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MY ALASKA DOGS
Through prejudice, perhaps, my
mind befogs,
I think I know no finer things
than dogs;
The young ones, they of gay and
bounding heart,
Who lure in their games to take
a part,
Who with mock tragedy their
antics cloak
And, from their wild eye’s tail,
admit the joke.
The old ones, with their wistful
fading eyes
They who desire no further par
adise.
Than the warm comfort of our
smile and hand,
Who tune their work moods to
ours and understand
Each gesture; they who lie and
wait
To welcome us—with no rebuke
if late.
Sublime the love they bear; but
ask to live
Close to our feet, unrecom
pensed to give;
Beside which many men seem
like very logs—
I think I know no finer things—
Than dogs.
By James R. Little
A PRUDENT UTILITY LEAD
ER’S SANE THEORY OF
VALUATION
“Prudent investment” was ad
vocated as the proper basis for
determining the value of public
utilities by Powell C. Grover,
Grover, president of the Kansas
City Street Car Company, in an
address before the convention
of the Mid-West Electric Rail
way Association in this city
(St. Louis, Mo.,) last week.
The assiciation is composed
of executives of street railways
in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Arkan
sas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colo
rado and Utah.
After reviewing the history
of valuation and the efforts of
cities and states to “regulate”
utilities, Grover predicted that
sooner or later the “prudent
Investment” theory would pre
vail and added:
“I am not so sure this would
not be better for us in the long
run.
“It would save the expense of
tedious appraisals of property
to determine ‘cost of reproduc
tion.’
“We must also consider the
cost of possibilities of change in
price levels?
“The reproduction basis is
helpful to us today, WHEN
PRICES ARE UP, BUT suppose
prices fall?
“IN THAT EVENT THE COST
OP REPRODUCTION MAY BE
LESS THAN THE ORIGINAL
COST. If that should happen
while the principle of ‘cost of
reproduction new’ prevails wide
spread harm might result to
investors.”
Naturally the address provok
ed much comment. Heretofore
all the public utility leaders
clung tenaciously to the “cost
of reproduction” theory.
“Prudent investment” would
give railroads and other utilities
returns on the money prudently
invested. It is the theory advo
cated by such Progressives as
Brandeis, La Follette, Norris
and Huddleston.
“Cost of reproduction” would
give the utilities a “value” equal
to what engineers guess it would
cost to reconstruct them new
at present-day prices. This is
the theory generally advocated
by the utility spokesmen, be
cause it would add billions to
their value toda.—LABOR.
SCIENTIST SOUNDS WARNING
Dr. Willis Rich in a review of
the fisheries of the Bristol Bay
area now says: “With 1918, how
ever, the general upward trend
ceased, and production dropped
over 2,000,000 cases in 1919 and
1921. In the latter year the to
tal pack was only a little over
2,500,000 cases, the lowest peak
since 1910. It rose gradually to
a new peak of 6,652,882 cases,
valued at $46,080,004, in 1926
only to fall disastrously once
more in 1927.”
Speaking of “maximum of
productivity he finds that “Any
development of the fishery be
yond the point of maximum
! productivity must lead inevit
ably to depletion and must
• be guarded against most care
| fully..”
Speaking of the Nushagak
area he says: “It seems impos
sible to ascribe this phenome
non to any cause other than
j depletion—to overfishing in the
115 years or more that preced
ed the drop. This is exactly
|the sort of thing that biologists
have warned could be expected
the logical explanation being
that the catch was held up, in
spite of real depletion, by an in
creased intensity of fishing, un
til finally the break came and
severe depletion became appar
ent at once. It is interesting to
note, in accordance with the
hypothesis advanced above that
wide fluctuations are a mark of
a too intensive fishery, the de
cade and more that preceded the
year 1919 was marked by wide
uuctuations in the total catch.”
Advocates Cutting Down Gear
“Even though the reduction
in gear has been sufficient to
permit the maintenance of the
catch at the 3,000,000-fish level,
,should there not be a sufficient
reduction in the catch to per
mit the runs to increase to
| something approaching their
former abundance? Unques
tionably the general tendency
on the Nushagak has been down
ward, and if the depletion
should continue at the present
rate we may anticipate that
within the next two or three de
cades the former magnificent
runs here will be so reduced as
to be worthless commercially.”
“With the possible exception
of the Ugashik, however, they
all show a tendency to drop. In
the case of the Ugashik it would
appear..that this stream, too
is entering a period of decreas
ing productivity. While the de
pletion of the Nushagak is more
pronounced than other districts
it is quite evident that the Red
salmon catch n the entire Bris
tol Bay region is distinctly on
the decline.”
And what is true of the red
salmon areas of the Westward
section is true of the red salmon
areas of Southeast Alaska. It
is true of every other species of
salmon throughout the entire
Territory.
A PRACTICAL SOLUTION
-x
There is only one practical so
lution to the problem of stay
ing depletion of salmon. Put up
ff 'fcer salmon.
It matters not whetae* the
salmon are caught at Anan
Creek or on their way to Anan
cut at Cape Chacon. Caught
salmon do not spawn and until
the scientific “bugologists” of
the Bureau of Fisheries show
how salmon may be reproduced
other than by natural la.-, they
will have to take steps to cur
tail the packs of salmon to per
mit seeding of the streams.
Fish Per Line
There are a known number of
canneries in Alaska with a de
finite number of lines of ma
chinery. Permit a certain num
ber of salmon (total number) to
be caught DIVIDED PEP. LINE
OF PRESENT MACHINERY If
a cannery goes under financial
ly, his allotment of fish to be
pro-rated through all the other
lines. If other canneries are
allowed in the fishing areas, cur
tail total fish for all lines.
When a cannery has its quota
of salmon packed its operations
for that season are done. The
salmon outside of the total al
lowed to be caught will escape
and permit of seeding. Have a
varying period of seasons—in
stead of as at present, open the
seasons later in order that pre
sent seed stock may escape to
spawning areas.
Cut out closed areas, stream
lines and time which is only a
weapon in the hands of the Bu
reau over-lords to cow resident
citizens. Honest effort on the
part of Henry O’Malley and his
underlings will bring real bene
ficial results.
THERE IS DEPLETION—NOW
-x
In Southeast Alaska since
1912 fishermen have warned
the Bureau of Fisheries, first of
impending depletion of the fish
eries of Alaska; second, of the
present fact of depletion. Un
concernedly the Bureau of Fish
eries lulled friends of Alaska, to
sleep with the sirenic song of
comparative packs and proved
in 1919 that the pack was great
er in 1919 than 1912 and there
was no cause for alarm. That
“irresponsible, radical Indians,
for political purposes, were
making rash statements with
out foundation of fact.”
However, man may fool with
nature but he never fools na
ture.
The packs are held up at the
expense of seed fish. It matters
not whether caught in spawn
ing area or five hundred miles
from that area. The fact re
mains, they do not spawn.
I
PREDICTIONS
-x
The predictions of resident
Alaska fishermen has so far
been better than the “scientists”
of the Bureau of Fisheries.
The fisherman tells what he
sees with his own eyes and after
years of observation. When a
given stream, producing mil
lions of salmon in the past, gets
to a point where it produces on
ly hundreds, the fishermen need
not be scientists to say “The fish
are all gone.”
On the other hand, Mr. Sci
entist knows nothing about the
comparative runs in a certain
stream or spawning area. He I
wastes several years trying to
secure scientific data whereby
he may fill several books pend
ing his statement that that sal
mon area is a dead fish stream.
A POOR EXCUSE
The Bureau of Fisheries, in
cluding its head, Henry O’Malley
is the poorest excuse of ad
ministrators of a public resource
imaginable. The very fact that
depletion of Alaska’s greatest
resource is taking place under
their administration is proof of
the assertion. Taking place in
spite of the warning by resident
fishermen and others.
A Cockeyed Bureau
A fisherman holding a Satur
day catch over Sunday near a
fishing area will be arrested for
illegal fishing; taken into court,
pay a fine of $400 or have boat
and gear confiscated.
A trap which has not been
brailed Saturday, under a strict
delnition of the term is fishing,:
and illegally so. Along comes1
Passeth the Levite on the other
side of the Channel.
What is the difference be
tween a purse sein pursed up
and bagged alongside the boat,
and the pot of a trap?
What is the difference be
tween a net in course of being \
set and the heart of a trap?
Between the pursed net and
the pot there is no difference.
Between the setting net and
the heart of a trap there is this
difference—the Ash get out of
a net unless closed while they
mill around the heart of a trap
(and enter the spiller after op
jening of the fishing hour—IF
NOT BEFORE.
-x
THE OLD ONES GET BUMPS
-x
Down here, if you are 45
years of age, you get very little
work. The employers have an
age limit, a blacklist system,
and the employment sharks get
the working man’s money for a
job.
I’m very glad to know of dear
old Alaska, where you get away
from this system of slavery.
Philosophically, I suppose, it
makes no especial difference in
the long run; things work them
selves out in the course of time,
and many a fat system of over
lordism has been extinguished
suddenly. Yet having some
slight interest in the funda
mental decencies and the future
of my grandchildren, I would be
more pleased if I discovered
that the employment lords of
the machine age had not kidded
themselves into the notion that
any old system of ethics would
do and that their ego was the
only important issue.
This world will never be a
j world managed by a few smart
guys and inhabited by either
machines or morons; the no
tion seems to be going the |
rounds that Hooverism means
hard-boiledism. Hoover is not
like that, and if he was, it
would merely mean that the
next election would see Gomp
erism defunct and a virile la
bor party on the job. That is
what it meant in England, and
it is what it will mean here, if
efficient, honest radicals on the
job get blacklisted, blackballed
and boycotted by petty sub
lords.
These sub-lords now smug, fat >
and well-fed, are building a
wall around themselves by boy
cotting honest workers, who
dare even say: His hot cakes at
breakfast were cold. It is no
other than the Employers’ As
sociation boss.
JAMES ’TC. LITTLE
Portland, Oregon
!
“NEW PATRIOTS”
“New patriots” is a coined
phrase under the Hoover ad
ministration going the rounds
of newspaperdom. The coinage
of the phrase comes from the
drawing of men from corporate
service into governmental ser
vice. The hullabaloo being over
the fact that these men are
leaving fifty, hundred thousand
dollar or better paying places on
corporate salary for six, eight
and twelve thousand dollar po
sitions under the government.
All of which reads highly pa
triotic. The trouble being that
too many of these “new pay-tri
ot’s” are the directors of the
invisible government and as
such undermine the faith of the
citizen in his government.
Not all, some. Enough to
shake many a faith in the insti
tutions of American govern
ment.
FOR TWENTY YEARS
For twenty years the Foshay
interests will have a franchise
to sell water, power and light
to taxpayers without any com
petition. For twenty years, if
sold, the city may not enter nor
may any other corporation enter
into that said business. Is the
price worth it?
igasgaw
-> r.-.n.
Leave Seattle
SB
Petersburg
Northwestern
Northwestern
Northwestern
Alameda
Pass. & Freight to S.E, & W. Alaska,
Phone 15
Petersburg, Alaska
FINEST
STEAMERS
The New yorl<
I
Pool Billiard And Card Room
Choice Cigars, Tobaccos And Candies
New Tables And Equipment
Dick Kuwata, Prop.
Satisfaction Always
Guaranteed
<0 A complete line of men’s
furnishings for work or
dress. A fine line of
Goods for women
(gnoimnutH’
ATTENTION !!
Boat Owners
We can take care of general repair in wood and caulking
and all the blacksmith work on any boat up to 100 feet in
length at
Petersburg Marine Ways
J. C. Holton & Ed. Walwick
I ' * ';
I 'Meveer S\\x&\.os
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| portraits 3^J^w rru,!,.
•• pUSh i'r r»10SKa
:! Landscapes «8rC'2S?4
•{; COPYING AND ENLARGING
TINTING AND COLORING DONE IN OIL
ill FRAMING DONE TO ORDER
\h
lews
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Service first
Oxo-Acetylene Pipe Fitting And
Cutting & Welding Sheet Metal Work
GENERAL
BLACKSMITHING
John R. Kolstrand.
Front Street.
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Petersburg, Alaska g