THE NENANA NEWS
Application made October 30, 1916, at the Postoffice at Xenana. Alaska, tor
entry as second-class mail matter under the act of March 2, 1S79, by The Xe
nana Printing Company.
Published Weekly by The Nenana Printing Company
Day of Publication Saturday Edited hv R. G. Southworth.
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SATURDAY. JULY, 14, 1917
The men who quit their jobs
on the government works may
as well go back to work. As
has already been stated by the
News, no amount of organizing
and no amount of agitating
will alter present wage con
ditions. The limit to which
the government will go in this
direction has been reached and
if the men are wise they will
accept what is offered in tIn
spirit in which it is offered—
or seek employment elsewhere.
There is no law to compel men
to work for the commission
and the government did nol
misrepresent conditions to in
duce men to come here. This
is the open season for work.
There is plenty of it for thos<
who want it and plenty of il
in the mines for those win
prefer that kind of labor.
But there is no room in Ne
naua for loafers; no room foi
those who seek to keep other?
from working; no room foi
professional agitators. Tin
authorities, the people of tin
town, those in charge of tin
railroad work and the men a
long the line are a unit on this
point. This is a government
enterprise, one in which every
real Alaskan is interested, one
which cannot he stopped now
without serious consequences
to the Interior country—and
serious consequences to those
who seek to stop it
The railroad work in this
division must continue without
interruption and it will contin
ue, even if it necessitates the
temporary closing of every
business place in the town
of Xenana. That is tin* atti
tude of those who realize the
importance of the work, the
early completion of which
means not only improved busi
ness conditions hut also better
and steadier employment for
the workingmen of the Inter
ior.
To those men who have not
yet returned to their jobs on
the road, we have this to say:
You are losing valuable time.
If it is a grubstake you want,
the quickest and easiest way tc
get it is to go to work and
stay on the job. You can’t
win anything by holding out.
You couldn’t win anything il
you closed the whole works
down. The best that you can
hope for, if you are broke, is
a meal ticket, supplied by yoni
more saving associates. And
if you are not broke now, y w
soon will be if you continue
to loaf, for it will be up to you
fellows with the money to keep
the organization going anl also
those of the members who are
without funds. There is no
principle involved in tin* issue.
It is simply a ease of accept
ing what the government feels
warranted in paying for the
work—or hunting a job that is
more to your liking.
AN OVERSIGHT
In connection with tin* re
cent labor dissatisfaction there
seems to have been no notice
taken of the fact that all com
mission employees an1 given
free hospital and medical at
tendance, by the best surgeons
obtainable, for all injuries or
sickness incurred in the line of
duty. And, in ndditiou, in
event of injury, the employee
receives partial compensation
for all time lost. The de
pendent members of the family
of an employee also have the
privilege of the hospital at
greatly reduced rates. In no
private operations do employ
ees receive such consideration,
the usual procelure being to
deduct varyiny sums from the
monthly pay, which is turned
over to a local practitioner,
who, in turn makes all hospit
al and medical arrangements.
BIG STEEL PLANT IS
ASSURED FOR COAST
Seattle: B. L. Thane and S. F. B.
Morse, who recently took an option
on three hundred acres of land at
American lake for the site of a
large steel iplant, returned to this
city last night and have closed the
deal which gives them title to the
ground. They have secured financial
backing to the extent of eight mil
lion dollars, it is reported, and will
begin at once the erection of a steel
mills which will be larger than any
thing west of the Atlantic seaboard.
MORE INDUSTRIALS ARE
JAILED IN SEATTLE
Seattle: Twenty-two more mem
bers of the Industrial Workers of
the World were lodged in the
county jail here this afternoon.
They had been picked up in differ
ent parts of the state, and have
been sent to this city temporarily,
until they can be transported to
the detention camp which is being
established at American lake.
Capt. A. E. Lathrop, of movie
fame, has installed a $15,000 pipe
organ in his splendid theater at
Anchorage.
A petition was recently circulated
at Long, in the Ruby district, and
signed by 150 men asking the Alas
ka Road commission to raise the
wages of its employees in that dis
; trict to $5 per day.
WAGE QUESTION SHELVED;
WILL WAIT FOR CHARTER
For the present at least no furth-;
er attempt will be made by the rec
ently formed local labor organiza
tion to interfere with railroad con- j
struction work in this division or to
press the demand made by the steel ,
gang for an increase in the wage!
schedule. This decision was reached ;
at a meeting of the organization |
held on Thursday night at the union j
headquarters in the Martin-McMil-j
lan building.
The meeting was "ttended by
about sixty members, all of whom ■
apparently agreed with Chairman j
A. E. Cameron when he pointed out :
to them that the organization had
no status as a union and could not
attempt to enforce any demands
until a charter had been granted by
the Alaska Labor union, to which
organization application was made
by wire several days ago. At the
time of the meeting no acknowledg
ment of the receipt of the wire
had been received and it appeared
to Le a matter of considerable doubt
if the Anchorage body had the right
to grant a charter to another organ
ization.
Pending further enlightenment on
the question, th local organization
will mark time, as it were. A few
of the men who quit their jobs at
the commencement of the trouble
have returned to work, others of
the organization have left for other j
camps, and more are planning to |
leave. A number declared at the
meeting that they would not go
back to work until a change had
been made in the schedule and ar
rangements are now teing made to
house and feed those of the last
mentioned who are without funds
and who desire to remain in town
until the question at issue is finally
settled. A collection was taken up
for that purpose during the meeting
and about $30 raised. It will be
necessary to raise a much larger sum
than that, however, for quite a num
ber of the men are said to be with
out funds. A committee consisting
of Secretary Chas. Matson and two
other members was appointed to
provide tents and grub for the
members who are to be taken care
of by the organization.
It was suggested by the chairman
that an invitation be extended to
the businessmen of the town to meet
with the organization for the pur
pose of discussing various questions,
including the probable price of pro
visions during the coming winter.
This was seriously objected to by
several of the members, however,
on the ground that the “bean ped
dlers,-’ as the provision merchants
were styled, were not to be depend
ed on in any emergency.
Toward the close of the meeting
the proceedings were explained by
an interpreter to the Russian mem
bers present of whom there were
fifteen or twenty present in the hall.
A call for new members added
three or four signatures to the mem
bership roll.
Another meeting of the organiza
tion will be held tonight, commenc
ing at eight oc-lock.
A collection also was taken up
during the meeting to assist the
Lestor family, residing at Dawson,
and about $25 secured for that pur
pose.
PORTLAND SHIP YARDS
GET BIG FRENCH ORDER
Portland, Ore.: The French gov
ernment has placed an order with
the various shipbuilding concerns
with headquarters in this city for
an aggregate of twenty wooden
ships. The orders w’ere distributed
among a half-dozen yards located at
various points along the lower Ool
umbia river, and it is etriiocted that
the entire order will be completed
within three months.
TAVERN CAPE
Thoroughly Modern In Every Respect
New Building;, Mew Furnishings
The Same Old Service
PRIVATE BOXES
Curley
Dutch
9
DELEGATE SULZER
SEEKS CDAL AIDS
Delegate Chas. A. Sulzer made n
vigorous appeal, during the past
month at a hearing before the sen
ate committee on public lan is, for
the development of Alaska’s real
and oil resources. The hearing was
attended by all the members of the
committee and was with relation
to Senate Bill No. 45, introduced
by Senator Walsh, of Montana, pro
viding for the mining of coal, oil,
phosphate, gas potassium and sodi
um on the public domain
Immediate as the paramount ne
cessity was emphasized by Alaska’s
representative in congress during
his testimony. More liberal leases
by the government to those seeking
to develop the resources of the ter
ritory, in view of the pioneer con
ditions, wele suggested by him as
a remedy for the lethargy now ex
isting in regard to oil and coal con
ditions in Alaska.
“Mr. Chairman and Senators of
the committee in the emergency
which confronts the country at this
time,” Delegate Sulzer said in open
ing his testimony, "I think that all
who are thoroughly familiar with
conditions existing in the territory
of Alaska realize that the resources
of Alaska are of vital importance
in the prosecution of the war.
The exports of Alaska consist, in
lage part, of food-fish products,
copper ore and the rarer metalsT
all of which are of great import
ance in the war.”
Delegate Suizer asked specifically
for a larger leasing area in both
coal and oil leases, so that capital
could be induced to come into the
fields and expend the money neces
sary to develop a paying and pro
ductive mine or well. He also
asked for less restrictions in an op
erating lease.
“A man should be given more
liberal consideration in order to
induce him to come into Alaska,”
lie said, "and take the risks involv
ed in developing an entirely new
country. The conditions existing in
he c-oal areas are largely proble
matical; there are faults and vari
ous geological phases which have
lot been thoroughly demonstrated
ind a person engaged in developing
in enterprise of that kind should
lave more literal treatment, accord
ing to my idea, than one operating
in a known and developed field.
“The interests of the government
should be protected but the manage
ment of a coal mine in a pioneei
3eld must be accorded more latitude
ind discretion than in a field where
ill the conditions have been thor
oughly demonstrated. Otherwise
people will not undertake to make
the necessary investments. The
Alaskan coal fields are very exten
sive and it is extremely important
in this emergency that the laws
ind regulations be such as to induce
immediate and adequate develop
ment.”
Mr. Suizer based his main argu
ment for the necessity of opening
the oil fields on the acute situation
that is developing because of the
great demands for the oils of the
California fields for war purposes.
He said the fishing industry was
imperiled because of the lack of
gasoline and distillate for the opera
tion of the fishing boats.
The Farmers' bank will open its
floors for business on Monday.
Nick Larson has returned to h
N’enana from the Hot Springs dis
trict.
Fred Rhind was a down-bound
passenger on the Karsten’s launch,
enroute to the Tolovana district.
Peter Vachon lias purchased the
general merchandise stock of Mrs.
Duke and will ship it to Fairbanks.
Mrs. R. R. Myers, wife of the
well known Fairbanks dentist of
that name, passed through Nenana
Wednesday enroute home from a
vacation trip to the States.
The Commission launch Sunbeam,
which started for Fairbanks yester
day, was disabled a short distance
above the mission and was brought
back to town by the Midnight Sun.
The speedboat is now on the dock,
where it is waiting repairs.
District Attorney Roth, who con
ducted the prosecution of ('has. Les
tor, left for his home in the upper
town yesterday, making the trip up
with Harry Karstens.
Paddy Kennedy, one of the men
employed on the X. C. building, had
the misfortune to cut a gash in one
of his legs this morning with an ax
with which he was working.
Fairbanks Notes
L. Sloss and \V. H. Fairbanks, X
C. officials, will leave for the Out
side tomorrow morning by way of the
Valdez trail!.
Deputy Marshal .Joe Miller and his
party of insane prisoners are due to
reach Chitina this afternoon.
The Tanana Valley Agricultural
tssociation will meet tonight to dis
hiss plans for supplying the Alaskan
Engineering commission and the
trmy post at Gibbon with native
tot a toes. The army post has announ
ce that a call for bids will be issued
soon for 05,000 pounds of the native
troduct.
The Teddy H. sailed for Fttirbanks
his afternoon, carrying the entire
stock of second hand goods and oth
?r merchandise belonging to A.
^tein & Son, who are quitting the
Venana field.
District Attorney Sntiser has tiled
in information in the district
tourt of the First division asking
’or the disbarment of Attorney A.
[}. Callahan and his punishment for
•ontempt of court. The 'barge of
contempt arises on an article in the
Veekly Spokesman, said to have
>een written by Callahan, in which
ludge Jennings was severely erit
cized for the disbarment of Attor
ley Young, and alleging that the
ludge was swayed by political mot
ves.