THE NENANA DAILY NEWS
Application made April 1, 1018, at the postoffice at Nenana, Alaska,
for en;ry as second class mail matter, under the Act of March 3, 1879,
‘ WHERE RAIL AND RIVER MEET”
Published every afternoon except Sunday, by the Nenana Printing
Company, at First and B Streets, Nenana, Alaska.
Owned and Edited by
R. G. SOUTHWORTH ARTHUR G. BELL
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BEFORE SIX.
MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for re-publi
ration of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in
this paper and aiso all the local news published herein.
THE WAGE QUESTION.
Unusual as muy worn the aetioii j
of the Nenana Commercial club in
i
taking the initiative in the move
ment for an advance in wages paid
to employes of the Alaskan Engi
neering commission, it is the opinion
of The News that such action has j
ample warrant. The departure of
workers from the Interior country
in steadily increasing numbers, with
no apparent effort on the part of
the commission to detain them, puts
it up to somebody to suggest a plan J
for making conditions more attrae- j
tive, and the club has come forward
with what appears to be the only
solution of the problem—increased
wages.
The question is one that concern ;
the welfare of the entire Interior ’
country, and for that reason the j
club is within its rights in consid
ering it. An advance in wages
means more than improved condi
tions for the workers still remaining
in the employ of the Alaskan Engi
neering commission. It means bet
ter work, less difficulty in obtaining
additional workers when they are!
needed in the spring, and less in-'
clinalion on the part of the work- i
ers to leave the country at the end |
of the working season.
A casual survey of wage condi- j
lions suggests numerous reasons j
why more money should he paid for!
the work that is being done. The i
■ hief reason, as it appears to The!
.News, is that 'he wage scale, too j
low at the very outset, has fallen !
far behind the soaring cost of living j
in Alaska—so far behind that the J
employes might easily demand a- CO |
percent increase and still be giving
the commission considerably the|
best of it.
Another reason for increasing the j
wage scale is that the railroad can -!
not be completed in anything like1
the time estimated by the commis
sion unless more money is paid fo •
the work done. Experience has
shown that the wages now paid will
not hold workers in the country,
and it is quite certain the present
pay will not lure workers from the'
States so long as conditions there
continue as attractive as they are
at present. i
There are other reasons why there
should he an advance in the wage
scale in this division—logical rea
sons which will stand the closest
scrutiny—and we have no doubt the .
Commercial club will be able to pre
sent them to the Alaskan Engineer
ing commission in a way that will
leave no room for argument. The
question is one that concerns both
the welfare of commission employes
and the success of the railroad j
itself, and as such it should have
the support of every community,
which hopes ultimately to be bene- i
fited by the completed project.
FUR FARMING.
Fur farms continue to be oper
ated in various parts ot' Alaska,
says Governor Riggs in his annual
report to the secretary of the in
terior. Much of this work is inci
dental to other business, but a
number of concerns appear to be
operating1 on .1 commercial basis.
Blue foxes and the various color
phases of the red fox are the spe
cies most extensively raised, though
in a few instances reports have been
received of experiments with musk
rats, marten, and mink. It has
been demonstrated that better suc
cess is attained with the red fox
in corrals, while the blue fox does
better when at large, particularly
on islands a sufficient distance from
other land to prevent escape of the
animals by swimming. The propaga
tion of foxes in captivity is des
tined to become one of the most
important factors in the fur indus
try.
GEOLOGISTS LEAVE SERVICE.
The fact that there have been 77
resignations from the scientific force
of the United States Geological Sur
vey, Department of the Interior,
during the last year—17 percent of
the force—suggests inadequacy of
compensation, and the percentage
of resignations in the clerical and
nun-scientific force was even larger.
This statement of course docs not
include separations to enter mili
tary service. The largest inroad
upon the Geological Survey efficien
cy comes from the oil companies;
the final result of the pioneer work
of the Federal geologists in apply
ing geologic methods to the search
for oil and gas is that a large pro
portion of the leading oil geologists
the world over are United Suites
Geological Survey graduates. In
leed, the future decline in populari
ty of the Geological Survey as a
recruiting station for oil-company
personnel will be due simply to the
fact that the experienced oil geolo
gists who remain in the Govern
ment service yiri- from personal pre
ference immune to outside offers.
The relation between Government
salaries and outside salaries of ge
•logists has been definitely deter
mined in a compilation of the rec
ords of 29 geologists who left Gov
ernment service after receiving an
average salary of $2,271. The av
erage initial salary of these men
in private employ was $5,121, and
after about two years of average
service this compensation average I
$7,804, and eight of these geolo
gists receive $10,000 or more. The
disparity is even greater if consider
ation is given to the large financial
returns from investments made by
the private geologists in connection
with their professional work, a privi
lege properly denied by statute to
the official geologist.
That the value of these men as
specialists and consulting geologists
is far greater to the country at
large than to private corporations ;s
undeftiahle. Furthermore, it is im
portant to note that most of these
geologists had persisted to the limit
of endurance with a magnificent
spirit based on their love of scien
tific research and their desire to
contribute to the sum of geologic
knowledge. Most of them have been
forced out of the service by sheer
financial necessity. Unless adequate
measures are taken to ameliorate
the situation, the geologic staff is
destined to suffer far greater de
terioration of morale and depletion
in its ablest, most responsible, most
Experienced, and most valuable
members. The Geological Survey ‘s
passing jnto a stage when, with
greater need than ever for sys
tematic geologic work in the coun
try, it is ceasing to be attractive to
the young men of greatest ability,
training, and promise. This situa
tion deserves prompt and effective
remedy, for it threatens most seri
ously to cripple this branch of the
public service. (Annual Report, Di
rector, United States Geological
Survey.)
LORO MRS GO
10 BE FORGOTTEN;
SECRETARY STAYS
LONDON.—Lord mayors of Lon
don come and go at the rate of one
a year, but the lord mayor’s private
secretary, Sir William Jameson
Soulsby, remains a fixture. He was
first appointed to that office in 1875,
and he has just been reappointed
for the forty-fifth time.
He is the one indispensable man
l on the lord mayor's staff. He knows
just how everything should be done '■
“according to precedent.” And to
follow that precedent in all things
without a hair breadth's deviation |
is the chief duty of the lord mayor, j
It is Soulsby who tells him how to ]
do it so as to avoid introducing an j
innovation which would be regard
ed as a blunder worse than a crime.
For, be it known, the code of eti
quette by which the official conduct
of the lord mayor is regulated is
more rigid than that which obtains
at Buckingham palace. Each suc
cessive lord mayor, after his in
auguration, puts himself unreserved- j
ly in Soulsby’s hands, and the sec
retary secs him through. He is the
power behind the throne, the man
who pulls the strings on ceremonial
occasions.
Foreign potentates who have been I
entertained by lord mayors from
time to time have recognized Souls
by’s capacity for running things j
smoothly. In consequence, besides j
being an English knight, he is a
knight of more foreign orders, it !s
said, than he can count on the
fingers of both hands.
The lord mayor that has to get
| along without him will have a try
! ing time of it. But it is reported
Ithat somebody is carefully under
j studying the secretary, so as to be
able to passably fill the gap that
must occur sometime, for Soulsby is
OK years old.
I
Legal Honesty.
I A New York lawyer tells of a
conversation that occurred in his
presence between a hank president
and his son, who was about to leave
for the West, there to engage in
business on his own account.
1 “Son,” said the father, “on this,
j the threshold of your business life,
, i desire to impress one thought
!upon your mind: Honesty, ever and
(always, is the policy that is best."
“Yes, father,” said the young
^ man.
J “And. by the way," added the
graybeard, “I would advise you to
read up a little on corporation law.
It will amaze you to discover how
many things you can do in a busi
ness way and still be honest.”—
J Harper’s Magazine.
1 ’ 1 ‘ ‘
General Got in Wrong.
When General O'Neill, of Allen
town, first went to Spartanburg,
S. C., his train was three hours
late. The negro escort appointed to
receive him at the station had been
dismissed. The general walked.
Presently he was accosted by a
sentry.
“Who is you?”
“General O’Neill."
“Well, you cut the buck and go
up there to headquarters to beat de
debbil and see my captain and ex
plain yosself. We’s been waitin’
(three hours fer you.”—Los Angeles
Times.
WANT ADS
i
I WANTED — Woman for laundry
work; one experienced at mangle
work preferred. Nenana Steam
Laundry.
|FOR RENT—Suite of three rooms,
suitable for light housekeeping,
with heat and light and hot and
cold water in connection. Also
office rooms, at The Arctic.
FOR SALE — Furnished two-room
cabin. Assessments all paid. Phone
Kellum’s. tf
FOR SALE—Two-room house, part
ly furnished, with lot. Desirable
locality. Inquire News office. tf
FOR RENT—Cascade laundry. Fully
equipped and with established in
come. No catsh required. Inquire
at Arctic.
WANTED—Position as cook, town
or camp, or hour work of any
kind in private homes, cooking,
housework, or taking care of chil
dren. Inquire at the Arctic.
LOST—Pair of glasses in black case.
Reward for return to News office.
AMERICAN SHIPS ARE
SEARCHED IN IRELAND
DUBLIN.—The Dublin papers re
port that the American ships Fon
tana and Franconia and other Am
erican .ships have been searched by
detectives. The quarters of the
crew were visited, and seamen ques
tioned with a view to ascertaining
whether they had any arms or am-!
munition. In no case were any
arms found.
RIO GRANDE
CHILLY CARS CAUSE
WALKOUT IN WALES i
MONMOUTHSHIRE, Wales.—Be- j
cause the train in which they were j
to travel to work on a bitterly cold j
morning: was not heated, 100 minors j
went on strike here and returned to i
their homes as a protest against the [
railway company.
• RIO GRANDE
TYPEWRITER PAPER IS
ON SALE BY THE NEWS
_
A shipment of typewriter paper,
of the standard American brand,
has just been unpacked at The News 1
office, where it is on sale by the j
box or in any other quantity desired.
The sizes include both legal and i
letter and the weights range from |
the lightest to heavy.
The paper was bought right and j
is being sold at a close margin of j
profit.
The News also has unprinted cn-.
velopes for sale by the box and by j
the package—all sizes, from baroni-j
al to legal, white and colored, and
bond and wove.
Dr, J. R. 80WEN
DENTIST
Price* Mo*t Reasonable
THE BOWEN BUILDING
FRESH STOCK
Groceries, Clothing and Footwear
SAVE TIME AND MONEY
All Necessities for Trail and Camp
GO TO
FOWLER & MORRIS
We Strive to Please *
EVERYTHING THE BEST
Tavern Cafe and Bakery
WM. RODICKEIT
Propria tor
A Thoroughly Modern Hotel
NENANA HOUSE
Just Come in and Sit Down and Look Out.
MRS. A. B. EASTERLY, PrtprietrcM.
FOR SALE.
I have for sale 160 acres dry
land, subject to irrigation, in the
Horse-Heaven country, in Eastern
Washington, for $1,250. The man
who can buy and hold on for a few
ytWi c«W make a large profit. For
full information see J. H. SCOTT.
Venana, When Kalin and Rivers Heat
NENANA LODGE No. 1193
L. 0. 0. M.
MEETS AT MOOSE HAU,
Fourth and B Streets
Second and Fourth Mondays
At 8:00 P. M.
ALEX FOWLER M. V. TYLER,
Secretary Dictator.
Department of (be interior
Alaskan Engineering Commission
NOTICE
Passengers are required to pur
chase tickets before entering trains
Tickets can be purchased frog)
the station agent, whose office is in
the employment office, on the ground
floor of the General Offiee Building.
Alaskan Engineering Commission, or
at Camp 415 (North Nenana).
Tickets will be on sale at any
time during offiee hours, ond can be
purchased in sufficient time before
the departure of the trains.
Regular trains fer the south leave
the foot of A street on Wednesdays
and Saturdays at 8 a. m., and from
Camp 415 (North Nenana), for
Fairbanks, Tuesdays and Fridays, at
1 p. m.
The following is the schedule be
tween North Nenana and Fairbanks,
subject to change without notice:
Leave Fairbanks at 7:00 a. m.;
arrive North Nonana, 11:30 a. m.
Leave North Nenana 1:00 p. m ;
[arrive Fairbanks, 5:30 p. m.
No tickets will be sold crossing
the river. Those intending to trav
el to Fairbanks must make their
j own arrangements for reaching
'North Nenana.
I
Trappers and Traders of Alaska
SELL YOUR FURS TO A HOME INDUSTRY. WE GUARANTEE
YOU HIGHER PRICES THAN OUTSIDE
CONCERNS WILL PAY.
During the last season we conducted an advertising campaign
throughout the North and are prepared to send you the names of
people in all sections of Alaska and the Yukon who will verify our
statements.
Our excellent Eastern connections, and the tremendous amount
of mail order business we are receiving from all parts of the
States for furs made to order enables us to turn our stock qnickly
at a reasonable profit, but we must have fur, for which we guar
antee top prices.
Make us a trial shipment. If our price does not suit you, the
goods will be returned charges prepaid.
WE MAKE FURS TO ORDER
at more reasonable rates than can be obtained Outside. At present
we are working three operators, and need others. If you are an
operator and finisher, and want a good year-around job, com
municate with us.
CHAS. GOLDSTEIN & CO.
JUNEAU, ALASKA