Eunoe n, Alaska
Tokricorial nsuotd
VOLUME NO. 5.
PETERSBURG, ALASKA, FEBRUARY 13, 1931
NO. 30
Republican 0. G.
Next Legislature
The 1931 session of the Alas
ka legislature will convene in
Juneau early in March. The le
gislative assembly will be com
posed of eight members of the
Senate, or upper house, and 16
members of the House of Repre
sentatives, or lower house.
Four new senators were elect
ed last November and there are
four holdover senators. The Se
nate will be composed of the
following members: First Divi
sion—Henry Shattuck and
Charles Benjamin (holdover);
Second division—Albert Lomen
and A. N. Sundquist (holdover):
Third division—Robert Bragaw
and A. J. Dimond (holdover):
and Fourth—John W. Dunn and
Luther Hess (holdover).
The members of the house
will be: First division—A. H.
Ziegler, Frank Boylg, Grover
Winn and J. E. Johnson; Second
division—Andrew Nylen, Henry
Burgh, George Hellerich and
Clyde Allen; Third—Joe Murray,
Cal. Brosius, Frank Foster, and
H. H. McCutcheon: Fourth divi
sion—Andrew Nerland. Joe Mc
Donald. Harry Donnelley and
Fred Johnson.
The Senate, will be composed
of four Republicans: Benjami i,
Sundquist, Lomen and Bragaw/,
three Democrats: Shattuck, Di
mcnd and Hess; and one Inde
pendent: Dunn.
The house will be composed of |
11 Republicans: Winn, Johnson]
Hellerich, Burgh, Allen, Foste- d
Brosius, Murray, Donnelley, j
Nerland and Johnson;four Dem
ocrats: Ziegler, Boyle. McCutch-1
eon and McDonald; and one In-j
dependent,—Andrew Nylen.
P. H. S. Loses Game
To Wrangell Townies
■-x- .
Among those who benefited
from the double-header basket
ball game in Wrangell last Sat
urday night were the two Wran
gell teams and ye scribe. The
Wrangell teams added victories
to their lists and “we” added ex
perience in trying to write up a
snappy column for a losing team.
The P. H. S. first team was
matched against the Wrangell
town team and the game proved
an exceedingly fast one, the
score standing 22-20 just before
the close of the third quarter.
However, in the last quarter the
Wrangell boys proved their en
durance by rolling up a final
score of 41-23.
The P. H. S. second team, play
ing against Wrangell Hi and 8t’n
grade students, put up a close,
well guarded game but the palm
of victory remains with the
Wrangellites on a score of 10-7.
Tomorrow evening the same
teams will contend again at the
Sons of Norway hall in Peters
burg and we hope to win back
our old wooden nickel.
According to present plans
Kayhi will meet P. H. S. here on
Saturday and Monday evenings
a week hence.
--x
Passengers leaving on the S.
S. Queen Thursday morning in
clude J. S. Jeffrey and J. H.
Brokaw for Wrangell, L. M. Car
digan for Ketchikan, Wayne Ellis
and W. W. Kerr for Seattle
-x
Gordon MacDonald was a busi
ness visitor for a couple of days
leaving for the logging camp
yesterday.
Wayne Walther has sold his
round bottom boat and 10 horse
power Johnson outboard motor
.to Bert Els tad.
R. R. Appropriation
nlCut in Half
The Alaska Chamber of Com
merce is making strenuous ob
jections to the cut of $500,000
appropriations for the Alaska
Railroad. This is one-half the ap
propriation of last year. Carl
Strout, superintendent of the
Admiral nine says: ‘.‘Instead of
cutting the appropriation in half,
the amount should be doubled.
Congress has a mistaken idea
regarding economy.”
Frank Foster, iepresentative
elect, Republican of Cordova
said: “The Alaska railroad is a
highway and of a character vi
tal in Alaska. In the states
where the Federal government
owns most of the land, the Gov-'
ernment pays most of the cost!
of public highways. In Alaska,'
the Federal Government owns I'
99 per cent of the real estate
too, and should supply the great
er part of the maintenance of
the highways and the Alaska
Railroad is such. The Federal 1
Government is taking out of
Alaska far more than it is put-j
ting in.”
A - !
New Vessel For Alaska
Game Commission
The Alaska Game Commission
is planning a new vessel for the
Aleutian Island and Bering Sea
waters in the deficiency bill now
before Congress. She will be coo
structed at a cost of $83,609 iu< •
der direction of the Bureau cf
Biological Survey, following
pl^ns already drawn up by th<
Territorial Game Commission.
Another item in the same de
ficiency bill provides for con
struction of a $73,000 vesse1 and
floats for use by the forest ser
vice in Alaska. The craft plan
ned will be 70 feet long fo: the
forester at Juneau at an esti
mated cost of $50,000 and $xb>
000 for a smaller vessel to be
used in supervising wood pulp
contracts and $5,000 for two
smaller vessels for log scalers.
It has been suggested that th-'
pulp mill promoters >1\ aid bo
willing to furnish t1 c Forest j
Service with a comp ore fleet of
vessels considering the lint gift
of timber they a~e receiving
through that department.
Oregon Fox Breeders
Withdraw
Action of the Oregon Fox !
Breeders’ Association in with
drawing from the American Na
tional Association was confirmed
at a meeting of the state group
at Salem, Oregon, recently. The,
withdrawal resulted from dis-i
satisfaction and discord between
the national and local groups.
The association voted to have a
fox breeders’ school during the
, coming summer.
Such an organization existed
in the First Division several
years ago. After being used as a
cat’s paw too long the majority
concluded they were just as well
off without so they withdrew
from the organization. At pre
sent in the Anchorage division
there is a group associated to
gether and working in complete
j harmony.
--x
Capt. Pete Eehrs is doing his
navigating on foot these days.
The good ship “Hicks” being laid
up on the ways in Wrangell for
repairs.
-x
Neal MacDonald is a business
visitor in town coming over
from his fox ranch on Sokoloff
Island.
Controversy Between Union
And Owners Continues
With bitterness in the fisher
men’s strike increasing and ves
sel owners preparing to man a
number of schooners with men
from their own ranks, the Deep
Sea Fishermen’s Union recently
warned its members that it
would not countenance any vio
lence or intimidation.
The following resolution was
adopted by the union: “Be it
resolved, That this union was
forced into the present contro
versy after all means to settle
the grievances between the Fish
ing Vessel Owners’ Association
and the union were* exhausted,
and as its members are loyal to
the laws and government of the
United States, it intends to con
duct its efforts to protect the
■ights and interests of its mem- j
cars in a lawful and peaceful i
nanner. It will not countenance!
:orce, intimidation or other con- J
luct not in accordance with law'
and will insist in strict compli
ance with this resolution.”
P. B. Gill, secretary of the
anion, made the following state-j
n<mt:
“The present controversy be-1
ween the Fishing Vessel Owners’.
Association and the Deep Sea
fishermen’s Union of the Pacific (
s the result of numerous at
tempts by the owners to have
abjectionable features placed in
the working agreement. After
'everal conferences between
committees, the members of the
anion decided that our requests
were just. We were not asking
for any increase in our share but
only that a different construc
tion be placed on various parts
of the agreement so as to elim
inate the most serious disputes
which continually aiise.
“We received the following
communication from the owners
of January 31: ‘At our meeting
this afternoon the members de
cided that if the union does no1
sign up the 1931 agreement on
or before noon Tuesday, Febru
ary 3, the association will de
mand 25 per cent boat share, in
addition to the 1930 agreement.
At the next regular meeting
cf the union held February 3, the
letter wa sconstrued as a lockout
and we ceased all further nego
tiations with the association
This meeting was attended by
(150 fishermen.”
H. E. Lokken, manager of the
Fishing Vessel Owners’ Associa
tion. said that the fishermen
have been on strike since Jan
uary 20, and since have refused
to prepare gear for the coming
fishing season, which opens Feb
ruary 16.—Seattle Time!
At present activity along the
water front of Ketchikan and
Petersburg is not much in edi
dence. The spring opening of
business, especially in Ketchikan
has been delayed is a report just
received. The business turnover
of the stores catering to the
halibut trade is at a standstill
and will remain so until a truce
has been declared between the
disagreeing factions.
Vessel Owners Outfitting Skeleton
Fleet, Lockout Union Fishermen
Pishing vessel owners said
recently they have given up
hope of reaching an agreement
with the union fishermen and
that they would send between 30
and 40 schooners to the halibut
banks this coming week, man
ned from out of their own ranks.
“We offered the fishermen the
same agreement as they hqtd in
the prosperous year of 1916, but
they refused,” Captain Ole Lar
sen said, and added, not the 1930
agreement the fishermen refused
but the conditions which they
operated under since 1916, and
called attention to the fact that
taxes on boats increased from
$30 to $90 and $150 to $600.
“The whole fleet,” he said, “is
threatened with ruin and we
have taken steps to save our
property and provide for our
families. The vessel owners of
Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Ju
neau are standing pat on the old
agreement.”
In the exchange of telegraph
ic advices between Seattle and
Ketchikan, press and otherwise
there has been a great deal of
confusion about the “1916,” 1929
and 1930 agreement.” Vessel
Hanson Heads Ass’n
-x
Capt. Ingvald Hansen, owner
and master of the halibut
schooner “Pioneer” was elected
president of the Fishing Vessel
Owners’ Association taking the
place of the late Capt. J. H. Eng
dal. He comes in when affairs
between the Deep Sea Fisher
men and th£ Vessel Owners are
rather turbulent and he will
have his hands full guiding his
! organization through to the suc
cessful conclusion of the stand
of that organization in its con
tentions with the fishermen.
I -x
M. Hofstad, left for Ketchikan.
X
owners in Ketchikan as well a*
union men assert that the 1916
agreement is practically the
same as the 1329 agreement,
with only a few minor changes
adopted from year to year. The
union men and the vessel owners
worked under the same agree
ment until the close of the sea
son in 1930. Thereafter, Decem
ber 30, 1930, the Deep Sea Fish
ermen's Union adopted an “a
mended ballot.”
The main controversial poin'
of the amended ballot refers to
“hole” charges growing out of
accidents and damaged cargoes
end delays. The union members
decided that their men should
not be subjected to “hole” charg
es “when occurring on trips im
mediately before crews are laid
off through no fault of their own
and when any accident occurs
which causes the crew to be laid
off or compelled to abandon ves
r el.” Telegraphic advices later
stated that the union was will
ing to give any vessel three weeks
grace and if not repaired and
put back in commission by that
rime there would be no “hole”
charges.
Fishermen Go Out
-X
The Juneau halibut fishermen
not belonging to any union, de
cided that terms presented them
by the vessel owners were good
enougn to work under therefore
they are not being affected by
the strike. The fishermen and
boatowners of that town are
ready and leaving for the fishing
banks is a report received at
this office.
The situation remains un
changed in Petersburg, Ketchi
kan and Seattle. The fishermen
1
I declare themselves as being vir
i tually locked out.
First Division Fur
Catch is Small
One of the smallest fur catches
for many years is indicated by
the Game Department reports,
how prices for almost a.l varieti
es of fur resulted in keeping
i.ome of the trappers out of the
held and the short time in wiiicii
game may be trapped is also
given as another reason for the
shortage in catch this winter.
Report on blue fox from Lamp
son’s indicates that prices for
that commodity is down twenty
per cent below last fall’s prices
which were none too good. Price.,
at the recent sales in Seattie in
ciicates a slight upward trend
out hardiy soon enough for the
'.rappers to receive much benefit
therefrom.
MERCY AND JUSTICE
Eugene Henry, 19-year-old Nc-I
aana Indian boy was sentenced j
.o the Fairbaks federal jail be-|
"ause Judge Cecil Clegg wished!
the boy to have an opportunity!
o go straight. Before passing!
’entence on the lad who has
been awaiting trial since last!
•pring on a charge of larceny, j
Judge Clegg read the boy a lec
ture on the evils of wrong-doing!
and told him that should he not j
reform and appear before thej
:ourt again, no consideration;
.vould begiven him. Most of the I
tuff Henry stole from business j
bouses in Nenana was subse
quently recovered.
-x
Club Holds Meeting
-X- .
At the regular weekly Com
mercial Club dinner Wednesday
evening Andrew Johnson review
ed the fishermen’s strike situa
tion from the vessel owners’
standpoint for the benefit of the j
members of the club. He stated!
that there had been no change j
in the situation during the past I
few days except that at a meet-!
ing of the vessel owners Tuesday,
evening an ultimatum had been
issued to the union fishermen
that unless the matter had been
cleared up before Thursday noon
the boats would leave for the
banks manned by owners only, i
Mr. Johnson stated that there j
are only about 25 or 30 union
fishermen in Petersburg and
that most o fthe men here are
willing to go out under the old
conditions. He gave it as his
opinion that many of the strik
ing fishermen have no very de
finite conception in their minds
as to what the strike is all about.
It is reported from Juneau that
the men are going out under the
old agreement.
-x
Old man Carlson, dad of Ellery
Carlson the guy that chases the
kids home at nights, came over
from Wrangell Thursday on the
Seven Brothers.
-x
OLD TIMER LOSES HANDS
-x
The Gateway of Seward tells
that Harry Kolkman was found
recently in a vacant cabin on
Esther Creek with both his hands
and feet frozen. His feet can be
saved but he will lose his hands
if he survives pneumonia which
may set in due to several hours
of exposure. It is supposed that
the man had left his cabin dur
ing the previous night and he
apparently wandered into the
cold cabin seeking shelter. When
[found he was standing in the
middle of the room with a cur
: tain over his head and he had on
1 shoes but no socks and his hands
were bare. He was barely able to
' walk out and he was rushed to
{the hospital by automobile.
New Ship In Place
Of Old Boxer
-x
The power schooner Boxei
which has been doing yoeman
service for the Bureau of Educa
tion in the Northland will be re
placed under plans now before
congress. The House of Repre
seniatives has passed a bill au
thorizing expenditures of $450,
000 for a vessel of not less thar.
1,300 tons net. This vessel wn
serve the Alaska Peninsula
schools replacing the Boxe*
which will be shifted down tc
Southeastern Alaska operations.
Plans for the new vessel arc
virtually completed. She maj
be ready by next summer as con
struction will be authorized just
as quickly as Congress will per
mit. Her accommodations pro
vide for service for thirty pas
sengers as compared to ten on
the Boxer. She will carry 2,000
reindeer carcasses instead of the
500 on the older vessel and her
speed will be 14 knots as com
pared to the 9 which the Boxer
knocks off when the weathei is
fair. On board of the new craft
will be a clinic attended by
physician and dentist.
Tolmie names A. Y. P.
Road Invest'galors
-X
Formation of an international
committee representing Canada
and the United States and Bri
ish Columbia to consider the
whole Alaska -Yukon - Pacifu
Highway project was announced
"ecently by Provincial Premie'
Tolmie. The personnel:
CANADA—J. M. Wardle, chie
engineer of the Parks Branch
Banff, representing the federa1
government; James McNeill o!
Dawson, Y. T.,representing thf
Yukon Territory road superin
tendent; George P. Napier, re
presenting British Columbia
Public Works Department.
UNITED STATES—Herbert H
Pice of Detroit, assistant to the
president of General Motors:
Ernest Walker Sawyer of Wash
ington, D. C., executive assistan
to secretary of the interior
Maj. Malcolm Elliott, U. S. A...
chairman of the Alaska Road
Commission.
It is expected here the active
work of investigation will get
r way as soon as spring
weather permits.
‘ The committee,” Dr. Tolmie
said, “will be a fact-finding bodj
to report on the feasibility oi
the Alaska road project, but i,
is specifically understood that
participation in its work does not
in any way commit any partici
pant to the undertaking.”
-x
SENTENCED FOR CONTEMPT
OF COURT
Cliff Mathews of Juneau was
Sentenced by Judge Harding of
the District Court to serve 90
days in jail because of his re
marks and actions in court when
the judge called him in to ad
ise him that as the jury in his
ease could not reach an agree
I mnt, a second trial would be or
dered immediately. Mathews was
being tried on a charge of vio
| lating the Alaska Bone Dry Law.
The jury freed him on this
charge but he will serve his 90
day for contempt.
-x
EMPLOY MEN IN PARK
-x
About 100 men will be employ
ed in the McKinley National
Park doing road work during the
coming summer is the report of
the Alaska Road Commission.
Forty-three miles of the road in
that park is now graveled.
Report of Chamber
Of Commerce
-X
The Club asked for placement
3f coastguard cutter on the
fishing banks with base at Se
ward from Feb. 14th to March
20th.
Financed deficit of High School
basketball team’s trip to Fair
banks.
Requested Canadian steamers
noceed slowly thru channel as
nuch damage was being done to
.mall boats at floats when they
vent through at full speed.
Approved Ketchikan Cham
ber's request for assistance se
curing lighthouse tender.
Endorsed Seattle Fishing Ves
sel Owners’ Association proposal
recommending 5 cents per pound
3uty on frozen halibut.
Undertook direction of con
struction of airport which was
completed by funds appropriat
ed by the Territory and the city.
Secured changes in naviga
tional aids in the Narrows.
Assisted in securing mail con
tacts for the Northland Tran -
lortation company.
Circularized fur farmers to in
terest them in establishment of
m experimental fur farm in
this locality.
Work on problem of municipal
loat, and took up with Wa. h
ington officials need of dredging
larbor.
Secured cooperation from citi
zens in keeping streets clean
Supported request of Juneau
.or more careful handling of
mils on steamers.
Urged a more advantageous
outing of boat by Noyes Trans
( Continued on page four)
Firemen s Masquerade
Will Be Big Affair
-X
Plans are under way which
hould make the Firemen’s An
nual Ball on the 21st of February
he biggest and best of its kind
.hat the boys have ever attempt -
’d. The ball this year is to be a
masquerade dance and fifteen
valuable prizes have been donat
ed by merchants and others to
date. Prizes are being offered
for many different characters
and the goods and pledges will
be placed on display this week.
A list of the prizes came to us
too late for publication in this
issue.
-x
Norco Bu nps Iceberg
Gistineau Channel
-X
The Norco which was leaving
Gastineau Channel this week
with a load of frozen fish punc
tured a hole in her bow when
she rammed an iceberg just off
the Thane dock. She was beach
ed at hightide by her master
Capt. V. F. Gough and ship car
penters immediately started to
make repairs. A ticket of sea
worthiness was issued her by In
spectors Newmarker and Hig
gins of the U. S. Board of Hull
land Boiler Inspectors.
-x
ALICIA PERKED UP
-x
The play “Alicia Perks Up,”
(given under the auspices of the
P. T. A. on Monday and Tuesday
evenings' for the benefit of the
gymnasium fund, was a success
in every way. As good whole
j smoe entertainment the play
would be hard to beat and it was
thoroughly enjoyed at both per
formances. The net proceeds
amounted to more than $75. The
P. T. A. expresses it appreciation
J to the citizens for their support.