MR. KNICKERBOCKER, GENERAL
MANAGER OF THE ALASKA
STEAMSHIP COMPANY
Times are changing. Large cor
porations today are trying to create
a more favorable public sentiment.
This is the only reason -that we can
see for Mr. Knickerbocker’s visit to
speak before this legislature. We
found him to be a fine gentleman, of
pleasant manner, and although un
used to it and somewhat stiff, yet
he tried to do his part in “gladhand
ing.” We give him credit for trying
to make the public see that he wanted
their friendship.
If we were to criticize him at all,
we would make two points, and say
that since he admitted that he knew
nothing about tariff’s and since he
for that reason declined to quote or
figure rates, he should have had a
tariff expert with him. His most im
portant point against Mr. Rustgard in
the debate before the legislature, was
that Mr. Rustgard “selected” special
freight bills “to make a case against
the steamship company”; and yet
when Mr. Rustgard handed him a
tariff sheet and asked him to cal
culate a rate, Mr. Knickerbocker
said, “I am not a tariff expert.” The
obvious point is that Mr. Knicker
bocker could not do what he said
should have been done by Mr. Rust
gard. The Attorney-General scored
heavily again when Mr. Knickerbock
er called the local agent, handed him
the rate sheet only to be told, “I
cannot tell what the rate would be
unless I knew the measurement even
if I knew the weight of the proposed
freight.”
The second point against the man
ager of the steamship company is
this: At the hearing, he was a most
amiable and accommodating gentle
man, and said many times, “These
matters are for the record.” At oth
er times he would say, “I will give
these to the committee ‘for the re
cord’ ”. Many of these records cited
by Mr. Knickerbocker were given to
Mr. Rustgard by the ommittee. Then
it appears that the reporter procur
ed these records (no doubt in good
faith) from Mr. Rustgard, “to bind
them up along with the rest.” But
Mr. Knickerbocker elected to pay for
all the work of reporting the hear
ings and transcribing, although it
was the Committee which had called
the stenographers, and having paid
for this work, Mr. Knickerbocker ga
thered up all the records and took
them away with him leaving the com
mittee with none.
He took the records “so that Mr.
Rustgard should not have any” as
he is reported to have said. This
attitude shows bad faith on the part
of this high official of the trans
portation company and has tended
to destroy the good impression which
he had made.
We cannot overlook the fact that
the responsible officers of the Trans
portation Committee were Senator
Chamberlain and Representative Frank
H. Foster, both of the Third Divi
sion. These supposed guardians of
the public’s interest allowed the com
mittee to be bunkoed out of all re
cords of the hearing which occupied
two entire evenings and one after
noon. Did they do it purposely with
an eye to making themselves “solid”
with the Guggenheims who own the
steamship company and the big mines
of their division?
We hope the day will come when
the Third Division will send men to
the legislature whose first interest
will be the protection of the public’s
interest rather than the private in
terests who were served so well by
Foster, Murray, Price and Staser.
IMPROVED ALASKA GASOLINE
SERVICE
The Standard Oil company is mak
ing1 an innovation of importance to
the fish industry in extending its
supply service to points in South
western Alaska, having maintained a
summer tanker service to Southeast
Alaska points for the last six years.
The extension is made by means of
the new diesel-electric tanker Stand
ard Service, which left the station at
Point Wells, Puget Sound, late in
April on her first trip to Southeast
Alaska, and her second trip started
early this month, will be to Seward,
Kodiak and intermediate points. It
is planned next year to extend the
service to Cook Inlet points, accord
ing to E. J. McClanahan, in charge
of the ompany’s Alaska business.
The new boat is the first of her
kind, and is the last word in oil-car
rying facilities. She is 218.6 ft.
long with 10,510 bbls. capacity in
her four main tanks and bunker ca
pacity of 590 bbls. Her main power
equipment consists of two 400 h. p.
Werkspoor diesel engines direct con
nected with two General Electric
generators, which drive two 300 h. p.
motors.
The new service is expected to be
a great convenience to packers and
operators of fishing vessels between
Cape Spencer and Kodiak, who have
never had such a service in the past.
—Pacific Fisherman.
FROM THE EXCHANGES
LEASE PORT ARMSTRONG PLANT
A. Buchan, well known Alaska her
ring curer, who was associated with
the Chatham Straits Fish company
last year, is senior partner in the
new firm of Buchan & Heinen, which
has leased the whaling station of the
United States Whaling company at
Port Armstrong, Alaska, and will use
it as a herring, salting and reduction
plant. Capt, Earling, of the whaling
company is also associated with the
new outfit and has already gone
north. The output will be disposed
of by F. Eriksen.—Pacific Fisherman.
BUTTER CLAMS SELL READILY
The Mountain Point Packing com
pany of Petersburg, Alaska, ran prac
tically all through April on butter
clams, making a pack of nearly 2,500
cases. The pack has been shipped
down to the C. M. Everett company,
selling agents, at Seattle, and Mr.
Everitt reports a ready sale for the
entire pack. P. F. Harley of this
company is making a short visit to
Seattle, where he i9 arranging for
supplies for the salmon canning sea
son.—Pacific Fisherman.
WORK FOR BIG CRAB PACK '
The Dobbins Packing company at
Petersburg, Alaska, has had its crab
cannery in operation since about the
middle of April, having been delayed
by bad weather at the start. Many
new traps are fishing, and every ef
fort i? being made to increase the
production this season. The first
shipment came forward early this
month. The Stuart company, selling
agents, report many orders for the
new pack, including repeat orders
from jobbers who tried the Dobbins
pack last year.—Pacific Fisherman.
THOMPSON STARTS MILD CURING
H. H. Thompson, of Ketchikan,
spent two weeks in Seattle last month
arranging* for his outfit and the mar
keting of his mild cured salmon pack,
and returned north about the first of
the month to start operations. Last
year Mr. Thompson packed over 600
tierces, and expects to do about as
well this season.—Pacific Fishermen.
A book agent took refuge under a
hay stack during a thunder storm and
the lightning struck him on the cheek,
glanced off and killed a mule two
hundred yards away.