IT MATTERS WHO YOU ARE
-x
A prominent Easterner was recently travel
ling through Alaska, stopped to clear his craft
at the Customs in Ketchikan. The officers
confiscated considerable fancy liquors (and he had
a permit to carry liquor) and let him proceed on
his way.
A group of business men met a Congressional
party and several of the reception committee
had a halitosis that reminded one of the days of
tne old saloon. The visiting congressmen were
polite enough to ignore the bad breath, as were
others.
A visiting Senator with a group of satelites,
visited in one of the towns. Under the arm of
one of the men were eight or ten bottles of beer.
They laughed about it, talked about it and did not
even make pretense of hiding the beer.
Of course it was alright, wasn’t the head of
the party a United States Senator?
A poor punk, beach-combing drift-wood who
helps to carve a place for Alaska in the firma
ment of Stars of the Union, gets a couple of bot
tles of beer, is raided and after paying his re
spects to a United States Commissioner, is greet
ed with “three months.”
Did someone teach us that this is a land of
hberty, equality and justice? Don’t make us
laugh, it hurts too much.
-Y
ALASKA HOLDING THE SACK
-x
For years there has been agitation regarding
splitting up the annual money derived from the
sole of seal pelts from the Pribilof Islands where
by three nations enjoy the proceeds and Alaska
where the dear little animals are born, bred, and
killed, holds the sack.
Every civic body in the Territory should line
rp on this matter in which the Territory is an
nually deprived of rightful thousands of dollars
and present the case to official Washington. As
long as Alaskans remain dormant, just so long
will we continue to lose thousands of dollars an -
nually.
With our present strong representation at
Washington, Delegate to Congress Wickersham,
Alaska’s case should be presented at court verv
effectively. We believe this subject is one that
will have the heavy and whole-hearted endorse
ment of Delegate Wickersham.
These thousands of dollars could be put to a
mighy fine use in a thousand ways.—Seward
Gateway.
There Is a “Bui-V'
A few years ago, Governor Parks in his re
port on the seal herds of Alaska, made just
such a statement, if memory serves us correctly,
l ater it was shown that the share to Russia and
Jr; pan was negligible. The money from the seal
herds goes into cost of operation of the industry
and to the Fouke Fur Company of St.Loui* which
company dyes and finishes up the pelts for the
F me an of Fisheries.
If we are to believe the reports of the Ur.rcau
o; Fisheries, and we are told we should, there is no
profit aeen.ijng from the industry.
x
SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS
-x
Since early spring, the Puget Sound Savings
and Loan Association, the Dime and Dollar Sav
ings and liOan and the Home Savings have gone
into the hands of receivers with considerable loss
not only to investors in the States, but in Alaska.
The Territory has not given much thought
to banking restrictions governing this branch, of
savings and investment. In the past represent
atives have come into Alaska towns and grossly
misrepresented their contracts in order to se
cure new accounts. Only after considerable loss,
In any number of instances have Alaskans found
that the associations were within the law but the
investors were out the money they had laid by
with the expectation of benefit at a later day.
It would no be a bad policy for the Alaska
Banking Board io present the next legislature
with the draft of a new law which will place these
solicitors of outside savings concerns under a ri
gid rule for the protection of the Alaska invest
ors.
x
HE THAT HATH EARS TO HEAR, LET HIM HEAR
-x
“Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the
stars of the heaven; the cankerworm spreadetn
himseif and fleeth away.”
“Thy crowned heads are as the locusts and thy
captains as the great grasshoppers which camp in
the hedges in the cold day; but when the sun aris
eth they flee av/ay and their place is not known
where they are.
“Thy shepherds slumber; thy nobles shall dwell
in the dust; thy people is scattered upon the
mountain and no man gathereth them.
“There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound
is grievous; all that bear fruit of thee shall clap
the hands over thee; for upon whom hath not thy
wickedness passed continuously”?