If this engine, which weighed five
tons, had been shipped by way of
Panama the freight from Elmira to
Seattle, including wharfages, would
have been less than $100. In other
words, the transportation over the
7,000 miles from New York to Se
attle would have cost less than one
sixth of what it cost to transport
the engine from Seattle to Anchor
age.
A storage tank weighing 325 lbs.
was shipped from San Francisco to
Seward via Seattle. The freight
charges on this tank were as fol
lows :
Freight from San Francisco
to Seattle including wharfage ...$ 1.30
Freight from Seattle to
Seward . 20.63
Seattle wharfage . $ 1.68
Seward wharfage . 2.29
Total freight charge,
Seattle to Seward. $24.60
It will be observed that the Se
attle wharfage alone on the Alaska
shipment was more than the entire
cost of transportation, including the
wharfage, from San Francisco to Se
attle.
Recently a shipment of cannery
equipment was sent from San Fran
cisco to Ketchikan via Seattle, and
being more than a carload it had the
advantage of low cannery rates. The
freight on this shipment from San
Francisco to Seattle, 935 miles, was
$127.05. From Seattle to Ketchikan
the freight was $326.09, a distance
of 743 miles. The rate from San
Francisco to Seattle was $6.00 per
ton by weight. The nominal rate
from Seattle to Ketchikan was $5.00
per ton weight or measurement.
Apy person unable to see the im
portance of the foregoing facts is
poorly equipped to look after the in
terests of the public in matters per
taining to Alaska.
Attorney General John Rustgard
and the Hon. Dan Sutherland are
leading the fight for fair rates.
Governor Scott C. Bone and the
federal machine assisted by the Se
attle Chamber of Commerce ably
led by Charles Garfield, are resist
ing the people and are helping the
corporations.
Governor Bone talks continually
about certain 38 bureaus of govern
ment. Common honesty compels us
to recognize but one—the Bureau
of Fisheries—that is false to its
trust. But this talk about 38 bu
reaus serves to take the attention
of the people off their real afflic
tion, to-wit: High freight rates
and the ruinous fish trap, both of
which are beggaring the common
people to pay bigger dividends to
the powerful members of the Seattle
Portland-Chicago Chambers of Com
merce.
‘DODDERING IN
FROM THE LINE
The following poem by R. Watson
Kerr, a young British soldier, is
one that Sir Harry Lauder
asks every thinking per
son to read.
Have you seen men come from the
line,
Toddering, doddering as if bad wine
Had drugged their very souls?
Their garments rent with holes
And caked with mud
And streaked with blood
Of others, or their own?
Haggard, weary-limbed and chilled
to the bone,
Trudging, aimless, hopeless, on
With listless eyes and faces drawn
Taut with woe?
Have you seen them aimless go
Bowed down with muddy pack
And muddy rifle slung on back, _
And soaking overcoat;
Staring on with eyes that note
Nothing but the mire;
Quenched of every fire?
Have you seen men when they come
From shell holes filled with scum
Of mud, and blood and flesh;
Where there’s nothing fresh
Like grass, or trees, or flowers;
And the numbing, year-like hours
Lag on, drag on;
And the hopeless dawn
Brings nothing but death, and rain—
The rain a fiend of pain
That scourges without end
And death, a kindly friend?
Have you seen men when they come
from hell ?
If not—ah, well
Speak not with easy eloquence
That seems like sense
Of war and its necessity,
And do not rant, I pray,
On war’s “magnificent nobilily.”
If you see men come from the line
You’ll know it’s peace that is divine;
If you’ve not seen the things I’ve
sung—
Let silence bind your tongue,
But make all wars to cease
And work and work for everlasting
peace.
—R. Watson Kerr.
Biological Bureau
Plants Rabbits
Working on the premise that much
of Alaska’s area, particularly islands
is primarily suited for production
of fur and game, and that many
lands which are suited for other uses
can also produce wild life, the Bio
logical Survey is working out a pro
gram of stocking such lands with
valuable animals adapted to the con
ditions.
As a first step in carrying out
this program, Mr. Ernest P. Walker,
head of the Biological Survey in Al
aska brought up on the “Evans”, the
23rd of June a number of rabbits.
These are wild rabbits of Western
Washington, known as the Washing
ton Varying Hare. Mr. Walker states
that while the animals are not as
large nor prolific as might be wished
they were selected because of their
ability to thrive under climatic con
ditions similar to those in South
eastern Alaska. He states the first
step in such an undertaking is to
obtain animals which can survive the
climate, after which breeding can b?
carried on for increasing the pro
ductivity and size if such seems de
sirable.
While some of the animals had
been raptured fiom the wild state
only recently all of them stood the
trip in excellent manner. As the
Biological Survey vessel “Sea Otter”
was not available at the time to
take the rabbits to their future home
they were turned over to the Forest
Service to take to Smeaton Island,
in lower Behm Canal, where they
are being released.
Other shipments will follow and
be placed on other moderate sized
islands where the animals can be
watched and studied. If the intro
ductions prove as successful as is
anticipated the surplus from the isl
ands first stocked will be transferred
to other islands.
Rabbits live on small plants and
wdll convert our surplus luxuriant
vegetation into meat for both man
and fur-bearers. The promising na
ture of this undertaking should ap
peal to Alaskans and the animals
should receive the active protection
of all until they have increased suf
ficiently to warrant killing them for
food and sport.
According to Mr. Walker other
stockings will primarily be fur and
larger game animals and will be
carried out as rapidly as funds per
mit.