BUREAU FIGHTS
CANNERIES ON
COPPER RIVER
Arthur II Miller, superintendent or
the United States bureau of education
tor the Southwestern division of
Alaska, who attended the recent hear
ing at Seattle in the matter of pri
vate concerns or individuals install
ing canneries on the Yukon and Cop
per rivers of Alaska, makes the fol
lowing statement with regard to the
bureau’s attitude in this matter:
"First, let it be said that it is with
reluctance that the bureau of educa
tion feels the necessity of bringing
to the attention of the bureau of
fisheries the matter here under con
sideration, lest such action be con
strued as an interference with the
work of another department. It is
neither the concern nor the desire of
the bureau of education to attempt to
dictate the policy which would be pur
sued by the bureau of fisheries, and
we ask that our presence here may
not he viewed itt that light
"Neither is there even it suggestion
of any antagonism toward the canning
industry or any particular canning
company or companies, or the person
nel of the cannerymen.
We do believe, however, after hav
ing made careful personal investign
t ions and observations of fishing op
orations on the Copper river, and of
the welfare of the natives, which is
the only concern, for it number of
years, that it is an opportune time
to ask the co-operation of the bureau
of fisheries and the cannerymen who
have hundreds of thousands of dollars
invested there, in a plan that will
provide protection, education and em
ployment for the 350 natives of the
upper Copper river and also conserve
the supply of fish
"We appreciate the courtesey ex
tended that affords us the opportunity
to call the attention of the bureau of
fisheries to certain conditions that
have arisen in connection with can
inn lishing oti the Copper river, that
vitally affects tin- natives of the up
per Copper river.
•The held representatives ot tne
bureau of fisheries, 1 >r. Gilbert, Mr.
Hall and Mr. Lvnian have all agreed
to our statement to the effect that
’ there was every evidence that the'
run of salmon in the upper Copper
river has been greatly depleted in the
last few years. We regard the opin
ion of these gentlemen on questions
ot tin Kind as th very best possible
authority, because they have all made
a the ough study of the situation on
the ground Neither do they hesi
tate to say that some drastic reme
dial measures should lie taken to con
serve (lie supply of salmon ill the
Copper river After reading the
tram, ri; 1 of the hearing of last He
et-mhei-. l nud that everyom who was
heard at that time ll believe without
e\ee| a i concluded I Mill the Copper
river ■ being overfished
' I now lie ile In present briefly how
tin ■ in ding i nmillion afteei the
uurl ' An bureau of education.
tally realize that from a mere
,ni, i. .at point of view the inter
e ts a l"\v hundred natives, as coni
pan i uith an investment of money
running into thousands of dollars,
seem - insignificant. but when the in
terests of humanity, however humble,
are jeopardized, regardless of the cost,
all good Americans have a heart,' as
is witnessed in the tremendous cost
ot tlie present war, all w ittingly sat
Titioed lor a principle in the interests
of humanity.
**\Ve sincerely believe we are ap
pealing to men here today broad
minded enough and generous enough,
who if convinced that the extensive
fishing in the lower Copper river is
interfering with the food supply oi
the upper Copper river, will not lies!
tale to lend their co-operation to cor
n et such a condition, especially if it
can lie done without great loss or in
justice to any. protect the salmon am!
provide industrial education for the
natives.
•'I refer to th* plan an outlined in
substance at the hist December hear
ing by Dr. Gilbert. This is the plan
1 recommended to the commissioner
of education in my report of Juno 30,
1916, which is as follows:
“ ‘That the copper river from Flug
point to Mile 27 on the Copper Uiver
A- Northwestern railway, and north
I ward to a point known
yon, at Mile 118, be made a govern
j inent reserve by executive order, and
i set aside for the benefit of the Copper
ltiver Indians.
“ ‘That the bureau of education may
under a leasing system conduct and
operate a cannery by native labor as
a means of support and industrial ed
ucation for the natives, entireley under
regulation by the bureau of fisheries
and under the supervision of the bu
reau of education.
“Where this policy has been fol
lowed by the bureau of education the
natives rapidly became self-supporting
and this is also solving the problem
of fin* natIves'*unreliability to do the
work the cannerymen must take I
white men and Chinese from the
States to do. We are constantly be
ing reminded by the cannerymen that
the native* is undependable for can
nery work and in a great majority of
; cases we must admit that this is true.
We are therefore applying ourselves
to the task of a remedy for this con
dition.
“If is simply a matter of education.
Ten millions of black men were assim
ilated into the population of the Unit
ed State's by industrial education. The
-5.000 native's of Alaska may be ban
dl.*d likewise.
“Until congress can give* us sufti
dent appropriations to establish in
el u :• i rial schools among the natives of!
Alaska, the* b*»eau of education has j
tri«*d to secure* fishing reserves and
b'ase* their waters as a means of prac- !
tical industrial education.
“In e*very instance* where* this has !
be»en done the- natives became* self
supporting and more* dependable* for
la bor At Med lahaht la. where* the*
fishing re*se*rve* was made, the* natives
are* making rapid advancement toward
intelligent and useful citizenship.
In Prince* William sound, where we*
have- the* Oravina hay. Long Hay and
Fish bay reserve's, the natives are*
prosperous, and many of them are*
good tishe*rme*n and sought after by
..
"In Cook inlet, where the Moquaw
kie reserve protects twelve miles of \
king anil reil salmon waters, a vil
lage. hitherto a wretched, poverty
stricken one, owns its own co-opera-,
live store atid is well on the way
toward producing reliable workers.
"Gentlemen, this is not a conflict of
j interests, hut if viewed in a large j
| way will lead up to the solution of a
| great problem in which every interest
here represented will ultimately ben- !
I efit Cannerymen in every section of
i Alaska in which 1 have traveled tell
I iue they would like to employ native
! labor if* the native could be depended
upon, rather than go to the expense
of sending thousands of men north
every year to work in the canneries,
when there are thousands of men right
on the ground, the work of whose
hands would he their very redemp
tion.
"It the natives were ever going to |
. he intelligent workers by simply |
working at the canneries under pres
'em conditions they would long ago,
have become so. Hut they never will.
The canuerymsn has neither the
time, patience nor disposition to do
this work, nor is he under any ohli
> gation to anyone to do so.
"The bureau of education is charged
1 by the government to do this work,
and is held responsible for the man
per and degree in which it is per
| formed. The unpretentious work we
! are now doing on the Copper river
must necessarily lie interfered witli ;
' if we must use the meager funds ,
given us for education of these na j
lives to prevent them from starving. |
j because they are unable any more to J
i secure their usual basic food supply ;
! from the Ilsh of the river.
"When 1 went to the Copper river
j in Scptembcre, 1914, in charge of the j
government school at Copper Center, i
the catch of fish made by the natives
for that season amounted to approx!- j
rnately SOO fish for each family. The j
j fifty families took with their dip nets
j anil not more than two fish wheels
about 40,000 fish.
"From time immemorial the natives!
had up to lhat time been able with
their dip nets and other crude moth j
oils of fishing in obtain nil the fish
they needed for their food, and food !
for (heir dogs.
"The present fishing season of 1918
the natives had had twenty-two fish
wheels in operation, besides their dtp
nets. 1 estimate this increases their
fishing capacity not less Ginn five j
times what it was in 1914. The catch !
last year for the entire Copper river
taken by the natives does not exceed
7,800 fish, or about one-fifth the num
ber of fish with five times the fishing
capacity used in 1914.
“The intervening years have run T
about the same, with the exception j
of the year 1915, when there was a ,
fairly good run,
"There is not the slightest doubt in !
the mind of the writer but that the j
run of fish has alarmingly decreased
in the upper Copper river since the ;
years 1911 and 1915.
“As tills decrease afreets the sup
ply of salmon propagation. I leave for
those better qualified than I to speak
Dr. Gilbert spoke in no uncertain
terms on this point at the December
hearing, as did Mr. Lyman. Mr. Ball
is present to speak for himself.
“From the standpoint of the bu
reau of education, the recomuieiida
tions made by the writer for the clos
ing of the upper river to cannery fish
ing and those waters between Flag
point and Woods canyon to be made
a fisheries reserve would solve the
problem so far as the natives are con
corned, and we believe would con
serve the supply of fish. The plan
is also approved by William T Lapp,
chief of the division, and Dr. Claxton.
the commissioner of education.
“To the accomplishing of this plan
we most respectfully urge your cn
operation."
-♦
POPULAR STEWARD ON
STEAMSHIP ALASKA
Practically every seasoned Alaska
traveler knows Edward Taylor, chief
steward of the Alaska Steamship
Company, for "Teddy, as he is
known to his friends, ha- been on the
run for eighteen years, havinig served
eaeh of the leading companies oper
ating to the North, and ha sailed with
such well known commanders as
Haynes. Helmev. Cousins. Hunter.i
Wallace, Hoodall. M. Jenson. William
Jensen. MacOilvray, Linguist,,
Thomas. Anderson, Hodkins, "Tommy"
Moore and (ins Nord.
Like many of the old-timers oper ;
ating on local ships, he originally j
came from England. It was in lsso 1
that he joined the sailing ship Peter j
Stewart as an apprentice seaman and
made tin- voyage from Liverpool to
I’oint He dalles, Ceylon and Calcutta,
returning to London, lie was with
sailing vessels for eight years, and
finally entered the steward’s depart
ment, which he has successfully fol
lowed ever since.
He has been on the Pacific coast
since 188'J, going first with the old
Pacific Coast Steamship Company for
eight years, and then with the Alaska
Commercial Company. \p was on :
the Portland as chief steward when
it was operated by the Alaska Com
mercial Company, and remained on
thiH ship for ten years. After sin was
wrecked at Spire island, near Ketch!
kan. the wreck was taken over by
the Alaska Coast Company. After
wards she was ashore at Entrance
island, near Nanaimo. 11. C„ and was
totally wrecked near Katalla In 1'JIO.
Taylor was on hoard during each of
these three mishaps, as well as hav
ing charge of the passengers during
the memorable fifty-sfci days in 1902
when the Portland was frozen up in
Bering sea
lie remained with the Alaska Coast
Company and its successor, the Ait
miral line, for some time, and eight
years ago transferred to the Alaska
Steamship Company, which line he
has served as chief slewarad on the
Northwestern. Mariposa, and now the
Alaska, lie has a fund of history,
anecdotes and reminiscences covering
the Alaska coast and by his unfailing
courtesy and attention to the passon
gers under his care he justly num
bers his friends among the Northern
ers generally Railway and Marine
News
♦ -
HONOLULU DOCKS TO
ACCOMMODATE 25 SHIPS!
IIONOMII.tr, Jnn. 18—(hj Asso
ciated Press). — Resolutions have
been adopted by the harbor board
asking the 1919 legislature to provide
$2,000,000 for the improvemnt ot
Honolulu harbor. This will take- rare
of the first unit in a plan for harnor
improvement which will require an
approximate total of $9,000,000. It
the entire project is carried through,
Honolulu, in a few years, anticipat
ing a tremendous expansion of Pacific
tomerce, will have a system of docks
which will accommodate 25 large
ocean liners at one time.
-»-i_
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