support a college that is an impossibility to vir
tually all the rest of Alaska?
The play of the Fairbanks delegation is mak
ing it so that the heretofore divided forces of the
lirst Division will become united. A united front
by the business interests will mean that the pork
barrel politics of Bunnell will stop by the simple
remedy of removing the pork barrel; or may we
say, the hog will die if the business men of Alas
ka simply stop feeding the hog.
ELECTING SCHOOL TEACHERS
A school director and prominent merchant of
Ketchikan, made a remark at a meeting of the
Ketchikan Parent Teachers’ Association thus:
“Of course, if the position of Commissioner of Edu
cation could be made elective by the people, I
would favor that for I believe the people should
elect.”
Promptly, Mr. A. E. Karnes, the superintend
ent of the local schools, got up and said: “Mo.
That wouldn’t be right. The tendency is all the
other way. State superintendents are being ap
pointed now more and more, and I believe that
is the right way.”
Then a little while later, Mr. Karnes addressed
the chair and demanded a vote on the motion,
“That the Ketchikan P. T. A. endorse the candi
dacy of Lester D. Henderson for reappointment to
the office of Commissioner of Education.”
In other words, Mr. Karnes says that Com
missioner of Education should of right be appoint
ed. but still he insists that in Henderson’s case,
perhaps we had better let the Ketchikan P. T. A.
elect him.
THE MARCH OF WORKMEN’S COMPENSATE %
North Carolina last week passed a workmen’s
compensation act. Payments are fixed at GO per
cent of the wage, with a maximum of $18 per
week. The maximum compensation for disability
is $5,500, and for death, $6,000.
As it stands, the law is frankly a compromise.
It was held up for a time by ambulance-chasing
lawyers and reactionary employers, and some con
cessions had to be made. But circumstances are
such that the passage of this law is more import
ant than its exact terms.
Until last week, there were five states with no
compensation laws, the two Carolinas, Arkansas,
Florida and Mississippi. Now there are only four.
The standpatters have prevented the adoption
of a compensation act for nine years in any of
these Southern states. Now, their lines are brok
en, and there is a fair chance that Florida and
Arkansas will fall into line this year.
To be sure, many states have compensation
laws that are weak, timid and stingy beyond be
lief, but it is something to have any law. IT FUR
NISHES A STARTING POINT FOR FURTHER
PROGRESS.—LABOR, Washington, D. C.
(Editor’s Note:—Alaska, however, with its law
written almost entirely by the big mining com
panies has one of the worst compensation laws in
the United States. It is unfair to the laboring
men. It limits the worker’s damages but pro
vides no assurance that any money will be paid.
It puts a big premium on the hiring of single men.
It also puts a premium on the hiring of men with
alien mothers. If is so unfair that insurance com
panies have virtually stopt writing this class of
insurance. This in turn has stopt operations of
several mines in the Hyder district).
NORWEGIAN HERRING
The American Consul at Bergen says:
For the second consecutive season the fat her
ring fisheries of Norway were a complete failure
this year. ’
It follows that no “Chicken feed” will be man
ufactured there this year.
RING SITUATION.
In 1919, “Herring”
the Legislature and told
Alaska cannot be depict
Johnson appeared before
them that the “Herring of
ed” and convinced the Le
gislators that lie knew his business.
At that time. Gastineau Channel was an im
portant herring spawning area.
In 1927 before the Legislature .this same
“Herring” Johnson said “It is possible to deplete
the herring supply. But I call your attention to
the fact that it is only the LOCAL herring that
can be and are depleted. By local herring I mean
herring that are localized about certain bays.”
Now comes Mr. Rounsfel. of the Bureau of
Fisheries, in the Pacific Fisherman, and he says,
“ALL ALASKA HERRING ARE LOCAL HERRING,
and in that respect differs from the Norwegian
herring.”
One thing that no one can deny and that is
that in many large areas the Herring are already
destroyed, and with their destruction have disap
peared all the trollers.
We suppose the legislators will consider these
facts when they come to the tax on fertilizers
(now called chicken feed) made from Herring.