Judge Harding
Dismisses Suit
Justin W. Harding, judge of
the U. S. District Court at Ju
neau, last week dismissed the
case of Territory of Alaska ver
sus Bristol Bay Packing Co., for
alleged unpaid salmon taxes.
Costs and disbursements were
ordered re-imbursed by the Ter
ritory.
The suit involved over $50,000
in taxes claimed due over a
period of several years. The al
legation set forth by the Terri
tory was that the Company paid
its graduate pack tax on the
basis of a pack from two can
neries when it operated only one
plant.
The court took the view that
the company did operate two
plants.
-x
AFOGNAK NATIVES
GET FEDERAL AID
x
Native residents of Afognak
island are being assisted by the
federal government to tide them
over until they can get employ
ment with the fisheries. In re
sponse to an appeal for aid, Dis
trict Judge Hill recently made
an emergency allotment of
funds for the purchase of food
from Afognak merchants t)
meet the immediate require
ments of the native population.
Reports indicated that the na
tives had exhausted their re
sources and were actually suf
fering from hunger. The matter
was reported to the governor by
rather Smaltz, Russian priest at
Afognak.
-x
One of the biggest days at the
Fish Pier, Boston, Mass., was
when 2,000,000 pounds of fish
were landed. The big catch
brought a drop in prices with
cod, hake and haddock quoted
at 3& cents a pound.
Decision Affects
American Vessels
—X—
The Canadian ministry of
j ustice has decided not to appeal
the decision of the British Co
lumbia Admiralty Court return
ing the Tacoma purse seiner St.
Fatrick to her owners. Upon re
ceiving the decision of the court,
Andrew G. Haley, attorney for
the American owners, interview
ed American State Department
officials and the State Depart
ment immediately telegraphed
the American minister at Otta
wa instructions to urge immedi
ate release of the St. Patrick be
cause of the entirely favorable
decision of the court.
This closes a most interesting
episode of international law, de
ciding among other things that
in the boundary waters of Wash
ington Sound, the Strait of Juan
de Fuca and Haro Strait, an
American fishing boat to be a
trespasser must be within three
marine miles of the Canadian
coast line. In other words, even
though the boundary line itself
extends five miles from the Ca
nadian coast line and American
vessels are actually in Canadian
v/aters, nevertheless to violate
the Canadian law they must
move to a point within three
miles before they may be seized.
The St. Patrick was seized last
fall by a Canadian fisheries
cruiser.—Seattle Times.
-x
PINK LEADING ALL
VARIETIES
-x
Canned salmon valued at $29,
096,868 was produced in Alaska
during 1931 by its 116 canneries,
it was announced by the bureau
of fisheries of the department of
commerce.
The Alaska salmon was pack
ed in 5,403,811 standard cases
and weighed 259,382,928 pounds.
She United States, with 50
canneries, produced 1,336,234
cases, valued at $8,986,308.
Following are the number of
cases of each variety produced in
Alaska during the year: Chinook,
51,867; sockeye, 1,694,278; silver,
169,878; pink, 2,953,860; chum,
553,856, and steelhead, 72.
-x
KAKE CANNERY
LEASED BY LIBBY CO.
-x
The Libby, McNeill & Libby
Company has leased the Alaska
Pacific Canning Company’s can
nery at Kake and will operate it
this summer with A1 Minard as
superintendent. This will take
the place of the Taku Harbor
cannery belonging to Libby Co.,
recently destroyed by fire.
Mr. Minard for several years
was superintendent of the Kake
cannery for Sanborn Cutting Co.
of Astoria, before it was sold to
the Skinner & Eddy Company
which operates under the name
of Alaska Pacific Salmon Cor
poration.
It is reported that the Taku
Harbor cannery will be rebuilt
during the summer months and
will be ready for operation by
r.ext summer.
The people of Kake who have
been without assurance of any
employment this summer have
taken heart and hope to secure
employment under their old
superintendent.
-x
EAST COAST FISH
Those on the waters of the
Pacific Northwest who believe
that they are the only producers
of edible fish for the markets
will take second thought when
they note that one of the biggest
days at Fish Pier, Boston, 2,000,
000 pounds of fish were landed.
Naturally the big catch brought
a drop in prices with cod, hake
and haddock quoted at 3% cents
a pound. The economic depres
sion has driven more men and
boats into the Atlantic fisheriei
than in many years.