VOLUME NO. 5.
PETERSBURG, ALASKA, APRIL 3, 1931
NO. 37
Congressmen Hi//
Visit Alaska
-x
A number of Congressmen end
other representatives of the
government will make the trip
to Alaska this summer, on off!
eial business. Three Senator?
comprising the Special Commit
tee on Wild Life Resources will
sail from Seattle the latter part
of June, they are Hon. Fredric C.
Wolcott, of Connecticut, Hon
Peter Norbeck, of South Dakota;
Hon. Key Pitman, of Nevada
Carl D. Shoemaker, special in
vestigator of the comittee wil
accompany them The Senator?
are menbers of committees as
follows: Walcott, Agriculture
Library. Pensions, Education In
dian Affairs. Norbeck, Banking
Agriculture Library, Pension
Public Land. Pitman, Foreign
Relations, Interstate Commence
Reclamation, Mines, Public
Lands, Territories.
Another important delegation
will be composed of Representa
tives who will sail from Seattle
on July. They are Hon. Don b
Colton, Utah; Hon. Addison T.
Smith, of Idaho Hon. Scott
Leavitt, of Montana; Hon. Wil
liam R. Wood, of Indiana; Hon.
Frank Murphy, of Ohio; Hon.
William H. Hastings, of Okla
homa. Three of these Represent
atives are members of the im
portant Appropriations Com
mittee which requires all their
available time, so that they can
not serve on any other commit
tees. William R. Wood is Chair
man of the comittee with Repre
sentatives Murphy and Hastings
as members. Other members
serve on comittees as follows:
Colton, Public Lands, Irrigation
and Reclamation, Expenditures
in Executive Department, Smith,
Public Lands, Civil Service
Chairman Irrigation and Re-'
clamation; Leavitt, Indian Af-?
lairs, Public Lands, Immigration
and Naturalization, Irrigation
and Reclamation.
-—x
INDIAN COMMISSIONER
COMING NORTH
-x
Mr. Henry Scattergood, assis
tant commissioner of Indian Af
fairs, may leave Seattle about
the 12th of June to make a close
up study of the new work taken
over from the Bureau of Educa
tion.
-x
AIRPLANE SERVICE TO
ALASKA BEGINS THIS WEEK
-x
Seaplane passenger service be
tween Seattle and Southeasterr
Alaska were resumed beginning
Tuesday of this week. The ser
vice will alternate Tuesdays and
Eiidays of each week, returning
southbound Sundays and Thurs
days. Officials of the Alaska
Washington Airways also an
nounced that it would raise it >
service schedule to two round
trips daily to Victoria and Van
couver from Seattle.
-x
PARENT-TEACHERS TO PUT
ON ONE-ACT PLAY
The Parent Teachers Associa
tion announces that at the next
regular meeting, April 8th there
will be presented a one-act.
musical comedy “Cynthia’s
Strategy.” The cast consists of
four principle characters, Mrs.
Gladys Fryer, Mrs. Cornelia
Christianson, Mrs Elvina Sted
man and Mrs. Henry Hasbrouck,
supported by a mixed chorus of
eighteen voices. An admission of
25c for adults and 15c for chil
dren will be charged. The usual
i‘5c luncheon will be served.
-—x
Ben Bailey and Lawrence
Pickernall were sentenced to s?x
months in jail for larceny from
a dwelling.
Admits Selling
Public Offices
-X
John B. Dove, former member
of the Georgia State Republican
Central Committee, charged
vith trafficking in public politi
cal offices, declared that he
would enter a plea of guilty in
order to “protect the interests
)f those leaders of the party who
have faith and confidence in me,
and in order to avoid bringing
their names into this mess.”
Dove was indicted by a grand
'ury on 21 counts, eight of which
charged that he sold a position
<s deputy clerk of the U. S. Dis
riet Court to Charles S. O’Neal
or O’Neal’s son, Wade H., on
March 28, 1929. Twelve counts
allege Dove solicited and ^old
the position of collector of inter
nal revenue, held by Josiah T
Rose, head of one of the Repub
lican factions of Georgia to
Carl E. Wheatbrook for $1,000 on
January 22, 1929. Another count
sieged partial payment was re
ceived by Dove from Westbrook
through the mails. Westbrook
has filed suit against Dove for
53,500 damages in connection
vith this purported deal.
-x
Fat Job For
“Lame Duck”
Former Representative Louis |
D. Crampton, Republican of I
Michigan, was appointed a spe
cial attorney of the Interior De
partment to take care of ap-j
oraisement of land and the mak- j
ing of lease concessions for re- j
.idential and business property
it Boulder City, Nev., in connec
tion with the construction of
Boulder Dam. Crampton was de
feated for reelection last Nov
ember.
It was Mr. Crampton who first
ntimated that appropriation
for the industrial school at Shoe
maker Bay was possible and that
the Bureau of Education heads, j
in Seattle and Washington op
posed the idea for fear that ap
propriations for other projects
would be curtailed. And it was
through the effort of Mr. Cramp
ton that the work of the Bureau
of Education was switched over
to the Indian Department. So
while he is praised on the one
hand for his effort, he is damn
ed for bringing to Alaska a sys
tem which is not, has not and
never will be a credit to the
United States.
-x
AX-I-DENT-AX
“Ax-i-dent-ax,” house organ
of the United States Smelting
Refining and Mining Company
and Subsidiaries has been receiv
ed. The entire issue touches on
Alaska in its manifold phases
Articles contributed by Alaskans
in various lines of industry
touch on the many problems and
are at the same time accurately
informative. The book is very
finely gotten up and one of the
best bit of advertising on Alas
ka that we have seen in many a
moon.
--x
An Afternoon Tea was given
by Lillian Swanson last Sunday
afternoon, March 29th, in her
apartments over the Wheeler
Drug Store. During the tea
hours between 2 p. m. and 5 p.
m. about 45 called on Miss
Swanson.
i The Lenor shipped 8,000 lbs
of halibut to the Uniced Pacific
, Buyers Association, today.
-x—
The additions being made tc
the “Saga” will be completed in
a day or so, after which it will
, be taken to Juneau for outfit
ling
Commercial Club Endorses Territorial
Industrial Agent to Stabilize Conditions
At the Wednesday evening
meeting of the Chamber of Com
merce, a letter was read from
Senator Charles Benjamin ad
vising that he was willing to re
present Petersburg at the con
vention to be held in Juneau
soon of delegates to the Com
merce convention. It was point
ed out that Petersburg had been
invited to join such a club twc.
"ears ago but no one present
seemed to know whether or not
'he organization bad been cum
ulated. Mr. Henry Roden, of Tu
neau, volunteered the informa
tion that he had been a delegate
,'o the convention from Juneau
‘wo years ago at which t;me the
organization was compiled
with by-laws, constitution adopt
ed and officers elected. At the
last session of the legislature ;
bill had been passed authorizing
appropriation of $5 000 to be ex
pended in the Territory under
the Governor’s control but the
man chosen to carry the work
had lost interest and the whole
affair died for want of leader
ship. The last convention of the
American I egion had made ef
fort to revive this all-Alaska
organization but Juneau refused
to do anything about it inas
much as the organization had
been completed Ketchikan
had refused to join the organi
zation fearing that any stand
taken by the all-Alaska organi
zation against the Jones Marine
Act would have them tied up
and unable to fight any change
in the law.
Mr. Roden believed it possible
that such an organization could
be perfected and he advocate-:^
effort along that line. He suggest j
ed a general secretary, independ-j
i
ent of any Club, to carry on the
work therefore suggested that
Will Make Survey
Local Harbor
-V
Mr. James Truitt, engineer in
charge of field work for the U.
S. Engineers Department was in
Petersburg Wednesday and an
nounced that next month a crew
of men would be in helersburr
to commence surveying the har
bor and upon the 'oasis of tneir
report will the Department make
its recommendations for dredg
ing a deeper harbor for boat
anchorage.
Mr. Truitt also announced
bids will be let shortly fc .
removal of 60,000 yards ; ± d’rt
and silt from the Petersbu j Gar
in order that the channe. , .j,j
continue at the depths set by th
Geodetic Survey.
Immediately after completing
the work in Petersburg harbor.
:he crew will proceed to Vv ran
ged where a survey Oi th j t har
bor will be made. When this
v.’crk is comple -;.i, both Peters
burg a l Wiu,noell ;an well
claim t~ nave th ; tot harbors
in the ti Jirltcry.
—-x
Pete Behrs returned to Peters
burg from Wrangell where he
had left his boat the “Hicks’
for overhauling and repairs
Pete is going back to his sweet
hearts on the island again. He
likes their company, can cuss at
em without getting cussed back
-x
Lawrence Paul was picked uj;
this week on a disorderly charge
and is now serving out a 30-daj
suspended sentence.
-x
I. G. Anderson, contractor re
presenting Seics-Carlson, Spo
kane was in Petersburg in the
inteersts of his compay.
'the Legislature create a Terri
torial officer, paid by the Legis
lature, appointed by the Govern
;or, to keep in close touch with
jail Clubs as a Territorial Indus
j trial Agent. “This man,” thought
! Roden, “must be a man of vision
[—a bit of a dreamer, who might
oven indulge in a pipe dream
once in while. There is one thing
that he could do right now: The
Ashing season is about to com
mence. The natives of the Terri
tory are restless—their oppor
tunities to earn a living are very
small. We in Juneau sent a letter
to the canneries asking them to
employ local labor They promis
ed to do so but you will see that
■heir promise does not mean a
great deal. Such an industrial a
aent could say to Petersburg
Club and all other Clubs, “Give
me a list of all available labor
this summer and the employers
of Labor wuuld be at least mor
ally bound to keep their promis
es to him.
“So far as the natives are con
cerned, we do not always give
them the credit they are entitled
to. Every dollar they make they
spend here— that is more than
any of the rest of us can say.
Anything we can do or that the
Territory can do to find employ
ment for them, should be don<\ ■
This agent could go to the P. A
F. and say ‘How many dc you
need? Here pick your list, and
the employment would be eauit
ably distributed. We have no
bread lines, but v/e have had
omatliing might.v clqse to it.
* '' i
Many a merchant has extended!
credit with little assurance ol i
being repaid. Many a man has
passed cut to his neighbor fifty
cents here, a dollar there, or a
!
five spot or a ten spot. This year
NO CON TRACT FOR
NORTHLAND CO.
-x
The Post Office Department
has decided that it will not re
new its contract with the North
land Transportation Co., for
summer service between Seattle
and way ports to Juneau. This
contract was especially urged by
Petersburg Commercial Club,
but the Department has decided
that the summer schedule by
the Alaska Steamship Co., and
the Admiral Line will afford a
good mail service for this port.
-x-.
McDonald Indicted
For Murder
-x
i The special grand jury called
to consider the evidence present
| ?d by the department of justice
in the George P. Marshall mur
der case, last Friday indicted
Bert McDonald in connection
with the murder. Lloyd Close, a
suspect in the case was indicted
on a grand larceny charge for
theft of tools in Ketchikan.
-x
WORKERS SUE JUDGE
Down in Flint, Michigan, a
group of eighteen workers are
suing Judge Edward D. Black
$1,000 each as damages for being
unjustly held in jail when Judge
Black “arbitrarily” denied their
petitions for hearings. The men
were denied writs of habeas cor
pus by the judge during an au
tomobile strike last year. At Iasi
y the worm has turned.”
- -x
H. H. Waller, contractor wa*
bn Petersburg giving the West
Petersburg road the once-over.
J. C. Morris, agent for "Wesl
• Coast Life Insurance, is in towr
! after spending the winter ir
Seattle.
the sawmill in Juneau plans to
run forty days and shut dov/n
Last year, I do not know how
long they ran but I will say a
hundred and forty days. This
year they will cut no box shooks
—last year they cut several hun
dred thousand. Their men have
had nothing to go on this winter
They owe the grocer and the
restuarant man or he may owe
you a few dollars You ask him
when are you going to pay me,
“When the sawmill starts.” Wo
have not hard times up here yet
but we are going to have them
next winter.”’
He touched on the imports of
foodstuffs and other commoclitie1'
from the states and declared
that five million tons of food
stuffs were shipped in which
could well be produced in the
Territory. He suggested that an
industrial agent along the rail
road taking care of the distri
bution of local products would
do well. .“The thing needs to be
systematized.”
He touched on the complaints
against “bureaus” and declared
he did not see where they were
“doing us any damage. I find
them good fellows who will take
their coats off and do what they
can to help along. And that is
the kind of a man to have for an
industrial agent.”
A general discussion followed
after which the Club accepted
Mr. Roden’s offer to take up in
Juneau the matter of the legis
lature passing a bill which
Would authorize appointment
of an industrial agent and
defray the cost of the office. If
opposed the offer of Senator
Benjamin to represent it befove
the All-Alaska Chamber of Com
merce and did not favor such an
organization.
Jailed for Selling
Rotten Salmon
Harry Buttnick, secretary
treasurer of the Puget Sound
Canning Company and Robert
Damas, Seattle brokers were
found guilty of shipping decom
posed salmon in interstate com
merce and were sentenced to
serve seven months and thre^
months, respectively and to pav
$350 and $300, respectively and
their companies also to pay each
a fine of $300.
Judge Bourquin sentence^
them after their conviction and
immediately found himself thr
center of a controversy—it bein?
claimed he had exceeded his au
thority in the severety of hi
Skueka did not have much
and Assistant U. S. Atto^ne'
Cameron Sherwood assistant tc
the solicitor of the Department
'of Agriculture, contended that
| neither man could be given a
nail sentence upon conviction oi
a first offense under this law
Judge Bourquin wralked out cl
the courtroom declaring that
“If you want an appeal—take it.’
The men were charged with
shipping three lots of canned
salmon from Seattle to Atlanta
Ga., in violation of the Pure
Food and Drugs Act, in 1929
The government has a habit o'
.■eselling condemned salmon t(
brokers at anything per case
Salmon recently condemned wa(
known to bring 50 cents pei
case. In some instances the pro
I duct is reconditioned by cooking
in other instances the fish is sole
; for animal feed.
-x
; Bids were opened in Wrangel
i for the new public school build
. ing. Jack McBride gets the jol
of wiring up the electric circuit
Running True to
Form as Expected
-x
Representative Boyle, Juneau,
Democrat is author of a bill
which would wipe out complete
ly the primary system of election
and replace it with the old con
vention which if passed would
leave all party matters entirely
in the hands of the political or
ganizations and restore the sys
j tern whereby a select few play
ing both ends to the middle,
j would nominate and elect lead
| ers for both parties in Alaska.
Representative Boyle, along
jwith others of his party, ran cn a
platform of “full measure of
self-government” for the people
of Alaska. Senator Shattuck’s
“school reorganization” bill and
Representative Boyle’s “conven
ion” system of selecting candi
dates for political office take
rom the electorate their only
measures of self protection and
; re not in any sense of the word,
introduced with any idea of al
lowing the people any choice in
the selection of public office
holders.
-x
Endorse Bill for
Ter. Fur Farm
Chairman Ohmer of the Cham
her of Commerce advised the
Club that he had received a
communication from Represent
ing Ziegler relative to establish
ment of an Alaska Fur Farm
Commission and another pro
posal to help establish fairs He
had called in a number ot iur
'armers and talked the matter
ovet with them and they were
n favor of the station proposed
dung the Alaska Railroad, which
would be in the nature of a
starter. Others would probably I
be proposed for other sections
later as need for them develop
ed. So he had written to Repre
sentative Ziegler advising of the
endorsement of the plan.
Protest Gas and Merchandise
Tax
Chairman Ohmer brought up
! the Hess tax on merchandise and
gasoline and crude oil products.
Mr. Roden believed that Senatoi
Hess did not expect the bill to
pass but had presented it as a
feeler. A protest against the
jnrsage of this measure v/as re
gistered in the name of the
Club.
R. H. Sommers Also Present
R. J. Sommers, former Road
Engineer, speaking on labor con
ditions in Alaska favored an in
dustrial agent, who could co
rdinate and concentrate effort
a stabilizing labor conditions.
He too favored employment of
motives and he further classed
hem as one of the big assets
’eclaring them entitled to great
er credit than they are given. He
poke of the unemployed situa
tion in Juneau and at the saw
mill, stating that at least 20 men
were asking for employment.
This is a common scene, he ae
•lared. He urged employment of
’ocal labor on territorial con
racts but suggested maintain
ing higher standard of wages.
-x
Lincoln Isaacs and Benson
bkulka of Craig brought in a
oad of fresh herring eggs from
Fish Egg.” This tidbit is a na
ive food so that Isaacs and
• Skuika did not have much
trouble getting rid of most of the
; fare.
Mrs. Georgia Clark of Wran
gell visited with friends in towr
this week.
i --x
John Mjorud is back, renewing
>, acquaintences after spend sev
-1 oral months in Seattle.
Hesse Asks 1-cent
Tax on Gasoline
Senator Luther' Hess of Fair
banks has introduced in the
Senate a bill whereby all mer
chandise would require a tax of
cne-half of one per cent. The
same measure proposes that a
tax of one cent a gallon shall be
paid on gasoline and feul oil.
The author estimates that an
additional revenue of $250,000
would accrue to the Territory of
which from one hundred to one
hundred fifty thousand would be
derived from sale of gasoline,
erude oil and its products.
While the author does not ex
pect the measure to pass, he in
troduced it to create “discussion”
from which may arise some mea
sure of taxation to raise the re
venue which has been lost
through the poor business policy
and methods of the canning in
dustry and through the impro
per conservation methods ap
plied by the Bureau of Fisheries
While the vendors of gas and
ci] products will be required to
pay the tax and to make report
twice each year to the Treasurer,
it is an economic fact that in
the end it is the consumer who
carries the burden of taxation
whether it be from merchandise,
oils or whatnot.
The promise of relief from
burdensome taxation, the pro
mise of fair legislation, the pro
mise of “full territorial govern
ment” is certainly being lost
sight of by those who made such -
oromises on the Democratic
ticket at the last general elec ■
tion. The Democratic party is in
control of the House and Senate
and the measures, introduced so
far by representatives of that
party, have been aimed at the
hurt of the territory. “As ye sow,
also shall ye reap.”
-x
PULP MILL-OYSTER DISPUTE
ENDED BY SHELTON CITIZENS
-X
Basis for a settlement of a
three-cornered dispute between
rystermen, a large pulp mil! and
residents of Shelton had been
. eached recently. The pulp mil
will remain in Shelton and will
spend $458,000 to enlarge the
plant.
Shelton residents will raise
$166,000 and use the money to
settle suits of Oakland Bay oys
termen against the pulp mill. The
mill will settle suits with other
cystermen.
The company promised to
t quit dumping sulphur waste in
! to Puget Sound. Suits of the ovs
jtermen were based on allega
{tions the waste killed their crops.
I Mark Reed, lumberman, contri
i buted $50,000 toward the $166,
! 000 fund.
-x
SUTHERLAND GOES TO
EUROPE
-x
Dan Sutherland, former Dele
gate to Congress from Alaska,
left recently on the steamship
Aquitania for a month’s vaca
tion touring through Europe. He
was accompanied on the trip
by his sister while Mrs. Suth
erland remained in Washington
with their son Don who is at
tending school in the National
Capital City. Mr. Sutherland
stated that upon his return from
his vacation he would announce
his future plans.
-x
Clinton M. Taylor, Kirtland.
iFarrel E. Brems and John F
Watscn, missionaries under the
Church of Jesus Christ Latter
Day Saints, (Mormon, Utah) ar
rived in Petersburg this week
from Wrangell and. are following
up along the line of endeavt r
laid down by their predecessors
who were here two years ago.
'I -x
| Monday is the last day for
registration.