ANYBODY WANT A WALRUS HEAD TROPHY?
The time has come, the walrus said,
To speak of things precise;
O/ blubber, hides and ivory tusks.
And how to keep on ice.
—Anon.
By CORDON BROWN
WASHINGTON, UB—Anybody
want a lugubrious looking walrus
head for the trophy room?
Well, it’s possible to get them
now—provided you’re physically
and financially hard enough to
stand a hunting trip to the arctic
regions of Alaska.
It comes about thru the new
law passed, by Congress to give
the Eskimo economy a shot in the
arm.
Bring Eskimos $24,000
Chief aim of the new law is to
permit Eskimos to export the
hides of the walruses they kill for
food. It is estimated such exports
may bring the Eskimos an addi
tional $24,000 a year—a small
sum down here perhaps, but a lot
of blubber up around the 70th
parallel.
One section of the new law per
mits a non-native to go to Alaska,
hire an Eskimo guide, and kill
one tl) bull walrus per year. The
non-native, however, must give
the meat of his kill to the Eski
mos. This would leave him the
head, complete with tusks, and
the hide.
Few Hunters Expected
The Interior Department, which
is to draw up the regulations un
der the new law, isn’t looking for
'many hunters to make a safari to
Alaska just to hunt a walrus.
“In the first place,” said a de
partment spokesman, “it would
be a rather expensive and uncom
fortable trip. In the second, it
would be about like killing a cow.
And in the third place, who’d
want a twalrus head looking at
him from across the room?”
Who, indeed? *
As background, it might be not
ed that Congress enacted a law
nearly 20 years ago to protect the
walrus, then and now a chief
source of food for the Eskimo.
Under Old Law
This law forbade killing of wal
ruses by Eskimos except to meet
food and clothing needs. No one
else could kill a walrus except a
miner or explorer who needed
food.
In no case could the ivory tusks
or the hides be exported unless
processed in Alaska. This was to
discourage Eskimos from killing
more walruses than they coud use.
The Eskimos have been able to
make jewelry and ivory trinkets
from the tusks but they’ve had
little use for the hides of the ma
ture animals killed. The skins of
the young animals are used for
clothing, lining huts, and for dog
harness. But the larger hides,
weighing up to 300 pounds, have
been wasted.
1,300 Walrus Killed Yearly
Interior Department experts es
timate that Eskimos killed about
1,300 walruses yearly, of which
200 are mature animals. Thus,
about 200 hides go to waste. With
hides worth 40 cents a pound, that
figures to some $24,000.
Walrus hides, in case you don’t
know, are used primarily for
buffing wheels to polish silver.
An importer at Portland. Ore.,
has already agreed to take the
walrus hide output from Alaska.
Little Means a Lot
The Interior Department, which
approved the new law, says the
average case income of an Eskimo
is about $150 yearly. So the cash
for the hides will mean a substan
tial hike for the natives. •
Experience has shown, the de
partment said, that even a small
increase in cash income results in
a marked improvement in living
standards.
The old .ban on exporting un
processed hides and tusks was
made obsolete by changing condi
tions, department experts say. Es
kimos now are less dependent on
the walrus. Many of them work
in settlements and can buy other
food.
Papa Won't Be Missed
Department experts say the
walrus population has remained
about constant in recent years
and, since they do not expect any
material increase in the number
killed under the new law, it
should remain about constant.
In fact, they say, the new law
may increase the herds, since it
will be more profitable for them
to kill the mature male walruses
and retain the younger ones.
Papa walrus won’t be particu
larly missed because walruses, it
seems, are polygamous. Only a
few males are essential for the
propagation of the species.
WINTER SCHEDULE
D C - 3 Service
Fairbanks times are Alaska Standard—Others Bering Standard
MONDAY. WEDNESDAY,
THURSDAY and FRIDAY
FAIRBANKS - KOTZEBUE - NOME - FAIRBANKS
With Stops at TANANA, HUGHES and GAI.ENA
When Traffic Warrants
Leave Fairbanks 7:00 a.m. Arrive Nome 10:45 a.m.
Leave Nome 11:45 a.m. Arrive Fairbanks 3:30 p.m.
Except the return on Thursday will be routed to Kotxebue
and shuttle to Lisbourne. Arrive Fairbanks 9:10 p.m.
TUESDAY and SATURDAY
FAIRBANKS - NOME - KOTZEBUE - FAIRBANKS
Leave Fairbanks 7:00 a.m. Arrive Nome 8:50 a.m.
Leave Nome 9:50 a.m. Arrive Fairbanks 3:35 a.m.
THURSDAY SPECIAL DC-4 Service
Leave Fairbanks 10:00 a.m. Arrive Nome 11:50 a.m.
Leave Nome 1:20 p.m. Arrive Fairbanks 5:10 p.m.
BUSH FLIGHTS TUESDAY & SATURDAY
NOME - RAINBOW - UTICA - DEERING
CANDLE -KOTZEBUE
Arrive Nome 11:30 p.m. Leave Nome 12:25 p.m.
Phone Main 46 J. R- (Dick) Miller. Station Manager
Announcing . . .
Our First Shipment of
DEAUVILLE SWEATERS
All Wool — Many wonderful Shades
both Pastel and Winter
Several styles including the new Mock Turtleneck
— A L S O —
A Beautiful Selection of
Tailored and Dressy Blouses
FOR ALL OCCASIONS
ASK ABOUT OUR NEW
Lay-Away-for-Christmas Plan
«
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