Leader
FIFTH YEAR
CHITINA, ALASKA, TUESDAY, JULY 13, 1915.
NUMBER 38.
MEN QUIT JOBS
j *ff TOE RIB
Arrivals on the train yesterday
brought down the news that the fish
ermen at the Copper River Packing
^o„ at Abercrombie had gone on a
strike. The difficulty is over the
amount paid by the company for the
fish. There are three classes of fish
ermen employed. The contract men,
who were brought from Seattle get
paid l%c per fish, but they are guar
anteed gross earnings of $400. Other
fishermen, whose gear is furnished by
the company receive 2 cents per fish,
while the third class, who furnish
their own gear get 2Vi cents per fish.
There has been about 36 men in all
employed at the cannery, and they
conferred and agreed to ask Mr. Han
ley, the superintendent for a wage
scale of 4c a fish, and an allowance
of $15.00 per month on their board.
The men have been having their board
deducted from their earnings. When
the demands of the men were pre
sented to Mr. Hanley, he said that
he considered them excessive, but
that if they would make a reasonable
demand he would meet it. According
to the story told by one of the fisher
men, Mr. Hanley would not state what
he considered reasonable, so the men
decided to stick to their original de
mands.
The last fishing done in the river
was at the close of Thursday’s work.
At that time all the nets were taken
■from the river, and no fish have been
caught since. The men claim that the
fish have been running so poorly that
they have been unable to make wages
tor the last three weeks. It is said
that the superintendent has tele
graphed to Seattle for more men.
\ _...
DANIELS WANTS
THIRTY NEW
WASHINGTON, D. C., July 10.—
Secretary of the Navy Josephus Dan
iels, today announced that when Con
gress would meet next fall, he in
tended to recommend to that body, an
appropriation for the purpose of
largely increasing the navy’s supply of
submarines. Both large and small
submarines will be constructed, and it
Is expected that Congress will auth
orize the construction of at least 30
of the under water craft. A new style
of battery for furnishing the motive
power, which will greatly increase the
operating radius of the boats, without
Increasing the cost of operation, has
been designed and perfected by the
experts among the naval engineers.
-:o:
IP*
IS AGAIN ON
SEWARD, July 9—Mount Katmal
on the rampage once more. Huge
quantities of volcanic ashes are belch
ing foqth from the crater of the vol
cano, and are obstructing the passage
of Shelikoff Straits. The Santa Ana,
which left here shortly, bound for
XJnalaska and way ports, is anchored
off the north coast of Kodiak Island,
as the passage through the straits is
unsafe.
fV
MUCH ACTIVITY!
MANIFEST AT!
The following item taken from the
Cook Inlet Pioneer, tells of the latest
plans for work at the railroad city to
the westward.
The following improvements are in
contemplation by the Engineering
Commission at Anchorage:
The present track from the dock to
the office building is only temporary
and will be replaced by a straight
track as soon as the other improve
ments contemplated have reached the
proper stage. There will be a track
built from the main track to a point
a little east of the Crist House at
which place an engine house will be
built.
Machine and repair shops will be
installed in the same vicinity as soon
as the equipment arrives from Panama
which will be within 60 days. A ma
teriol storehouse will also be built
near the same point.
Freight yards with eight side tracks
will be built north of the present main
line, and a “Y” constructed north of
the middle of the railroad yards.
The corral and stable will be moved
from their present location to a point
a little east of where the Pioneer
Lodging House now is. A frame com
missary building will be erected near
the site of the present blacksmith
shop, which commissary will be for
use of the local camp, while the big
warehouse on the dock will be the
wholesale distributing commissary for
all commissaries at the different
camps.
About 6000 tons of steel rails will
arrive during the summer, for the
storage of which additional tracks and
sidings will be installed, as the rails
will be stored on the sidings, sorted
in different lengths, ready for ship
ment along the line. A patent rail
bender will arrive to curve the rails
as required. A great amount of room
is required for the storing of this class
of material so as to handle same
quickly and at the least possible cost.
The present dock is only temporary
and will be replaced by the perma
nent coal dock. It will be recall®'"
that at the time the railroad route
was announced by Secretary Lane, the
statement was made that Ship Creek
would be made the shipping point for
Matanuska coal. The plans for creat
ing the terminal for the handling of
coal are under way, but of course will
not be completed until next year.
Harbor Improvement
In connection with the permanent
coal dock terminal, the Commission is
now engaged in driving piling off the
mouth of Ship Creek to form staging
for drilling machines to determine
the character of the material which
will have to be dredged for the Im
provements contemplated. This is a
preliminary investigation to deter
mine the character of the material
which will have to be dredged for the
improvements contemplated. This is
a preliminary investigation to deter
mine the cost and feasibility of con
structing a 30-foot deep basin which
will be 100 feet wide at the bottom
and 300 feet wide at the top and will
run 1,000 feet up the creek from the
present dock to the office building and
will also extend about 2,500 feet from
the present dock out to deep water.
When these plans are carried out
Anchorage will have facilities which
will enable government and other
to ship large amounts of coal and
other products at a minimum coast.
The railroad grading will be com
pleted from Anchorage to Matanuska
by November 1st and track laid by
January 1st. The steel and proper
equipment to finish the line for that
distance will arrive here by October
1st.
At present there are 1014 men em
ployed out of Anchorage on railroad
construction, including men clearing
townsite, but excluding locating engi
neers and their parties. The number
will be Increased to 1,600 as soon as
additional material and equipment
come, which win be within SO day*.
PETROGRAD, July 10.—The Rus
sian Medical Council has informed the
Holy Synod that there is no objection
to lepers marrying lepers, although
the union of a leper to a healthy mate
should not be allowed. This is the
council's answer to the question
raised by the Russian church.
The influence of the parents on
their offspring in the spread of the dis
ease is considered weak, since the
percentage of infant leprosy is very
small, only about 5 per cent. Fertility
also decreases among lepers as the
disease advances. Leprosy is not be
lieved to be a hereditary disease, but
one due to contact. For a leprous
mother to part with her infant is
painful, although necessary if the
child is to be saved. But marriage
brings at least some happiness into
the tragedy of disease-stricken lives.
MU LOSES
EL PASO, July 3.—Jose Alesio
Robles, a former general of the Mexi
can army under Presidents Diaz and
Huerta, arrived here today, and was
immediately arrested, charged with
violation of the neutrality laws. He
was given a preliminary hearing be
fore the United States Commissioner
and held in $5,000 bail. On being
unable to furnish a satisfactory bail
bond, he was committed to jail.
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SEATTLE, July 9.—Colonel Alden
J. Blethen editor and owner of the
Times is fast passing away. His
physicians report today that he is con
siderably weaker, but that he is rest
ing quietly under the influence of
sedatives. He is now unable to recog
nize any of his family or friends, and
it is felt that the grim reaper will call
him home, before another sun sets.
•' * •
—■ ■ ■ :o:^ -
VILLA'S ARMY IS
is licked by
WASHINGTON, D. C., July 9.—It
is officially announced here that
Villa’s army has been defeated by
Carranza’s troops in a battle ten miles
south of Aguas Callentes. Villa is
retreating northward in good order,
having managed to save his guns and
supply trains.
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GIFTS OF TRINITY
NEW YIRK, July 10.—An effort will
be made to restore Trinity church to
its old-time character and antique ap
pearance by gifts from the sons of
William B, Astor In honor of his
father.
HELP GIVEN TO
BRITISH BY
MELBOURNE, Australia, July 10.—
Australia has set a number of records
for distance including the despatch of
troops thousands of miles to the fir
ing line and the extraordinary ex
ploits of the submarine AE-2 in cov
ering 30,000 miles before her loss at
the Dardanelles. Hundreds of wounded
Australians are also to be brought
back to the Commonwealth from the
hospitals at Alexandria as soon as the
heat of the Red Sea has lessened. The
influx will begin about next October
or November, but already steps are
being taken to cope with the situation.
The Red Cross will bear the brunt of
the burden and arrangements for
money, supplies, hospital room and
other necessities are being made.
Many offers of private homes are
forthcoming although it will be sev
eral months before the wounded men
arrive.
ORGANIZATION OF
KENNECOTT MINE
NEW YORK, July 1.—The newly
organized Kennecott Copper Corpora
tion owning the famous Bonanza cop
per property in Alaska, for some time
past has been earning at the rate of
more than $500,000) per month, or
$6,000,000 per year. It is now pro
ducing at the rate of 60,000,000 pounds
of copper a year.
On the earnings, which have been
at the rate of nearly $5.50 per share
on 1,120,000 shares, including the
400,000,000 shares in the treasury for
conversion of $10,000,000 of bonds re
cently sold it is fair to assume that
the initial dividend payment on the
stock is not far off.
The Kennecott Copper Corporation
has been organized with the election
of the following officers and directors:
President, Stephen Birch; vice-presi
dent, W. P. Hamilton; secretary, C. T.
Ulrich, and treasurer, E. S. Pegram.
The directors: Stephen Birch, W.
P. Hamilton and Elliott Bacon, of J.
P. Morgan & Company; John N.
Steele, Silas W. Eccles, Samuel
Clarke, Simon Guggenheim and Sew
ard Prosser, president of the Bank
ers’ Trust Company.
There is no par value to the Kenne
cott Copper Corporation stock but
large sales have recently been made
in the outside market around $25 a
share.—Wall Street Journal.
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BERNE, Switzerland, July 10.—An
amendment to the Swiss Federal Con
stitution, providing for the levying of
a special war tax to meet the expenses
incident to mobilization of the army
for the maintenance of Swiss neutral
ity, which was submitted to a refer
endum vote of the entire people has
been accepted by an overwhelming
majority, the vote being 436,500 to
26,500.
The new taxes are both on property
and income. Persons possessing less
than $2,000 worth of property or earn
ing less than $500 a year are exempt.
The rate of tax is progressive, rang
ing from $1 to $15 per thousand on
property and from $5 to $100 per
thousand on income.
Stock companies will be taxed at a
rate rising from $2 to $10 per thou
sand dollars of capital. The rate will
vary according to the rate of dividend
paid.
The campaign on behalf of the war
tax amendment to the constitution
had the support of all the political
parties. The tax is expected to yield
about $10,000,000. The remainder of
the Swiss Indebtedness on account of
the war will have to be funded
through the Issue of bonds. The
present cost of the war to Switzerland
is estimated at nearly $5,000,000 a
** I :^ni
SOLDIERS DON'T
LIKE FARM
PARIS, July 10— Service at the
front seems to Indispose men for
work in the fields. The military au
thorities gave a great many leaves to
reservists to permit them to do the
work of seeding; they were obliged
later to ask the local authorities to
send back to the front all men who
neglected the work for which they
were sent home.
An employment bureau organized to
recruit farm help to replace the men
at the front succeeded in placing only
3,600 refugees from Belgium and
Northern France. Spaniards, Kagyles
from Algeria and Moors were tried un
successfully, yet, thanks to the
women, the total wheat acreage is
11,446,256 acres against last year’s
12,986,660, of which 696,204 acres
were in invaded territory.
Reports from the eleven regions
into which France is divided for pur
poses of statistics give the wheat crop
prospect as averaging 72 which is
considered quite satisfactory.
This average is about the same as
that of last year. Eight departments
show up better than last year and
eight not so well.
The departments that were invaded
and are still partially occupied show
the astonishingly high percentage of
76.
The cash wheat market in France
is paralyzed by the government’s re
quirement that no wheat may be
shipped from one department into
another unless there is shipped back
in return an equivalent quantity of
flour.
Barley, oats and nearly all other
crops promise as well as wheat.
STATISTICS ON
WEALTH IN
LONDON, July 10.—An analysis of
government statistics made by the
I
Fabian Society shows that in the
United Kingdom there are 1,500,000
persons whose Incomes exceed $3,500
a year, 4,500,000 with incomes be
tween $800 and $3,500 and 39,220,000
who receive less than $800 annually.
It is calculated that the average wage
of the adult laboring man equals
$6.50 a week and of the adult woman
worker but $2.75 weekly. Since 1895,
the purchasing power of a pound has
declined to little more than half; that
is five dollars now goes no further
than $2.95 did in Great Britain in
1895. | "*
Out of a national annual income of
eleven billion dollars, something over
a billion and a half are absorbed in
rent, two billion and a half go for in
terest and $2,750,000,000 for profits
and salaries.
Peace has its tolls no less than war,
for in 1913 there were 4,863 persons
killed and 222,061 injured in industrial
accidents with 625 cases of poison and
anthrax in factories, resulting in 34
deaths.
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SEATTLE, July 7.—Colonel Blethen
is sinking rapidly and his death is
hourly expected. The family of the
dying man have gathered at his bed
side, and the physicians are in con
stant attendance. He is putting up a
game fight for life.
-:o:——
It is expected that Governor J. F. A.
Strong will be on the Victoria when
it arrives here rfom Nome about
July li.
SUPREME COURT
CLEANS UP
*
WASHINGTON, July 10.—Adjourn
ment of the Supreme Court for the
summer months marks the completion
of 25 years operation of the present
judicial system, instituted by the
Evarts law of 1890. This law created
the nine circuit courts of appeals,
which virtually became a sort of sub
supreme courts to relieve the highest
tribunal of the great pressure of cases
which were congesting its docket and
contributing to the law's delays.
At the opening of the new system
the Supreme Court was three years
behind in its work, and much more
time elapsed before cases were de
cided. Three years passed between
the time a case was docketed there
and the time its was presented, com
pelte, to the justices for decision.
Today, the Supreme Court is only
one year behind on its work. During
the 25 years, 10,766 cases have been
filed there—an average of 430 a year,
more than one for every day. During
that time the court has disposed of
11,419 which included 1,200 waiting
when the new system went into effect.
But for the latter the court now would
be abreast of its work.
During the court year just ended,
528 cases were filed and 539 were
disposed of and the docket now con
tains 535, the smallest number dur
ing the last six years. Only three
years in the court’s history saw more
cases disposed of. They were 1890,
1912 and 1913.
I
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ALASKA MAY HAVE
POSTAL SAVNCS BANKS
Postal savings banks are coming to
Alaska, it is indicated.
It will be remembered that the Tan
ner memorial to Congress, passed at
the last legislative session, urged that
the banks be established] Today a
letter was received from the Third
Assistant Postmaster General, under
date of Junt 23. It was addressed to
Governor Strong, and reads as fol
lows:
“Consideration Is now being gtven
to the extension of the facilities of th#
Postal Savings System to the princi
pal post offices in the Territory of
Alaska and in connection with the
proposed action it is important that
arrangements be made for the proper
disposition of all postal savings de
posits.
“The Federal Postal Savings Act
provides that the funds received at
each post office shall be preferably
deposited in local banks which may
qualify to receive them, it being
stipulated that only banks ‘organized
under national or state laws’ and ‘sub
ject to national or state supervision
and examination’ shall be eligible to
qualify as such depositories. There
is a prohibition in the Federal Re
serve Act against the deposit of postal
savings funds in banks not belonging
to the Federal Reserve System but
this is not applicable to Alaska and
in view of the recent enactment by
your legislature of a comprehensive
banking law providing for supervision
and examination of territorial banks,
apparently, in addition to the two
national banks in Alaska, all solvent
incorporated banks organized under
the laws of Alaska will be eligible to
qualify as depositories for postal sav
ings funds if they desire to do so.
Private banks are held not to be or
ganized within the meaning of the
law and are therefore ineligible to re
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The Supreme Court of the United
States has rendered a decision up
holding the constitutionality of the
Ohio law regulating the working hours
of women.