BUREAU OF FISHERIES AND THE TROLLERS
We print elsewhere the last letter from the
Bureau of Fisheries on the subject of the closed
season (January, February and March) now es
tablished for power trolling in Alaska. It comes
from Henry O’Malley, the same man who has been
invited by Representative Foster’s resolution to
come to the Legislature to ADVISE them what le
gislation to pass for the benefit of Alaska’s fish
eries.
Bear in mind that the closed trolling season
is now the lav/, and yet this letter plainly shows
(1st) that the Bureau of Fisheries does not know
how many trollers are affected; (2nd) how many
resident trollers operate in Alaska; (3rd) how
many non-resident trollers operate here; (4th)
how much fish and what kinds are caught during
the closed season; (5th) what constitutes a fully
equipped power troller.
If there is one thing that sticks out through
the correspondence of the Trollers with Henry
O'Malley, it is the supreme ignorance of the Bu
reau of Fisheries in the very industry which it has
outlawed. The Bureau seems to have followed
LYNCH LAW. “Kill him and try him afterward.”
The Honorable Frank Foster of the fishing
district of Cordova and the Western Fishery Divi
sion now asks that the legislature do nothing
pending the arrival of Mr. O’Malley. No doubt
many resident fishermen voted for Mr. Frank Fos
ter.
COLUMBIA RIVER AND ALASKA
One of the reasons assigned by the Bureau of
Fisheries for the closing of power trolling during
January, February, and March is this—“Tagging
experiments have shown that the king salmon of
southeastern Alaska contain a large percentage of
fish belonging to the Columbia River runs. The
Columbia River runs are already threatened with
economic extinction as the result of an intensive
fishery and the reduction of spawning areas. The
additional inroads made by trollers in Alaska must
be extensive and it would seem only sensible con
servation to limit the fishery accordingly.”
To be logical, we can expect the Bureau of
Fisheries to close down trolling in Alaska if the
Columbia River runs continue to decrease.
The trollers have well answered this: “This
objection is not pertinent because the closure of
the first three months of each year will not help
the Columbia River for the fish that might be
be caught during those three months will remain
here and will be caught in April. * * * The closure
seems to be only another device to penalize the
resident Alaskan and would undoubtedly encour
age others to desert these waters during the win
ter months and to build their homes elsewhere.”
THE TWO PRAYERS
Last night my little boy confessed to me
Some childish wrong;
And kneeling at my knee
He prayed with tears—
“Dear God, make me a man
Like daddy—wise and strong,
I know you can.”
Then while he slept
I knelt beside his bed,
Confessed my sins,
And prayed with bowed head,
“O God, make me a child
Like my child here—
Pure, guileless,
Trusting Thee with faith sincere.”
—ANDREW GILOIES.
SCHOLARSHIP IS NOT
CRITERION FOR LEADERSHIP
Says Dr. Arthur I. Klein,
chief of the Division of Higher
Education in the Bureau of Ed
ucation Department. Continued
selection of superior and gifted
students by colleges and uni
versities is not likely to result in
a monopoly of “the intellectual
and directive pursuits of the na
tion,” he stated recently. Many
men and women who are most
influential in directing the
world’s affairs are of mediocre
ability as measured in terms of
scholastic attainment.
Dr. Klein further stated that
undue attention to the superior
student is a departure from the
belief in the value of college
training for every degree of in
telligence and persistence which
can survive the obstacles now
placed in the way of graduation.
He predicted that both “the
publicly supported and the pri
vately; supported institutions
that are inspired by the mis
sionary impulse will continue to
reproduce more nearly the con
ditions of a world in which gift
ed, mediocre, and moron are
mingled together in varied re
lations and contacts.