VOLUME NO. VI,
PETERSBURG, ALASKA,
JANUARY 22, 1932
NO. 27
Council Has
Quiet Session
-X
The City Council met in the
City Hall Monday night and the
evening was spent discussing
radios and wireless station
equipment and radio reception
interference. Mr. Gellatly, re
presenting the U .S. Signal Corps
was present and gave consider
able enlightenment on the op
eration of the telegraphic sys
tem of Alaska. He advised that
Juneau station has had consi
derable changes in its equipment
to effect direct communication
between that town and Seattle.
Hut the report as to installa
tion of a complete new system
to eliminate the radio static
was not true.
He also reported of correction
of defects in the local plant in
the way of displacing defective
tubes, re-wiring of motor, all of
which aided in clearing the
V/ave bands between 860 and
1120 meters, cutting out consi
derable unecessary interference.
As to eliminating interfer
ence entirely bj change of the
equipment, that is hardly po'
sible but with the various de
fects in the plant removed the
reception is improved consider
ably. Outside of a block from
the station the interference
which bothered the radio fans
heretofore has been eliminated
to all practical purposes.
-- x
CHICAGO SLASHES WAGES IN
EFFORT TO KEEP AFLOAT
x
Chicago began to tighten up
on its purse strings.
The City Council was respon
sible for the action, having a
dopted a recommendation of
Mayor Anton J. Cermak for a
six-hour day for all municipal
employes, except policemen and
firemen during the months of
January and February, as a
moans of helping the city out of
ihe financial mire in which it
has found itself.
Mayor Cermak’s monthly
check is cut from $1,500 to $1 -
140.
The plan, adopted by the
Council, amounts to a wage cut
of 20 per cent for employes paid
by the month and 27 per cent
for those paid by the day.
Meanwhile, 12,000 night school
students were unable to attend j
classes because the schools were j
closed for lack of money, and
there was a possibility that the
city’s 18,000 school teachers
might have to take a cut in pay.
Which leads us to wonder
what they will receive on a 20% j
cut when they get nothing now.
-x
C OMMON CURRENCY FOR
U. S.', CANADA PROPOSED
-x
One great banking system
north of the Rio Grande is the
idea behind his bill proposing
tr put Canadian members on the
federal reserve board, Senator
Kean, Republican, New Jersey,
disclosed in a statement to the
United Press.
He visualizes co-ordination of
Canadian banks in the federal
reserve system and establish
ment of a common currency to
protect trade between the Unit
ed States and her northern
nieghbor.
-x
HOOVER’S Ij/\T IS IN
G. O P. RING FOR 1932
-x
Postmaster General Walter F.
Brown last week formally an
nounced that President Hoover
is a candidate for renomination
by the Republican National Con -
vention. Mr. Brown said that
local conditions in each state
would determine the methods of
entering the President’s name
in the race for delegates.
Commercial Club
Interesting Meet
-x
The Commercial Club mel; in
the Grand Cafe Wednesday
night and had as guest IVir.
Gellatly. connected with the U.
S. Signal Corps. He advised of
various changes made in
local station equipment to eli
minate insofar as possible radio
reception interference. A tele
gram was sent to Delegate
Wickersham to hold up any ac
tion on a letter smit him rela
tive to this matter until it was
seen how the present change
will work out.
A letter was received by Mr.
Ohmer, president of the Club,
from Mr. Cantlow, operating
manager of the Alaska Steam
ship Company, advising that the
company's attorney in Wash
ington had been instructed 'c
give every possible assistance to
secure favorable action on the
matter of dredging out the local
harbor. Report of the engineers
on this project has been for
warded to Washington and win
be directed to the proper com -
mittee in Washington.
A letter was received from Mr.
Charles Garfield, secretary of
the Alaska division of the Se
attle Chamber of Commerce,
advising that that organization
was giving support to the vari
ous referendums being pressed
by the All-Alaska Chamber and
also by the local Chamber of
Commerce.
The matter of getting a suit
able typewriter (not typist) for
use of the Secretary of the Club
was taken up and Mr. Holt is
tc look up a suitable type (ma
chine of course) while he is in
Seattle, which will be some time
next month.
CORDOVA MAN OUT OF LUCF
The Associated Press member
in Oil City, Pennsylvania, says j
the Cordova inheritance story
in which H. E. McDaniel said he
was notified he had over half a
million dollars coming to him
from the estate of the late
President Buchanan, is similiar
to several stories in northwest
ern Pennsylvania two years age.
No one was ever able to find j
the estate. Five persons in dif- !
ferent towns were notified - of J
the Buchanan split-up but!
nothing ever came of it.
The A. P. bureau in Philadel
phia says that on June 8 last
year the registar of wills re
ceived a request from a Cleve
land man for information con
cerning the estate, saying he
was an heir, but nothing was
known in Phildelphia of the
estate of James Buchanan.
From Inglewood, California,
came a request asking a Pitts
burg court to help find the
heirs so the estate involving a
99-year lease of California pro
perty could be settled.
-x
NEW MOONEY MOVE UP
-x——
Attorneys for Thomas Mooney
asked District Attorney Matthew
Brady to bring to trial an un
tried indictment in the 1916
Preparedness-day bombing case,
for which Mooney and Warren
K. Billings are serving life pri
son terms.
The attorneys also filed an
ancillary motion for a new trial
on the original counts which
caused Mooney to be sentenced
to death. Mooney’s sentence
later as commuted. The attor
neys said the motion asked va
cation of judgement and a new
trial and is supplementary to a
proceeding filed last September.
Don Reybum is in from Doug
las Bay were he is fox ranching.
Hoover Attack
The powerful administration
pressure brought to encompass
the political extermination of
Congressman Louis T. McFadden
of Pennsylvania since his sensa
tional attack on President
Herbert Hoover’s moratorium
motives provides an excellent
exhibition of how the patronage
system, one of the most import
ant wheels in politics, actually
operates.
Republican members of con
gress possess patronage when
they are permitted to guide pre
sidential appointments of fed
eral judges and district attor
neys, marshals, internal revenue
collectors and deputies, customs
and immigration officials, prohi
bition agents, ministers and am
bassadors, postmasters, ruial
mail carriers and other classes
of federal employes.
Friends Lose Out
McFadden has more than 200
postmasters in his district and
at least as many rural letter
carriers. After this, because of
an agreement among Senators
Dave Reed and Jim Davis, the
White House and Postmaster
General Brown, only political
enemies of McFadden will be ap
pointed to these jobs, which are
i ow occupied by his friends. If
he is re-elected, they will all be
filled by his active political foes
within four years.
--x
SUPREME COURT SEPARATES
DRY CASE, NUISANCE
A jury may find a dry law de
fendant guilty of maintaining a
nuisance and not guilty of sale
or possession of liquor, accord
ing to ruling by the Supreme
Court.
The court’s decision was hand -
ed down in the case of James
Dunn, Eureka, Cal., who was
sentenced to a year in Contra
Costa County, Cal., jail after be
ing convicted of maintaining a
nuisance.
The Supreme Court decided
to consider the validity of the
Oklahoma oil curtailment act
and proration orders under
which Gov. William H. Murray
stemmed overproduction o f
crude oil within his state.
The court’s ruling was made
in a test case brought by the
Champlin Refining Company
against the Oklahoma Corpora
tion Commission, the state en
forcement body.
---x
TACOMA U. S. DRY LEADER
WILL BE GIVEN TRANSFER
That a change is to be made
soon in the administration of
the Tacoma headquarters of the j
federal prohibition forces was
admitted recently by T. L. Chi
dester, agent in charge.
Mr. Chidester declined to dis
cuss reasons for t h e change
other than to state that he “was
anxious to return to Seattle.”
His successor, he admitted,
has already been tentatively
selected, although no definite
date has been set for the change.
While it has been rumored for
•several weeks that a change was
to be made as th*1 result of re
cent clashes between Chidester
and the sheriff’s office person
nel in both Tacoma and Olym
pia, the report has previously
been denied.
-x
The kiddies in school took
home their school reports for
the past six-weeks period—lots
of proud kiddies and not a few
parents not so proud of the ef
forts of their hopefuls.
-x
The Northwestern arrived to
day with mail from the south
News Flashes
And Static
Secretary of Labor Doak yes
terday announced transfers in
the Imigration Service of vir
tually the entire field service.
There organized service of alien
administration brings closer
centralization of border control
patrols in checking the smug
Cling of aliens. Headquarters of
the service will henceforth be in
Detroit, only the field superin
tendent remaining in Seattle.
Finance Corporation
The House and Senate of the
U. S. Congress has agreed on a
compromise reconstruction o f
the finance corporation, two
billion dollar bill. The congress
ional eaders now predict final
enactment o fthis bill very
shortly. Senator Walcott, co
author states that President
Hoover is very much pleased
with the bil land it is being re
ported that Charles G. Dawes,
U. S. Ambassador to England
and former United States Vice
President, will probably head
the commission.
Ketchikan Court Records In
Tangle
Judge Cushman yesterday
warned United States Commis
sioner W. C. Arnold in Seattle
that records could not be
brought from Alaska without
court order and he therefore re
fused to permit the government
to introduce them as exhibits
which were taken to Seattle by
Arnold as evidence against
Conrad Wolfe, now charged with
fraud through the U. S. Mails.
“This court will not receive
these records. It will not take
original records from another
court in htis way. How can a '
clerk of an Alaska court, if
called upon, make certified re- ,
cord of anything desired from
these records? This court cannot
and will not permit such an un
authorized removal of govern
ment records.”
United States Attorney Sav
age explained that since the re
cords were brought to Seattle,
Judge Justin W. Harding of the
U. S .District Court, First Divi
sion of Alaska, had cabled his
authorization. Judge Cushman
refused introduction of the re
cords nor would he allow certi
fied copies from them, taking
the position that only a clerk of
the court in Alaska could make
certification.
Halibut Landings
Halibut landings in Seattle
for the year 1931 totaled fifteen
million and eighty-seven thou
sand pounds. This is the great
est landing of flat fish in Seattle
since 1921 when Prince Rupert
f;rst displaced the Queen City.
--x
ALASKAN WILL TRY TO LAND
PLANE IN ANIAKCHAK
CRATER
-x
Before leaving for the States.
Harold Blunt, veteran air piloc,
said that in the spring he would
make a flight with two other
men and attempt to land inside
Aniakchak crater, the largest in
t he world.
He w'ill be accompanied by
the Rev. Bernard R. Hubbard of
Santa Clara University and E.
F. Jessen, Reward newspaper
man, he said. Blunt is on his
way to Spokane, where his fa
ther died recently.
Father Hubbard is now iu
Seattle.
-x
The Republicans are meeting
in Ketchikan beginning the
27th. So far there seems to be
no representative going from
Petersburg. No reports from
Wrangell either.
-x
A man never scratches except
I when he itches.—Charley Chan.
Jack White Would
Be G.Q.P. Leader
-X
John T. White, Juneau mer
chant and resident of Alaska
for 32 years, will early next week
hie his candidacy for Republi
can National Committeeman for
Alaska, he announced. The
cornerstone of his candidacy
will be, he declared, opposition
to bureaucracy, and government
of Alaska by bona fide Alaskans.
He is the second candidate to
announce his intention to seek
jhe keystone position of the Re
publican organization ir the
Territory. E. A. Rasmuson. head
of the Bank of Alaska chain,
now residing in Cordova, some
time ago made it known he
would be a candidate.
He was a candidate for ap
pointment as United States
Marshal in 1921 w'hen the Re
publicans came back to power
otter eight years of the Wilson
Administration. Two other well
known residents of the First
Division contested the race with
lum, and an outsider, Major
George D. Bea.umont, was ap
pointed.
Arrested not many moons
since, White defended himself
against a charge of peddling
flavoring extracts and wine
tonics to Indians. In his divorce
suit brought by his wife, Jack :
was charged with throwing hei i
out into the snow without a j
stitch of clothing on her back, j
Along with other similiar wine j
peddling cases, White won for j
it is not a crime to sell author- j
sed products sold “not for bev- j
erage purposes,” despite the !
fact that it is sold with the j
knowledge that such tonics are !
used for beverage and not for |
tonic purposes.*
-x
SCHOOL BY RADIO
OFFERED CHICAGO
Chicago school children may
not get out of their lessons af
ter all, even if the city’s schools
c re closed for lack of funds.
They may have to go to school
by radio.
This became a possibility when
The Chicago Tribune offered not
only the facilities of newspaper
space, but broadcasting time on
its radio station WGN.
Superintendent o f Schools
William J. Bogan approved of
the idea.
-x
HOTELS NOT TO DISCOUNT
( OIN
Leading Seattle hotels an
nounced recently that Canadian
money would be accepted on a
par with American coin in pay
ment of hotel bills.
The announcement followed a
decision reached by representa- !
fives of fifty Northwest hotels j
affiliated with the Associated
Hotels, meeting in Portland, Ore.
If was pointed out at the Port
land meeting that for the past
three months the number of
Canadian visitors to the United
States has fallen sharply be
cause the exchange rate penal
ised them fifteen to twenty-two
per cent.
Among the Seattle hotels that
will accept Canadian money at
par are the Olympic, Gowan,
New Washington, Benjamin
Franklin and Roosevelt.
-x
FILES SUIT AGAINST
FISH COMPANY
-x- '
A suit for $54,872 damages
against the Red Salmon Can
ning Company for injuries to
his left hand and arm was filed
by Sebastiano Luca.
The injuries were assertedly
received May 30 of last year at
Nackinack when lumber crushed
his fingers, necessitating their
amputation.
Canners Pay
Taxes Early
Although the Territory’s casn
lesources at the end of 193^
showed a sharp shrinkage from
a year previous, there was still
a sizeable fund in the toe of its
old sock on January 1, this year
and more had been added to i‘
on the following day, it was re
vealed at Juneau by the finan
cial statement issued covering
the month of December by W
I G. Smith, Treasurer.
The gross cash balance wa<
shown to be $298,920.92 on De
cember 31. There were outstand
ing warrants in the sum of $33 -
557.08, leaving a net balance of
$265,363.84.
Of the latter sum, $47,870.26
was in special funds and could
only be applied for specific uses.
In the general and public school
current funds there was $217,
493,.58.
On January 2, according to a
memorandum furnished by tha
Treasurer to the Governor’s of
fice, approximately $160,000 was
added to the net balance. This
money comprised $80,000 from
the Alaska Packers Association
lot payment on its taxes for last
year which are estimated at
$107,000 and fish trap license
taxes and minor accounts from
ether sources.
All cannery and salmon pack
taxes become due on January 15,
and are required to be paid on
or before March 15.
x
HUNGERFORD BRINGS IN
WITHERITE ORE
——x
‘‘Bud” Hungerford brought to
town this week from the Kake
district, some fine specimens o^
witherite ore which is said to
assay around fifty dollars tae
ton. Witherite is an ore allied
with the barites and is used ex
tensively in the manufacture of
plate glass and has a ready
market at all times.
The ore brought in by Hung
erford is found in a section in
ihe Kake district where there is
considerable sandstone forma
tion and from all indications it
is a break-through that forma
tion. There is evidence of consi
derable of this ore and with
out doubt will be secured in
considerable quantity. Ted
Hunger ford had some of the ore
assayed some time since and
while quite enthusiastic about
the ore is awaiting returns on
samples shipped lately.
In the Point Cornwallis dis
trict witherite ore was found
samples of which are on display
in the office of the Territorial
Mining Engineer. The ledge of
witherite found by the Hunger
fords is of considerable greater
extent than the ledge at Corn
wallis. If taken up and develop
ed by interested companies this
will develop into quite a bonanza
for the owners.
-x
DEMOCRATS TO WIN IN
1932, EDITORS THINK
-x
The next president will be a
Democrat, probably Gov. Frank
lin D. Roosevelt of New York or
N°wton D. Baker of Ohio, editors
canvassed in a survey of pub
lishers forecast recently. Of the
591 editors answering, 305 pre
dicted a Democratic victory.
Only 145 foretold a Republican '
year, while 140 were non-com
mittal.
-x
$12,000,000 FOR INDIANS
-X
The appropriation for Indian
education in 1931 was more than
$12,000,000; more than for the
appropriation for the whole In
dian service 10 years ago. It re
presented 42 per cent of the en
tile Indian appropriation.
Justice Holmes
Has Resigned
Oliver Wendell Holmes’ resig
nation from the Supreme Court
of Justice was accepted by Pres
ident Hoover.
Justice Holmes said in his let -
ier to the President that the
condition of his health neces
sitated his action. “The time
lias come when I must bow to
the inevitable.”
Justice Holmes will be 91 on
March 8. His strength has been
markedly lessening in late
months and he frequently need
ed the help of court pages oi
fellow justices to take his seat
or rise after a session was over.
Justice Holmes was named to
the bench by President Roose
velt on December 4, 1902. His
son, Oliver Wendell Holmes, is
a noted author.
-x
HOSPITAL MAKES FINE
REPORT
-X
At the last council meeting,
the hospital board made its an
nual report for the year ending
Tecember 31st. The Board show
ed that there was a total re
ceipts of $5154.90 with disburse
ments totaling $4358.75, leaving
a net balance of $796.15. The
average monthly income was
$422.50 with a monthly expense
cf $360.23. The Board feels that
ihe report is very encouraging
rnd appreciates the support giv
en the hospital by the citizens
of the town.
The hospital being a purely
local proposition, operated ncc
as a profit making concern, it
viill be appreciated if generous
hearted citizens would donate
to the larder, fruits, and pre
serves and other practical things
cf general utility in a small
hospital. This would assist con
siderably in keeping expenses,
down to a minimum and insure
continuation of operation of
this institution which is in fact
a real asset to the town.
-X
BOATS TO CHART
ALASKAN COAST
-X
Preparing for resumption of
their struggle with America's
“last frontier,” a little band of
officers and men of U. S. geo
detic survey are hard at work in
l ake Union.
Capt. F. H. Hardy, command
er of the survey’s staff, disclosed
that this country actually still
has hundreds of miles of coast -
line unsurveyed, uncharted, un
sounded.
It is to work towards complet
ing the mapping of Alaska's
shoreline that the U. S. survey
ships Explorer, Surveyor and
Discoverer, carrying about 215
officers and men, will sail north
again in the spring.
They are now berthed south
east of Fremont bridge, where
30 officers and skeleton crews
are preparing reports on last
year’s work and making ready
for this year’s campaign.
Altho 1932 orders have not
been received, it is believed
each ship will resume its work
of 1931: Surveyor to continue
taking soundings and mapping
shoreline of Kodiak island, Dis
coverer to continue * the same
work at Cook inlet entrance
and around Barren and Shuyak
islands, and Explorer to go back
to work in Behm canal, south •
eastern Alaska.
-x
The halibut fishermen are
moving around now getting gear
and boats ready for the drive
beginning with open season the
fifteenth of February.
-x
-The fiction department of the
library will begin to function to
morrow. _^_, j