excuse of the so-called or self
styled “Friend of Capital” as
follows: “The catch of this dis
trict (Southeast Alaska) consists
largely of smaller sized fish than
are wanted in the market, and
which cannot be profitably cured.
For this reason the curing end of
the industry has been more highly
developed in other parts of the
territory; though a fair percent
age of the catch is of marketable
size, and many buyers and consum
ers maintain that Southeast Ala
ska herring, taken in the prime
condition and properly handled,
cannot be matched for quality and
delicacy of flavor by lifh from
any other source.
“To utilize the small herring;,
Several packers have undertaken
to can them, and turned out an
excellent product. They were
hampered, however, by high costs,
competition of cheap fish from
other sources, and difficulty of
marketing an unfamiliar product;
and canning has proven impracti
cable under present conditions.”
Reduction Plants
“Reduction equipment, on the
other hand, has been brought to
a high degree of efficiency, provid
ing economical units of standard
design by which herring oil and
meal can be produced at a good
profit; and THIS HAS PROVEN
THE MOST SATISFACTORY SOL
UTION OF THE PROBLEM OF
HANDLING THE SMALL FISH.
THE REDUCTION END OF THE
INDUSTRY HAS ACCORDINGLY
REACHED ITS HIGHEST DEVEL
OPMENT IN THIS PART OF
THE TERRITORY, WHERE THE
TOTAL VALUE OF ITS PROD
UCTS GREATLY EXCEEDS THAT
OF THE CURED FISH.”
Market For On
“The oil generally is clear,
light, low in acid and practically
free from fishy odor. Mo ;t of it
goes to the soap industry, though
some is used in the manufacture
of paints and edible fats, and for
many other purposes.”
A Significant Utterance
“The meal, made from fresh
fish, is usually classed as edible,
but most of it is ACTUALLY
USED FOR FERTILIZER.”
Various Plants
“The oldest and until this year
the largest of the herring plants
now operating is that of the Killis
noo Packing Co., Inc., at Killisnoo,
originally a whaling station. The
plant has a very large capacity
for a single unit, taking care of
over 100 bbls. of fish an hour
(about toil tons); and during the
past season handled a large ton
nage of surplus fish from other
concerns in addition to the catch
of its own two seine boats. All
oil is refined at the plant, the
stearine being separated; while all
the meal is sold for fertilizer,
being piled in a moist condition
and re-dried at slack times. The
curing plant at Killisnoo was run
this year by the National Fish
Company of Seattle, with Jim
Manson as curer, and about a
dozen gibbers.”
The National rish Co. also has
been packing herring at Hood Bay,
near Killisnoo, under an arrange
ment with the Hamilton Packing
Co., which operates a reduction
plant and two peine boats.
The Alaska Consolidated Canner
ies this year operated a herring
plant at Saginaw Bay. It operated
three seine boats. About a dozen
gibbers were employed.
The Marine Packing & Reduc
tion company operates at Washing
ton Bay, employing about 18 gi -
bers in its curing plant. The
Baranof Packing Company at Red
Bluff Bay now claims the dis
tinction of having the largest re
duction plant in Alaska, with four
units of a total rated capacity of
12 tons or about 120 bids, an
hour. Over 70 person; are cm
ployed ashore, in addition to six
seine boats with 40 fishermen; the
curing department under John Sin
clair, employing 22 women.
The Alaska Herring iv harumc
Company at Little Port Walter
was one of the first e nieerns to
jiaek Alaskan herring i 1 a largo
way, and still holds an important
position. Three seine boats fish
for this plant. They employ 18
women in the packing room. They
also have a reduction plant in
conjunction. •
The Chatham Straits Fish Com
pany operates at New Port Walter
with Chris Foss as manager. They
use two large and two small seine
boats, with 12 gibbers in the pack
ing department. The elevator hand
les from 200 to 300 bbls. of fish
an hour.
The Arentsen & Co. operate at
Port Walter. They use three ex
eeptionally large seine boats, some
of which fish in the Norwegian
style with the aid of row boats,
and herring pounds are extensively
used.
Buchan & Heinen operate an
efficient plant at Port Armstrong,
Using: throe seihG boats, with 15
gibbers in the packing department.
At Port Armstrong also is the
floating plant of the Puget Sound
Reduction Company operating on
the hulk “Fort Union.”
The Northwestern Herring Com
pany is a new plant and Is located
at Port Conclusion in the old
buildings of the Alaska Union
Fisheries. They have three seine
boats fishing, employing 18 fish
ermen, 20 men ashore, and 12
gibbers.
The Ness Fish Company, while
a small local company, is of great
value to Alaska in this way. They
employ resident Alaskans almost eii'
tirely so that this little company,
located at Petersburg, really
spends more money in the terri
tory than the great big companies
like the Baranof Packing Company.
Probably the worst offenders in
regard to bringing all their help
from “outside” as well as buying
all their supplies “outside” are
the herring companies. They use
Puget Sound seiners almost en
tirely. And these seiners too bring
all their supplies with them, buying
nothing in Alaska unless forced to.
They come along about April and
leave about October taking all their
money with them. That is the
reason concerns like the Ness Fish
Company can be more valuable to
tin* development of Alasska.
:the mu who pi hik
OWN W
It has boon suggested to the
Fairbanks News-Miner, among: the
ideas of the motives which actua
ted Free in his diatribe against
Alaska that “the man who paid
his own way” is sore because he
had to pay fare on the Alaska
Railroad, the only part of his
trip that transportation men know
of his having- paid fare on. He
has no argument, points out the
Fairbanks paper— just assertion of
old propaganda which has been
circulated against Alaska and in
favor of the Money Powers for
half a century. The theory that
the way to build up Alaska is to
tear down what she has and aban
don the country to Big Money in
terests, to exploit or not? as they
desire, doesn’t contain enough log
ic or promise to create much of
a movement in that direction any
where in the United States, even
in Congress.— Anchorage Weekly.