Alaska. This year the Alaska
Hailroad is also conducting a
Government employees excur
sion from Washington to Alaska,!
and two or three great railroad
systems in the United States
and Canada are likewise plan
ning excursions from New York,
Philadelphia and Boston.
Horace M. Albright, Director
of the National Park Service,
will visit Alaska this summer as
will a number of Government'
officials interested in the reor-J
ganized administration of that
Territory.
STERILIZATION BILL IN GA.
-x
A bill providing for setriliza
tion of inveterate criminals in
sane and others in whom repro
duction would be a menace to
society will be introduced in the,
next Georgia legislature by Dr
William T. Pace, representative
of one of the counties.
-x
James liuitt arrived in Pe
tersburg Monday nd left !oi
Port Alexander to co some pre
liminary sui.eyvo.k where ths
big rock is to be bla ted from tne
entrance to the harbor. He e v
pected to return about Saturday
to begin work on the Petersburg
Harbor survey to determine the
amount of earth to be moved,
character and disposition of ma
terial, and estimate the cost of
the project.
---
SHIP TAKES ALASKA COAL
Running south with 400 tons
of coal for the Indian schools of
ihe Teritory, the Boxer will have
in its command, Capt. Whitlam
for his last voyage in this craft
He steps off in Seattle and will
supervise construction of the
new 225-foot tnder for the In
dian Bureau.
Making Study of
Halibut Migrations
The International Fisheries
Commission is again at work to
secure information as to t'.i;
migrations of the halibut. T >e
Commission which is again on
the Dorothy will cast overboaid
hundreds of little red bottles
each containing a message in
English, Russian and Japanese
requesting the finder to ret un
the card to the Commission and
a reward will be paid for each
bottle returned.
-x
Bureau School to
Have Exhibit
x
The Bureau School will hold
its school exhibit next Sunday,
May 24th from 1 to 3 and 5 to
7 o’clock p. m. Much of the
work that the pupils have done
during the year, will be on dis
play Everyone is cordially in
V'ted.
For the first time since the'
Government has taken over the^
education of Indian children in
Alaska, the pupils have been ac-!
"orded a nine-month school
leim. This was an experiment;
on the part of the Bureau of
Education. Statistics will de
velop whether or not the Indian
Bureau will carry on this longer
term The Alaska Native Bre
l' uerhood which has been damn
ed for the political ills of thej
Territory should be damned for
raising the general average at
tendance as well as forcing a
better equipment and better
qualified teaching force. No one
not even including the Bureau
of Education itself, has done
more to bring the Alaska Indian
to education.
-x
Juneau Takes Dig
At Sec. Work
Insisting that Alaska is not
a place for people to come in the
hope of employment or riches,
the Juneau Chamber of Com
merce last week instructed its
secretary to write a “strong let
ter” to Secretary of the Interior
Wilbur, protesting against a
statement attributed to him ad
vising young men in the states
desiring to better themselves to
go to Alaska.
The secretary was told to ad
vise the department head there
are more men in the Territory
than can find work, unemploy
ment is constantly increasing
and persons coming north
nave ample funds to return to
their homes in event they do
not secure employment.
The Secretary was asked to
'take some means to counteract
his recommendations by giving
publicity to the actual state of
affairs in the Territory.
The editor of this paper would
suggest that the Secretary cre
ate more bureau jobs in Alaska
to bring in more people. Cer
tainly no other work is opening
up to take care of the overflow
which is coming north.
-x
During a recent election in
Winona Minn., Matt Wagner,
successful candidate for mayor
gave to.the public 600 dozen eggs
at 1 cent a dozen. The market
price was then 16 cents.
Recently District Judge F. VI.
Senn ordered Wagner removed
! from office on petition of seven
■ty-one voters who said he ha 1
{violated the Corrupt Practices
! Act.
There are good eggs, bad eggs
high priced eggs and cheap
■ eggs and there are said to be
J even tough eggs.
Wn. Talks of
Timber Tax
On May 27th at Spokane, Wn.,
county commissioners and as
sessors of all Eastern Washing
ton counties will meet in Spo
.kane for a conference on tim
l her tax problems. The meeting
| is being arranged by the Tim
ber products Bureau of the Spo
kane Chamber of Commerce,
with Richard McKay as chair
man in. charge of the program.
The major problem for con
sideration at the meeting will j
be that of returning tax delin-i
puent logged-off lands to the
tax rolls. Another conference
along similar lines will be held
later for Northern Idaho area,
and the timber tax question al
so will be taken up at the North i
Idaho Chamber of Commerce1
meeting at Benners Ferry in
June.
Land areas of Alaska outside
of incorporated towns, bring in
no tax revenue whether develop
ed or otherwise. It is virtually
impossible to get the lands out!
of the hands of the government J
;f there is any timber standing
on proposed homesteads. The
political interests of the Terri
tory are looking to devise means
to increase Territorial revenue.
The ownership of Alaska land is
one means that has been over
:ooked.
Failure to Aid
Bars Citizennship
Will an alien who has failed to
provide for the support of a wife
and two daughters in his native
land make a desireable citi
zen of the United States? This
is a question that Federal Judge
George M. Bourquin of Seattle*
took under advisement in the
case of Christopher Larson, na
tive of Norway who had made
application for American citi
zenship.
Larson had . sent his family,
transportation to join him in,
1<>29 but they never came norj
wrote to him and since that time
ie has contributed nothing to
their support.
WILL RAFFLE NEW FORD
I
-X
A shiny, new Tudor Sedan isj
being displayed at the Fryer
Machine Works. It is to be raf-,
fled off by the American Legion
r-t one dollar a throw. Proceeds
to help defray expenses of the
Legion convention to be held in
Petersburg this fall. The car is
a beauty and if you are lucky,
you may buy it for a dollar. Chet
Pechette is ready to serve you
as many chances as you may
wish to get.
-x
WHO SAID COAL SHORTAGE?
-x
A few years ago, we remember ^
,the hysteria which was sweeping
the land over conservation of,
*his, that and the other thing, (
included in which was the little
item called coal.
Today the federal geological
survey declares that there is
sufficient coal to supply the na
tion for hundreds of years at
the present rate of consump
tion. The reserves are placed at
more than three trillion tons
and estimates were limited to a
! depth of 3,000 feet. European
mines are operated at a depth
of more than 3,500 feet in re
gions where coal is scarce.
-x-—
Miss Eleanor Stoll underwent
a tonsillotomy operation at the
Petersburg HospitaL
The very best way to honor those whom we praise and on
whom we bestow monuments and flowers will be to show aj
practical appreciation of what they did by taking proper
care of the inheritance they created, preserved and handed <
over to us.
Scientist Will Trace Migration
To Connect With Mongolians
Dr. Hrdlicka , anthropologist
connected with the Smithsonian
Institute left the states recent
ly on one of the Alaska Packers’
ships for the Arctic Belt where
he will make an effort to follow
ancient sea and land trails ov
er which men are believed to
have come to America. He pro
poses to retrace the routes which
scientists think must have been
followed by small groups that
migrated from Siberia to North
America as much as seven thou
sand years ago.
These people, close relatives
Df the old Mongolian and Siberi
an nomads, are believed by many
to have been the first human
beings to come to North Ameri
ca, Dr. Hrdlicka said, adding
that they probably crossed the
narrow Bering Strait in skin ca
noes, a common practice among
the Eskimos today, making
their way along the Alaskan
coast and from island to island.
Dr. Hrdlicka will explore the
root of thfe Alaskan peninsula
extending out from the south
western corner of Alaska into
the Pacific, Ocean. He believes
canoe parties moving along the
Alaskan coast cut across it by
following the rivers that flow
from both sides of its watershed
From there it is believed they
moved down the coast by way of
Kodiak Island and Cook’s Inlet,
just south and east of the pen
insula.
Indian legends, from the
; Thlinget people of southeastern!
Alaska describe a migration that
took place over a long term of
years and across a vast contin
ent, following up to the head
waters of the Stikeen River. The
band here split—one branch
following down the river and to
spread north and south; the
other half travelling across the*
i interior back of the mountain
1 ranges only to divide as they
came to the Taku, Chilkat, Cop
per and Yukon Rivers. Botlv
groups retain in the main the
egend with little variation.
| There no doubt was a migra
I tion from the Siberian coast
• b’t only in small groups which
J intermarried with the Athabas
, ce n stock which is the root of
J all Indian stock in Alaska. The
investigators would do well to
j follow up the Indian legends as
they will no doubt be able to
trace the migratory movements
of these people from the south
to rather than from the north
' south.
Record of School Attendance
Petersburg for Year 1930
-x
Total number of pupils enrolled. 260
Total number of days’ attendance. 38,944 Vo
Average Daily Attendance. 226.42
Per Cent of attendance. 97.92
Number of pupils attending 160 days and over. 191
Number of pupils not attending 160 days. 69
Per cent of punctuality. 99.62
Number of pupils neither absent nor tardy. 25
Number of graduates from High School. 4
Average age of high school graduates.. • 19.25
Actual number of days taught (excluding holidays). 172
Cost per pupil per year. $92.08
Qualifications of Teachers
Number who are graduates from at least a two-year normal
school. 8
Number notcollege or university graduates, but who have attended
such schools at least on year. 2
Number who are graduates of both normal and college or univers
ity . 1
Number who have taken post graduate work. 4
. Capt. Church of the “West-j hunting and fishing
ward” was in port with a party board the “Stardust’
of bear hunters, Thursday
-x
Capt. Wayne Ball and party
cruise or
of Wran
gell.' This craft just made th<
crip from Wrangell to Seattli
and return. She was built b;
including Mr. R. Saxe of Calif- the Anderson Brothers Shipyan
omia are in Petersburg,, on a of Wrangell.
Bread-Gas War
In California
Two price wars have been ir
progress in San Francisco foi
several weeks. And this war ha.'
brought, cost of bread and gaso
line to the lowest figures on re
cord in the Golden Gate City.
The gasoline war was genera]
along the Pacific Coast but it
centered in San Francisco, the
headquarters of the “big six’’
companies, and sent the price of
fuel down to 7 cents a gallon.
The bread war, principally en
gaged in by four chain grocery
systems, reached a critical stage
recently when one of the com
panies started selling three one
pound loaves for 10 cents. Bread
was sold by both chain stores
md commercial bakeries at 9
cents for sixteen-ounce loaves
and 14 cents for 24-ounce loaves.
The most significant develop
ment in the gasoline war was
the “competitive price” order is
sued by the major companies,
Phe first time they had taken
"his step in competing with the
mall independent refiners. By
Phis method the larger concerns
ire selling gasoline in their sta
ions at the same price as quot
d by neighboring independents.
-X
Ask Pay For
Salvage Work
Suits asking for $49,000 in
salvage have been filed in the
Federal Court, Seattle, by five
fishing craft which rushed to
the assistance of the Alaska lin
er Northwestern ol the Alaska
Steamship Company’s fleet, last
fall when she lost her rudder in
Cross Sound.
The fishing boats which went
to her rescue and owners aspect
for a libel against the steamship
to settle the salvage claims are
'Jordenkjold, $12,000; the Seat
'le, Attu, and Ermine, $10,000
each and the Excel, $7,000.
x
Alaska Is Again
Excepted
President Hoover ordered the
forest Bureau to cease all leas
ing of national forest timber ex
cept in Alaska.
In Alaska leases will continue
for the cutting of pulp wood. In
i this country only transactions
of not over $500 in order to pro
i iect the small farmer. Hear,
Hear.
Secretary of Agriculture Hyde
in a recent letter:
“I believe it would be desire
able now to more positively de
fine the limitations of all leases
by the Bureau of Forests except
for pulp purposes in Alaska, to
occasions when a sum of not
more than $500 is involved and
to cases where some cutting pri
viliges must be given actually to
maintain sawmills that are in
operation and this only where
the mills cannot obtain raw ma
terials elsewhere.
1 “The only reason I am moved
to make these exceptions is that
we should not deprive farmers
and small industries of wood
supply and should not create
unemployment by inconsiderate
! action.”
-X-7
BOATS TOWED NORTH
-x
t Capt. Louis Knaflich sailed foi
• the Kuskokwim district recently
s from Seattle with the 40-fool
; power boats Bender Brother;
r and Ruby in tow for use by th<
l Arctic Trading Co., which Knaf
jjch and Ira Rank control.
Oregon Lumbermen
Hold Up Wages
At a conference of lumber op
erators in Western Oregon, it
was decided they would main
tain wages at present 4L levels.
They also decided to exert every
effort to get all operators not
affiliated with the 4L to raise the
standard of wages to the 4L min
imum.
“Wage cutting and price cut
ting go hand in hand and every
one is worse off, employee and
employer and community inter
ects,” declared W. C. Ruegnitz,
piesident of the organization.
-x
..THE SAME OLD STORY...
Following a partial strike, pre
cipitated by a downward revi
sion of prices paid by packers of
clams and buyers of salmon,
there was a general acceptance
of the revised scaleat Cordova.
Clam diggers returned to work
and will be paid at the rate of
four and a half cents per pound.
Independent fishermen agreed
fo sell their red salmon at 27 y2
cents as against 35 cents last
season and $1.25 for kings as
. against a $1.50 a year ago. The
j companies furnish the flsher
(men with oil, gasoline, bread
j and some other supplies.
The packers assert; that reduc
tion in prices is necessary on
account of the general depres
sion in the states. They do not
show, however, that the depres
sion has not effected prices of
canned red and king salmon;
that the depression has hit the
lower grade fish but reds are up
to $12 and $14 per case.
-x
CURTAILING PRODUCTION
-x
The whale-hunters of Norway
are leaving their ships and going
back to their farms to check the
over-production which threatens
to ruin the whale oil industry.
Some 46 plants are involved In
this curtailment of operations
with an equipment value of $50,
000,000 which will lay idle for a
year and sending back to the
farms and other industries some
j 1,000 men.
The Alaska salmon and her
ring operators might take a les
son from Norway just in order
to stabilize the fishing industry
of Alaska.
-X
RULES AGAINST ARIZONA
-x
The Supreme Court has ruled
against the claims of the State
, of Arizona relating to the
Boulder Dam on the Colorado
i River. The Court holds that the
j law cannot take cognizance of
; something which is only a pos
sibility and that the State has
! no valid claim for damage until
i it can show that some loss has
! actually been sustained.
-x
COMMUNISTS
William H. Taylor, Reed Col
lege professor of economics, tes
I tihed as an expert on Commun
ism in the Circuit Court, Port
land, recently and declared that
i he was “sympathetic” to Com
munism and that he believed in
the Constitution of the United
States “with reservations.”
Taylor was called by the de
fense in the trial of John Moore
the third man brought to trail of
thirteen indicted on charges of
criminal syndicalism.
-x
The “Sis” and “Vampire” both
of Wrangell are reported as
delivering to the buyers at Wran
goll this week, 5,000 and 3,200
pounds of salmon from Point
Harrington to the Blinker, all
; from 32 trollers. This would be
! an average of over 250 pounds
■ per boat and the price paid was
9-5-3 on the trolling grounds.