Letters Explain Clearly Purpose of Trap Leasehold Bill
From ALASKA FISHERMAN for May, 1929
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“Independent trapmen are dis
appearing just as William L.
Paul predicted in the legislature
for 1927, and the control of all
traps is passing to about five
companies. This result is in
evitable.
“As a result of this tendency
(so long as the trap remains a
legal institution) it would seem
best for the public interest that
fish traps be licensed from year
i o year and that owners be com
pelled to pay the government
for the privilege—A PRIVILEGE
GIVEN THEM TODAY. SUCH A
LICENSE SHOULD, HOWEVER,
RESERVE IN UNMISTAKABLE
TERMS THE FULL RIGHT OF
THE GOVERNMENT TO REGU
LATE, RESTRICT, OR TO PRO
HIBIT” the use of traps for fish
ing salmon, and also the right
of the Territory to tax the fish
or fish caught therein should
remain in full force in effect.
It should also be provided that
whenever the control of the fish
eries shall be turned over to the
Territory, that the Territory
should succeed to all the powers
that are now exercised by the
United States.—Editor Alaska
Fisherman in May 1929 issue, in
troducing a letter relative to the
trap leasehold bill by the Hon.
James Wickersham.
The letter follows:
Juneau, /uasK.a
January 14, 1929
“Herewith I enclose for your
information, a copy of a letter
which I sent to Hon. Dan Suth
erland, Delegate to Congress
from Alaska, on November 27,
1928, in relation to the bill about
trapsite locations in Alaska.
“Please note that I urged this
identical plan upon the Commit
tee of the House of Representa
tives and the House itself, at the
timw fiie cannery interests were
pushing the Alexander Bill in
1916, but that I could not get it
adopted at that time. Your at
tention is called to this for I
want you to see that it was not
the cannerymen’s idea but mine.
I send you a copy of the Con
gressional Record for December
13, 1916 and call your attention
to pages 289 and 321, where
there is contained the record of
the struggle that day to pass the
Alexander Bill over my opposi
tion. Your special attention is
directed to page 304 , where I
presented this identical matter
to the House of Representatives
that I have now put in the bill
which I want Mr. Sutherland to
present again to Congress. The
Cannery-Trapmen have now
concluded that it is better for
them to have what I wanted
them to accept in 1916 than
nothing, hence their aid now.
I send this letter and copy of
Congressional Record to you for
your information, so that you
may understand the bill is not
a cannery bill, but is one I pre
sented in 1916, and which met
with opposition from the can
ners, and for the further reason
that after you have carefully
examined it you will feel encour
aged to assist me in presenting
it with approval to the Delegate.
Very truly yours,
(Signed) James Wickersham.
Juneau, Alaska
November 27, 1928
Hen. Dan Sutherland.
Room 167 House Office Building,
Washington D. C.
My dear Sir:
While in recent attendance
upon the November term of court
at Ketchikan, whence I have
just returned, I was given the
particulars of the charges made
against our mutual friend Wil
liam L. Paul, candidate for the
Territorial Legislature, in re
lation to his support of the bill
which I drew up last summer
providing for leasing salmon
trapsites on tide lands in Alaska
to trap owners through the Unit
ed States Bureau of Fisheries.
Purpose of the Alexander Bill
of 1916
I am satisfied that if Paul had
known the history of the bill in
question and had made it public,
he would have kept the confi
dence of the fishermen voters,
notwithstanding the unfair ac
cusations of his and other op
ponents. I think the bill gives
peace between trap men in Alas
ka, prevents the “jumping” of
trapsites, compels trap owners to
pay license fees therefor based
on the amount of their catches,
and thereby tends to conserva
tion of salmon and the better
support of the fisheries and the
public treasury.
The Alexander Bill was a plan
to give congressional perpetual
leasehold title to trap sites in
Alaska. Section six of the bill
found in the proceedings of the
House of Representatives of Dec.
13, 1916, provided:
Sec. 6 FIXED NET LOCA
TIONS: That any person oc
cupying, or desiring to occupy,
any location where it may be
lawful to construct a pound
net (trap) in the waters of
Alaska, shall have such loca
tion to be accurately surveyed
by a competent surveyor, UN
LESS A SURVEY THEREOF
HAS ALREADY BEEN MADE,
IN WHICH EVENT SUCH EX
ISTING SURVEY MAY BE
USED, and shall cause three
maps to be made of such loca
tion from actual survey there
of. * * * From and after the
date of filing in the office of