FOOLING CONGRESSMEN
Steamboats for Purse-Seiners
(Article Number 3)
Legislation by Congress on Alas
kan matters are based largely on
misinformation directly due to the
fact that Congress is not willing to
get the truth. Rather, Congress
prefers to get its information from
citizens who have a special reason
for appearing.
The cannery and trap men are al
ways there with their attorneys.
Last month I reprinted part of
the testimony of Mr. I. N. Hylen,
who called himself the secretary of
“The Alaska Fishermen’s Union”
and as such he testified concerning
southeastern Alaska. As a matter
of fact, Mr. Hylen confessed that
the only time he fished in these
waters was in 1895 when he fished
on the Stikine flats near Wrangell.
The second “expert fisherman”
who contributed towards the errors
of Congressmen is Andrew Furuseth,
President of the International Sea
men’s Union of America, San Fran
cisco.
He began by saying “Personally
I have never used a purse seine
and have never been a number of a
crew of a vessel that used it; so
that I have no practical experience
in purse seining.” Page 307.
Then on page 310 he says: “The
purse seine is a very expensive out
fit; it takes an expensive boat, a
powerful boat, and a very big seine,
and quite a number of men to handle
it. In other words, it can only be
used by a few people with a certain
amount of servants with them, or
employees with them. It is a meth
od of fishing that belongs to the
rich, the capitalistic element, specifi
cally. So that to say the purse
seine will give a common right of
fisheries is simply to say that ev
erybody can be President of the
United States. That is true, but
everybody cannot be elected. (Laugh
ter). And so that clears that out
so far as I am concerned.”
Then on page 312 he says: “I
suppose the outfit of the purse seiner
runs up to $25,000 or $30,000, or
more than that, because the boat,
perhaps, would make it run up to
$50,000, or even more than that.
Mr. Free. The net and the boat?
Mr. Furuseth. The net and the
boat; you have got to have both.
Now the net itself, the purse seine
must have a value, surely of about
10 gill-nets at least. I do not know.
I never did any of that.
Mr. Free. The purse seine itself;
what is it worth ?
Mr. Furuseth. WELL, YOU HAVE
SOME WITNESSES HERE WHO
HAVE OWNED PURSE SEINES,
who are operating purse seines, who
know all about the cost of them; I
do not know. I never bought one;
I never operated one; I cannot apeak
of my own knowledge. Thes men
here can tell you about it.
Mr. Free. You are positive as to
the greater expense or great expense
of the purse seine?
Mr. Furuseth. Oh, that is so pa
tent there can be no question about
it.
Mr. Free. I do not know much
about this business; I want to know
something’ about it. The purse sein
er has a boat and he has his net;
what else has he got?
Mr. Furuseth. He has got a
steamer.
Mr. Free. A steamer?
Mr. Furuseth. Yes, he has a large
tug, a very fast vessel. And they
have boats with it.
Mr. Free. What are those for?
Mr. Free. To take the seine out
t corrals the fish in them, and thev
puli tnem out."
FISHERMEN VICTORIOUS
Union Forces Canners to Con
tinue Closed Shop—Secure
Advance in Price on Red
Salmon, Bristol Bay
ASTORIA, Ore., April 12.—The
c< nference of representatives of the
Alaska fishermen’s union and offi
cials of the Alaska Packers’ Asso
ciation to consider the prices to he
paid for salmon in the Bering sea
district during the coming season
has been in progress in San Fran
cisco for several days, but no agree
ment has been reached. Advices re
ceived by P. Gerhardt, local agent
for the fishermen’s union, are that
the fishermen have asked 8V2 cents
each for red salmon at Keggiung
and Naknek rivers and 9 cents a
fish at Nushagak river.
The packers have offered 7 cents
at Keggiung and Naknek and IV2
cents at Nushagak. In other words,
there is just IV2 cents a fish dif
ference in the prices asked and those
offered. There is no controversy
over the run money, the fishermen
asking $150 and the packers offer
ing that sum. The prices paid for
red salmon at those points during
last season were IV2 cents per fish
at Naknek and Koggiung and 8
cents at Nushagak.
SEATTLE, May 9.—The strike of
Alaska fishermen which threatened
to tie up the salmon industry for
the entire season, was settled yes
terday simultaneously at Seattle and
San Francisco, the fishermen scoring
a decisive victory, when signatures
were attached to a new three-year
shop contract.
In addition to the closed shop
agreement, the men are to receive
an increase of one-half cent on all
red salmon taken in Bristol bay.
The several vessels which have
been tied up here by the strike will
sail for the north this week with
union crews and no further trouble
is anticipated.
FRIENDS OR ENEMIES
By OLIVER GOLDSMITH
It is said that the cause of Sen
ator Johnson’s defeat in North Da
kota was his compromising with hi?
political enemies.
“Senator Johnson and his fate il
lustrate the course of many profes
sional reformers. They are reform
ers because they think they are or.
the road that leads to office. They
are ready to compromise when they
find an easier way to victory.”
People have ,to learn sooner or
later that there are only two classes
of people in politics—Friends and
Enemies. If we have felt inclined
to criticize Dan Sutherland for any
thing at all, it was for the fact that
he endorsed men who had always
been his political enemies, but who,
for the time pretended to be his
friends, and thus gained his sup
port for high public office. Their
true relation to him became known
in a short time. “Friends and Ene
mies”; that is all there are in poli
tics, and when you have to buy a
friend, you had better let him re
main an Enemy, and stick to your
real friends.
AN ELEGY ON THAT GLORY OF
HER SEX—MRS. MARY BLAIZE
Good people all, with one accord
Lament for Madame Blaize,
Who never wanted a good word—
From those who spoke her praise.
The needy seldom pass’d her door,
And always found her kind;
She freely lent to all the poor—
Who left a pledge behind.
She strove the neighborhood to please
With manners wondrous winning;
And never follow’d wicked ways—
Unlses when she was sinning.
At church, in silks and satins new,
With hoop of monstrous size,
She never slumber’d in her pew—
But when she shut her eyes.
Her love was sought, I do aver
By twenty beaux and more;
The king himself has follow’d her—
When she has walk’d before.
But now, her wealth and finery fled,
Her hangers on cut short all,
The doctors found when she was dead
Her last disorder mortal.
Let us lament in sorrow sore,
For Kent street well may say,
That she had lived a twelvemonth
more,
She had not died today.