The Cordova Daily Times
Entered at the Postoffiee at Cordova. Alaska, as second-class matter.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
Single Copies .$ .10 Six Months (in advance) .$ 6.00
One Month. 1.00 One Year (in advance). 10.00
H. Q. STEEL, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
•MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS.
The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for repubhication
of all news credited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and also
the local news published herein.
All rights of republication of special despatches herein are also re
served.
CORDOVA, ALASKA, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1917.
EIGHT HOUR LAW.
\ _
The development of Alaska
is in grave danger. The ques
tion whether Alaska will do
he her full share in wining the
world war is about to be decid
ed in the negative. The eight
hour law, passed by the last
legislature, without full con
sideration. in response to an
overwhelming vote in its fav
or, is about to tie the hands
of the loyal people of Alaska.
When the territorial legisla
ture passed and approved aft
er the United States had de
clared itself in a state of war
with Germany is a good sam
ple of the heedless legislation
passed by our representatives.
Thern was nobody either in the
senate or the house at the time
the bill was passed farsighted
enough to forsee the foolish
and almost criminal conse
quences of putting an eight
hour law into effect at a time
when our country was exerting
its greatest energy to increase
production of foodstuffs and
munitions
No part of our country is less
suited to an eight hour day
than Alaska. The placer mines
of the interior can only be
worked during the short sum
mer months when the miners
have water. Unless they are
permitted to work their men
over eight hours per day they
must close their operations.
Labor is scarcer in Alaska than
in any State of the Union.
Furthermore many of our
young m-m have enlisted and
the draft will take many more,
thereby further tightening the
labor market. If the law per
mitted an employee to work
over eight hours and get paid
tor it, tin* situation would be
somewhat bettered. But it does
not, and no man can work over
eight hours without making
his employer a criminal.
Governor Strong recognized
that this law was not workable
as to the fisheries, and it is to
be suspended as to fishermen
and canneries. This is on the
ground that every encourage
ment must be given to promote
and foster the production of
food. The world is hungry and
no careless action of the Alas
ka territorial legislature must
be allowed to stand in the way
of feeding the people of the
warring countries in Europe
There are equally strong and
cogent reasons why the pro
duction of raw materials foi
our munition factories mus1
not be hampered, but appar
entlv the governor has noi
considered that necessity.
The law states that the peri
od of employment for all wage
and salary, earners shall no
exceed eight hours in any out
calendar day. Do you know
know what that means Mr
Workingman? It means tha
you can never more earn am
overtime in Alaska, It means
that a large percentage of oui
placer mines will have to shnl
down. It means that Alaska is
denied the privilege of doinj
her full share to help to wii
the world war. The eight houi
law might well be considered
a German victory in keeping
us from working more thar
eight hours per day, when ad
ditional hours would mean
more food and more munitions,
and what is more the patriotic
workingmen of Alaska are
willing to submerge their con
victions in favor of an eight
hour day in order to do their
bit in an industrial way. Is
there any eight hour day in the
trenches? Why should we at
home refuse to make at least
a slight sacrifice on working
hours when we consider what
our brothers are doing in Eur
ope? Refuse to work more
than eight hours and you re
fuse to give our soldiers your
full support.
Thanks to Hoover, the Gov
ernor has suspended the eight
hour law as to fisheries. If
we had Hoover in charge of our
production of munitions the
Alaska Eight Hour Law would
be suspended in other occupa
tions. Another example of the
results of this law will be to
limit the production of Alaska
spruce, so vital in aeroplane
making. The experts say that
the spruce in Oregon, Wash
ington and Alaska furnishes
the ideal wood for aeroplanes.
Immense quantities of it is
needed, and the forests of Alas
ka cannot do their full share
in furnishing it unless this
la wis suspended during the
war. Every day that law is in
effect it will be striking a blow
for the Kaiser. A Seward res
ident wrote a poem in which
lie brought out the facts that
despite neglect in Washing
ton Alaskans were for Uncle
Sam. With this law in effect,
we will only be half for him,
and w ecannot blame it on to
the bureaucrats at Washing
ton, for our own people, and
our own representatives are
alone to blame.
_ _• i.i i_
» \ in ini V/111VI 1 1 g 11 l 11UUI
law in teh United States that
does not have exceptions as
to certain occupations such as
farm labor and domestic help.
There are certain occupations
where it is impossible to work
an eight hour day, and we
1 question if any other eight
hour law ever borbade a man
working overtime and getting
paid for it.
In the underground work
ing mines in Alaska, the eight
hour day is already enforced,
That sort of labor, being un
1 derground and dangerous, and
to a certain extent unhealth
ful, should be and is already
protected. For war time in A1
aska, before the passage ol
, this law, labor conditions as tr
hours of labor Mere remarkab
j lv good, considering this is •<
j pioneer country, with no grea
j population center as labor sup
plier. Do you realize that th<
authorities in our country' ar<
preparing for a four years war
and that every day more am
more of our potential supply
of labor is going into tin
army? Do you realize tha
I even now before we have los
| any appreciable number of mei
j in Europe, wise employers ar<
j preparing women to take tin
I places of the men that hav<
j left and of thcfse that are sun
I to go? Do you realize tha
; man power in America foi
! work in our fields and factor
ies, mines and railways, is get
ting scarce? And if you do
realize all this, must you not
also know that an eight hour
day, without possibility for
overtime, will surely sever the
arteries of Alaska industry,
and make this great Northland
impotent before the enemies of
our country. In this emer
gency, and war is the greatest
of all emergencies, the Alaska
eight hour law should be sus
pended until our boys in Eur
ope have finished their job.
and enthroned democracy in
Berlin.
-o
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING
In company with hundreds
of thousands of happy-hearted
children throughout the land
we rejoice to learn that the|
embargo will not be effective!
against consignments for the]
Holiday trade. These are
mighty troublesome days for
the railroads but orders have
been issued to clear the track!
for the merry old man whose
annual visits at Yule-tide are
the delight of the youngsters
and arouse in the hearts of the
grown-ups memories of the
long ago. Whether the rail
road chieftains are to thank,
or the- Priority Board, mat
ters little; the point is that
great hearts somewhere have
given a thought to the little
ones and decreed that even
grim war itself shall not disap.
point their hopes or darken
their Christmas day.
And we are to experience a
genuine Yankee Christmas, wej
are assured. There was a time
when most of the tovs were!
* I
“made in Germany,” but Ger
man dolls and toys are ’' ver
boten” this year. In their!
stead will be the Liberty toys,
made by nimble, patriotic Am
erican hands—the “Kjgmnvj
Dolls,” “Red Crosh
“Persliing Soldiers,” “Ifoov !
er Toys,” and all the various
classes 'and kinds that go to|
make up the new regime in
toyland. Santa Claus is pat
ronizing home industry this
, season and is promising many
pleasant surprises for the Am !
I erican people, big and little.
All of which is as it should
be> Force of circumstances
, will compel most of us to re
I sort to new ways and moans of
I observing the holidays. Many
I will be oblibed to forego the
j extravagant customs and wan
ton waste of recent years. Gifts
this year will be of a simpler
I and more substantial order.
, There will not be a noticeable
i tightening of the purse strings
, but tin* shoppers will of neces
sity be more circumspect in
their purchases. Also, the true
j spirit of giving will become
more manifest; the holiday
courtesies more genuine. It
| will, to all intents and pur
poses, be a stirring revival of
the old-fashioned Christmas of
a generation or two ago, and
this experience in itself will
work wonders with the Ameri
can people. Why not then, in
company with the kiddies, al
loyy our hopes to be high and
our hearts happy in anticipa
tion of the approaching holi
day season.”
■ - i
i Aunty
Keating's
"]Mn"
Opposite city Bakery.
I
War Saving’s Stamps
SEATTLE, WASH., DEC. 13-14,1917
BANK (>F ALASKA, CORDOVA I
B^ 1 )J BECTK)N OF MR. M ’ADOO SECRETA BY < )F
I HE TREASURY I AM APPOINTING YOUR BANK AS j
I AGENT FOR SALE OF WAR SAVINGS STAMPS. WIRE
ME ACCEPTANCE GOVERNMENT COLLECT.
DANIEL KELLEHER,
% Director for Wash, and Alaska
The Bank of Alaska
I HAS ACCEPTED AND A SUPPLY OF WAR SAVINGS
j STAMPS WILL SOON ARRIVE FROM SEATTLE. |
COME IN AND WE WILL SUPPLY YOU WITH IN- 1
F< >RMATI()N IN THE MEANTI ME.
_
_______
If You “
ARE LAID UP IN THE HOSPITAL
I YOUR EARNING POWER
Stops
Does your Insurance cover you? If not I
Get a IN 1 P0LiCY 1N THE J- D- Hollenbeck I
1 NORTHERN LIFE district Agent, Cordova |
II
MEET ME AT i H
The HORSESHOE
POPULAR RECREATION PLACE
Where We Can Always Find Our
Friends.
Finest Billiard and Pool 1 ables In
Alaska.
BEST GRADES OF STANDARD
BRANDS OF CIGARS.
The Red Dragon B
CORDOVA. ALASKA t ,
A club house for everymau. |S
Recreation, re a d i n g, pool IS
room, circulating library and D
late periodicals. &
Founded 1908 by Episcopal §j
Church.
Houra 2 p. m. to 11 p. m.
REV. E. P. ZIEGLER, Supt. ^
—-- a
LOGGERS, ATTENTION! r
We pay $10 per thousand for
spruce logs and $9 for hemlock,
delivered.
CORDOVA MILL & LUMBER
COMPANY
66 TELEPHONE 66
' We Turn Out Shirts That Are
SPOTLESS AND
CLEAN AS THE
DRIVEN SNOW
Modern Laundry
F. A. Jones, Proprietor
FIRST AVENUE Below Alaskan Hotel
JOB PRINTING
Done At the TIMES OFFICE and
Delivered when promised