The perils of the sea—storm,
shipwreck and collision—often
take their toll of lives. Twelve
deaths were recorded in the last
sy2 months season.
Ten fishermen were drowned
when the schooner Orient was
rammed and sunk by the freigh
ter Admiral Nulton in the Strait
of Georgia. The Grayling lost a
man between Ketchikan and
Prince Rupert B. C., when a
huge wave carried him off the
little craft. A member of the
crew of the Alton was billed
by an explosion aboard the boat
in Alaskan waters.
In mid February, which for
years past has seen the craft
scooting up the ccast line in the
face of a cold wind from the
north, with a crew hoping for a
record catch to bring home to
Seattle, saw instead the little
boats moored close to one an
other at the docks, dark desert
ed and forlorn.
Halibut Grading
A short time since, the vessel
owners of Prince Rupert wired
to the association in Seattle call
ing attention to the position
taken by the fishermen on the
grading situation. A recent ac
tion of the buyers was that they
would grade “70 pound with
head on” or a difference in the
first grade halibut of about 15
per cent. The fishermen have
stated that they would not go
out on such a proposition and
they have put it up to the vessel
owners of Rupert. The reply of
the Seattle vessel owners was
that “the union demands should
be studied” and that “stock in
cold storage” did not warrant
acceding to the demands of the
fishermen.
A numner of Ketchikan boats
have signed up with the fisher
men’s demands while a lesser
number of boats operated by
vessel owners only have outfit -
ed in SeiWe and Ketchikan and
gone on to the fishing banks; the
Juneau fishermen, neither union
members nor members of the
vessel owners association start
ed out upon the opening of the
season and are paying no atten
tion to the demands of either
party to the controversy. But,
like every other organization in
Juneau, they expect to benefit
from the efforts of the fishing
vessel owners association and
from the demands of the fisher
men’s union. But while the dif
ferences are being ironed out
whereby the Juneau fishermen
will benefit, they are taking ad
vantage of the strike and going
out to the grounds.
The tie-up in the industry is
tremenduous but it is probably
a good thing. There is reput
ed to be about 12,000,000 pounds
of halibut in storage with the
call for halibut on the down
grade because of the economic
disturbances in the states. There
is not an over-production of
halibut on the market for with
the present lack of necessary
funds to buy high priced fish,
there is an underconsumption of
the commodity. To throw an ad
ditional million pounds or so
more on to the market would
be just about disastrous for the
buyers of frozen stock. The strike
then saves the face of the buy
ers who are not yet ready to
purchase halibut stock for an
other month or so. In the mean
time, if tho strike continues, it
is not improbable that the buy
ers will turn to the Japan mar
ket for halibut stock and there
by open another angle of the
question.
Marketing Group Formed
Plans for a semi-cooperative
marketing organization which
will buy all the halibut landed
by schooners in Seattle and
Prince Rupert, B. C., have been
completed by F. J. Kwapil, preci -
dent of the United Pacific Fish
eries of Seattle, the name under
which the organization will
function.
“Our organization has for its
purpose, stabilization of the hali
but market,” said Mr. Kwapil.
“It is a semi-cooperative associ
ation of owners, each represent
ed by trustees and with a trustee
to act as umpire in disputes. The
headquarters of our organiza
tion will be in Seattle. We hope
to stabilize conditions in the in
dustry and to help both the ves
sel owners and the fishermen.
“The United Pacific Fisheries
started operations today in Se
attle. We will have a representa
tive in Prince Rupert to place
the plan in operation in that
port. Our organization with both
American and Canadian trustees
will be a marketing agency and
tne price for halibut will be
open. We expect to have 100 per
cent of the fishermen with us.
Grading of halibut will be the
same as in 1930.”
Dispute Grading Rule
The fishing Schooner Norland
arrived in Seattle recently from
Alaska and offered its fare of
halibut on the market when a
dispute arose as to the grading.
Vessel owners and fishermen
maintain that medium halibut
should be classed as fish between
10 and 80 pounds while the buy
ers insist that medium halibut
be limited to fish between ten
and sixty pounds. Capt. Sandvik,
master of the Norland, refused
to sell his fish on the Seattle
fish exchange under the new
classification and disposed of
his catch to the United Pacific
Fisheries.
America’s new national hymn
ought to be “Speed Away,”
-x
Whoever prays about his
duties generally does them.
The banker says: “If you want
time to pass quickly, sign a note.”