Members of International Conference
Hold Hearing at Ketchikan, Ques
tion at Issue Being Fish Ship
ments.
KETCHIKAN, May 2.—Just as
soon as the deep bass whistle o( the
U. S. lighthouse trader Cedar was
heard last evening about a quarter of
nine, the members of the commercial
club. U. S. Lighthouse Inspector Pi
brell and other prominent citizens
made their way to the Northland dock
to greet the distinguished party, com
posing the American-t anadian v Lh
eries conference. The members ot the
conference accompanying Secretary oi
Commerce Kedliehl are Edwin h.
Sweet, assistant secretary of com
merce, Edward 1. Quigley, solicitor
of the department of commerce and
secretary of the conference; George J.
Desbaratas, deputy minister of naval
service of Canada, and Victor Lowe,
personal secretary of the cabinet ofli
cer. The other members of the con
ference are Judge «?. Douglas Hazen,
chief justice of New Brunswick, and
for six years minister of marine, na
val service and fisheries in Canada;
Dr. H. M. Smith, United States com
missioner of fisheries, and V. A.
Found, Canadian superintendent of
fisheries.
Other distinguished men accompa
nying the members of the conference
are J. L. McPherson, manager of the
Alaska bureau of the Seattle Chamber
of Commerce, W. L. Clark, secretary
of the Associated Pacific Fisheries, j.
D. McCauley, commercial agent for
the Grand Trunk Pacific railway and
steamship lines, of Prince Rupert and
Edward J. Brown, of the bureau of
fisheries in Seattle.
The conference opened its session
at the court house this morning at 10
o’clock, adjourning from 1 till 2:15
p. m. and reassembling for the after
noon session. Governor Thomas Riggs,
jr., and J. D. Pugh, collector of cus
toms for Alaska, are expected on the
Northwestern this afternoon to attend
the conference and to extend their
welcome and greetings to the confer
ence on behalf of the people of the
entire territory.
The commission has already held
sessions in Washington, Boston, Glou
cester and St. Johns. New Brunswick.
At these hearings several subjects
came with special prominence before
the conference. Chief among these
were the limitations now imposed up
on American fishing vessels in Cana
dian ports and the restrictions which
American law placed upon Canadian
vessels in our own ports.
The hearings developed the fact
tlint a large increase in the produc
tion of fish or the food supply of this
country was both necessary and prac
ticable, and that wisdom would pro
vide for removing, a- far as might be
possible, the difficulties that ham
pered the development of the largest
possible production. Following the
hearings mentioned above, the Canad
ian authorities took a courteous initia
tive in removing, by regulation certain
embarrassing conditions on Lake
Champlain.
Shortly thereafter, with the presi
dent’' approval, Secretary Redfield is
sued, on February 20, 1018, to the col
lectors of customs the following or
der:
To promote the vigorous prosecu
tion of the war and to make the ut
most use jointly of all resources of
the nations now co-operating, you will
p emit, during the war, Canadian fish
ing vessels and those of other na
tions now acting with the United
States to enter from and clear for the
high seas and the fisheries, disposing
of their catch and taking on supplies,
stores, etc., under supervision, as in
the case of merchant vessels clearing
and f pte»-':;g for foreign ports, except
as to tonnage tax and other charges
specifically imposed on entry from
and clearance for foreign ports.
The effect of the order was to per
mit Canadian fishing vessels and those
of other nations acting with the Unit
ed States in the war to proceed direct
with their cargoes of fish from the
fishing grounds to our ports and also
direct on the outward trips from the
ports to the fishing banks. This ac
tion was in due course made known to
the Canadian authorities.
On March 8, an order in council
granting privileges to American ves
sels in Canadian ports was issued by
the governor general of Canada, con
sisting, in part, of the following re
| port presented by the committee of
the privy council and approved by the
governor general:
“The minister of the naval service
recommends, under the authority of
the war measure act, chapter 2, of
the statutes of 1914, that during the
war United States fishing vessels, in
addition to their treaty rights and
privileges, shall be permitted to en
ter any port in Canada, without the
requirement of a license or the pay
ment of fees not charged to Canadian
fishing vessels for any of the follow
ing purposes: (a) The purchase of
bait, ice, nets, lines, coal, oil, provi
sions, and ail other supplies and out
tits used by fishing vessels, whether
the same are of a like character to
those named in this section or not;
(l>) repairing fishing implements;
(c) dressing and salting their catches
on board ship; (d) the shipping of
crews; (e) the transshipment of their
catches; (f) the sale thereof locally
on payment of the duty.
The minister further recommends
that the fees paid on licenses already
taken out for the present calendar
year be remitted.
These privileges are granted only
for the period of the war by the pres
ent order in council; and this order
applies to both the Pacific and Atlantic
coasts.
The promptness with which action
was taken in these matters is indi
cative of the earnest desire on the
part of both countries to eliminate all
sources of friction growing out of the
fisheries.
mmm
Due to President Wilson’s Opposition,
the Measure Calling for General
Probe of Army Affairs Goes Over
Until Monday.
WASHINGTON, D. C., May 18.—
Due to the vigorous opposition of
President Wilson, the Chamberlain
resolution, introduced this week in the
senate, has gone over until Monday.
Leaders of both parties agreed to the
postponement of the matter. In the
meantime, it is believed that a com
promise will be reached that will meet
with the approval of the president.
The opposition of the president is said
to he based on the covert purpose of
the Chamberlain resolution, which is
to harass the administration’s conduct
of the war. It is because he knows the
purpose i f the measure that lie is vig
orously opposed to it. It is well under
5 toed in W ashington that the chief
executive lias no faith in the sincerity
of the Oregon senator, and believes
Shut the resolution is simply an ef
fort on the part of the soion to further
err' amiss the president’s war policy.
The president has authorized Secre
tary Tumulty to deny that he opposed
an inquiry in the aircraft produc
tion matter, but he wishes the inves
tigation confined to this subject, in
stead of having a sweeping inquiry
into the whole war program.
SEATTI.E CONCERN iS
C ITED FOR FIXING PRICES
WASHINGTON, 1). C., May 18.—
The Crescent Manufacturing company
of Seattle, in a complaint issued by
the federal trade commission, is
! charged with fixing and maintaining
the prices at which its products shall
be resold and with refusing to sell to
: dealers who will not agree to maintain
the fixed resale price.
The company is a manufacturer and
I shipper of baking powder, spires, teas,
: coffees and flavoring extracts. It is
given 30 days from service of the com
plaint in which to make answer and
the hearing before the commission
here has been set for June 5.
Artillery Puts One “Big Bertha” Out
of Commission, But Two Others
Continue Bombardment.
PARIS, April 27.—A description of
the destruction by French artillery of
one of the long range cannon with
which the Germans have been bom
barding Paris is published today by
the Petit Parisien.
“All the signs that Bertha (a
French nickname for the big German
guns, referring to Bertha Krupp) was
going to fire had been noticed. The
smoke curtain had gone up. All around
there was a chorus of loud reports.
Undoubtedly Bertha and a number of
naval guns were firing simultaneous
ly to disguise the whereabouts of the
big cannon.
“After a short pause, the firing was
resumed. This time naval guns sup
plied the obligato. French air observ
ers were on the lookout, however, and
French guns opened fire in their re
turn. The aviators signaled quickly
that the result of the first salvo was
most promising. Two heavy shells
exploded 2.") yards north of the big
gun, tearing up the railroad tracks
leading to the concrete gun platform.
The firing was continued, getting clos
er and closer, until finally two enor
mous shells went through the camou
nage.
“Two formidable explosions were
heard and the discomfited Germans
saw Bertha damaged beyond repair,
with a rent 50 feet long in the barrel.
The aviators reported that they could
see plainly through the camouflage
two gaping craters in the platform.”
“French gunners then set about pre
paring to destroy the third Bertha,
but thus far they have not succeeded,
for shells arrived in Paris again dur
ing the small hours of the night.”
The long-range gun continued last
night to fire upon the Paris district,
says an official announcement. There
were no victims.
It is noted that the official state
ment continues to speak of but one
weapon in the bombardment, using the
word “gun” in the singular number.
NEW YORK, May 20—The German
people are informed that the long
i range guns now bombarding Paris
mark “the greatest progress in the
development of firearms since the in
vention of powder” in an eulogistic,
article sent out by the semi-official
Wolff bureau and published in the
German newspapers under a Berlin
date on March 28.
The Cologne Gazette of March 31
says:
“The 31st of March, 1918. brought
the technical wonder of the 120 kilo
meter cannon, and with it the begin
ning of a new era in the history of the
construction of cannon which may be
of great importance in the course of
the war, and perhaps for peace.
“Now that the possibility of such
technical achievement has been dem
onstrated there will not be much to
prevent the great belligerent nations
from manufacturing cannon. Of course
I such giant cannon will be the excep
j tion in artillery equipment, for they
| are expensive, heavy, and probably
I may be used only for a limited num
! her of shots.”
INTER-ALLIEI) NAVAL
COUNCIL ENDS MEETING
PATHS, May 18. — The inter-allied
naval council, which concluded its sit
| tings this afternoon, made important
| decisions with a view to obtaining
| closer collaboartion between the allied
! naval forces and intensifying their
! joint action. George Leygues, French
j minister of marine, proposed the fol
lowing resolution, which was adopted:
“The inter-allied naval council ex
presses its admiration for the coolness,
daring and splendid courage displayed
by the British navy in the attacks on
Ostend and Zeebrugge and for the ra
pidity with which it gained its ob
jectives, despite the immense cliff ion’
ties of the enterprise and the desper
ate resistance of the enemy.”
)
b^stisyLLL 0
! In Lengthy Opinion Interior Judge
Holds That So-Called “Eight Hour
Day Law” Is Unconstitutional.
(Iditarod Pioneer)
In the United States district court,
: Judge C. E. Bunnel rendered a deci
sion in the case of the United States
| versus the Northern Commercial com
1 pony, which is generally known and
! spoken of as “The Eight Hour Law
\ Case.” He held that the general eight
| hour law passed at the 1917 session
! of the legislature as unconstitutional,
; in violation of the fourteenth amend
ment to the constitution of the United
States and beyond the scope of the
authority given the legislature by the
enabling act of congress, under which
the legislature came into being.
The decision covers 17 pages and it
took the judge three-quarters of an
1 hour to read it. The courtroom was
filled with spectators, men from all
walks of life, all interested in the
I outcome of the case.
i
After citing the statute, quoting the
■demurrer, Judge Bunnell went on.
“It is elementary that the language
used by the legislative bodies is em
bodying their ideas into law should be
; dear, unequivocal anti free from am
biguity. Everyone is presumed to
know the law, and in order that the
fact may support the presumption,
words should be used in their general
ly accepted sense. Although ably as
sisted by counsel in this case I confess
myself unable to find, and counsel are
unable to produce any act of any leg
islative body in the United States
which, from the standpoint of word
use and word construction, belong in
a class with the act. It is fairly en
titled to the unique distinction of be
ing alone, though in a multitude.”
The court then starts with the word
“employment,” as used in the act,
which was used in a way never before
known in any dictionary or law book.
I He then points out the importance of
that word.
The court then went into a lengthy
discussion of many cases of a some
what similar nature that had been up
in the state courts throughout the
country and which had gone to the
supreme court of the United States.
In every case the laws were held to
be unconstitutional.
Although it was not directly stated
the opinion of the court seemed to be
that someone in pushing the law
through the legislature had injected
the ambiguity intentionally as other
i laws drawn along similar lines were
drawn without the same indefinite
In concluding' his decision, the court
said:
“Not only is it in the court’s right,
but it is the court’s duty to take judi
cial notice of the peculiar conditions
existing in this territory. From south
of the 58tl* parallel of latitude the
territory extends far north of the Arc
tic circle and from east of the 132nd
meridian of longitude to beyond the
■ 174th meridian west longitude. Its
winters are long; its summers short;
its industries, with the exception of
lode and underground placer mining,
are controlled almost entirely by cli
matic changes incident to the change
of season; its area is more than a
i half million square miles; the open
: season for navigation, except in the
Facific, is short; its inhabitants all
told, number less than 100,000; it is
peopled by the vigorous and the ener
getic; it is a country in the making,
i It may be said that this is as much a
matter of legislative notice as it is
a matter of judicial notice. This is
! true. But the failure on the part of
the legislative body to act in accord
ance with the plain provisions of the
fourteenth amendment affords no val
| id excuse for a court to also disre
gard the amendment.
(Then a number of cases are cited.)
“Some other questions have been
raised by the demurrer, but I do not
consider it necessary to pass upon
! them at this time. An examination
j of the journals of both the house and
! senate discloses the fact that the pro
cedure leading up to the approval ot
the act was, to say the least, irreg
ular.
“I am satisfied beyond all doubt
that Chapter 55 of the Session laws
of 1917 (the eight hour law) is plain
ly and palpably beyond all question
in violation of the Fourteenth amend
ment to the Constitution of the Unit
ed States. I am also of the opinion
that it is class legislation and prohib
ited by the Organic Act.
“The demurrer is therefore sus
tained.”
At one point in his decision the
court also states that, according to the
Organic Act of 1912 the leg
islature of 1915 had no authority to
put the “general eight hour law” be
fore the electors.
Following, the decision of the court, j
a number of attorneys were heard to J
express the opinion that Judge Bun-;
nell could have rendered no other de- j
cision under the circumstances. They !
also congratulated Judge Bunnell for!
the able manner in which he analyzed
| the cause.
i
Crossed Caspian Sea in Russian Gun
boats and Attack and Capture the
Port of Baku—Mussulmen Flee in
Disorder.
| CONSTANTINOPLE, May 18.—
; Bolsheviki troops, re-inforced from
I Turkestan and Astrakan, yesterday J
! captured the port of Baku, located on
■ the Caspian sea. The Bolsheviki sol
i diers crossed the Caspian sea on Rus
| sian gunboats and made a vicious at
i tack on the Mussulmen troops de
fending the port. The defenders, who
were without adequate means to make
resistance, were forced to abandon the
scene and fled in disorder toward the
interior country. The Bolsheviki
troops are in pursuit of the fleeing
army.
SHIPS ARE
BUILT ST
BT
Wooden Vessels Are Being Built at
Rapid Rate Throughout the Nation
Asserts the United States Shipping
Board.
i WASHINGTON, D. C., May 18.—
Wooden ships are being launched at
the rate of one a day. This high speed
in ship construction has been kept up
for a period of our successive weeks.
This announcement was made today
i
by the United States shipping board,
: in a review of the shipbuilding pro
gram throughout the country,
i The shipping board says that the
j trial test of the concrete ship “Faith’’
I built in California, reveals that the
| vessel works as well, if not better, in
j a heavy sea than a ship made of steel.
| The “Faith” will soon make its first
j cargo voyage.
TACOMA, May 18.—The Grand En
campment pf the Grand Army of the
Republic, for the Washington and
Alaska district, is in session here to
day. The visiting delegates will visit
Camp Lewis today and inspect the
cantonment there. The oldest veteran
at the encampment is 09 and the
youngest 66 years old. Wenatchee,
Washington’, has been fixed upon as
the next annual meeting place.
MARINES ARE “DEVIL DOGS”
NEW YORK, May 18. — United
States marines in service in France
are prcKul of the title “Teufel Hun
den” or “Devil Dogs,” conferred upon
them by the Germans, according to
letters received at marine corps head
quarters here today.
Senator John Sharp Williams, Demo
cratic Leader, Says He Thinks 'Shis
Number Will Be Adequate for All
Purposes.
PHILADELPHIA, May 18.—In a
speech before a monster audience here
last night, held under the auspices of
the national convention of the League
to Enforce Peace, gave it as his opin
ion that 450,000 men would be a safS
limit for a standing army, after the
world war is ended, and the United
States and her associate had removed
the danger of German militarism. He
declared that the greatest nations, in
cluding Great Britain, France, Ger
many, Japan and the United States,
need no more than this number of
men, unless they premeditate offenses
against other nations.
Williams asserted that this proposed
limitation of troops would not deprive
the strong and populous states of the
union in having adequate state troops,
so that no power could surprise and 1
murder inhabitants of a sleeping
world, as Germany and Austria-Hun
gary came so near doing.
CENSOR CREEL
MAKES APOLOGY
WASHINGTON, D. €., May 18.—
George Creel, government publicity
agent, yesterday sent a letter to the
house of representatives, apologizing
for the strictures against certain
members of that body, made in a re
cent speech in New York. Creel ad
mitted that he had committed an in
discretion and said he deeply regretted
it.
A new igniter for gas stoves that
produces sparks by friction is operat
ed like a pair of shears.
PROFESSIONAL CARDS
DR. A. W. LUEDERS
DISEASES OF
Men and Women.
626 4th Ave. - - Anchorage
C. H. SUNDMACHER
LAWYER
Notary Public.
Bolte Bldg. - Anchorage, Alaska
L. V. RAY
LAWYERS
Lathrop Bldg., Anchorage, Ala
B. C. NICHOLS
JEWELER
Watch re
pairing a
specialty.
Optical de
partment ^
under spe
cial man
agement.
ska Pcoj
loom
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M
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CIGARS, TOBACCO AND g
SOFT DRINKS.
ANTON JOHANSEN
Seldovia, Kaehemak Bay.
GENERAL MERCHANDISE.
Everything for the Settler,
Fisherman, Prospector, Hunter
and Trapper.
RIGHT PRICES.
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