- -«..«.---·--—-·
VOLUME NO. 5.
PETERSBURG, ALASKA,
MAY 15, 1931
NUMBER 43
Better Days
For Fisheries
With a greater consumptior
of pinks and chums since I s'
August than ever before in the
history of the country, the can
ned salmon industry of Pugel
Sound is rapidly getting back
to a normal basis and the out
look for the coming season is
decidedly favorable, so says J. F.
McGovern, salmon broker of Se
attle. “Salmon market condi
tions have undergone a great
change since last fall,” stated
Mr. McGovern. “The industry
reached bottom several months
r.go and began a steady climb
out of the hole. As an example,
the new pack of chums will find
a bare market when it is ready
tor distribution next fall. This
is due to the wisdom of the
packers in adopting a policy of
curtailment in 1930.
“There was a large carry-over
of 1929 chums into 1930, but al
ready the 1930 pack plus carry
over from 1929 has actually gone
into the hands of the ocnsumer.
Prospects for the 1931 pack are
a 1 the brighter for the reason
that the policy of curtailment
is being continued. When the
1931 pack of pinks is ready for
distribution, it also will find an
almost bare market, with only a
very light carry-over from 1930.
There was no curtailment in
pinks last year, but that policy
has been adopted for this year,
assuring stability in market con
ditions the coming year.
Price-Cutting Halted
“In this connection, it is sig
nificant that all price-cutting
in chums and pinks came to aj
halt last week and the market,
for both is now firm at the open- j
'ng prices of last year. While'
he months of last fall and win-]
ter were hard on the canned
salmon industry of Puget Sound
and Alaska, the industry is go
ing to reap an enormous benefit
1 rom the conditions that then
prevailed. The low retail prices
of last winter have made hun
dreds of thousands of new con
sumers of salmon, according to
our company’s reports from the
Middle West, the East and the
South.
Ml Fall Be
Given Pardon
-X
There has been considerable
sneculaticn in Washington as to
whether the penitentiary doors
will ever close behind the ema
ciated form of Albert B. Fall,
who was convicted of accepting
a bribe of $100,000 of E. L. Do
heny in the leasing of the Elk
Hills oil reserve.
There are two avenues by
which he may escape. The dis
trict court before which he was
tried, may suspend the sentence
when he appears before it for
commitment this month, leaving
only the fine of $100,000 to be
paid or President Hoover may
pardon him.
President Hoover was secre
tary of Commerce during the ad
ministration of President Hard
ing under whom Secretary Fall
served as secretary of the in
terior.
-x
GO DOWN YUKON
Two men in a boat will go or
a 3,000-mile canoe trip from
Ketchikan to Skagway and ther
down the Yukon River to Nome
They are Lyman Culver and Jas
Cassidy, members of the Wash
ington Alpine Club.
They sailed north on the Sac
co, cannery tender to Ketchikar
f~om whence they will begin tc
paddle their own cannoe. The:
will take photographs on th(
trip. ...
“Packer Jack”
Is
Over Last Trail
-X
John (Packer Jack) Newman,
colorful Alaskan who has been
1 a resident of Seattle for twenty
! years, died recently in Seattle
, where he was buried.
Mr. Newman was one of the
famous packers on Alaskan trails
in the turbulent gold rush days
I of ’97 and ’98. Last year he pre
' sented the City of Skagway a
pronze bust of Mollie Walsh, flap
jack queen of ’97. He also placed
another memorial in Dead Horse
Gulch in tribute to the horses
and mules which were killed in
the guich while packing over the
trails. Both works were design
ed by James A. Wehn.
Mr. Newman was inventor of
the Newman triggerless revolver j
and was known as one of the*
quickest men on the draw. He
was internationally known as an
expert marksman.
U. P. Fisheries
Still Active
X I
President F. S. Kwapil of the
United Pacific iFsheries, who,
with J. E. Berg, has just return
ed from Juneau, states that the
United Pacific is far from being
a dead issue and that plans are
still being actively prosec..ted
for the better organiation of the
company.
“Certain circumstances arose
?his spring which practically,
forced our entry into the field!
before we had intended and be-'
fore our organization had been
perfected,” Mi. Kwapil said. “We
now intend to thoroughly per
fect every detail of organization
before resumption of opera
tions.”
Mr. Kwapil states that from!
the beginning the United Pacific
encountered unstinted opposi
tion from the “old line” buyers
on the Pacific Coast, who appar
ently have failed to appreciate
the fact, as stated by the United
Pacific officials, that their plan
of distribution will work to the
advantage of all concerned, in
cluding the established buyers.
It was the plan of the United
Pacific to merely act as agents
for the handling of the fisher
men’s product to the distribut
ors, thus making it possible for
,he dealers to dispense with a
widespread buying organization,
through which they purchase
h«h from the individual fisher
men, and obtain their supply di
rect from the United Pacific as
agents for the producers.
Mr. Kwapil states that this
plan of distribution will be fol
lowed out as before when the
organization has been perfected.
—Ketchikan Daily Tribune.
SALESMAN DIES, ANCHORAGE
-X
Taken ill while on a trip thru
Alaska, George Waltz, Seattle
salesman died at Anchorage re
cently. He had been employed
by the Crane Company for the
past eight years, was a World
War veteran, and belonged to
various Masonic Orders. He was
well known in Petersburg.
Later information is to the
effect that a blood clot on the
back brain caused a paraletic
stroke which resulted in his
i death. Papers from the West
! ward asserted he died of drink
ling poison liquor, an unfair and
unkind assertion not bom out
by the autopsy.
-x
The Sherman was rammed in
a colision whilst going to Prince
Rupert this week. She was be
ing prepared for repairs yester
1 day.
What It Means to the War Stricken
When You Buy Veteran-Made Poppies
-x
By Mrs. C. F. Snover, Chairman
National Poppy Committee,
American Legion Auxiliary
-x
Do you remember the little
!ied poppy 'you bought on the
street last May? Perhaps it was
:'ust a mere trifle of the day and
yet “the little things in life,”
which seem so insignificant, are
often determining factors in our
lives and the lives of others.
Would you think so small an*
object as a little red paper pop-'
py carries the burdens of thou-j
sands of men in Government j
hospitals who are staging their!
greatest battles now ,altho the1
.Vorld War in which they serv-1
ed was over thirteen years ago.!
Do you know that all through!
the winter monthq these men,|
many of whom receive no com
pensation, are making the pop
pies bloom?
Yes, each day in the poppy
work rooms, they are fashion
ng clumsy and oft’ times trem
bling fingers the little red flower
that symbolizes remembrance of
those who gave so much for us.
Do you know too, that every
penny received for these pop
pies marked with the tag, “Vet
eran Made,” and sold by the
American Legion and its Auxil-J
iary is used to help these needy,
veterans and their families? I
Each year we listen to the
| pleading of these men that they
i be allowed to make more poppies
!but the number they manufac
ture is limited by the sale. Last
year on Poppy Day, America!
fought one million poppies, but
England purchased three times
that number, surely English ci
tizens are not more patriotic
than we, or even more sympa
thetic or generous. It was sim
ply a matter of understanding
the need of assistance to these
men and their children.
Most of us mean well, some
day we plan to do some great
thing. Here is our opportunity
now, yours and mine to solve
one of the big problems of our
day and to share a part of this
great responsibility of welfare
for the disabled veteran by so
little effort as the purchase of a
paper poppy.
Just stop and ponder, where
were you thirteen years ago and
where are you today? No mat
ter who you are or what you do,
if you have your health it is
your biggest asset in life, and
so while we are honoring the
memory of those who fought
their last battle, the American
Legion and its Auxiliary are rot
forgetting those who must still
fight. for thiir health.
What treme duous things we
promised wl en our American
soldiers and ilors were going
•i* ry the i ndreds ol thou
sands to fight for us. We said
that when they returned we
would show them our apprecia
tion, and we meant it.
We may be having hard times
;n America today, but they are
nothing as compared with what
might have been had we lost the
war. We did not lose, because
they put their bodies between
the Nation and the enemy. To
day there are thousands of men
suffering in our government
hospitals and out, they are suf
fering for us and they need our
help.
The poppy is not only a tribute
to those boys whom we will nev
tr forget, but benefits these men
and their children, who are still
paying the price of their service.
War never calls the wrinkled old,
It takes the splendid yound and
bold,
When sound the martial fife and
drum,
The flower of the land must
come.
As boys they marched, as boys
they died,
We speak of them with ringing
pride.
Dan we such sacrifice repay,
With just one brief remem
brance day?
Items of Interest From
The National Capital
May 11, 1931 ,
.Federal Employee Vacations..1
It might be well for Federal
employees in Alaska to take'
! heir annual vacations when
they are due, or at least not to!
adow them to run too long. A
case illustrating this point and
in which the services of the De
legate were requested, was taken
before the Department of Agri
culture the other day. It seems
that the appointed personnel of
Alaska and other insular sta
tions are permitted to accumu
late their leave for a period of
three years. An assistant at
the Sitka Experiment Station,
in March, applied for three
nonths’ accrued leave beginning
April 2. But he died on March
27, and the law specifically
states that all payments for sal
aries cease with the day of the
death of the employee. As aj
consequence the widow was aen-j
ied the right to be compensated,
for the leave that was not taken.
Family Divided by Nationals {
Quota Law
Barney W. Hettel was for a
long time a resident of Alasicr,
but he is now residing in Set
tle. He was in Russia recentlv,
where he married a widow w.«h
four children. He returned
Seattle alone, followed later by
his wife and children. They
went from Vladivostock to Y *
kohoma in safety together But
from this port Mrs. Hettel was
only permitted to depart with
X
two of the children beca i*> of
the quota stricture. The/ ar-j
rived in Seattle about the m:d |
dJe of April and now Mr. Hettcl
is frantically insisting that
the Delegate induce the State
Department to grant permission
for the two absent kiddies to
depart from Yokohoma. But the
Department cannot intercede as
the matter is only within the
jurisdiction of the American
Consul at Yokohoma, who must
be guided by the quota status in
issuing his visa. Altho married
to an American the mother will
not become a citizen of the Unit
ed States until one year after
her entry.
Airmail for Fort Yukon
The Fort Yukon business men
have wired a request for one
round trip airplane mail service
from Fairbanks to Fort Yukon
and return. The Postoffice De -
partment has ordered that the
service be rendered about May
15th, carrying 600 pounds or
mail each way.
Peter L. Williams, native trad
er at Akiak, was murdered last
August and left an estate worth
about $20,000. His building and
: tock of goods are on a small
reservation, and his heirs are
desirous of selling to the North
ern Commercial Company, as
they .themselves are incapable of
conducting the business. The
| question has been preesrited to
the Indian Bureau to decide
Continued Page 2, 2nd Column
ALASKA AIR RULES TO BE
"""TIGHTENED UP
-- x
Major Wiley Wright, inspector
for the aeronautics of the De
partment of Commerce-,- is now
in Alaska on a tour of inspec
tion. He has sent out notices to
all publications in the Territory
asking their cooperation in the
publishing of the rules of the
air which will govern hereafter.
In the past considerable leeway
was allowed but henceforth the
industry will be placed on the
same level with the rest of the
oounntry.
WHEN THE ICE WENT OUT
On Sunday morning, May 10th
at 9:23 a.m., the ice at Nenana
went out and Mrs. C. W. Tib
bets of Fairbanks, M. A. Laska of
Anchorage and Roy A. Wagman
of Fairbanks split up $55,600 by
guessing closest to the time the
ice would move. They shared
$18,533.10 each. Mrs. Tibbets
and Laska guessed the ice would
move out at 9:21 a.m. and Wag
man guessed it would break al
9:25.
-x
I Andy and Mrs. Anderson are ii
for supplies and to take theii
son Keith, home.
Plane Boat Found
Near Ketchikan
Believed to have come ftom
the wreckage of the Alaska
Washington Airways plane in
which Robin Renahan and two'
companions perished last winter.!
a collapsible rubber boat wasj
picked up last week near Dun-,
das Island, in the neighborhood
of where the plane is believed to
have sunk.
The boat was probably part of
;,he plane’s equipment, accord
ing to Ross Cunningham, man
ager of the company. He said
ihat he expected other portions
of the plane and its equipment
would be showing up soon near
Dundas Island, as the wires and
metal parts of the sunken plane
I lusted away.
Later report stated that the
Renahan plane was painted a
gray color while the boat found
was yellow.
-x
Surgeon Stitches
Boy’s Heart
A remarkable operation per
formed by a Stockholm surgeon
has saved the life of a boy who
had been stabbed thru the
heart.
Two boys, about 15 years old,
had been fighting a mock duel
in a school corridor with knives,
when one of them accidentally
ran his knife into the chest of
his schoolmate and the weapon
penetrated the chamber of the
heart.
The wounded boy was hur
ried to the hospital, apparently
in a dying condition. A young
surgeon, Dr. Ernst Bergenfeldt,
at once decided to try to save
his life, altho the case looked
[hopeless. He opened the boy’s
ichest, cutting and removing two
ribs, in almost record time. He
tjien stitched together the
wound in the heart.
The patient remained in a cri
tical condition for a fortnight,
; but is recovering.
-x
1. The annual poppy sale ol
i the American Legion Auxiliary
■ will he held in Petersburg on the
23rd of May.
Schoolboard Selects
Teaching Staff
The following named persons
have been offered places on the
teaching staff of Petersburg
school for next terms:
George V. Beck, principal,
Miss Aalta Peters, 4th grade;
Miss Dorothy Walker, commer
cial; Miss Hanna Anderson,
2nd grade; Miss Impi Aalto; 1st
grade; Mona Thorpe Johnson,
6th grade; Miss Vera Gardner,
5!h grade.
Of these, only Mr. Beck and
:Hss Aalo have accepted their
contracts hence there may be
some channges later. Of the
past year’s corps of teachers,
Mr. Warfield, Mr. Boyer, Miss
Lero, Miss Scott and Miss Chris
tenson will remain in the same
positions as formerly.
2,000 Boats On
Columbia
-X
Pursuit of the Royal Chinook
salmon opened on the Columbia
River on May 1st. At high noon
the two-man crews of about 2,
000 gill-net boats dropped their
nets in the Columbia’s swirling
currents to dip their, share of
wealth from the silver horde.
Approximately 20,000 people
benefit directly or indirectly
from the salmoin industry of
♦his region.
Fishing boats ply the stream
for 250 miles above Astoria to
SUPPLY THIRTEEN CANNER
IES on its bank and fill cold
storage houses. <
$10,000,000 Catch
The annual catch represents
$10,000,000 to the fisherfolk, can
nery workers, packers, marine
supply houses, box and can fac
tories and other kindred work
ers.
The streets of Astoria and nu
merous other Columbia com
munities are practically deserted
is the populations turn their at
lentions to various phases of
^he industry to replenish their
depleted bank accounts.
Price Wrangle
Until the last minute, the
usual controversy over prices
between packers and fishermen
waged at Astoria. Packers claim
they can offer no better than 10
cents a pound this year which is
7 cents apound lower than last
year. Threats of a strike were
silenced when the gillnetters’
organization voted to sell to the
highest bidders in the hope of
pushing the prices up.
-x- t
REFUND STREET ASSESSMENT
At the last meeting of the Cuy
Council discussion of the Vis
ta Avenue improvement was giv
en considerable airing. The pro
perty owners standing firm in
opposition to assuming any cost
iff the proposed project. The
Council decided to make the im
provement and to assess the
cost from the General Fund with
lout any special assessments on
abutting properties. This then
* resurrected assessments for the
improvements on E.Street which
nad been paid last year. Motion
was made and carried that this
expense to those taxpayers be
reimbursed.
-x
The Middleton is up on the
Anderson Bros., Marineways for
overhauling.
-x
J. C. Michaelson’s little son is
a pretty sick boy.
Tony Weste* had the misfor
tune to break his forearm.
.. Lois McDonald and Miss Han
con surprised their friends bj
embarking on the seas of matri
mony.
Population
Of Alaska
-X
The Director of the Census
has announced the population
of the Territory of Alaska class
ified by color, nativity, and sex,
as returned in the 1930 census,
together with the number of
persons 21 years of age and over,
and the foreign-born white po
pulation by citizenship. The
total population of the Territory
on October 1, 1930, was 59 278
comprising 35.764 males and
23,614 females, or an excess of
'2,250 males over females. There
i were in the Territory 28,640
j white personns, 29,983 Indians,
: ^78 Japanese, 164 Filipinos, 136
Negroes and 77 other races, in
cuuding Mexicans, Chinese, Ko
leans, and Hawaiians. As com
pared with the number in 1920
127,883) the white population
-hows an increase of 2.7 per
cent, while the Indian popula
tion (which numbered 26,558 in
1920) shows an increase of 12.9
per cent. The white population
included 18,460 persons of na
tive birth and 10,136 persons of
foreign birth.
The population 21 years of
age and over, number 36,074,
or 60.9 per cent of the total,
lhe foreign-born white popula
tion 21 years and over amount
to 9,952 of which 1,411 were re
returned as alien.
If the rate of increase in the
next decade remains at the pre
sent rate of increase—12.9 to
2.7 per cent—the politicians
will be hard put to pass legisla
tion of discriminatory nature as
they have up to and including
'his year. The rate of Increase
is limited only to the rate of
educational development and
each year a larger number of
Indian youths are entering and
graduating from the various
schools.
A
Statistics On
Alaska Fisheries
■-x
The Bureau of Fisheries, un
der the Department of Com
merce, has just issued the offi
cial figures on the fisheries of
Alaska for the year 1930. Dur
ng that season 5,032,326 cases,
or 241,551,648 pounds, of salmon
were packed, with a value of
529,694,898. The by-products,
fertilizer and oil, from the va
rious varieties of fish, aggregat
ed in value $2,063,527. The salm
cn canned in the different Di
sions were as follows: South
east Alaska, 2,977,386 cases, with
value of $15,174,234; Central
1 Alaska, 1,618,545 cases, valued at
| $9,62b,234; Western Alaska, 436,
495 cases; valued at $4,896,536.
■The total number of persons en
gaged in fishing numbered 27,
568. (*) Vessels and boats fish
ing and transporting, scows, etc.,
•7,395. The total value of fish
•products prepared for market
I was $37,679,049. That included
salmon, herring, halibut, cod,
•trout, sableflsh, smelt, flounder,
rockfish, lingcod, clam, shrimp,
’crab, whale. The value to fish
fishermen of the 611,285,108
'pounds caught was $12,285,313,
!not including the 355 whales
caught in Alaska waters, with a
weight of 9,416,475 pounds, val
ued at $470,265.
• .(.*) it is-probable that corres
pondent is wrong in this figure
jand that “total number employ
ed” rather than “fisherman”, is
;meant by this figure.
-x—
; Three former officials of the
;tV. B. Foshay Co.„ which col
lapsed with a loss of millions of
dollars to Northwest investors,
^recently petitioned for separate
trials on fraud charge arising
jfram the crash.