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VOL. 4.
PETERSBURG, ALASKA, MARCH 14, 1930
No. 38
Fish Shortage Cause
“Soup Line” North
WHAT HAPPENED TO JONES
-X
A large aggregation of pleas
ure seekers gathered at The
MacGregor Theatre last night to
rind out “What Happened to
Jones.” _I
It turns out that this is the name '
of a local talent play sponsored :
by the Commercial Club. All j
those who saw the play were by
no means disappointed. Fancy,
adjectives are useless. The
comment takes the form of
chuckles and remarks to the
effect that Frank Havens was
“good,” Mrs. Johnson was “good ’ j
Carrol Clausen was “good” and
the whole cast and the play “is
good.”
The performance will be re
peated tonight and ye Editor
means to follow the crowd and
absorb some of the “good stuff. ’
If you want to see an attractive
chick, step up to the ticket
booth and get yours.
Northland to Pack
Mail This Port
The Northland Transporta
tion Company, lacking a mail
contract has offered to carry
first class mail free of charge as
an accommodation to Peters
burg provided some arrange
ment is made here for receiving
and transferring same to the
post office. The Commercial
Club at its regular meeting Wed
nesday night undertook to guar
antee this part of the service.
Such a service would have prov
en particularly acceptable in
the recent boat famine. From
the 28th of February until the
12th of March, no mail from
here left the territory; then an
Alaska Steamship Co., boat, a
Pacific Steamship Co., boat and
a Canadian boat all Came within
a span of 24 hours. Steamboat
schedules indicate two more
such gaps within the next two
months or so.
JUSTICE DIES IN DENTAL
CHAIR
Just before the death of Wil
liam Howard T aft, until recent
ly Justice of the Supreme Court
of the United States, died, Ed
ward Terry Sanford, member
of the same court, died suddenly
of uremic poisoning.He collapsed
in a dentist’s chair and was
rushed home where he died.
He was born in Knoxville,
Term., in 1865; graduated at
Tennessee and Yale. Engaged
in law practice. In 1908-09 he
was attorney general of the
United States; served at judge
of the eastern and middle dis
trict of Tennessee. Nominated
a member of the United States
Supreme Court by President j
Harding, he served in that capa- J
city until his death.
Willie Rusk, minor, received a
sentence of 60 days in the local
federal jail on a liquor charge.
Several men are planning on
making an extensive summer re
sort at the Sitka Hot Springs.
> ~ aau \ *T '
"Grouse feathers” still fall and
the season is over.
X
Conditions among the native
families at Seldovia are ex
tremely bad at present because
of the failure of the herring
catch this winter, according to
Captain Heinie Berger, who was
a visitor in Anchorage this week.
aptain Berger made a trip to
Seldovia recently with his motor
ship Discoverer, and two days
before he left the inlet town it
v'as found necessary by Seldovi
ans to provide food for more
than 30 native children. The
families had been rendered des
titute because of their inability
to obtain employment in the
herring fisheries, usually a
source of considerable prosper
ity at Seldovia during the win
ter months. The season has
been a complete failure.
The merchants of Seldovia
nlltf n n K1 a f a
er a dull season by extending
credit to the natives, are carry
ing more accounts than usual
this winter and have been com
pelled to refuse further exten
sions of credit, with the result
that it has been necessary for
Ih ecommunity to assume the
responsibility of feeding the
hungry children. A community
soup kitchen was in operation
at the time Captain Berger left
Seldovia.—Anchorage Times.
-x
Local Mine Being
Investigated, Engineers
-x
Albert Jorgenson, local trans
fer magnate, interested with J.
Wallace, et al, in the Admiral
Group of mining claims in the
Farragut Bay district, has just
returned from a strenuous week
of “camping out.”
In company with H. S. Graves
and party, Al spent four heart
breaking days trying to nego
tiate the Farragut River on a
trip which ordinarily would re
quire Six hours. On returning
to Petersburg, he found Mr. Liv
ingston, an engineer for the
Alaska Juneau Mining Company
waiting to look over the prospect,
so he started out again. Al says
the soft snow was so deep they
v/ere compelled to camp on the
lake. The recent thaw put about
two feet of water over the win
ter ice of the lake which in turn
is now frozen over. The fire rot
ted the upper crust and Al took
a “cooler.” Although he took
the fire with him he says it did
n’t seem to help much.
Mr. Livingston succeeded ir
getting samples from variou*
parts of the lode which thej
brought out for assaying.
-x
PROSECUTOR IN PRISON
-X
Asa Keyes, prosecuting attor
ney for Los Angeles County, Cal.
ieft for San Quentin peniten
tiary this week to serve a tern
of one to fourteen years for tak
ing bribes to ‘lay down” on pro
secution of defendants who rob
bed citizens of millions of doi
!ars in the Julian petroleun
stock overissue swindle.
Mr. Keyes was a severe prose
cutor while in office.
THANKS TO VICE PRESIDENT
CHARLES CURTIS
The fishermen, the merchants and others of
the fishing districts of Alaska owe a great debt of
gratitude to Vice President Charles Curtis for his
help in getting the prohibition against the “hook
off” removed.
Since the seiners have been forced out of
their natural fishing grounds by Henry O’Malley,
they found that they could not compete in the
trap areas without using the “hook-off” (attach
ing one end of the net to the shore till sufficient
salmon are forced to school).
I appealed to Mr. Curtis against the injustice
of this regulation. He brought my protests to the
attention of the Secretary of Commerce, Hon.
Robert P. Lamont. Mr. Lamont quickly saw the
point, and so the Honorable Henry O’Malley,
against his will, so he is reported to have said,
now permits our people to use the “hook-off.”
I am not aware that anybody else protested to
the powers that be and am therefore happy to
report that my protests, made in the name of
the ALASKA NATIVE BROTHERHOOD, has re
sulted in great benefit to ALL FISHERMEN.
William L. Paul.
Justice Stands Before
Supreme Bar
-x
On March the 8th, William
Howard Taft passed away from
this life from a stroke which
caused hardening of the arteries.
He was unconscious when the
end came.
PIONEERS ELECT BE .SIUS
The Pioneers of Alaska in
Its recent convention at Anchor
age, elected Cal M. Brosius as its
nextgrand president. Mr. Bros
ius was grand treasurer during
the past year. He is a leading
business man of Seward.
PREMIER GOLD MINE PAYS
DIVIDENDS
Stockholders of the Premier
Gold Mining Company received
$300,000 in dividends last month,
the disbursement being at the
I rate of six cents per share on an
issue of five million shares. The
I total dividends for the last year
j amounted to $1,200,000 and the
i grand total $14,350,000, all paid
since December 31, 1921.
ij The last annual report indi
cated ore reserves sufficient for
two or three years of operation,
but the discovery of another
ore body has been reported since
and three other properties in
the Portland Canal region are
undergoing development.
DECLAMATORY ELIMINATION
The preliminary scrimmage
l for place in the Divisional De
■ clamatory Contest, in the Peters
■ burg High School, will be held in
■ the school auditorium on the
■ 28th of March.
1 Several of the youngsters are
preparing to enter the lists.
The finals will be held in Ket
chikan on the 10th of April.
FUNERAL FOR AVIATORS
Funeral services of the late
Col. Ben Eielson and his me
chanic were held in Fairbanks
yesterday and leave today on
the Ala^a liner Alaska for their |
last resting place in the States. ,
Plans are being made by thej
American Legion of Seattle to,
give full military honrs to the|
men upon their arrival in Seat
tle. An escort of war veterans
will meet the bodies, place them
on artillery caissons from the
dock to the funeral parlors.
Local Landings of
Halibut
-o
Reports from Prince Rupert
indicate landings on the 10th of
220,000 pounds at a high bid of
11.70 and 5; on the 11th, 137,
000, high bid 12.50 and 5; on the
12th, 100,000 at 11.70, 10 and 5;
on the 13th, 140,000, offered, 8
and 5 bid, all held over.
Landings in Petersburg during
the week were as follows:
Wanderer, 4,000, Marlyn; Re
liance, 7,000, New England, Gjoa,
6.000, Ness; Castle, 2,000, Ohmer;
Rambler, 5,500, Mundy; Harold,
4.000, New England; Caroline,
4,000, New England; Venus, 5,
100, New England; Lenor, 6,000,
Mundy; Brothers, 8,000; New
England; Brothers, 8,000, New
England; Sunset, 2,350, Mundy;
Pegge, 5,300, .New . England;
Lindy II, 3,500, New England;
Leslie, 1500, New England; As
laug, 3,000, New England; Oaw
ieaf, 6,000, Mundy; Gypsy, 2,500,
Ohmer; Lancing, ,5000, Ness;
Bertha, 3500, New England; S.
'& S., 1800, Mundy; Alpha, 4500,
jNew England; Reform, 6000,
I Ohmer, Raven, 2000, Ohmer.
1 The Mitkoff passed through
this port Wednesday with a fare
of 30,000 pounds. Weather squal
ly with plenty of snow. Prices
none to goo.
Fryer Machine Works, local
agents for Ford Motors, will de
liver to the Trading Union, one
of the latest model heavy de
livery cars. The new bus is due
to arrive next week.
-x
Have you registered? The City
Registration books will remain
open until March 17th.
Non-Resident Troll
Tax Before Court
X
The validity of the territorial
+ax on non-residents was attack
ed in the U. S. District Court in
Ketchikan by the Trollers Asso
ciation of Seattle through At
torney Lund representing Wood
Freeman . He alleges the tax is
unjust and excessive in amount
and violates the constitutional
rights of American citizens and
also attempts to regulate the
fishing industry therefore not a
revenue measure.
Attorney General Rustgard is
representing the Territory who
filed a general demurrer on the
grounds that the facts are in
sufficient to constitute a cause
for action.
This law in 1925 was the sub
ject of attack by Attorney Gen
eral Rustgard who unsolicited
asked the privilege of the floor
of the Legislature and urged the
legislators not to pass the bill.
He declared that passage of the
bill at that time would jeopard
ize the points at issue in another
Territorial tax case which was
before the Supreme Court. This i
speech, defeated passage of the;
bill at that time.
Last fall the Troller’s Associa
tion of Seattle considered the
law in one of their executive
sessions the result of which is
now above recorded.
Sea Lion Protection
Treaty Up in April;
-x
The departmental regulation
protecting sea lions will end on
the 30th of April, this year In
dications at present are that
Mr O’Malley will recommend
continuance of the regulati m
in spite of the unanimous re
quest by trollers ana other fish •
erman to abrogate that ruling.
The Tominion Government tor
several 'ears has waged a war rf
extermination upon these mam
mals, using highpowered cruis
ers with machine guns. The ac
tive campaign by that gove -t
me n nas driven thousands oi |
the ? 3u;ns into Alaska water .
-x
WOULD ALTER HALIBUT
REGULATIONS
-x
In a statement before the na
tional House of Representatives I
Appropriations Committee, As
sistant Secretary of State Carr,
declared tnat new and more ade
quate regulations must be
adopted to halt the continued
decline in the halibut yield of j
the northern Pacific Ocean. He
declared that “More reasonable
powers for the collection of sta
tistical information must be
granted the International Fish
eries Commission if observation
of the fisheries is to be contin
ued.
-x
Miss J. Carlson, who has been
doing tonsorial work in Sky
man’s Beauty Shoppe during his
illness, left for Juneau this
week.
-x
The shrimp cannery closes to
morrow and will remain closed
fr a period of six week. This is
the annual closure prescribed by
the Department of Commerce.
♦ .. . -»
INCREASE IN ALASKA FUR
PRODUCTION
-o
The value of fur shipped from
Alaska in 1929 numbered 297,
448 pelts having a total value
of $4,513,836.76, according to
statement of W. H. Terhune, Ex
ecutive Officer of the Alaska
Game Commission.
There was a decline in the to
tal number of skins taken, the
catch dropping from 336,077 iu
1928 to 297,448 in 1929. There
was a loss of 31,165 beaver pelts;
about 5,000 in red fox; 2,600 in
lynx; 7,000 in muskrat. Gainst
were made in white fox which
jumped from 4,533 to 12,179; er
mine from 10,253 to 17,467, and
smaller gains in other species.
Indications for the 1930 totals
are anything but promising ar,
this t.imp Snnroit.v of furs oa
certain species and heavy snov'
fall with inclement weather, are
causes for the lower production
of this year. Prices also are not;
holding up so well as prices for
1929, however, theree has been
a sharp raise in the past several
weeks, which has made the trap
per more optimistic.
Herring Shortage
At Kodiak
From Kodiak under date of
March 5, comes report that ap
proximately 300 boats with 3,000
fishermen working greedily for
the white fleshed fish off Port
lock and Albatros banks, find
the coy ways of the lovely her
ring a worry to the men who de
pend upon it for halibut bait.
Numerous herring boats oper
ating in the vicinity of Dutch
Harbor report small catches.
Others classed as optimists are
making ready, guarding waters
of that vicinity and Cook Inlet.
Another demand for herring
is seen by the packers who are
just beginning to prepare the
smaller herring to compete with
the sardine industry of Calif
ornia.
-x
DOHENY ON TRIAL BRIBERY
CASE
-x
Edward L. Doheny is on trial
in Washington, D. C.„ charged
with bribing Albert B. Fall, For
mer Secretary of the Interior.
His plea that this trial will put;
him in a double jeopardy was
overruled by Justice Hitz.
Fall and Doheney were acquit
ted on a charge of conspiring to
defraud the Government in the
Naval Oil Reserves, Nevada. Do
heny is charged with giving Fall
$100,000 in connection with the
oil leases in 1921. Fall was ad
judged guilty of receiving bribe
money from Doheny last fall.
HUSTON WILL NOT RESIGN
Cladius Huston, Chairman of
the Republican National Com
mittee told the members of the
Senate Lobby Committee and
news reporters that reports of
his resignation were erroneous.
He stated that he discussed
with President Hoover “errone
ous information about my con
nections with Muscle Shoals and
my reported resignation blit
gave no details.*’ *