This Actually
Happened!
-o
On August 20th last, < Monday
morning) several seine boats were
looking for salmon in Klawock In
let west Prince of Wales Island.
Among these were Maxfield Dal
ton, Benson Skulka and Tom Hob
son. It being before six o’clock,
they waited.
At very nearly the hour of six
when it would be lawful to fish
for commercial purposes, Dalton
approached James Ross, the stream
watchman for the Bureau of Fish
eries. He asked Ross ‘ What time is
it by your clock?” Ross refused
to answer but continued cruising
around. Dalton asked again,
■‘What time is it? Is it six o’clock
yet?”
Ross told him to go to H—1, “I
rm not supposed to give you the
time. Use your own time.”
Immediately thereafter, the clock
of Dalton’s boat showing twenty
minutes past six, he made a set.
Ross then moved over by Hob
son who also asked him the time.
Ross again cursed him and told
him to “fish by your own time.”
Immediately thereafter Hobson
r-rde his set.
Benson Skulka saw Hobson talk
ing with Ross and then making a
set so he felt sure that his clock
(showing a time after six) was cor
rect. Ross immediately took down
Hkulka’s name.
A member of the crew, Cummins,
got into a boat and rowed over to
Ross and asked him why he had
taken their names. Ross cursed
him. But Cummins persisted, and
finally Ross said that they had
fished before six. Cummins then
said, “While the matter is fresh,
come to our boat and compare
your watch with our clock and see
if we are off for our clock shows
after six.” But Ross again cussed
Cummins for his pains.
On September 2nd, the fishing
boats of these men were seized
for unlawful fishing. And then
the United States District Attor
ney made a “sporting proposition.”
He said, “If you will plead guilty
and take a $400 fine plus costs
and release the fish money I will
agree to release your boats and
gear, but otherwise, we will hold
the boats for action in the District
Court.”
The joke of the “sporting propo
sition” (outside of the fact that
the men took particular pains to
obey the law by asking the watch
man what time it was) is that we
had no district judge in this divis
ion and even tho the men were
innocent, the government would
deprive them of the use of their
boats-until long after the fishing
season was over.
Even if the court decided that
they were innocent, they would
have been punished by BEING
DEPRIVED OF THEIR RIGHT TO
EARN A LIVING IN ALASKA.
The men paid the fine under
protest, and altho they are asking
the district court to review their
•'use, their chances are slim be
cause THE GOVERNMENT WILL
NO DOUBT RESIST.
The form of the law must be
upheld tho the children of inno
cent men starve.
THE BUREAU
Ross refused to give the men
the time.
Warden N. O. Hardy said that
Ross did right in refusing.
ASSISTANT FIELD AGENT Den
nis Winn, a high official of the
BUREAU OF FISHERIES, said that
Ross did right in refusing ,to give
these inquiring fishermen the time.
The men paid the fine.
The BUREAU OF FISHERIES
made a record.
The District Attorney took his
pound of flesh.
The’men’s children will go hun
gry—what of that, hasn’t the LAW
been vindicated?
A PERSONAL NOTE
-O
I have been criticized many times
for my “unfair” attitude to can
nery men, these critics forgetting
that the cause exists.
For example, when the Verbus
Unitas was about to be seized for
illegal fishing, Lindenberger of the
&ea Coast Packing Company, told
the men “Hurry up and get your
fish off before the government
seizes your boat.” This was done.
Then the government proposed
to release the boat and net if the
captain would plead guilty and
take a $400 fine. You can see that
this was all to the good for Lin
denberger who owned the gear.
The captain said he was innocent,
but the canneryman said. “Don’t
be foolish. I’m your friend. I
give you the groceries. You plead
guilty and I won’t forget you.”
The men moved off the boat of
course. The men were broke and
seme of them in a strange town.
They asked Lindenberger for $5.00
to get something to eat. Linden
berger said, “I won’t give you a
cent.”
The men found an empty and
dirty shack and there they slept
on the ground and begged meals
at the restaurant until permitted
to go by the “kind” hearted Bureau
of Fisheries.
It only takes a few Lindenbergers
to create public sentiment.
WILLIAM L. PAUL
Borrowed Finery
Disapproving Father: “I shudder
to think, Jean, what mother would
say if she saw you in that frock.”
Daughter: “Yes, so do I, dad
dy. It’s her frock.”
Child’s Play
-o
Karl (to sister who is eating a
cake): “Let’s play at ‘Zoo.’ I will
be the elephant.”
Sister: “What can I be?”
Karl: “The dear old lady who
feeds him with cakes.”