VOL. I
PETERSBURG, ALASKA OCTOBER 22 1926
NO. 15
Sutherland Answers
And Refutes Critics
On Tuesday night of this week
Honorable Dan Sutherland, Delegate
from Alaska to Congress spoke to
the people of Petersburg in the Va- j
riety Theatre. The house was well '
filled and took great interest in the
issues put forth. The audience was |
with him in spite of the barrage of i
malicious misrepresentation on the
part of the subsidized press during
the past several months.
Wiliam E. Worth, Republican
nominee for the Territorial legisla
te e before introducing Delegate
Sutherland made a short speech lay
ing before the pfcople his platform.
The sentiment expressed after the
n eeting was that Mr. Worth is a
man of strong character and con
victions and that he would represent
the electors fairly.
Mr. Worth, comparing conditions
todaj with those of 1924 declared
that lack of earning power today is
due to unfair fisheries legislation.
That the closed season was hurting
the fishermen and not the traps and
canneries as indicated by this years’
pack. That the trap system is not
building up the country. He stands
for a system of taxation that will
make the trap system more equally
carry its burden.
He stands for the lowering of the
taxes on the fox farming industry
and believes that regulations should
he so adjudicated that fox farmers
may secure salmon legally un^amp
e»ed.
He declares for a literacy test and
will support the New York Law as
being good enough for Alaska. He
stands for the application of a law
that will be fair.
He pledges himself to work for
the interests of the all the people
and not for privileged few.
DAN SUTHERLAND SPEAKS
Refuting . the . statement of . the
press of Alaska that he was elected
by illiterate he showed that he was
elected by a majority of all electors
at the primaries.
Speaking of the Republican ticket
he said that Will Steel, candidate
for the Senate was a man who in his
\ o) k as a newspaper man, had nev
er sold his mentality to anything
not in conformity with his belief.
Speaking of William L. Paul and
Clias. Ferguson, he declared that
that they were men of positive
chaiacter and not to be handled by
any big interest. Mr. Benjamin was
another man of strong character and
highly honored and respected by
men with whom he had come in
contact in his own town and else
where and was another man who
could not be controlled by private
interests.
Comparing candidates of both
tickets he stated that Mr. Heckman
of the Miners and Merchants Bank
of Ketchikan, unable to get anyone
to file on his ticket at Wrangell
“drew” on the bank of Alaska and
got Mr. Gurr; coming to Petersburg
and again being a little short of ne
cesseary material he had to draw on
the Bank of Petersburg; and finally
getting to Juneau had to draw fur
ther on the First National Bank of
Juneau. Three-fourths of the tick
et being bankers who by the very
nature of their business could not
be sympathetic to the needs of the
general run of people. That the at
titude they would tape on legisla
tion would be the attitude of “bank
ers.”
Speaking of his stewardship in
Congress he stated that during the
(Continued on page 2)
>
7’he Tucker Fur Company, locat
ed at Fulton, Kentucky, has been
denied the use of the mails for al
leged misrepresentations in the
purchase of furs from fur trappers
and dealers, the Post Office Depart
r. ent announced recently.
The Department stated through
it.} solicitor that the concern had
agreed to pay for shipments of furs
at prices higher than other buyers.
That on complaint of more than
100 shippers found that this firm
graded the furs far below the value
placed upon them by other fur deal
ers and in many instances shippers
Lad difficulty in getting return of
consignments.
hiarry Benolkin, of Ketchikan,
lost his boat, the Albatross, recent
ly by fire. Benolkin and another
man were aboard the boat when the
fire broke out and started for shore
in a row boat where they telephoned
for the fire department. When the
department arrived they found that
the boat^vas too far from shore to
be reached so returned to their sta
tion. A passing boat towed the Al
batross ashore and another call was
put in for the fire departmen. In
spite of the efforts of the depart
ment the blaze continued unchecked
burning the boat to the waters
edge The loss is estimated to be
between $4,00 and $5,000.
PBOIFCT FORES!
A program to “protect the forests
against fire and promote reforesta
tion’ was presented President Cool
idge for Federal action, by a dele
gation of timberland owners and
forestry advocates representing ►Ore
gon, Washington, California, Ida
ho and Montana.
It was stated that the whole poli
cy of Federal forest protection was
threatened with collapse because the
Federal Government is not holding
up its end of the necessary expense
and is not meeting its obligations
irnpoced upon itself by the Clark
McNary national forest policy.
The Department of Commerce,
through the Foodstuffs Division has
issued a series of trade notes, in
the North Sea was facing depetion
of its fisheries as a result of reckless
fishing.
American Consul recently made
the statement that fishing experts
declare that owing to reckless fish
ing, the industry is in danger.
Tip to August 8, hardly more than
10.000 barrels of herring had been
salted on the north coast, as against
100.000 barrels by that time last
year. The prices are reported as
being about double that of last year.
Once again the heartless corpora
tion,,, so often pictured by William
L Paul and his cohorts as the op
pressor of the poor native comes to
the front to aid them. This time 4t
is in the form of a donation of $500
for the relief of the Natives of Kake.
who weer afflicted by a disastrous
Are some days ago.
Theer are no strings on the do
nation. It is given to be distribut
ed by the local Chapter of the Red
Cross.”—Ketchikan Chronicle.
When gifts come in the form as
e.boye mentioned and are referred to
in such manner, we question the gift
and the giver as to the tnotive. It
would appear that the Chronicol
would like ^he voters of Kake to
bear this gift in mind November 2.
Rather a cheap way to buy votes,
isn’t it?
Were the esteemed genteman on
tho Chronicle better acquainted with
r..utters Alaskan he would not have
mentioned the gift of this most
generous company but he would
have remembered the days when
the Alaska Packers had the Indians
fishing in Lake Bay for $1.50 a
day and pitching all fish but the
red salmon away. But that is an
cient history some say. Perhaps
the half cent per salmon paid the
fishermen, white and native, was ex
o'bitant so that they lost money
operating their canneries in Alaska*
So finally they raised the price on
the poor fish and fooled the fisher
men into believing that he could
earn a living in spite of the traps.
Funny isn’t it that this great in
stitution could declare a dividend of
$30. the share a few years ago when
they lost that same year over $750,
COO And who made it possible for
this dividend but the cheap Indian
laboi Who believed the cannery
managers when told that the can
neries were losing money when pay
ing one dollar and a half for all the
salmon that could be caught in one
day and the millions of other sal
mon sold this company for less than
the cost of box lumber, per case.
And the millions more that were
r.ot counted into scows or cannery
but estimated as “half boat load,”
“third-load” and so on ad infinitim.
'
Postmasters have been warned
by the Post Office Department that
currency is prohibited transmission
in the regular mails to Mexico. The
warning is based on a communica
tion of Mexico which state that vio
lations continue in the importation
of bank notes in spite of Mexico’s
prohibition against the mailing of
such articles.
“WILL SUPPORT BUREAU FISH
• In a speech at Seward recently,
Tom Marquam declared,: “Anoth
er thing that I would do if I were
elected would be to give Secretary
Hoover and the Bureau of Fisher
ies my most earnest support.” That
Si.aiement alone shows an absolute
ignorance of the criminal indiffer
ence of a bureau supposed to con
trol a resource properly and It fur
ther shows the leanings of the man
toward favoring the henchmen of
the Fish Barons of Seatte,l Chicaga
and San Francisco.
SMI! IK
GREAT LAKES
It is being stated that salmon
Ashing in the Great Lakes is a fu
ture possibility. All thing are pos
sible.
The state conservation commis
sion i experimenting with the pro
pogation of salmon to determine
if the fish can be made to inhabit
J «ke Superior in sufficient numbers
to make a successful canning indus
try in that section.
Some salmon have been taken
front the lake by fishermen so that
it gives hope in the mind of the
stale superintendent of fisheries
that possibly the supply might be
increased
Annually two hundred thousand
“lmgerling” salmon have been
planted in the Lake for five years.
"lie Alaskan suggests that the
Anska Fish Commission transfer
its knowledge and activities to the
Great Lakes. It will thereby save
.Miijika tax payers no inconsiderable
amount of taxes.
i
t
The case of the Government vs.
h'orir.er attorney general Daugherty
and former Alien Property Custo
dian Miller has been discharged on
account of the jury being unable to
reach a verdict at the end of 65
hours. The governmnt in this case
charged conspiracy.
Other men for committing lessor
ciimes have paid the penalty and
are ready to leave their places of
imprisonment before the finish of
this famous conspiracy But such is
the privilege and power of money.
. . MEDICA LSERVICE EXHIBIT .
An announcement by the Veter
ans’ bureau recently is to the ef
fect that at the next meeting of the
annual meeting of the American
Medical Association in Washington
next spring an exhibit rovering the
activities of the Bureau Medical Ser
vice will be shown.
The exhibit will represent the
largest medical service in the coun
try.
At the Commercial Club lunch
eon last Monday the Industries Com
mittee proposed a resolution against
the use of herring for the manufac
ture of fertilizer. The resolution
was adopted by unanimous vote.
Copies of same will be sent to the
Governor, the Delegate to Congress
frof Alaska, and others who should
he expected to use their influence
to protect the herring industry of
alAska.—Wrangell Sentinell.
The resolution referred to is the
same one endorsed by the Ketchikan
Chamber of Commerce and which al
rendy has the endorsement of more
than a thousand signatures.
Did you notice that the Bankers
are not very strong for this resolu
tion?
Fred Nelson, Standard Oil Agent
for Petersburg, returned Tuesday
from Seattle where he had ben un
der medical care the past month.
His health is much improvd.
mu LECMKE
FiHffi
APPROPRIATIONS
The Anchorage Times goes off
on a tangent over what it imagines
are the dire possibilities threatening
ilie Pioneers’ Home at Sitka if Su
therland—and Paul are elected.
Poor thing!! There is really no fit
n*jr hysterica weeps needed. The
whole affair simmers down to what
is right, and we hope that eventu
ally it will be settled that way.
When the Times begins to dig up
figvres, however, it shows its all
around weakness. It says the Pio
neer’s Home, cost last year, $260,
000 along with Mothers’ pensions
and old age pensions. Also, the In
dians and Eskimos of Alaska are
well provided for through the Fed
eral Government, and the Federal
Government appropriated last year
$571,000 for education and medical
relief. Now, if it cost the Territory
$260,000 for old age pensions,
mothers’ pensions and the Home,
then the Federal Government is wo
fully stingy in its appropriation of
$571,000 for all the Indians and Es
kimos of Alaska. On the other hand,
if the $571,000 is plenty to keep the
Natives of the Territory on their
feet and educate them, then there’s
a rip snorting leak somewhere in the
rail for $260,000 for the aged
whites of Alaska.
Getting down to brass tacks, how
ever, the great big bulk of the $5 71,
000 goes out for teachers’ salaries
and salaries of nurses here and
there. Not one picayune-sou * goes
out for pensions nor aid to needy
mothers nor the broken down aged.
It calls for practically all of the
$571,000 to pay salaries of officials,
teachers, nurses; for school sup
plies, fuel, upkeep and transporta
tion. Then there is, also, a small
amount paid out annually for a few
simple drugs, bandages and first aid
equipments. And, be it known, the
whites of the isolated settements get
in on both schools and medical aid
as w'ell as the Indians and the Eski
mos,-and this, by the way is alright,
too We don’t know, just now, any
detail bearing on the spending of
$260,000 for the old Pioneers, and
pensions to mothers, bu4; we do know
that the Federal Government has no
Indian and Eskimo pension list, no
home for those who have toiled out
their youth, no pface nor money for
mothers and children who may need
financial help.
DELAYS TRAINING
The Navy Department announc
ed recently that the next class of
na/al officers and men called for
flight training at the Pensacola
Pensacol Air Base has been postpon
ed from November until January
3 927. It was stated that the dam
age done the Pensacola station by
the hurricane of last month cannot
he repaired in time to acocmmodate
the class in November.
The bond holders or the Alaska
Anthracite Railroad purchased the
toad at foreclosure sale recently li
quidating an indebtedness o $60,000.
It is stated that the road will be re
conditioned to carry coal from the
Behring River fields to Controller
Bay.
1. Abolishment of fish traps.
2. Favor a law against non-resi
dent fishermen following the bill in
trodured by William L. Paul at the
lust legislature, taxing non-resident
trollers, seiners and gill netters, un
til such time as they care enough
about the country to make it their
home.
3. It being probable that we can
not obtain the abolishment of fish
traps, this session, we favor a change
in the manner of taxing them, and
i favor a tax on the catch. The Can
adian tax is $5.00 per thousand.
This is #a very reasonable rate, not a
burden on the industry, and fair ev
en from the standpoint of the trap
owners.
4. The Territorial Fish Com
mission should be recognized so that
fishermen can be represented. There
fore we believe that the Commis
sioners should be elected.
i 5. We faver the fullest extent of
home rule which the Organic Act of
Alaska will permit; and therefore
we stand for the enactment of a
“Controller” bill, providing for an
elective Controller of Alaska who
would exercise the powers of Alaska
now granted by past legislatures to
tn<s Federal Governor; for an elec
tive Treasurer, and for an elective
Secretary; the three men to consti
tute a board of control over strictly
Territorial matters.
6. We favor the strictest econo
my so that the money of the people
should not be wasted. Therefore we
oppose ambitious extensions of ac
tivity by the Territory and the quit
ing of duplications of work or un
proven experiments. We therefore
maintain that it is too early to be
gin planning for an ambitious “Uni
versity of Alaska” and insist that
the appropriations for the college
at Fairbanks be limited to mainten
ance only. We also advocate the
d’scontinuence of the fish hatchery
v, ork carried on by the Territory
After spending seven years in that
field and over $300,000 of the peo
ples money, the hatchery men can
not show the slightest signs of re
sults, but rather, “Depletion is more
r.ipid in hatchery streams than
where there were no hatcheries”, as
,one official has said. Furthermore
this work is a duplication since the
United States Government main
tains two complete hatcheries in
Alaska, doing the same work or
equipped to do the same work as
now undertaken by the Territory.
7. No change in the school laws
except a better compulsory attend
ance law.
i 8. We favor any literacy test for
voters that can be lawfully applied,
and which can be administered fair
ly, in which the test shall be intelli
gence and not race. We therefore
oppose any act that places arbitrary
ptwer in the bands of election judg
es, but favor a law based on the
New York law.
The Republican nominees before
the, electorate endorse this platform
;n principal. The manner of secur
ing legislation is not one over which
to have any difference.
WILL OPEN STUDIO
E. P. Pond of the Winter and
Fond Co., of Juneau, has returned
to A a oka from the States where he
has been for several years. He de
cided to locate in Wrangell and
will open a photograph studio in
the Worden Building some time in
November.
i