This paragraph taken from the editorial of Septem
ber 3rd of the Alaska Weekly states our position well.
No one has ever denied that Alaskans can do better
than the Bureau of Fisheries, not even the Bureau
iteself. And how could it? Its record has been one
of consistent failure and depletion for over twenty
years, until thi3 year when the fish virtualy quit
running.
Alaska can do no worse, and we have every reason
to do better.
Altho the Alaska Weekly states our position well,
it crawfishes as it bows and kowtows to Henry O’Mal
ley thus;—“Once more we wish to assure our readers
that we are not herein attacking Mr. Henry O’Malley
or his action in. arbitrarly closing the season in South
eastern Alaska.”
Lrniaiiey w rong
O’Malley has been "wrong from the beginning and
why shouldn’t he be blamed for all the evil that now
happens? If we were to concede that O’Malley were
intelligent and competent to govern our fisheries, then
we would have to say that he is dishonest. The kind
est thing you can say is that he is incompetent and
unfit for the job which he holds.
His Seasonal Closing Orders Are Wrong.
Long ago we told him, “IF YOU BREED LATE
FISH YOU WILL GET LATE FISH.” This year
proves it.
His analysis of fish depletion is wrong, and in this
we believe him to be dishonest because he has shut
his eyes to what every fisherman knows.—towit, that
fish traps are the cause of depletion.
His closing of all the fishing areas frequented by
seiners (resident Alaskans) is wrong, unjust and done
for the direct benefit of the non-resident trapmen.
The residents of Alaska ai*e bearing 100% of conserva
tion. Our bays are closed, but the Bank of California
and other large interests are allowed to place their big
traps at the entrance of bays closed to us.
The manner of closing traps, provided by the law of
190G written by the Bureau of Fisheries, is wrong, for
traps when legally closed still fish.
There is nothing that Henry O’Malley has done which
is not wrong. We challenge him or any other person
to show a single instance in which Henry O’Malley was
not the supine tool and fool of the Big Packers.
We challenge.
Isn’t it time for Congress to give us a chance to
run our own country?
DOCTOR FOR FOXES
Gov. George A. Parka has just announced that he
has appointed appointed Dr. Earl F. Graves to be the
head of the Territory's investigation of fur farm con
ditions and problems. Dr. Graves is the veterinary
expert of the U. S. Biological Surrey.
His appointment was the result of the law passed by
the last legislature in their effort to answer the prob
lems now confronting our fox farmers. The law car
ried an appropriation of $15,000.
Altho Dr. Graves was already an expert in animal
diseases, he lias been taking a special training course
at the Experiment Station of the Biological Survey in
New York State for the past several weeks.
His duties, as set forth in the Act, consists of visit
ing fur farms of Alaska, the study of the problems
found thereon, and to advise and help the fur farm
ers in breeding foxes for commercial purposes.
The people of Alaska have to thank the Bureau of
Biological Survey for the loan of Dr. Graves. And
yet we cannot help pointing out the facts that ,the
only hope of the proper management of the fur and
game problem in Alaska lies in Home Rule as the
problem of fox farming illustrates. Alaska did thru
her legislature what had to be done. The Biological
Survey Bureau is still cussing or discussing the ap
propriation with the Budget Director.
THE DIFFERENCE
Honorable William Sloan, Commissioner of Fisheries
for the Province, made a report covering the year 1926
from which we gleam one or two facts by way of con
trast.
“The persons employed in the fisheries of Canada in
1925 totalled G9,47S, of whom 17,382 were engaged in
British Columbia. Of the later, 9,944 were employed
in catching and handling the catch and 7,438 in pack
ing and fish-curing.”
Out of this number, virtually EVERY person was a
resident of British Columbia.
The contrast is found in Alaska where under Henry
O’Malley’s management, the residents employed in
catching and handling the catch amounts to less than
7,000.
Isn’t it time for our government to begin managing
Alaska for the benefit of Alaska?
S. HEELENTHAL SPEAKS
At a meeting of the Juneau Commercial Club, they
were discussing the statement of a congressman who
said that he found plenty of community spirit in Al
aska but very little Alaska spirit.
S. Hellenthal used this for his text and declared
that “it was not so much commercial discord as a
lack of political unity that Congressmen had in mind.*'
We invite S. Hellenthal and his crowd to get on our
band wagon and then we will have “political unity/
Of course he won't come. The trouble with the
Juneau crowd i3 that they want to strike the chord and
want all the rest of Alaska to harmonize with the
Juneau Chord. f