U. S. FISHING DEAL
BIG INDUSTRIAL BOY
The fishing industry, active in
all quarters of the United States
directly supporting 200,000 per
sons, has grown to a half-billion
-dollar industry in the past 50
years, according to the bureau
of fisheries of the commerce de
partment.
Since 1880, when the total
catch was 1,600,000,000 pounds,
the report says, this amount has
trebled, amounting last year to
more than 3,000,000,000 pounds.
FISH MILLIONS OF YEARS
OLD FOUND IN CALGARY
ROCK
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Believed imbedded in rock for
millions of years, two petrified
fish were discovered on a farm
near Hanna, Alta., and brought
to Calgary. The fish were found
side by side, surrounded by flinty
rock similar to slate. Their dis
covery caused many to believe
that the Hanna section of Al
berta was at one time the floor
of a river or lake. The fish still
bear scales and their original
colors.
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INDIANS BATTLING FOR
FISHING RIGHTS
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Indians along the Columbia
liver are on the warpath, after
many years of peace.
They seek, howver, to settle
their grievances in the white
man’s court.
Members of the Yakima,
Warm Springs, Umatilla and
Lapwai tribes have entered for
mal protest against asserted vio
lation of treaty rights by pri
vate property owners near The
Dalles.
The landowners, the Indians
say, prevent them entrance to
and use of their ancient fishing
grounds*
Alaska Coal
The 108,000 tons of coal pro
duced in 1931 amounted in value
to $567,000. As usual, practically
all of the output came from the
Matanuska and Healy River
fields. The principal producing
mines were those of the Evans
Jones Coal Co., and the Alaska
Matanuska Coal Co., in the Ma -
tanuska field, and the Suntrana
mine of the Healy River Coal
Corp., in the Healy River field.
No notable new developments
were reported to have been
made at the Suntrana mine,
and its output was considerably
more than the total from all the
other coal mines in the Terri
tory. Altho no productive coal
mining work was in progress
during the year in the Bering
River field, east of Cordova, a
prospecting permit was issued,
and plans are said to be under
way with the object of reviving
search for deposits susceptible
cf profitable development.
A constitutent from Nenana
writes the Delegate that coal
shipped 120 miles from Healy to
Fairbanks only costs 18 cents
more than the residents of Ne
nana are required to pay, when
they are only half the distance
away and pay $1 per ton. He
also complains of the cost of
freight on 3250 pounds of gro
ceries amounting to $230 in Se
attle, while the freight was $119.
GOVERNMENT TO BUILD
COAL BUNKERS AT SEWARD
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It now appears that Seward
will have a coal bunker, in con
nection with the Alaska Rail
read, by the middle of th*» year
H»u2. Delegate Wickersham had
intr'cnced a bill in the House
of Cingress authorizing the
credit n of the bunker and had
made such a fair presentation
of the need of this necessity foi
coal cevelopment that he felt
tncouraged to believe that the
Committee of Territories would
favorably report the bill in the
very near future. But this will
not now be necessary, for the
bunkers are assured, by reason
of a report made to the commit
tee by Secretary of the Interior
Wilbur. He states that he now
realizes the necessity for con
struction of the bunker, and
that the work will be under
taken by General, Manager oC
une Railroad, Col. O. F. Ohlson,
with funds already available to
pay the cost. Among other
things, in his report to the
Committee, Secretary Wilbur—
says:
“Assurances have lately been
received tending to indicate
that an export business in coal
can be developed to a minumurn
late of 10,000 tons per annum,
within the near future. In view
cf the outlook for the increase
of traf^c, and on the recom
mendation of the General Man
ager of the Railroad, I have
approved the project. The mat
ter is in the hands of the Gen
eral Manager for further action,
in line with his recommendation.
It is proposed to institute a
charge of 50 cents per ton of
coal for the utilization of such
facilities in the loading of ves
sels at Seward. In proceeding in
the case, it has been assumed
that new legislation is not re
quired in view of the language
already contained in the Alaska
Railroad Act of March 12, 1911.
With regard to the special ap
propriation of $75,000 proposed
in this bill, I have to recommend
that the same be not authorized,
as it is expected to allot an a *
mount for the purpose from a
sufficient balance estimated to
remain available in the appro
priation for the current fiscal
year.”
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Nature skins the man who sins.