sent complaint is the shortage of
herring for bait, and in this connec
tion it is stated that herring no long
er frequent many localities where
bait was formerly taken. Most of
th-se localities, however, are far re
moved from the fishing grounds of
the curing and reduction industry.
In certain Central Alaska area3, on
the other hand, where herring has
been comparatively little used for
reduction, the run for several years
has been much lighter than in Chat
am Strait, where fishing has been
most intensive.
As for the value of herring as
food, certainly the greatest—in
deed the only—economic use that
can be made of the bulk of the catch
at this time is in the production of
oil and meal. If it is not wanted
for food, why object to its utilization
for other purposes through which
benefit is derived both by the pro
ducers and the country at large?
There is no real reason to be con
cerned over what use is made of the
herring so long as fishing is not so
intensive as to endanger the future
supply. The trouble is that no
body knows much about the herring
—their habits, whether or not there
is any likelihood of depletion, their
relations to other fisheries. All sorts
of assertions are made, but the real
facts are almost entirely unknown.
It will not be denied that the fut
ure of the fishing should be protect
ed: but restrictions of a fairly dras
tic nature have already been adopt
ed to this end, and it would-seem reas
onable before taking further action
to ascertain the facts of the situation.
SITKA CAMP
ALASKA NATIVE
BROTHERHOOD
Meets 8 P. M. Mondays
President: Secretary:
Mark Jacob* A. Hope
*
Ketchikan Grocery
R. W. EDMONDS, Prop.
Redman Building, Phone 71
Night Phone—Green 233
Ketchikan, Alaska
- - - ! *
Halibuters Are Delayed
Situation Is lleqtmiing Serious With
Plants Pliable to Locate lleiVing
With no herring bait in sight for
the halibut fleet and a number (s’
boats, now in port unable to pro
ceed to the fishing grounds, the
situation is becoming more serious,
and again is brought home directly
to the halibut fishermen the alleged
wholesale destruction of lie ring by
numerous fertilizer plans in south
eastern Alaska.
Telegraphic inquiries have been
made as far south as Vancouver
British Columbia, without locating
any bait. Andy Gunderson o: die
Pirate who fishes herring for the
local coin storage plants so.nuea
around as far as Yes Bay without
finding any herring other than some
schools of herring too small to he
of any use. He was to lonw again
this afternoon to keep cruising until
lie could locate herring, if possible.
Among the larger boats now in
port are the Resolute, Northern,
Flattery and Sentinel. The Panama
and Sunde are due from Prince Ru
pert this evening. Several smaller
boats are kept in port because of no
bait, and this condition lm^ existed
some time at other ports.
Some of tlie halibut men were
discussing the possility of taking
along nets and trying to catch their
own bait on the way to the sea
fisheries. However, the most of
them apparently will remain in
port here in the hopes that Captain
Gunderson will be able to locate
fresh herring in the next few day3.
Recently most of the large halibut
boats have been overhauled and
painted and made ready for the fall
season, and the present set-back
will prove serious. Moreover, the
prices now are slightly more than
they have been for the past few
weeks, and the halibut season will
close November 15, which is an
added inducement for the fleet to
make as much money as possible
this fall.
Liquor Seizure Illegal
In Alaska Residence
Supreme Court Rules Also in Pro
hibition Cases in Portia Rico
ami United States.
The United States Supreme Court
on November 21 rendered three de
cisions affecting the National Prohi
bition Act. Two of these cases re
lated to enforcement in territorial
possessions, Alaska and Porto Rico,
and the third to enforcement in the
United States.
In the case of the United States
v. Ole Berkeness, a resident of Al
aska. the Supreme Court again laid
down the principle that mere pos
session of liquor in the home is not
unlawful, and the intention of Con
gress was that a private dwelling
shall not be searched except under
circumstances.
“This,” and the opinion, rendered
by Mr. Justice McReynolds, “dis
closes a general policy to protect the
home against intrusion through the
use of search warrants. Certainly
no adequate reason has been sug
gested for withholding from those
who reside in Alaska the safeguards
deemed essential in all territory sub
ject to the jurisdiction of the Unit
ed States.”
The Court sustained the decision
of the United States District Court
of Alaska which dismissed the case
against Berkeness under the Alaska
Dry Law, on the grounds that it
was unsupported by competent evi
dence when it wa3 shown that there
was no evidence against him of sell
ing liquor. The United States Cir
cuit Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit,
affirmed the judgment, and th© Gov
vernment took a writ of certiori.
In a decision, in which the opinion
was written by Mr. Justice Butler,