THE ALASKA FISHERMAN
Published the 15th of each month at Petersburg.
Alaska, by A. N. B. Publishing Co.
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Louis F. Paul - - - - Editor
C. O. Parks - Business Manager
Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office
at Petersburg, Alaska.
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE $2.00 FOR ONE YEAR
OUR PLATFORM
ALASKA FOR ALASKANS.
FULL TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT
COMPETENT CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP.
ABOLISHMENT OF ALL TRAPS.
GOOD AND BAD EMPLOYERS
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The Wrangell Packing Company of Wrangell.
Frank S. Barnes and William Hale, this summer
demonstrated that they could put up a good pack
of salmon without the use of seines. Their pack
v/as 83,000 cases. By agreement with Commission
er O’Malley, their four trap locations were closed
and they employed resident seiners. Highboas se
cured over 80.000 salmon, ranging down to 3^,000.
The average earnings in this cannery is higher
than in most of the other canneries.
Fidalgo Island, Pillar Bay employed only three
seine crews this summer. They earned nothin ’:
until the week before the season closed when Mr.
Carl Sutter, manager, sent his crews out to oper
ating traps and told them to load up. Their earn -
ings that week climbed up to $300 per man. Not
so much to brag about but considerably better
than the most of the other crews.
Port Althrop, in spite of its big pack of over
200.000 cases meant less to the people of Sitka
and Hoonah, than the little cannery at Wrangell.
Kake, Skinner-Eddy Corporation, used absolutely
no seines and very little resident labor to put up
their contract of 50,000 which they stretched to
110.000 cases.
Those politicians who expect to be elected in
the next campaign by gushing all over the foreign
corporations and forgetting the resident labor,
just better not run for there will be but one slo
gan: “ABOLISH THE FISH TRAPS.”
The other kind of employer is typified in the
other canneries which immediately put their men
on limits of ten and twelve thousand salmon per
week or pulled in their nets forthwith. With
plenty of to be obtained but no market,
the fishermen burned much gas trying to sell the
hsh they did get. Unable to do so, many of them
tied up in their home ports, totally at a loss as d
vhat to do to earn an honest dollar. The operat
ors hired the fishermen as a fine gesture and for
the record, but they will not show that they vir
tually starved cut their men. And the experience
leit many of the fishermen more bitter and dis
trustful of the sincerity of the packers,
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LET GEORGE DO IT
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For the past ten years, the Alaska Native Bro
therhood has fought a battle, with all the odds
against them, to secure legislation and regulation
of Alaska’s fisheries that would bie of general ben
efit to ALL Alaskans. That they have made any
pvogrcss is a wonder when one remembers that
besides fighting the racial prejudice stirred up by
politicians who seek any means to retain control
of Alaska’s affairs, they also fought the tin plate
industry, the allied canners, the railroad and oth
er transportation companies and the banking in
stitutions of America. And still, with nickels and
c.imes coming in from widows and orphans and
the small amounts others could spare, these ‘ig
norant, illiterate Indians” fought to secure a bet
ter economic condition for all Alaskans who would
benefit under more favorable fishery regulations.
They nought alone. They secured not the aid
nor assistance of the trollers, nor the halibutmen,
nor the gill netters, nor even from the white fisher
men But these all cheered on the unequal balt.e,
ready to accept any benefit from the effort, but
unwilling to give any assictance in the terrific
struggle.
This summer several white fishermen were
asked to secure photographs and other evidence
of violation of Section 5 of the Law of 1924, pre
sent it to the District Attorney and start legal
machinery to check up on the highhanded disre
gard of the law by trap owners. Not one would
do a single thing. They were afraid to start any
thing for fear of reprisals by the canners. But
they were willing that the Indians start some
thing. Said one, “The only thing is for about 100
boats to start out together and tear out the leads
of the traps right in the mid-season.” Said one
Indian in reply, “Will you start to gather the men
to do such a thing and will you assume respons
ibility for conspiring to do an unlawful act?” He
was not. That’s that.
Time to Change Policy
When the Indians must fight for better fish
ing conditions, receive no support from fishermen