of depleting our streams, but may
be you won’t read it.
Respectfully,
GEO. HALDANE.
Petersburg, Alaska,
April 19, 1924.
Hon. Edwin F. Ladd,
United States Senate,
Washington, D. C.
Dear Sir.
Human rights versus property
rights. The crying need of eight
thousand worthy Indian citizens ver
sus the demands of the monied in
terests. That is the situation which
now confronts the Senate Commerce
Committee in their consideration of
the White Fish Bill.
We have a copy of a telegram sent
by Attorney R. Robertson to all the
Commercial Clubs of the Territory
urging that they oppose in toto the
White Bill.
It is alleged in this telegram that
the passage of this bill with its
amendments will entail the total de
struction of the fishing industry and
thereby destroy the whole fabric of
the economic structure of the Terri
tory.
From our certain knowledge thru
many years of experience as fish
ermen we know that it is only a
matter of a few years when the
whole economic structure will be de
stroyed through the depletion of our
fisheries, anyhow, unless a conser
vation measure is passed very soon.
During the year 1921, the traps
caught 34,000,000 salmon as against
14,000,000 caught by seines. If the
productive efficiency of the all too
scientific trap were cut down fifty
percent you can see from the figures
how large an escapement of salmon
will be permitted for the purpose of
conservation. The deduction of such
escapement will not hurt the indus
try. But the curtailing of the op
eration of the purse seines will take
fiom the fishermen and Indians of
the Territory the only means of se
curing a livelihood.
The few years of curtailed pro
duction during the era now known
as “depletion” the Indians of this
territory have been the greatest suf
ferers. We have seen children going
without underwear during the cold
winter months; we have seen them
without sufficient food to withstand
the ravages of colds causing tuber
culosis to take a death grip on loved
wives and children and fathers. We
have seen whole families going with
out flour and sugar and milk because
they were unable to earn enough to
sustain them during those cold winter
months when there is no demand for
labor.
Having faced these conditions be
fore and realizing that with the
passage of the White Bill with all of
its amendments, we will have to face
just such hardship and privation
again, we urge that you give our
needs your serious consideration and
then use your influence to have
stricken from this bill the prohibi
tion against the use of the purse
seines.
We are not asking that the whole
bill be rejected. We ask that the
prohibition against the traps be re
tained in the interest of conservation.
We urge this as we know from cer
tain knowledge through experience
of many years as fisherman that
sufficient escapement of salmon will
be permitted to insure increase of
salmon in all streams.
We urge that you conserve this
great industry through passage of
the White bill. We urge that you
conserve the industry and economic
interests of the Territory by the re
tention of prohibitions against the
traps. In the name of eight thous
and Indian citizens of the Terri
tory, who responded to the call of
the country during the great war as
nobly as any other people, we urge
that you give their needs your seri
ous consideration and use your in
fluence to have stricken from the
bill the prohibitions against the
purse seine. Otherwise the progress
and assimilation of these worthy
citizens will have been destroyed and
set back and their usefulness as an
economic asset to the territory be
taken from the Territory.
Very respectfully,
LOUIS F. PAUL,
Secretary Grand Camp.
Sen. Wesley L. Jones,
Washington, D. C.
Dear Sir:
In the mass meeting which was
held on the 22nd of April, the re
port of the White Fishery Bill pass
ed the House carrying provision tak
ing both traps and purse seines out
of bays and estuaries were read.
The fishermen unanimously agreed
the purse seines be stricken from
amendment.
The following are the reasons why:
1. The BIG difference between
trap and purse seines fishing.
2. Southeastern Alaska are most
ly of bays and estuaries.
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