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 and Manager
Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office
at Petersburg, Alaska.
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE $2.00 FOR ONE YEAR
OUR PLATFORM
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ALASKA FOR ALASKANS.
FULL TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT.
COMPETENT CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP.
ABOLISHMENT OF ALL TRAPS.
NO ONE TO BLAME BUT YOURSELF
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“What are we going to do?” “Where can we
get work?” “What will the winter bring forth?”
Long-faced, down-hearted, pessimistic business
men are asking these questions. And being dumpy
and grumpy about it is not bringing forth any
solution nor even adding to the spirit of the times.
There are two ways of meeting the situation:
Take your losses and take them quick. Get rid of
your old war-priced stuff for anything on the
dollar and replace it with the newer, low-priced
stuff. When you have an ulcer you do not squeeze
it day by day and keep it so that others can com
miserate with you—you get the doctor to use hi?]
knife to make the earliest possible removal of that
ulcer. Hardtimes is an ulcer upon the economic
situation and Mr. Business Man may remove a
great deal of pain by taking his loss and taking it
quick.
Gainfully Employ Labor
We are not cognizant with the labor situation
in the Interior or Westward Alaska. The problems
are perhaps very different even as the industrial
resources are different. But the world over the fact
remains, idle labor is unproductive labor and it
soon becomes a drag upon the producers. A great
proportion of the territory are not producers—a
vast hoard of federal officials, a second army of
territorial officials, an army of dealers in what
nots who depend upon labor for their markets.
Labor unemployed demands credits and business
asking wholesaler for credit; the whole structure
built up credit so that the House of Credit is
toppling over and will take all with it.
The first solution to the depression problem in
Alaska is to employ labor. Wipe every fish-trap
out of the territory. Place at work in its place 30,..
000 fishermen. Employment of 30,000 fishermen
■yrtll bring many families into the country. To se
cure the pack of the salmon caught there will be
sufficient labor in the country to put up that pack.
Tiie men, women and children will have earned a
living—they will spend that living with resident
business men. The productive laborer makes cer
tain the market for all commodities and the re
gular turnover makes possible a greater percentum
to the businessman on his investment.
The political organizations of the territory
have listened to the siren songs of Henry O’Malley,
cr his political shysters and heels in the territory
and the economic situation, which should be only
normal is becoming subnormal and by next win
ter beyond redemption. Business men have kept
silence because of political pressure, because of
economic pressure and in the hopes that their
silence will bring to them a large trade from the
various cannery corporations. Instead these same
corporations bring supplies and start stores in
competition with preferential freight rates, and
still the dumb, sychophant, sucks his thumbs
expecting cake from those who even begrudge
crumbs from the tables at which they dine.
The men who have had the courage of their
convictions in Alaska are few. Is it because the
Alaska business men, the Chambers of Commerce
are arrant cowards or just “illiterate ignorant”
fools. It must be one or the other—there can be no
ether excuse for their silence. The Colonials re
volted because of less wrongs under the rule of
King George. From the history of the past twelve
years of the administration of the fisheries of
Alaska we will assert Without equivocation that
the business men, Chambers of Commeice, Rotar
ians, Lions and every other organization, religious
or political, will bow their heads in continued ser
vile submission to the system which is prostituting
the resources of Alaska.—All organizations but the
Alaska Native Brotherhood and being but a
‘ bunch of ignorant, illiterate Indians” they ob
ject to having the collar of slavery yoked about
their neck. They have not yet become civilized
enough to enjoy being yokels.
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DO YOUR OWN FIGURING
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We write this to the business men of Alaska.
Editors will please copy—we do not expect that
any of them will follow this line of reasoning for
its truth is too evident.
The Territory puts up a pack of 5,000,000 cases
of salmon and employs 3,000 fishermen. Canada
putting up a pack of 1,500,000 cases employs 9,000
fishermen. Using the Canadian figures of employ
ment, Alaska should be using 27,000 fishermen.
Twenty-seven thousand fishermen is a far
greater number than Alaska can furnish, we ace