DISCRIMINATION AGAINST
ALASKA SAWMILLS
A leading Alaska sawmill has
just called attention to an unjust
and discriminatory practice in
volving shipments over Canadi
an lines into the United States,
and has asked The TIMBERMAN
to cooperate in correcting this
unfair situation.
The communication says:
“Our Alaska mills are badly
hampered in our attempt to get
into the markets in the Twin
Cities and eastward by reason of
the fact that the Merchant Ma
rine Act of 1920, generally
known as the Jones Act, excludes
Alaska from the privileges en
joyed by the rest of the United
States in shipping over Canadi
an lines of transportation.
Section 27 prohibits the use of
foreign ships in transporting
American good between Ameri
can ports and has this proviso
attached:
(Editor’s note: The famous
section 27, which was slipped in
while Delegate George B. Grigs
by was “sick” in San Francisco,
was here inserted in the article).
“You will note that this sec
tion established the right to ship
freight from one part of the
United States to another part of
fiv? United States over Canadian
rail and over the water part of
of such routes by foreign ves
sels. Alaska is excluded from
equal rights with the rest of the
United States. We are prohibit
ed from enjoying the right of
shipping through Prince Rupert
and thereby losing a very stra
tegic means of shipping.
“We have wired our delegate
to Congress, Dan Sutherland, in
Washington, to introduce a bill
whereby Alaska may be allowed
the same privileges as the rest of
the United States.”
The Timberman can conceive
of no good reason why sawmill
operators of Alaska should have
closed against them any Cana
ilUm gateway winch is available
io the mills of 1,1 ic United SI,ales,
and is pleased to he of. assist
ance' in calling the attention of
Congress to this discrimination
which has a tendency to restrict
the development of the lumber
industry in that rich storehouse
of natural resources.
Scott C. Bone, former governor
of Alaska, in speaking of the vis
it of the late President Warren
G. Harding to Alaska, accompan
ied bv President-elect Hoover,
then secretary of Commerce,
savs: “Hoover, a rational con
servationist, was not unmindful
on his journey to the Northland
of the decaying growth of tim
ber in need of harvesting, lining
the shores of Alaska all the way
from Dixon’s Entrance to Resur
rection Bay in the forest reserves
comprising thirty millions of
acres. All in the rain belt, and
unhampered by fire, there had at
that time hardly been a dent in
these collossal stands of spruce,
hemlocks and cedar. The obvi
ous inquiry was why Alaska, thru
this timber, was not supplying
in large part the wood pulp and
print paper demands of the
country. Manufacturers we/e in
vesting huge capital in Canada,
but were looking askan'? at
/'Jaska because the regulations
of the Forest Service were re
garded as too stringent. Since
then the service has succ :eded
in interesting capital and there
is todnv a nrospect that at least
one big pulp and paper plant
will be established and in opera
tion within a few years.—The
Timberman. Portland, Oregon.
The original reparations de
manded by the allies from Ger
many amounted to $125,000,000
000; in 1923 the sum was reduc
ed to $33,000,000 000, and the
latest settlement is placed at
$9,000,000,000.
Another 10 years and the al
lies will be owing Germany.
WHAT IS “A DISTANCE”
-o
Such TJ. S. citizens as may
habi1.ua.ily order Uicir liquor by
telephone discovered last week
that they may bo prosecuted un
der that section of the Volstead
Act which prohibits the trans
portation of liquor. A decision
with that effect was handed
down by Federal Judge William
H. Kirkpatrick in a Philadelphia
court. The decision was appeal
ed from and was sufficiently
ambiguous to be claimed as a dry
victory by prohibition officials
and as a wet victory by the New
York -‘Times.” If accepted as a
precedent, however, it undoubt
edly involves the purchaser as
well as the seller of liquor in
cases where transportation of
liquor is involved.
The Case
Judge Kirkpatrick’s decision
was rende a m the case of Al
lred E. No ’'/is, Manhattan brok
er, and Jo: [ D. Keeper, Philadel
phia bootlcr ger (now in Atlanta
Penitentiary). It was admitted
that, on at least twelve occasions
Mr. Norris had ordered ’Legger
Kerper to ship whiskey from
Philadelphia to New York, that
1hese shipments were disguised
as ink. paint olive oil and other
legitimate commodities, and had
been consumed (but not sold)
by Broker Norris and his f"ic ids.
Broker Norris maintained th it
the Volstead Act forbid’ ike sale
r ,*■ the pui.vli.vo. of liquor; that
as a buyer, not a seller, he had
committed no crime.
THE DECISION
Judge Kirkpatrick agreed that
the purchase of liquor is not an
offense, and that “where there
is nothing in the case but a sim
ple sale, the purchaser cannot
be convicted of conspiring with
the seller to make the sale.”
“But,” continued the Judge, “it
does not follow that where
transportation is required by
the agreement of the buyer and