THE NENANA NEWS
Application made October 30, 1916, at the Postofiice at Nenana, Alaska, lor
entry as second-class mail matter under the act ot March 2, 1879. by The Ne
nana Printing Company. .
Published Weekly by The Nenana Printing Company
Day Of Pl BUCATION Saturdav
liniTKT) BY K. G. SolTHWORTH
SUBSCRIPTION KATI-S:
Per month; by carrier .$1.00Sing!e copies. Tv'o Hits
Six months, in advance . S.GOOne year, in advance.$10.00 1
i
! i
NENANA, ALASKA, SATURDAY DECEMBER 29, 1917
BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE
The fact that Governor Strong
has been granted authority to sus
pend the new territorial eight-hour
law, in whole or in part, for the
duration of the war, when requested
to do so by the council of national
defense, or the secretary of the in
terior, is just now the subject of
general discussion throughout the
territory and strong pressure is be
ing brought to bear on the governor
to suspend certain restrictions con
tained in the act.
The fishing industry, it is asserted,
will suffer greatly if the law is en
forced, resulting in a curtailment of
the nation’s food supply. It is
claimed also that the mining indus
try will be equally hard hit if the
hours of labor in the mines are re
duced at this time. Territorial Mine
Inspector William Maloney declares
that the development of the terri
tory will receive a tremendous set
back if the law is enforced, owing
to the shortage of labor which will
be created.
We know little about the fishing
industry beyond the fact that large
numbers of foreign laborers are im
ported annually by the fish com
panies. They are not a part of
Alaska and the money they receive
does not benefit Alaska, for the
reason that they do not receive it
until they have returned to the
States at the close of each season.
If the eight-hour law is enforced,
it probably will be necessary for the
fish companies to import more of
•‘he foieigners each season and the
wages likely will be reduced or the
products of the canneries advanced in
price. But in any case, the problem,
as we see it, is one for the govern
ment to deal with, rather than
Alaska, since it does not concern
working conditions among Northern
ers.
With the mining industry, it is
entirely different. The men who
work in the mines are the ones who
are chiefly responsible for the en
actment of the eight-hour law. They
voted for it at the polls and it is
generally admitted that eight hours
is quite a sufficiently long period
of labor for men engaged in that
arduous industry: In view of the
fact that these men who have played
such an important part in the de
velopment of the territory finally
succeeded in securing the passage
of a law designed for their par
ticular benefit, it is not good logic
for our mine inspector to argue that
the enforcement of the law will
cause a shortage of labor. It is
easier to believe that a shortage of
labor will result if the law is not
enforced, for comparatively few of
our miners will continue to work
ten hours, in Alaska, when th. y ca>
find eight-hour jobs almost any
where in the States. To keep them
in the country it will be necessary
to improve working conditions by
making the hours of labor more at
tractive and the payment oi wages
more certain.
We fail to see how the develop
ment of the territory can be re
tarded seriously by granting the r.
quest of the men who are doing the
developing. The trouble with the
mining industry is that it already
has been throttled by excessive
transportation charges and the ad
vanced cost of provisions and other
supplies. Development stopped in
Interior Alaska when it was found
that the transportation companies
and Outside manufacturers were ab
sorbing all the profits. And w»
cannot hope for a resumption of
mining activities until the govern
ment has made it possible for us to
land flight in the Interior at a
reasonable cost, by providing us
with cheaper transportation and eli
minating excessive profits..
PROHIBITION, A STIMULANT
The coming of the y^ar- 1918
means more to Nemuia than to any
other town in Interior Alaska. With
it will dawn a new era, for, after
the first of the year, Nenana will
enjoy all the benefits of being a
“dry” town, with none of the handi
caps of being only a short distance
removed from “wet” neighbors.
The coming of territorial prohibi
tion will require no readjustments in
Nenana Our town was built upon
a “dry” foundation and the transi
tion elsewhere will be unfelt here,
beyond giving additional strength
to local business enterprises and in
suring a more permanent population
in the future. Periodical pilgrim
ages to nearby towns will offer
fewer inducements henceforth, for
the reason that other Interior towns
will have nothing in the way of at
tractions, liquid or otherwise, that
Nenana does not possess. The money
which heretofore has left Nenana to
pay vacation expenses elsewhere,
will remain here in future and a
very large part of it will seek invest
ment, either in local enterprises or
in the development of the surround
ing country. In this connection, it
should be remembered that ours is
a young town, a comparatively new
district, full of pi-omise for the
future. We are going forward, not
backward, and the coming of pro
hibition will have the effect of
stimulating our progress to a very
considerable extent by directing the
attenton of less favored communi
ties to the possiblities of our town
and district.
MORE GASOLINE.
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1
Science has accomplished another £
great feat. It has evolved, by ab
sorption methods, the extraction of
gasoline from natural gas. This new '
means of obtaining gasoline is of £
greatest importance, when the coun- 1
try's needs for gasoline threatens 1
to outstrip the supply. 1
This extraction of gasoline from t
natural gas by compression and con- i
densation, has been an important <
and rapidly growing industry in re
cent years. In 1915 about 65,000
000 gallons were produced by such £
methods, while in 1916, the estimat- I
ed production was 100,000,000 gal- t
Ions. This gasoline is of doubled
importance, in that it can be blend
ed with naphthas, otherwise unsatis- £
factory for use in the automobile, £
and made into an acceptable motor c
spirit. '
Now the absorption process is t
quite different from the older com- c
pression process, and ere this, has
not been described in the press.
It is a method recently eommer- ^
cially applied to natural gas, yield- t
ing the same quality of gasoline 5
and capable of being applied under c
conditions where the older process £
could net be employed profitably.
By it the gasoline in natural gas,
though extremely lean, can be ab- '
sorbed in oil from which it is separ- t
ated by distillation. 1
l-s
TEUTON BANKRUPTCY. «
- t
The New York World is authority t
for the statement that Austria is i
virtually bankrupt and confesses it, \
by paying interest on its gold-bear- 1
ing bonds to outside, as well as to I
home creditors, in paper “kronen” 1
and at a discount of 60 per cent in c
neutral money equivalent to gold. I
Germany with the “mark” down i
a few weeks ago, to 44.9 per cent c
discount in the same money, was s
evidently tottering on the edge of \
this financial abyss, when the reich- t
bank decided to release gold by way
of restoring its disorganized ex
change with Switzerland Holland c
and Scandinavia. It gave up about t
$20,000,000, which exceeded its 1
gains in gold for over three month \
preceding. The effect has been a j
slight advance from the “mark’s”
greatest depreciation, but this is
' hardly a drop in the bucket. Aus- i
: tria has practically no gold to give t
! up. Germany cannot give up what
| it has for exchange purposes, with- i
. out further weakening the reich-'
| bank’s immense papei* circulation,
based on its gold. t
Austria is close to the bottom of l
the decline. If there is any durable t
arrest for Germany short of that <
and short of peace, it is not now ob
servable, unless through a resort
by the kaiser to the mailed fist ap- J
plied to its neutral neighbors, who t
dar<- to place such doubts upon Ger- <
man solvency. s
_— - i
The Nome foundry recently com- i
pleted a number of stove castings, i
aggregating 4,300 pounds. I
ELSEWHERE IN ALASKA
The coast guard cutter Bear re
cently returned to Nome after a
trip to Nunivak island, bringing as
passengers Assistant District Attor
ney Mundy and an eskimo interpre
ter who had assisted him in investi
gating the report that a native chief
of the Cape Etolin village had ran
amuck and was terrorizing the nat
ives by shooting at them. The re
ports were found to be greatly ex
aggerated and the natives were per
suaded to depose the old chief and
elect a new one. Mr. Mundy said
that it was one of the hardest trips
of his experience. They could not
find suitable shelter or food fit for
the stomach of a white man.
A late copy of the Dawson News
says that all the dredges of the
Yukon company have shut down for
the winter season. The last one
stopped October 24th, due to the
cold shutting off the water supply
in the mountains.
A ton of coal was recently raffled
off by the Eagle lodge of Valdez,
at a masquerade ball, the proceeds,
amounting to $46, going to the to
bacco fund for the soldiers in France
Juneau hunters claim that grouse
are more plentiful this season be
cause of the bounty placed on eagles.
The eagles were responsible for the
destruction of many grouse in pre
ceding years and the nuisance to a
large extent has peen abated.
Erick Ness .owner of the gas boat
Lovera, has filed suit in admiralty
court to collect $1200 damages from
the gas boat Eunice of Petersburg.
Ness claims that his boat while load
ed with fish was rammed and severe
ly damaged in Fredericks sound on
the 12th of August and that the col
lision was the fault of the captain
and crew of the Eunice.
Traffic officials of the Alaska
Steamship company recently began
arrangements for the shipping of a
130-ton locomotive and forty steel
flat cars from Seattle to Cordova,
where the train will be placed on
the Copper River & Noribwestern
railway. The forty flat car^ are
af the fifty-ton variety.
City Councilmen Rose, Poteet,
and City Treasurer Murphy, of
Nome, have handed in their resigna
tions and left for the great Outside.
Mrs. A. G. Thompson, of Anchor
age, who was under quarantine for
■carlet fever in the family, was re
cently released and has resumed her
work as secretary and treasurer of
;he day and night schools of An
chorage.
A total of 182 dressed reindeer
were shipped from Nome Outside on
;he last trip of the Victoria to the
States. With the exception of ten
carcasses, the entire shipment was
again destined for Minneapolis.
While the steamer h,lla Kohltts i
vas enroute from Ketchikan to Pet
jrsburg with a scow loaded with
140 drums of oil, the scow broke
iway during a heavy storm. Sev
jral attempts were made to hook on
:o the scow again, but each time
;he tow line parted and the steamer
'inally abandoned the attempt and
,vent on to Petersburg and unloaded
ler deck cargo of 60 drums of oil.
Later she went in search of the
parge, but without success. A day
>r two later the halibut schooner
dazel arrived at Petersburg and re
ported salvaging 21 drums of oil
pff Middle Island, in Chatam Strait,
ind that planks strewn about in that
vicinity indicated that the scow had
jone to pieces.
A coroner’s jury at Anchorage re
:ently determined that James Tur
:le, whose body was found in Camp
pell creek, had accidentalyy drowned
■vhile hunting. He had $200 on his
person when found.
The Cordova Times contains a
notice of sale to the higiiest bidder
pf the Whiteshed station buildings,
rhe bids were to be opened by the,
master of the U. S. S. Saturn.
Next year the candidates for elec
tion in the territory of Alaska will
t>e nominated at a primary election,
iccording to a law passed by the re
lent 'egislature.
Deputy Marshal H. F. Morton, of
Tuneau, who went to the wreck of
the steamer A1 Ki for the purpose
pf stopping the looting of that ves
sel and securing the return of. the
articles stolen returned to Juneau
recently and reported that a consid
erable portion of the stuff stolen
had been returned. No arrests were
i made. He reported that the wreck
had not broken up and that the com
pany was considering tiie project of
salvaging the vessel.
A recent trip of the fishing
schooner Director netted the hands
on the boat the sum of $43.57 a
day for the trip. The boat was out
four days during which time she
took 17000 pounds of halibut which
brought the sum of $2,139. The
four hands on the boat received of
this $348.60 each.
Walter A. Gompert. an experienc
ed operator of 35 years’ experience,
recently stated that by this time
next year Matanuska coal would be
retailed in Juneau at a price ma
terially under the present local
price.
A food conservation committee re
cently made a house to house can
vass of Douglas, securing signatures
of food saving pledges and encour
aging general food conservation.
Labor conditions at Treadwell
have been improving rapidly and the
scarcity of good men which has pre
vailed all summer has been entirely
relieved. At present more than
200 men are working underground
at the Gold Bullion mine. Many of
the old employees of the company
have returned from the westward
and also from the Outside where
labor conditions are so uncertain
that they are glad to get back again
and get work.
The Bureau of Fisheries at Wran
gell is trying to start a market for
shark skins, and several concerns
are desirous of securing a number
of them at once. While the bureau
takes no responsibilities for the fi
nancial standing or dealings of these
concerns however, any one inter
ested is asked to communicate with
tlio fictVipruic; intsnprfor at Wrancrpll
According to a message recently
received from Wm. T. Lopp, head
of the Alaska division of the United
States Bureau of Education, a ser
ies of kindergartens will be started
throughout Alaska for the purpose
of helping the native child gain a
good start for a successful life. The
first school will be started at Met
lakahtle in Southeastern Alaska.
Joseph Laubner, a heavy owner of
Anchorage property, recently visited
the coal fields at Chickaloon, and
returned delighted with the pros
pects of a plentious supply of good
coal in the near future.
TOTATLIN1KA MINER
HAS* PAINFUL INJURY ]
Richard Ketzler a miner of the
Totatlinika district underwent an
operation Tuesday at the Govern- i
ment hospital for treatment of a j
gunshot wound in the hand. Ketz
ler was hunting at the time the ac
cident occurred. He slipped and
fell in such a manner that the pun
he was carrying was discharged, the
shot passing through the fleshy part
of his thumb. He started immedi
ately on a 30-mile mush to the end
of the railroad and reached Nenana
Christmas eve.
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FOR SALE CHEAP—Half inter- I
est in pool room and cigar stor * ;
Inquire at News office.
DOG TEAM FOR SALE—Nine dogs j
including a good leader, and har- j
ness; also 500 pounds of salmon i
bellies. Inquire Luke Jimmie,
cabin next Mission school.
NENANA LODGE
Loyal Order of Moose, meets every
Wednesday evening
Duke Building Market St
CHOP SUEY
and
NOODLES
Served at the
Northern Cafe
'newest igloo starts
WITH BIG MEMBERSHIP
When the charter list of Nenana
: Igloo, No. 15. Pioneers of Alaska,
j was closed at the last meeting of
I Nenana’s newest fraternal organiza
' tion, there appeared on the rolls a
I total of 209 names of Alaskan old- I
j timers. In addition to this splendid
i membership showing, the new lodge
has a substantial amount in the
treasury and promises soon to take j
its place among the more solid or- j
ganizations of the Interior.
Secretary Kenyon went to Fair 1
banks after the charter list had been i
closed, for the purpose of securing
a charter and necessary lodge books.
The full li.it of charter members )
is as follows:
ueorge w. woods, Nick iseilor,1 ,
H. F. Faulkner, Oliver Lee, Matt'
M. Hunger, Edwin Patrick Porter, i
P. H. Crowley, M. A. Larsen, Chas. i
Johnson, Samuel F. Tansy, James
Munro, Carl Knutson, Erick Nelson,!
John Lindquist, Albert G. Johnson, |
Wm. Burgie, Homer A. Shepard,
Thomas H. Cox, F. L. Tondro, Frank 1
Doyea, Ross Patten, Charles J. Bell, \
F. B. Moore, Charles Montford, C. E. ■
Strong, F. A. Mann, N.P. Anderson, j ,
A. D. Thompson, James Dolan, J. T. ; j
McGilvery, George Taylor, Robert i
G. Mitchell, W. H. Watson, J. W,
Clarke, A. St. J. McAuley, John Dal
fel, Robert Mann, R. B. Eames, Ber
nard Flanagan, Frank Rourke, Wal- ,
lace Houston, George K. Merrll,
C. C. Dunlop, F.B. McDonald, P. C. j
Gallagher, J. IX McGregor, C. F. I
Griffith, A. J. Irvine, Allen Crane,
Edward Gaynor, J. T. Cavanaugh,
Harold Anderson, John J. Cooney, j
Richard Hearne, Authur Gaudette, j
R. C. Morriss, Eric Johnson, John
A. Jacobsen,Harry N. Shaw, James :
Oatis, Patrick Boyle, Edgar Brooker,
Otto Lundgren, S. G. Stevens, Wm.
J. Coutts, Peter Schmidt, Arthur
Paul, John C. Murphy, Allan E.
Grennan, Oscar Rothenberg, Martin
A. Nash, George Myers, J. M. Gil
crease, Edward J. New, D. H. Col- ’
well, S. F. Hinckley, D. Hayes,
George S. Morell, James M. Bur- 1
rows, Lockie McDonald, Steve O'
Neil, Daniel Kennedy, A1 Perry,
Thomas Carey, Dominic Funaro, i I
Oscar Sander, Jack Dugan, Martin 1
A. Gillman, Frank A. Jones, O. H.
Struppe, Kenneth A. Finlayson,
David H. Lucky, Alfred Johnson, N. |
W. Oberg, J. A. McIntyre, Michael
Salves, Wm. Noble, Mike Farley,
Wm. M. Mosiman, George Keith, C.
A. Johnson, Charles Nelson, Mike ;
Cvietovich, George M. Inhuman,
George Higgins, Matt King, Wm. E.
Kenyon, Archie Byrne, W. F. Car
penter, Edwin L. Booth, Peter John
son, Jr., John Franiey, James T.
Oldfield Thomas I. Hogan, Benjamin
H. Jobson, George C. Lefever, Her
man Nichols, F. H. Stuart, George
W. Pennington, E. T. Laughiin. Ar
chie Landry, Joseph Zace, Mike !
Dunn, John McDonald, Wm. Borman,
Philip Hanson, T. F. Gilmore, J. E.
Miller, Richard Rice, Mike Coakley,
Howard P. Curtis, L. E. Herald, E.
H. Herbet, James Fitzsimons, James
Adams, E. D. Gray, James J. Fallon, j
W. L. Forrest, Harry Berg, M. H. !
Boulais, E. J. Steir, Harry Ehlen,
Carlton F. Kreuger, Alfred Beau
lieu, H. G. Huston, Allan D. Me- .
Donald, George L. Manning, M. J. _
Sweeney, Harry Capp, M. J. Low
ederbach, Thomas Isaacson, William
Summers, J. A. Dyer, Samuel J.
Cruickshank, Fred W. Craig, Daniel 1
McCabe, Daniel A. Nicholsen, F. T.
Jackman, John E. Lund, Thomas !
Cunningham, Edward Williams, S.
H. Simonsen, Richard Inkstor, Ed.
J. McHugh. Wm. H. Linehan, J. Mc
Leod, Walter F. Eames, Thomas
Scott, Frank W. Frazer, D. H. Sweet, |
Elmer E. Stitzel, Chris Anderson, ,
Albert Wigaud, V. O. Green, J. C. j
Nail, George Johnson, Terence
Gleason, N. E. Smith, James Russell, -
Wm. Taylor, George A. O’Connor, |
Alexander Coveny, Carl Schmidt, O.
S. Steele, James F. Hollaren, F.
Koltchoff, Martin Fosnes, Albert
Fortier, A. D. Pratt, H. G. Abercrom
bie, Henry Kost, Adolph Olson, Geo.
C. Noelles, Enos Hanson, Peter Lesh, |
Jack M. O’Neil, Ernest G. Berg- j
gren, H. J. Johns, P. J. Saum, John
Christonherson, J. W. Wood, M. \
Tyler, Neil McDonald, II. H. Wilson,
R. G. Southworth, William Casey, E.
J. Ellis, S. B. Waite.
A total of 209 members. , *
THE SKOF HOUSE
Market Street at Second
Comfortable Rooms Spring Beds
Clean Bunks
EVERYTHING NEW and CLEA\
"FOR SALE" CARDS at the News
office.
Electric Lights Steam Heat
THE
SOUTHERN
HOTEL
Newest and Best Appointed
Hotel in Interior Alaska
TOM SMITH, Prop.
CATERING
For Private Parties, Dinners
and Banquets.
FIRST CLASS SERVICE
Inquire ARCTIC POOL ROOM
ELECTRIC PUMPS
DECK PUMPS
FORCE PUMPS
PITCHER PUMPS
WELL POINTS
Lang and Toledo
RANGES
JUST ARRIVED
Tanana Sheet Metalworks
-
FOR
BARGAINS
IN
Sweaters
Shoes
Shirts
Pants
GO TO
Paul Lescure’s
BROOKER’S
CAFE and
BAKERY
YOU’LL LIKE THE PLACE
COONEY HOTEL
REASONABLE
COMFORTABLE
CENTRAL
Go to
NELSON’S
for your
SHOES
and Shoe Repairing
| “Butternut” \
\
We want 3 ou to £ive our Bread
atrial. When you have tried Tav
ern “Butternut” you will not be sat
isfied with any other.
i The Tavern