would not be flattering to the
Alaska industry.
-x
SALMON PRICES
-x
It is reported that the Alas
ka Pacific Salmon Corporation
is offering its resident seiners at
Kake, four cents for humpback
salmon and require three shares
where a crew operates cannery
boat and seine. Libby, McNeil
and Libby at Craig are offering
their men three cents for the
oame salmon; Pyramid Packing
Company at Sitka set the same
price and the fishermen agreed
to it. Libby company furnishes
oil, coal, etc., incidental to the
crew expense. A. P. S. requires
its fishermen to furnish every
thing.
Nothing Per Man
A five-mar. crew operating at
•Cake, using cannery gear, when
division of earnings is
gets one-eighth, net, out of this
must come crew and individual
expenses. At 4 cents per salm
on a crew will gross $40 per
thousand or $5 per share. The
average crew catches an aver
age of 25,000 salmon per season
(and this is high), so that each
share will gross $125. Out of
this must come grub, clothing.
This amount is earned from
June to the 22nd of August.
The problem of the fisheries
industry is not only conserva
tion of fisheries, but it is also a
problem of conserving Alaska’s
population.
THEY WIN BUT LOSE
-x
The fibre tax bill, taxing the
fibre boxes used in the salmon
industry 12 cents, was shelved
by Senator Shattuck at the last
moments of the legislative ses
sions. The bluff worked. To
defeat the measure, the pack
ers sent telegrams to various
legislators, promising box con
tracts next year totaling one
mill.'on boxes. The bribe work
ed.
The Foster memorial to Con
gress, published on another col
umn, was withdrawal by its
author without anything being
done about it. Frankly, as I'm*
as the editor was able to learn,
the author and other legislators
were afraid to tell official Wash
ington the truth about the lum
oer and logging industry of the
Teiritory.
The fibre box tax and the
memorial praying for relief from
the discriminatory regulations
^ f the Forest Department really
have the same purpose and on
ly arrive at their conclusions
bv different routes. The saw
mills accomplish their purpose
without relieving the fetters on
the logger. And thereby leave
the problem’s solution only lot
another day.
-x
HALIBUT INDUSTRY FACES
DILEMMA
-x
The halibut industry faced a
dilemma last week with arrival
of 300,000 pounds of halibut in
Seattle. The situation was due
to the inability of the United Pa
cific, composed of vessel owners
and fishermen, to purchase the
offerings.
Fish dealers stood pat, refus
ing to bid for the offerings and
m Prince Rupert the independ
ent buyers were getting fish
from the boats for the first time
since organization of United Pa
cific Fisheries. Canadian Fish
and Cold Storage and Booth
F'sherics took offering :. In Van
couver the vessel owners were
unable to take all the offerings
and in Petersburg several of
the boats shipped their fares to
Seattle while others stored their
fish in the cold storage.
Break down seems to follow in
the effort of United Pacific to
organize in an effort to stabil
ize the halibut market. The
bieak in morale of the United
Pacific is seemingly due to the
usual lack of the fisherman to
eland together in a common
cause. Before the company ha.I
even been perfected, the me.i
demanded immediate returns
for the fares sold and consider
able contentions were aroused
causing strife. Leaders of the
organization are still making ef
fort to follow out original plans
and any degree of succes will bo
marked by the support given by
members of the association.
There are some who contend
that fruition cf the plans of the
organization cannot be, due to
the complete buying and selling
machinery of the old line com
panies which have already in
dicated their power by refusing
to buy fares except on their
terms.
There is only one solution to
the entire situation—curtail
ment of operations which must
come through and from the ves
sel owners themselves. Report
by the International Fisheries
Commission indicates a decline
of ten per cent per year in vir
tually all fishing banks. At
which rate, unless drastic steps
are taken the entire industry
will face its denouement. If the
Vessel Owners and United Paci
fic through its membership takes
stops to produce less, it will
not only protect the future of
the industry but prices will he
stabilized to the point where
the producers will receive pro
per compensation for their la
bor. If the industry continues
glutting the market with every
ounce of fish possible, the de
mand will be oversupplied, stock
must be held over long periods
in storage and prices drop in
proportion.
The solution of the problem
is in the hands of the fishermen
as much as in the International
Fisheries Commission.