VOL. 4.
PETERSBURG, ALASKA, June 6, 1930
No. 47
West Ranchers Lose
Many Mink
Local mink farmers have sus
tained heavy losses during the
last week, at least two establish
ments reporting the deaths of a
number of litters of young as well
as older mink. The deaths are
attributed to bad liorsemeat
which was used for feeding.
The Anchorage Fur Farm As
sociation, one of the largest es
tablishments in the city, suffer
ed the heaviest loss, more than a
dozen litters of young having
soccumbed after partaking of the
meat which had been prepared
tor their consumption. A number
of the older animals also died.
The Dahl farm on Lake Spenc
ard road, is reported also to have
suffered considerable loss, but
the circumstances were not ex
actly the same. In the case of
the Anchorage Fur Farm Associ
ation, the meat was barely thaw
ed when it was put through the
grinder, while the meat which is
supposed to have caused the
death of the Dahl mink had been
on the place for a week or more.
—Anchorage Times.
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IT’S ALL OFF NOW
-x
The Governor General of Ot
tawa has given his assent to the
bill refusing clearances of liquor
bearing vessels an dmaking il
legal exportation of liquor into
the United States to the outlaw
fleets of swift rum craft operat
ing on the Great Lakes and De
troit River.
Commissioner Flory Recommends Experimental
Fur Farm in Connection With Alaska College
Acting on the recommenda
tion of Commissioner Charles H.
Flory, the Department of Agri
culture has given approval to a
plan for the establishment of a
federal fur experiment station
in connection with the Alaska
College, and the Bureau of the
Budget will be asked to approve
an appropriation sufficient to
inaugurate the work.
In explanation of the action
taken by him, Commissioner
Flory, who was a visitor in An
chorage this week, informed
The Times that he regarded the
Alaska College the logical place
for the establishment of such a
station for the reason that the
federal government already has
a somewhat similar work under
way at the college, and is plan
ning the expansion of its activ
ities there which shortly will
provide considerable work for a
veterinarian. The able work of
the biological survey under co
operative arrangement with the
college has made very satisfac
tory progress with its studies in
cross-breeding reindeer and car
ibou and it is also conducting
feeding experiments with rein
deer to determine the feasibility
of “topping off” reindeer slaught
ering season. Carrying capacity
studies to determine actual acre
age requirements of reindeer or
various types of forage, anc
plant studies to ascertain the ef
fect of climate on forage growti
have been initiated there.
In connection with the Biolog
ical Survey projects already un
der way, six pasture areas total
ing 813 acres, have been fence<
with net wire and an additiona
area of 432 acres is now in pro
I In Alaska for Study of
Forest Conditions
E. W. Loveridge, Forest Ser
jvice Inspector with headquar
j in Washington, D. C., arrived in
! Juneau last week and will make
'an extended analysis of both
the field and office work of the
Alaska district of his depart
ment. .
.. He expects to be in the dis
j trict for a couple of months go
ing over the ranger districts in
the several areas and observing
their operations. He will be ac
companied by Mr. Merritt on his
trips of inspection.
The first survey will be made
in the Petersburg district; from
this district they will go to the
West Coast of Prnce of Wales Is
land an dother southern regions.
Later he will go to the north
western districts before return
ing to the States.
Lyle’s Place Taken
By Subordinate
—x—
Maurice Smith, second assist
ant to Roy C. Lyle, Northwest
prohibition director, has succed
ed his boss in office. Lyle was
suspended from office with Earl
Corwin, former field agent for
Lyle, William M. Whitney, legal
adviser to Lyle, R. L. Fryant,
former dry agent and deputy
sheriff and McKinney, former
assistant district attorney.
The charge against the men
is conspiracy to violate the fed
eral prohibition laws, tariff and
internal revenue laws, for brib
ery also.
cess of fencing. Reindeer and
caribou in steadily increasing
numbers are confined in this
pasture and the Survey, in co
operation with the Alaska Game
Commission, also has three buf
falo pastured in the corrals. A
contemplated expansion of the
work there is the domesticating
of mountain goats and sheep.
In view of these activities, Mr.
Flory believes a fur experiment
station will fit in very nicely. Its
establishment at the college
would make possible a great sav
ing in overhead, and the work
:;:o there, the Commissioner is
certain, win -oe of Denefit to all
fur farmers throughout the Ter
ritory, however, remote their lo
cations may be.
The proposed station, Mr.
Flory explains, would supple
ment the service now being
rendered fur farmers by Dr. Earl
Graves. It would bring an addi
tional veterinarian to the ter
ritory, with permanent head
quarters at the college station,
and the work of visiting the fur
farms throughout the Territory
would go on undisturbed, except
that it would have more tho
rough direction. The veterinar
ian in the field would be direct
ed by the veterinarian at the
station and the work carried on
at the station would be a help
to him in solving the problems
• met with at the various fur
i farms.
Commissioner Flory .believes
■ there is a great future in Alaska
■ for the fur farming industry and
■ it is very gratifying to him to
I find his department ready to
II lend the additional aid suggest
-J ed by him.—Anchorage Times.
The Eskimo Side of Question Shows
bnwarranted Increase Difference
From The Progressive
A certain news item inyour
paper of May 3, quotes a letter
from the Chief of the Agricul
tural Department to Senator
Deneen, questioning the right of
the Eskimo natives of Igloo,
Alaska to complain of treatment
as was published by Dan Suther
land, Delegate for Alaska.
I wish to ask:
.. Have representatives of the
Agricultural Department ever
been on the lands involved in
the claims, or visited the herds
of the natives making the com
plaint?
Do they know what lands were
occupied by the Iglo natives as
range before the Lomen corpor
ation occupied ground on the
Seward Peninsula?
Are they acquainted with the
reported counts and apportion
nents of the Lomen corporation
specifically relating to the rein
deer of the Igloo natives?
Do they know that it is gen
erally understood that the Lo
men corporation has cade ap
p'ieation under the leasing Act
of Congress for certain lands
east of the American River and
North of Igloo Creek which has
been considred to have been
the range of the Igloo natives.
The natives are presumed to
have preference on the lands
occupied by them, (Grazing
Land Act, App. Mar. 4, 1927).
If the Lomen corporation ha?
applied for that land, it is an ag •
gressive salient forced into the
native lands, pursuant to a poli-!
cy which has been followed for
fifteen years to acquire native
lands and reindeer and the na
tives have the right to protest.
The report of counting and
opportioning of reindeer in the
Lomen-Teller herd, which lies
directly west of the Igloo range,
and from which the salient is
being extended, shows in 1926 ■
reindeer as follows: .. I
Adult Reindeer Lomen
Ccrp. mark.
Adult Reindeer Native
Co-owner mark. 1,304'
Adult reindeer Native
Estray. 2,034
Adult reindeer Native
Unmarked.911
Total adults.7051
Fawns.2912
Total. 9963
. .The estray deer above men
OF BENEFIT TO VETERANS
The Senate passed and sent
to the President the House bill
to extend from January 2, 1930,
to January 2, 1935, the time
within which veterans of the
World War may file application
with the government for adjust
ed compensation benefits.
WRANGELL AIRPORT NEARS
COMPLETION
-x
The Wrangell seaplane port,
construction of which was award
ed to Anderson and Hatton, is
l nearing completion according
I to R. J. Sommers, Territorial
Highway Engineer who returned
to Juneau with Auditor Cash
Cole after inspecting the works.
When constructed and equipped
the several seaports being con
structed will cost approximate
ly $8,000 each.
.. The Ketchikan seaport is said
to be completed. It s cost being
about $12,000.
tioned are nearly all deer of the
Igloo Eskimos who made the pe
tition which was published toy
Dan Sutherland, Delegate for
Alaska. Their land is the land
asked for under lease by the Lo
men Reindeer Corporation north
of Igloo Cseek and east of the
American River, on the Seward
Peninsula.
The increase of fawns of the
herd for that year was appor
tioned as follows, according to
the report of the Lomen Corp.,
filed in the office of the Bureau
of Education at Nome, Alaska.
The apportionment was made on
the females:
Lomen Corp.. .1933. .1916. .99.^
Native ‘Co-own’ 1055.. .816. .77.3
Native Estrays. from
Igloo, & others 1472. .. 180. .12.2
4460 2912
Ave. 65.2
Unmarked deer called
“yearlings” taken for herd
bill by Corp 911
Fawns apportioned 2912
Males in herd 1619
9902
Unaccounted for 61
Total 9963
If the rate of increase of 12.2
per cent is unfair on their fe
male deer while the holding cor
poration takes 99.1 per cent, then
the Igloo natives DO have a
right to protest.
The records seem to show that
for 15 years there has been a
steady policy of absorption of the
native deer in at least three
herds of native reindeer by the
Lomen Corporation.
The first move was to pur
chase in 1915 and 1916, rein
deer held in trust for the natives
of Golovin and Teller by mis
sions who were to distribute the
females among the natives for
herding the reindeer. (See report
of Governor of Alaska for 1917,
p. 22, also see Circular letter, W.
T. Harris, Commissioner of Edu
cation, May 11, 1896 in Reindeer
Report 1896 pp. 119-122, Gov’t
Ptg. Ofs. Washington, D. C., also
see Rules and Regulations Rein
deer Service, Int. Dept. pp. 10
11.)
.. The application for the por
tion of the Igloo Range above
mentioned is one of the later
ones.
Further investigation of the
matter is invited
CANADA RATIFIES NEW FISH
TREATY
-x
Under an Ottawa date head, is
a dispatch in the press, stating
jthat the House of Commons has
! passed a bill ratifying the treaty
concluded between the United
States and Canada for the pre
servation and extension of the
| sockeye salmon fishreries on the
j Fraser River.
-x
DISBARRED, BUT NOMINATED
-x
George W. Josephs, Republican
nominee for governor of the
State of Oregon was disbarred
from practicing before the courts
| of Oregon. Joseph was given an
opportunity for reinstatement
on condition that he retract
statements made about the Ore
gon justices of the supreme
court. .
-x
. .Ralph Hall returned from Ju
neau after a brief visit there.
Japan Would Revise
Fur Seal Treaty
-x
| The Japanese Government is
said to be pressing for a revision
of the International Seal Con
vention. They claim that there
is an annual loss of $10,000,000
yearly to Japan’s fishing. In
other quarters the belief is that
the reason for Japan’s insistence
on revision of the treaty is their
dissatisfaction with their share
in the pelts secured from the
Pribilof Islands. This is handled
by the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries
and the fur sales have been held
in St. Louis for many years.
It has been pointed out a number
of times that the sale price did
the figures are not as good as
not equal the cost of tanning
-x
Chicago is Low on
Murder List
—x—
Chicago is tired —and then
some—ofbeing hailed as the
“murder metropolis” of the uni
verse. A page “ad” on this sub
ject in the New York papers
point out that while Chicago
lias 127 murders each year per
million inhabitants. Detroit has
186; Cincinnatti, 232; Kansas
City, 248; New Orleans, 289, and
Memphis, the real murder cap
ital for many years, 668. Of the
larger cities in this country, New
York is best behaved of all, aver
aging only 71 killings per million
inhabitants.
..In the year 1926—the last
year available—England and
Wales had 282 homicides in a
population of 38,000,000. This
works out 7.4 killings per million
inhabitants. And several of the
smaller countries of Europe have
still fewer killings in proportion
than Britain.
..Chicago is quite right in ob
jecting to being put at the head)
when she really belongs nearer j
the foot. But she has quite a
of .the .homicidal .procession
distance to travel before any
very righteous indignation is in
order.—LABOR.
. .K. R. Howson was a passenger
to Ketchikan this week.
Lomen Denies Charge of “Stealing’ Eskimo
Reindeer Stock or “Oppression of People
Charges that the Lomen inter
ests are “stealing reindeer” from
th Eskimo owners of the north
west an dthat conditions among
the Eskimos are worse for the
operations of the Lomens were
branded as untrue by Carl J. Lo
men, Nome, who was guest of
the Chamber of Commerce at its
regular weekly lunchon.
He gave a brief account of the
operations of the company of
which he is a member, and de
clared it was seeking to develop
an industry that would be of di
rect benefit to all deer owners
and to the Territory.
The charges to which he had
reference were made sometime
ago by C. L. Andrews, pioneer
employee of the United States
Bureau of Education, in which
the latter alleged that the Lo
men interests were oppressing
the Eskimo deer owners, and
gradually acquiring control of
the industry by unfair tactics.
Mr. Lomen declared his company
was simply endeavoring to cre
ate a market for surplus deer
(meat and in so doing had in
Final Returns of
Primary Election
For Delegate
Wickersham .Division 1 2,054
Division 2 279
Division 3 1,139
Division 4 824
Total 4,296
Rustgard Division 1 1,772
Division 2 163
Division 3 946
,. . Division 4 568
Total 3,449
Wickersham’s majority 847
For Treasurer
Smith Division 1 1951
, Division 2.. 338
Division 3 1,114
Division 4 806
.. . Total 4209
Knight Division 1 1,602
Division 2 53
v* ♦». Division 4...894
Division 4 411
Total 2,960
Smith’s majority 1,249
For Auditor
Cole Division 1 2,010
. Division 2 53
Division 3 1176
Division 4 • 569
Total 3,808
Reed Division 1 1,648
Division 2 376
Division 3 701
i Division 4 569
Total 3,294
Cole’s majority 514
For Commissioner of Education:
..Kellei Division 1 2,145
Division 2 151
* Division 3 767
Division 4 611
Total 3,674
Breuer Division 1 1,355
Division 2 226
Division 3 1,133
Division 4 530
Total 3,244
Keller’s majority 430
Highway Engineer. Ulmer was
without opposition and polled 4,
770 votes.
In the Democratic primary, the
only contest was for Highway
Engineer, and the figures receiv
ed indicate that William Hesse of
Ketchikan had secured the nom
ination over R. J. Sommers by a
majority of 16 votes. The returns
from the four divisions give Hesse
112, 16, 71, 87 or a total of 286;
Sommers, received 110, 51, 50,
59, or a total of 270.
vested some $2,500,000 in various
ways, including herds, corrals,
an abbatoir, cold storages and
vessels to transport meat from
Seward Peninsula points to Se
attle.
..Last year, he said, the com
pany employed 579 Eskimos and
70 whites in its operations in the
northwest. Its payroll for the
year amounted to $209,000 which
is the largest single payroll in
the Second Division. There are
now more than 1,000,000 deer in
Alaska herds and, as they are
prolific and hardy, the prob
lem of profitably disposing of the
annual surplus is becoming larg
er each year.
“Of course, as we develop, ex
pending more money and hiring
more people, there are some who
think there must be something
wrong about the business. But
it is yet in the future when the
industry can be said to be on a
profitable basis. We are confi
dent, however, that it can be put
on such a basis and maintained
there, but it has yet to be done,”
he declared—Empire.
j