TOWNSITE MANAGER J. G.
WATTS SUBMITS ITEMIZED
STATEMENT OF FINANCES.
ADMINISTRATION IS $ 3,4‘Mi.
Municipal Official Gives Detailed Ex
planation of All Outlays for Period
Between Last October 1 and Feb
ruary 28.
Eleven thousand, live hundred ami
eighty-six dollars and sixty-six cents
is the amount of expenditures of an
assessable nature for the maintain
anee and operation of the townsite of
Anchorage for the period between
October 1 and last February 28, in
clusive, according to a detailed state
no::_ compiled by J. G. Watts, town
site manager.
For the live months the cost of ad
ministration was $8,496.61; of lire
proi ction. $4,58.>.29; for maintenance
of streets, alleys and sidewalks, $1,
831.06, and for sanitation $1,728.70.
The itemized statement of the ex
penditure folio w s:
Administration.
Salaries $1,545.55
Stationary ami supplies 209.57
I-'ut !, light ami telephone 210.50
Maintenance oi* building and
grounds 3.63
Dog pound—June 11. 1917 to
Id). 28, lul.8. $2,527.(59;
credat by returned feed
$550.94; ( ■■edit by charges
s 09 1,522.2(5
Total
$’•.19(5.61
l ire Protection.
Bala ■ $2,532.40
inspection 152.!'
Maintenance of team and
i-p.hiu-.eat 488.51
'hi: .. :;;nee of building and
300.25
3 nance < : ydrants and
water rent *■ 1,061.23
. i
Inten: nee
lock - .
i :,s 50
>1,831.06
81,540.70
Sanitation.
o’ garbage . - -
i ,-p- ehon 1’or sanitation,
8262.50; credit by inspec
tion fees. $79.50 . 183.00
Total $1,723.70
In explanation of tire statement, Mr.
Watts said:
.. mb .• administration, the first
cab-head, salaries includes salary of
accountant and ch ri.-al only. The sal
ary of the towr.site manager is not in
cluded. in this statement as it is not
asses otl against the town. The next
(h’-c? items are self-: xplar.atory. The
f ftii item, Dog Pound, was not assess
ed in the previous period, and there
fore, this assessment runs back to
last June 11, the date of establish
ment. There M, at the present time,
between $300 and $100 worth of clog
teed on hand—sufficient to carry the
pound through the greater part of the
summer.
“Unde r the second general heading,
fire protection, all items except the
last are self-explanatory. This item,
maintenance of hydrants and water
rent is made up principally of water
; nt, $5 per hydrant per month being
charged against the tire department
and credited to the water department
as rental for water service. During
the five months, this amounted to a
total of $710, the balance of $321.23
has been expended principally in
thawing frozen hydrants and in pro
tection against frost.
“The balance of the statement. I be
lieve, is clear without further explan
ation. It is the intention of the town
-ite office to issue a statement about
the twentieth of every month, under
the above heading, showing the cost of
operation for every month, and the to
tal to date for the assessment period.
The above amount, together with the
added costs from now until June 30,
will be assessed during the month of
July, 1918, which assessment will in
clude all costs of operation and main
tenance from last October 1, 1917, to
next June 30, inclusive.”
CAPTAIN H. G A1. LAG HER
SAYS LAST SEASON WAS
BEST IN 18 YEARS.
FAVORS BOUNTY ON BIRDS.
Feathered Enemies of Fish Eggs De
stroy Many Times As Much Sea
Products As Now Being Recovered
and Used by Man.
"Last year was one of the best;
years for salmon in the ley straits i
! have seen during the eighteen years
i have been fishing in Alaska.” stated
I !
| Capt. C. H. Gallagher the other day |
jin Juneau, according to mail advices;
I from there. Captain Gallagher is the !
man who put fish traps in the ocean
n Puget sound, and one of the first
|
: successful trap builders in Alaska.
The first trap the captain installed
: in Alaska was at Chilkat, at a point i
vhere for two year.- other ; had failed.
'He pet in a trap which caught over,
j 100,000 fish that . eas.on, and if the
fish "onimissioner bad not ordere him
j to rat off the lead, he thinks half a
ImilLm would have been taken.
Trap in Icy Straits.
Hut the he.'t trap the captain says
he ever drove was in Icy straits, eal
. h d th*' River trap. He says that they
took 2G$>,000 red salmon out of this
• t-ap.
i rom July G to September 1 in Ibid
.hey aid not stop the bailer, which
was run by steam, and besides the
red salmon which they used, they
threw away 1’,000,000 humpbacks and
lop- salmon, 'there was no sale for
the- > salmon at that time, but in cans
i lu.'.t year or this they would be worth,
a. • -i.Co per dozen, the prevailing
uric . $720,000.
In. reply to a question regarding hi
' \ :**'.s cn the damage done to Hie km
. > :••*••• Iatcry b:••(!>, ihe captain said:
"I h-.-lieve that immediate higisla
d > i should be pa ->i*d offei ing boun
ties on all birds and " ■h i' fowl that
: prey and live on salmon and salmon
: og?;s, and on herring and their eggs,
d here birds destroy many times as
much dsh as are now being used by
man. and if these birds were reduced
to extinction we would have very lit
tle complaint about the fish becoming
scarce.”
Capt. Gallagher sold a trap site
last year for several thousand dol
in' and expects to drive another
, trap or two this year. Although lie
| has located a ranch at Hoonah point,
h ■ lias turned this over to his son.
n is fully equipped with horses and
machinery for conducting a ranch in
an up-to-date style. But the captain
is n h a rancher, as he has done noth
ing else but fish and sail, and he ex- j
pects to stay with the occupation to
which lie was raised.
CHANGE IS MADE TO ACCOMMO
DATE AMERICAN AND BRIT
ISH TROOPS IN FRANCE.
PARIS, April G. — English signs
have been placed in the subway sta
tions of Paris owing to the increasing
number of Americans and Englishmen
using tlie system and the inability of
many of them to read the French
signs.
The subway company has also mob
ilized its English-speaking employees (
and placed them in stations most fre
quented by Americans. Most of the ■
employees are girls. The rules, regu- ,
lations and tariffs of the subway sys
tem have been printed in English or
an attractive poster by a large Ameri
can express company. ;
I
WHINED NOT TO
ANCHORAGE AGRICULTURISTS
ARE TOLD THAT THEY MUST
MEET SEATTLE PRICE.
MUST BE PROPERLY GRADED.
Circular Letter, Discussing Marketing
Conditions, Is Sent Out by Andrew
Christensen, of Land and Industrial
Department.
Farmers in this district are warned
not to hold their potatoes at the prices
fixed here last fall, but to meet the
quotations put on such vegetables now
by produce dealers in Seattle. This
warning is issued in a circular letter!
to farmers in the Anchorage region by
Andrew Christensen, head of the land
and industrial department, of th< 1
Alaskan Engineering commission.!
Emphasis is also laid by Mr. Christen
sen on the necessity of properly grail j
ing potatoes offered for sale. His com-}
m un icat i o n fol! ows:
“From all indications, we shall be;
unable to secure a better rate than!
$8 per ton from Anchorage to Sewaro \
and other Alaskan points. For that I
reason the farmers in this region must:
he prepared to meet the Seattle prices, i
1 am informed that potatoes are now j
selling in Seattle at from Slfi to $22:
per ton. 1 shall advise later the exact
prices. In the meantime tire farmers'
should be given to understand that if
they desire to seil their surplus pota
toes, they must be prepared to sell j
them at considerably loss than the;
are now receiving.
Opportunity For All Farmers.
“1 have requested that all orders for
potatoes come through the office u.
the land and industrial department.
When an order is received, arrange
ments will be made so that ever;,
farmer will be given an opportunity to
bid. The successful bidders iiius
grade their potatoes so that none will
go through a one and one-half inch
mesh. A representative of the An
chorage Chamber of Commerce and
this office will inspect the potatoes
and it they are not found to bo o.
standard size and grade they will be
rejected and left at the place where
- xamined. It is, therefore, imperative
that the potatoes be carefully graded
and sorted before they a<e sacked
otherwise they may be a total loss t«
the shipper.
“I desire to impress upon the mind
of every shipper the importance of
not attempting to sell or dispose of
an inferior product; to do so would
prevent the Matanuska potatoes from
competing with the outside potatoes
in the future.
‘‘Therefore, aity person having po
int oos which he knows to he of infer
ior quality should not attempt to bid
because the potatoes would not be ac
cepted in filling orders. Anyone hav
ing knowledge of the inferiority of;
potatoes owned by another proposing ;
to make a bid should make the fad
known to this office. All persons j
should have the interest of the agii-j
cultural industry at heart, and not at- ’
tempt to market inferior potato . ;
"■ven though they may suffer a per-1
sonal loss if they are unable to dis
pose of them, as otherwise great in
jury will be caused the farmers as a
svhole.
Tried to Get Lower Rate.
“I trust the farmers will'understand
:hat the Anchorage Chamber of Com
merce and this office have been exert
ng every effort to secure a reduced
cate on this porduct and that we ex
rect them to co-operate with us in
getting their potatoes on the market
jy making a reduction in price, and
iv seeing to it that the best quality
s furnished. If they do not co-operate
n this manner, it may not be possible
;o put the potatoes on the market.
“This matter should be given th
•lose personal attention of everyone
nterested; if it is not given such at
;enfion, our efforts will have been to
10 avail.”
BULLION AS CURRENCY.
Silver bullion as currency is used to
i considerable extent in China,
GEORGE MITCHELL, OWNER OF
SALTERY, SAYS THERE IS A
FORTUNE IN COD.
LARGE HERRING SELL WELL
All Canneries Were Handicapped Last
Season Because of Shortage of Sup
plies Necessary to Carrying on
Their Operations.
“There is a world of fish in the Sel
dovia country,” states George Mitch
ell, in a communication from there,
“and there is a fortune in salt codfish.
The large herring from that district
brought the highest price of any
Alaska salt fish on the Seattle mar
ket last fall.”
Mr. Mitchell is going to Juneau for
the purpose of securing skilled salmon
splitters for service in his saltery at
Seldovia. He had intended to put in
a cannery this year, but found he
could r.ot secure cans nor a license.
There were about 5,000 barrels of
herring put up in this district at Hal
ibut cove by five different associations
and these fish ran from 300 to GOO to
a barrel and brought $24 per barrel.
Less Money for Small Fish.
It is with difficulty the packet's in
the Juneau section can pack herring
of 500 to 700 per barrel and they get
ffnly $21 a barrel for best fish. Here
tofore, it was thought that these large
herring were not as good as the smal
ler, but experience has proved other
wise.
of Mr. Mitchell, that the Alaska her
ring business has a great future sec
ond, if not equal, to that of the sal
mon. The different canneries are
now experimenting in canning am
curing herring in many appetizing
ways. The trouble has been in er
tab'ishing a. market for this fish, be
v ;uso the America?, public ha- beer
ignorant of its value and its de.-irable
n- ss as a lish food.
Rut for the present, until the mar
ket for herring is better established
Mr. Mitchell believes that there wil
be more money in codfish.
Market for Codfish.
Codfish put up in dry salt sold foi
15 rents a pound in Seattle, and bone
less codfish sold for 20 cents. Owing
to the fact that this fish can be han
dled easily and inexpensively, and foi
the fact that there is a steady, de
veloped market, the codfish industry
seems to him one of the safest it
which a fisherman can engage.
The Seldovia section has a weeklv
boat service in the summer time, bu<
in winter they only have a monthly
service. All herring canneries were
handicapped last season, and their op
erations and experiments along this
line were hindered in one particular,
for instance, because of the shortage
of tomato sauce, which is the season
ing used on canned herring.
GOOD ROADS ARE COSTLY.
But Bad Roads Are More Expensive in
the Long Run.
Highway engineering has become a
highly developed art, and good road
making materials are plentiful. Con
sequently there is absolutely no ex
cuse for a modern road to “go wrong”
within its first four or five seasons of
use unless petty graft and local pol
itics can be considered as sufficient
excuses.
It is not enough that the surface of
the road be composed of the proper
materials. These materials must rest
on a firm foundation which extends to
a sufficient depth below the surface to
withstand the effect of the frozen
ground on either side. Furthermore
the surface must be waterproof in or
der to prevent the entrance of rain or
melted snow, which when frozen will
separate and disintegrate the best laid
foundation. Also the road surface and
gutters must be so constructed that
the highway will automatically drain
itself of all water. This serves the pur
pose of automatic flushing and ac
counts for the continuous clean swept
appearance of the well designed am;
properly constructed roadway.
A properly constructed highway is
expensive, but it is an asset too obvi
ous for argument. Too often, however,
the first cost represents the deciding
factor in the selection of a certain
type of construction, and the upkeep
cost is overlooked. It is this attitude
on the part of the town or county tax
payers or road commissioners, coupled
; with graft and politics ,on the part of
! the contractor, which accounts for a
! large part of the improved roads
; which need to reconstructed each year,
j —H. W. Slauson in Leslie’s.
I
MARSHAL J. M. TANNER SAYS
JAIL INMATES ARE FEWER
THAN LAST YEAR.
FURTHER DECREASE EXPECTED.
City Magistrate at Territorial Capital
Declares That lie Has Had Only
| One Criminal Case Before Him
Since Last January 1.
“We have twenty fewer prisoners
in the Juneau jail now than we haft
this time last year,” J. 51. Tanner,
United States marshal for the first
division with headquarters at Juneau,
is quoted as saving in the Juneau Dis
r j
patch. “I expect,” he continued, “the
number to fall off 00 per cent or
more, all owing to the enforcement of
the prohibition laws.”
.Marshal Tanner states his office
has taken over 5,000 quarts of liquor
to date, and most of it in quantities
of several hundred quarts or more at
a time.
i here is probably more liquor
(itched, and it may c, me to light
.' n the fishing t ason sta rts, but
w< hope to get bold of most of this
before that time,’’ he said.
Public Favors Dry Law.
Regarding the difficulty of appre
hending smugglers and other illegal
; traffickers in booze, Mr. Tanner is e:
the opinion that it will not be nearly
so difficult to prevent their operate.n
:.s it used to be in the earlj days,
siuce now they have several tin:' •
more officers, and the big fact tint
the public is decidedly against tin:
use of liquor gives the officers mo,a
aid than'anylhing else.
“It is difficult to enforce laws which
arc against the public's wish, and -.aw.
when the pi biic takes sufl ini
est to report any infractions of the
law to us,” said Mr. Tanner.
Will Try to Distill Liquor.
When askgd if he thought there
would be any attempt to distill liquor
he said that he would not be'surprised,
as the people used to distill consider
able liquor when Alaska was dry be
fore. He says that he had known of
stills running back in the early days
of ’96, but that if any person
thought they could get away with it
now they would have another guess
coming.
If the federal jail business is fall
ing off 50 per cent or more, the crim
inal court business in Juneau is fall
ing off at the rate of 1,000 per cent
or more, for the city magistrate re
ports that he has had but one case be
fore him since January 1, 1918, while
: the average for last year was one
daily.
The Juneau police have only made
three or four arrests since January 1,
: where last year they averaged one
[ each day. Both the federal and the
city officials consider that prohibition
is the cause for lessened crime.
RUINED BY JESTING.
The Antiochenes themselves
brought about the ruin of the beauti
ful city of Antioch, the ancient capi
| tal of the Greek kings of Syria. These
i people were famous for their biting
| and scurrilous wit as well as their in
i genuity in devising nicknames. When
the Persians under Chosroes invaded
Syria in 538 the Antiochenes could
not refrain from jesting at them. Am
ple revenge for this was taken by
the Persians who totally destroyed the
‘ city.
VOLUNTEERS ARE URLED TO
RESPOND TO CALL BETWEEN
NOW AND JUNE 1.
APPEAL MADE BY RED CROSS.
WASHINGTON, D. C., April C.—
Surgeon General Gorgas, of the Unit
j ed States army, has called upon the
American Red Cross to supply to the
army nurse corps 5,000 nurses be
tween now and June 1. These nurses
are needed for service in military hos
pitals both in this country and abroad.
Although the Red Cross has already
supplied nearly seven thousand nurses
as a reserve for the army and navy
nurse corps since the beginning of
the war, the imperative need for a
greater army of nurses grows daily
as the war progresses.
According to a statement made by
Surgeon General Gorgas, it is esti
mated that there are between eighty
and ninety thousand registered nurses
in the United States, and that approx
imately thirty thousand will be needed
for service in army hospitals during
the present year. The immediate need
for 5,000 of these is emphasized.
Appeal for Volunteers.
In discussing the nursing situation,
Miss Jane A. Delano, director of the
department of nursing of the Ameri
can Red Cross, said:
“An earnest appeal is made to the
nurses of the country to volunteer for
this service. We also appeal to the
public and to the physicians employ
ing these nurses to aid in making it
possible for them without too great
financial sacrifice on their part to
hold themselves in readiness to re
spond to the call of their country.
“We wish also to bring to the atten
tion of nurses the unusual opportuni
ties offered by the insurance law en
acted for the protection of our arm .
and navy. The provisions of this in
surance bill apply equally to :ur s
assigned to duty as members of the
army and navy nurse corps, and make
it possible fpr the nurse to secure, at
nominal rates, protection for herself
as well as for designated members of
her family dependent upon her.
Responsibility Upon Nurses.
“A great respcnsibilty rests upon
the nurses of the country, 'l hev art
the only group of women recognized
as part of the military e.-tablishment.
While thousands and thousands of
nurses will be needed, the number is
relatively small compared with tir
number of women in America wb.
should stand back of them and make
possible the service for which they
are so greatly needed at this time.
“A special appeal is made there
fore to the nurses of America to vol
unteer at once through their nearest
local comittee on lied Cross Nursing
service, through the director of the
bureau of nursing in their division,
direct to Red Cross headquarters,
Washington, D. C., or to the surgeon
general’s office, War Department,
Washington, D. C.”
FEDERAL CONCILIATION BOARD
SETTLES TROUBLE AT LOWELL
A N D BRIDGEP0RT .
LOWELL, Mass., April 6.—Preven
tion" of a strike involving 1,900 ma
chinists at Lowell, Mass., is announced
by the conciliation service of the de
partment of labor. Under the terms of
an agreement arranged by Commis
sioner Colpoys the men will receive an
increase in wages of 5 cents per hour
to cover the increased cost of living.
A dispute at Bridgeport, Conn., in
volving workers employed on war
contracts by the Liberty Ordnance
Company, has been similarly adjusted.
Other disagreements involving men
employed by the American Grapho
phone Company and the Remington
Arms Company also are in process oi
settlment.