sc
VOLUME NO. 5.
PETERSBURG, ALASKA, AUGUST 22, 1930
NO. 6
The Pack Is Not
Normal
-x
The salmon season for 1930 i;
row a memory. The packers
are shipping out products anc
crews just as fast as it can b(
done—the products to sell and
to pay off the crews IN SEAT
TLE.
Pro-Bureau of Fisheries men
declare that “this season is as
near normal as can be expected.’
They point to the total pack of
between four and a half and
five million cases packed.
BUT—the Bristol Bay area
packing 322.000 cases this year
did not pack a third of the us
ual “normal” pack. Six Libby
canneries in that district pack
ed 80.000 cases; any one of the
six. under normal conditions is
prepared to pack half again or
more than that.
Anchorage and Cook Inlet
districts had a good run as did
Icy Straits. Petersburg. Wran
gell and Ketchikan districts did
not run to normal though the
pack was greater than it was
last year. The difference, this
year, was due to the salmon
packed from Icy Straits dis
tricts and not due to any local
“normal” run. Aside from a few
traps,, the catch in the Ketchi
kan district did not reach norm
al.
The West Coast district also
was spotty—some canneries get
ting their packs up and others
falling short The Lake Pay
and Burnett Canneries faffed
to connect with the salmon -
Lake Bay 1 ad 9 traps that did
not average a total of 1500 per
day and Burnett was in the
same fix. Kake cannery, with
out use of seines put up over
i 00,000 cases. The most of this
pack came from Icy Straits dis
trict.
At present virtually all in
land streams are overseeded. In
some even the runway in mid
stream are so crowded with sal
mon that they can hardly turn.
But the first runs have been a
complete failure, evidenced by
the lack of seed escapement. _
The logical regulatory meas
ure for the next and following
seasons is to prohibit the taking
of salmon in all areas prior to
the first of August. This will
make sure adequate escapement
of seed fish and will thereby re
build the fore part of each re
turning cycle. Then for the
August season, permit continu
ous fishing from August 1 to the
10th of September. The indus
try will benefit from this regu
lation and will provide for a re
gular and even distribution of
salmon in each period of the
season’s run.
x
Supplies Low at Barrow
With heavy ice grinding on
the beaches of Point Barrow,
the villagers are hopefully wait
ing arrival of the schooner C.
H. Holmes from Seattle with
fresh supplies and mails.
Shortage of staples has been
acute among the natives for
months and the reserves of the
whites is' running very low. The
landing of the Holmes is the on
ly hope of relieving the food
shortage this year by water.
Mary W. Bible is the official
court reporter in the big liquor
conspiracy case in Seattle. It
is said there was not enough
Bible in the lives of some of the
men appearing in the case. But
that has nothing to do with
the Bible in this case.
-—x
24 Minnekasota and Nort Da
kota beauties are on the Alame
da du in port today.
It Makes ’Em All
Talk
; Imagine a small town loca
i boy having a flirtation and fall
. ing in love with a movie queer
who reciprocates fully the at
tentions of the aforesaid small
itown chap. No wonder the
whole town starts talking. That
is the story that Simmons fram
ed up to make his daughter in
terested in his partner Chet
Binney, whom he wants Ethel to
marry. This plan works out well
for a time, and then several
wrenches are thrown into the
machinery and there is a real
crash-up. ..
. .We haven’t time nor space to
tell the whole story, but it will
be explained and very effective
ly told next Tuesday and Wed
nesday evenings at The Colise
um Theatre when an all-star
cast of Petersburg community
players will produce the cele
brated American play, “The
Whole Town’s Talking.”
Much interest is being shown
in this comedy production and
full houses are assured for both
nights. Popular prices will pre
vail, and everything possible
will be done to make the event
enjoyable to all who attend this
show.
It won’t be long now, so let
everyone be prepared to join the
crowds and enjoy two full even
ings of fun and happiness. The
whole town will surely be talk
ing about this show for a long
time to come.
Fishermen Fight on
Columbia
The gillnetters and seiners of
Lower Columbia River have been
battling over the Sand Spit fish
ing grounds. The gillnetters un
der the Barbey Packing and Co
lumbia River Packers’ Associa
tion have been interfering with
seining operations by sending in
gillnetters and the two groups
have now gone to bat in the cir
cuit court at South Bend, Wash.
The actions charge conspiracy
and seek damages in large sums
and temporary restraining or
ders have been granted banning
gillnetters designated, from in
terfering with seine operations
cn the sites indicated.
A review of the situation, pub
lished in the Astorian state that
“the campaign was a clear con
spiracy among a group of fisher
men when a group of eight gill
net boats appeared on the Spit
grounds in day time and anchor
ed at the usual spots where the
seines are put in the water. Once
che seines were started out, the
gill netters cast out from 25 to
50 fathoms of their nets and
started drifting just ahead of the
seine, driving away the fish
from the vicinity of the seine
land slowing up seine operations.
Little pretense was made at ac
tual fishing and that the nets
were hauled in when the seine
site had been crossed and the
boats returned for another run
in the same place.
The following day, the gill
nets were seen milling around
on the seining grounds. A seine
was ordered out and the gillnet
ters cut the headline with a
hatchet and the drag on the tail
line was dragging the horses into
the water so it had to be cut.
The net was later picked up on
the south jetty in a damaged
condition. A second time the
tail line was cut by the gillnet
ters but the seine was saved.
The fight is really between the
seiners and the packers—Colum
bia River Packers’ Associatio
Cordova C. of C.
Condemn Articles
l j Sensational, “unreliable, dis
. jtorted and defamatory,” articles
t concerning Alaska, particularly
. the Alaska Railroad, charging
[ mismanagement, corruption and
i waste, published in the Seattle
, Star starting July 21st, were
condemned as harmful to Alaska
in a resolution drawn up by
Frank Foster, and adopted re
cently by unanimous vote of the
, Cordova Chamber of Commerce,
as follows:
“Whereas the Seattle Star on
July 22nd, commenced the publi
cation of articles purported to
have been written by Steve Bail
ey, the first of which is entitled
“Millions Wasted on Alaska Rail
road,” and whereas it is evident
from the annuncement publish
ed in said paper that it is in
tended to broadcast a series of
scurrilous and overdrawn mis
statements attacking the Alaska
Rat^'oad Commission and the
conduct of the Alaska Railway
operations;
And whereas such an attack
can do no possible good at any
time and is especially harmful at
the present moment when a
committee of the United States
congress is about to make an in
vestigation of the railroad situa
tion;
Now, therefore , we, the Cordo
va Chamber of Commerce of
Cordova, Alaska, do hereby re
solve that we deeply resent such
unwaranted and ill-advised pro
paganda, the effect of which can
only be detremental to the Ter
ritory of Alaska, which has long
suffered from the muckraking of
those who lack knowledge is only
exceeded by their zeal for cheap
nublicity.
It is further resolved that a
copy of this resolution be sent to
The Seattle Star, to the Seattle
Chamber of Commerce and to
various Chambers of Commerce
of the Territory of Alaska.
P. A. F. Stock Holdings
-x
Publication of the portfolio of
Goldman Sachs Trading Cor
poration showed an investment
of more than $1,000,000 in Pa
cific American Fisheries, Inc.
Pacific American Fisheries is a
major factor in the Pacific
Northwest salmon canning and
packing industry, having packed
952,852 cases in 1929. The com
pany owns steamships, shipyards
can and box factories and 1,
280 acres of cedar timber. The
1929 salmon pack of this com
pany was 9.48 per cent ’ of the
world’s pack and 11.38 per cent
of the pack in North America.
Aside from doubtful market
ability of the issue the stock is
not a speculative favorite and is
very inactive. Goldman Sachs
appears to have a sound invest
ment in its holdings of Pacific
American Fisheries, Inc.
-x
Prune Held Short
-x
The state department of agri
culture has estimated that the
Idaho, Oregon, Washington
prune crop would be about 2500
carloads, compared to more
than 4000 carloads last year.
The decrease was attributed
! to an unfavorable winter for
| pollenating season, infestation
of white spider mite and serious
loss from hot weather, which
caused excessive dropping.
and Barbey Packing Co. The lat
, ^ter claiming the grounds in con
troversy bu virtue of a lease
nfrom the Federal Government
Record Sale for
Fox Pelt
A check for $401, being the
net returns on the sale of a
single silver fox pelt, was re
ceived by Mrs. R. J. Herbert, of
Seldovia, from the London fur
sales.
This is said to be the highest
price paid for any single fox at
the sale, the nearest competitor
being 22 English pounds less.
An odd circumstance in con
nection with this sale, points
out the Seldovia Herald, was
that the fox was tailless, the an
imal having lost its tail in in
fancy thru some misunderstand
ing with its mother . The an
imal was five or six years old
and was whelped, raised and
pelted on Mrs. Herbert’s fox
farm on Entrance Island.
Railroaders Show
Fine Spirit
In order that all of the em
ployees of the Alaska Railroad
composing the local shop forces
might remain on the payroll un
til normal working conditions
are restored, there has been a
general agreement among the
men to cut their working day
to seven hours. The start was
made yesterday, with the day
shortened one hour on the af
ternoon end, the day ending at
3 o’clock instead of four.
It is understood that orders
icame from Washington recent
ly to make a further reduction
of working forces on the Alas
ka Railroad, and when this be
came known to the shop workers
it was decided by them to effect
the proposed curtailment in that
department by shortening the
hours of all concerned until
such time as normal conditions
can be restored. This means
that all concerned will receive
an hour’s less pay each day dur
ing the period of curtailment,
amounting in same cases to as
much as $35 or more per month;
but on the other hand, it will
keep the force intact, whereas,
otherwise, there would have
been a material reduction in the
number of men on the payroll.
It means that a doen or more
men who were slated to be laid
off immediately, will have jobs
throughout the winter. The ac
tion is regarded as a fine ex
ample of cooperation, meaning
as it has, the sacrifice of a sub
stantial part of the pay envel
ope by those who would not
have been affected by the cur
tailment.
There are about 70 men in the
shops at present and it is be
lieved that there will continue
to be that number until circum
stances will permit an enlarg
ment of the forces and a restor
ation of the eight-hour day.
Two St. Louis lads, C. Creight
en and Jas. B. Hargis arrived in
Los Angeles this week on what
| is called a roun-trip, reverse
1 gear drive. Riding backwards
I they made the distance from
New York to the Angel City in
18 days. The trip is of no com
mercial value—but it does give
the boys front page publicity.
• The Lyle-Whitney liquor con
spiracy case is holding the cen
ter of the stage in Seattle these
days with young. Hubbard,, in
ventor, rum-runner, prohibition
agent, sheriff, holding, the. key
points of interest. The govern
ment is fighting to convict its
(former officials and defendants
are trying to prove themselves
the victims of a gigantic con
i spiracy..
Head of Haines
Home Resigns
“Mother” Jackson has resign
ed as executive in charge ol
Haines Home, Haines, an insti
tution for native orphan child
ren maintained by the Presby
terian Board of National Mis
sions. _
. .Under direction of “Mother’
Jackson, this school has grown
until it is recognized as being a
most potent factor in the devel
opment of competent, Christian
citizenship. After a thorough
investigation last year, the
Grand Camp of the Alaska Na
tive Brotherhood gave unquali
ed endorsement of her work and
efforts and further petitioned
the Board of National Missions
that there be no change in the
administration of that school.
Miss Jackson has been in the
mission field under the Presby
terian Board of Home Missions
and later the National Board, for
more than 30 years. Big hearted,
understanding, she has impress
ed upon the characters of - her
charges an indelible memory.
Her leaving the field and work
will be met with much regret by
all those who came to know her
and her work.
The position was offered to
Miss Gertrude Eakin, daughter
of Judge Eakin of Salem, Ore.,
but she felt that she could not
leave her own work in the Che
mawa Indian School as she had
launched a campaign, which if
abandoned, would be unfair to
that school. Personally knowing
Miss Eakin we make the com
ment that this is a second loss
to Haines Home
The new executive, Miss Jane
Barber, the daughter of a minis
ter and one of a large family of
hissionaries comes equipped to
undertake the work. She ha;
had experience as a teacher and
as an executive and has been
greatly beloved where she has
been, is young and enthusiastic
and will prove if not a “mother.”
at least a loving “big sister,” to
the little group of m itherlcss
and fatherless children In lin
home. .. ..
..It, was suggested that ar. “ex
ecutive” be appointed as head or
that home. In its resolution to
the Board, the is . other hoot; in
dicated that it was nut “execu
tive” wanted so much as a moth
er, and it is ho/co that ?*Iis:- Bar
ber will be all that can be hop
ed for. .. .
Miss Barber leaves fo. Haines
on the steame Queen, sailing
from Sattle on the 2„jt of this
month.
BIG GAME HUNTERS ON WAY
NORTH
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H. Wendell Endicott, Boston
banker is heading a party of six
big game hunters—or hunters of
big game, in Alaska. They are
on the steamer Aleutian and
plan to get off at Cordova and
will go into the interior via the
Copper River and Northwest
ern Railroad, over the Richard
son Highway to Fairbanks and
from their on into the big delta
country. After hunting, they
will go over the Alaska Railroad
to Seward.
Gen. R. E. Wood, president of
Sfars, Roebuck & Company is
also on the Aleutian. He plans
| spend two weeks fishing in the
j st reams along the Alaska Rail
road.
-x
Condemnation proceedings in
Victoria, B. C., were started
against foui^ American fishing
vessels seized for alleged illega:
entry in June. The vessels are
the May, Queen City, Sunrise
and Tillie O.
Stripping Varnish
Says Billing
-ci——
i
In what is the strangest court
chamber, five justices of the
California State Supreme Court
sat for five hours last Friday
behind prison walls of Folsom
Prison, listening to the story of
Warren K. Billings. He, con
victed of participation in the
San Francisco Preparedness Day
bombing of 1916, declares most
emphatically that he knew not
a thing about the bombing
which killed 16 men that day
and injured 40 others. He ad
mitted that he was hired that
;day as a saboteur in an auto
l mobile machinists strike and
J testified that he was busy spray
jing varinsh remover on auto
! mobiles when the explosion took
place.
Billings was unsparing of him
self in admitting several of
fenses and enlivened the pro
ceedings by tstifying that State
Senator Edgar Hurley hired
him to take a suitcase of dyna
mite from Oakland to Sacre
mento in 1913. He was arrest
ed on reaching his destination
with the suitcase and served a
orison term for illegal trans
portation of explosives.
Asked why he had not brot
out the sabotage testimony in
his original trial, Billings said
he refrained because he thot it
would prejudice his case.
Hard to Regulate
-x
Under Washington State laws
p.-’osecution of commercial fish
ing by trollers is hard to regu
late according to E. W. Ander
son, assistant attorney-general
in a letter which he wrote to
E. R. Pollock, state superintend
ent of fisheries. The law per
mits fish to be caught for the
fisherman’s own use, Anderson
pointed out, but contains no
provision limiting the number
of lines and hooks that may be
used.
Pollocks’ department had been
bothered with fishermen trolling
with six lines and twelve hooks,
yet claiming they were fishing
for use of their families only.
Convicts Held in Prison
Disaster Inquiry
Warden Preston E. Thomas of.
the Ohio Penitentiary has ad
mitted that at least two prison
ers are being held secretly at the
Columbus City jail, suspected
of being among those respons
ible for the disastrous peniten
tiary Are April 24th in which
320 convicts lost their lives.
Up to the present time no
one has been able to tell what
was the cause of that most dis
astrous fire in the history of
prisons.
Fall of the Mighty
-x
Manuel Herrick, former re
presentative in Congress from
Oklahoma was arrested by pro
hibition agents in Maryland on
a charge of operating a moon
shine still. The officers said he
was living alone in a one-room
shack near the still and work
ing as a boiler tender and util
ty man at a nearby mill for $15
a week. Two mn were arrested
with Herrick, but a third es
caped.
S. L. Peterson, new superin
tendent of the Anchorage pub
lic schools arrived in Anchorage
recently and is getting on the
job early. He is a cheechako
but expects to have the moss
grow on this back before be
Little Cannery
Spends Much
The Wrangell Narrows Pack
ing Company, with a pack of
25,000 cases will have paid out
$40,500 for labor and to the
fishermen. At which rate the
big local P. A. F. cannery would
have paid out $162,000 if they
had used local help and labor
in proportion to put up their
pack.
The biggest portion of this
money went to Petersburg and
Kake fishermen who spend their
money in Alaska, pay and help
to pay taxes and keep business
going.
Between local business hous
es and machine shops the lit
tel cannery spent about six
thousand dollars.
Contract labor from outside
took only three thousand dol
lars, another thousand going to
local helpers.
Over fifteen thousand dollars
went into material and labor for
the new cannery building—vir
tually all of which come from
local mills and local help.
Total these figures and see if
more such canneries are not a
greater benefit to the Territory
than the big corporations whi~h
hire and pay off their crews in
the states.
I _
Fish Failure Hurts to
Westward
—x—
The natives of the Iliamna
Lake Clark and Bristol Bay dis
tricts are going to have a hard
time getting through the coming
winter, in the opinion of Jack
Bailey, trader and fur buyer, who
made a flight to the lower end of
Iliamna Lake recently.
The traders of the Iliamna and
Lake Clark districts, and farther
to the westward, have been car
rying the natives on their books
for more than a year as a result
of the failure of the fur catch
last winter, and now, to make
matters worse, there are no fish
in those districts to tide the na
tives over the coming winter.
They will have to be given more
credit but the traders have
j.bout reached the limit and
there is the prospect that the
provisions given out during the
remainder of the year will be no
more than absolutely necessary
to keep the natives from suffer
ing. The natives have not caught
even enough salmon this season
To feed their dogs, and the out
look for the winter fur catch is
rot very bright for that part of
Alaska.—Anchorage Daily Times.
Ed. Note: The Seward Gate
way recently published an editor .
ial about the condition of the
natives in the districts above
mentioned. Editor Jensen’s con
tention was that what little they
got was enough for an Indian
3nd he was fortunate to have as
much “given” him by the gener
ous salmon corporations. He
should not complain and is pret
ty much an ingrate for protest
ing his small earnings.
We cannot understand what
system of economics Mr Jensen
follows and care less. But com
mon sense should tell him that
the bigger the payroll, fisher
men’s earnings or whatever it
may be in any community, the
more prosperous that commun
ity. Which is the basic argu
ment for the fishermen and
against traps.
AT ANCHORAGE
G. James Truitt, member of
the U. S. Engineers force in
Alaska is visiting with his fath
er Judge James S. Truitt of
Anchorage.