THE ALASKA FISHERMAN
Published the 15th of each month <-. t Ketchikan, AL'aska, by
WILLIAM L. PAUL, iaKETARY OF THE
ALASKA NATIVE BROTHER HOOP
Application for entry as secor.d-class matter at the Pest Office at
Ketchikan pending.
Subscription price $2.00 for 12 issuis
OUR PLATFORM
ALASKA FOR ALASKANS.
ABOLISHMENT OF ALL TRAPS.
FULL TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT.
ONE NATION, ONE LANGUAGE ONE FLAG
i:?.c ye not a3 the horse, or as the muic,
Which have no understanding’;
Whore mouth must be held in with bit and bridle,
El.o it will not come near unto thee.” Ps. ‘12.i
H. C. STRONG TO SHIP OVER GRAND
TRUNK
Mr. Strong was in Prince Rupert recenJy mak
ing arrangements for the shipment of his cannery
products to the East over the Grand Trunk Rail
way. Fie is operating the Bellingham and expects
to transport the fish from Ketchikan to Prince Ru.
pert in that vessel, recently overhauled and placed
in good condition.
Carl Strong, who nov/ plans to send his own
products to eastern United States via Canadian
Railroads, is the same man who voluntarily appear
ed before the Committee on Merchant Marine
against Sutherland's proposed repeal of Section 21
of the Jones Shipping Act. This section it is
that permits foreign ships to engage in general
business anywhere in the United States EXCEPT
IN ALASKA.
Strong at that time said that Alaska should not
participate in the benefits of foreign shipping be
cause in that event Alaskan freight, especially the
canned fish, would be carried east over the Cana
dian railroads. He insisted that by excluding
Alaska from this provision, freight from Alaska
would travel via Seattle and east over American
lines and would in that way contribute to the un
building of the United States, his first love. By
so testifying, Carl Strong helped the Steamship
lobby in defeating Sutherland's proposal. What
did Strong get in return? The Steamship and
Railroad lobby was put at the disposal of Strong
and his friends the Packers and in that vmy they
defeated the White Bill which would have riven
the Secretary of Commerce the right to regulate
by law the fisheries of Alaska, the only restriction
being the incorporation in that bill of Section 33
of Magna Charta.
Money makes a difference even to patriots.
Last vear Carl Strong shipped his canned fish east
via Prince Rupert and thus saved 25c a case. “/
love my country, but oh you two bits!"
SENATE DEFEATS INSURANCE BIEL
There was but one great test that would indi
cate the true friend of the workmen introduced in
this legislature, and that was the compensation bill
introduced in the Senate by Mr. Brown, and in the
House by Messrs. Decker and Wilson, all of Nome.
This hill was an adaptation to Alaska of the
model law of the American Federation of Labor
Legislation. It is the same law under which the
Alaska Rail road was built. The labor representa
tives in Seattle wrote, “It is a good law, surprising
ly good. We hope it will pass-”
The present compensation act is such an un
fair bill, so much in favor of the big companies, and
:a much against the laboring man that the three
non from Nome were oblidged to draft an entirely
new act. We are glad to say that William L.
Pan1, on recount of his experience of several years
with workmen's compensation acts in the states of
California, Oregon and Washington, was of mater
ial assistance to the three progressives from Nome.
TPriy 7*77 the session, Sen. /Iyer told us that he want
ed to do something about, the present compensation
'n even if nothing more than to raise the limits.
H-ra now suspect that that was really his purpose.
'HC told him then that the present act was so rot
ten that a new act should he drawn.
The present act says that a man might get $6,
r>00. under certain circumstances. Only a very few
com sanies can pay such an amount in cash. The
law sets a limit on the amount of damages the
-forking man can get, but the law does not provide
any assurance that the working man will get the
amounts named. The present act says that a man
shaxl1 get $1800 for the loss of his arms, whereas the
loss of one arm to a miner is a total loss entitled
under our law to $3600, and is so recognized by
other states. This law says that no claim need be
recognized unless presented within 120 days from
the date of the accident- It has happened many
times that it was impossible for one reason or an
other to do this. And yet Sen. Ayer, without wait
ing to see how Sen. Brown's bill would be received,
or without trying to hcln support it, weakened its
position immeasurably by introducing an amend
ment to the present act in the shape of a 30 per
cent increase. The best illustration of this act is
that one from the Bible when the Roman soldiers
gave a sop of vinegar to the Cruicified Christ.
Sen. Ayer's hill is the sop of vinegar, and the la
boring man still hangs on the cross, nailed there by
the big mines and their attorneys.
The joint committee on Judiciary and Mines'
have substituted another bill for that of Sen. Ayer
- fter Sen. Brown's hill was killed by the vote of
Aver. Chamberlain, Dimond. Runn and Hunt. The
substitute bill is an improvement. We predict
that credit will he claimed hv the Senator from
Home who talks like a progressive and votes with
the reactionaries. Will his Nome constituents be
deceived? Perhaps thev will be.
The argument was made that there was no au
thentic information on which to support Senator
Brown's hill and that at the next legislature we
anerht pass the bill. But did Sen. Ayer offer a
h711 or make r suggestion that the statistics be fa
thered in the manner and form to meet his exact
ip a- mind? Another argument was made that the