The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1893-02-17
Alaska Packers
Are Solid.

Three million dollars. says the San
Francisco Chronicle. was paid over yes
terday for the purchase Of twenty-seven
salmon canneries in Alaska.
The deal took place in the offices OF
W. +. Beck & Co., on California street,
in this city. and It closed one Of the big
gest deals OF the kind that has come to
the surface In years.
The affair Is a combine OF nine men
with means enough to bring such thing
to a head and they drew up their arti-
cles OF Incorporation under the title Of
the Alaska Packing Association. The in
corporators are e. b. Beck, E. .. Pond,
Isaac Liebes. Charles Hirsch, II. +. Fort
man, Sidney NJ. Smith, George w. Hume,
H. A. Williams and s. b. Peterson.
These gentlemen constitute the board OF
directors, andDhey have forwarded the
articles to be filed at Sacremento. and
upon their return they will be fled with
the county clerk Of this city and the Of
fcers OF the association will be elected.
The capital Of the association Is
$4,000 three-fifths Of which has been
paid out for the purchase OF the Alaska
canneries, leaving s2.OoO,OOo as working
capital
.The experience OF the salmon canners
has been this In the past years said Eu-
gene Beck, one Of the directors VINO was
most active in getting up the association
Thousands of salmon have been killed
wantonly and to such an extent that
there are now no salmon to speak OF In
the Sacramento river Fishermen on the
Columbia river, as well as other waters,
net thousands Of fish more than can DC
used and they are tossed back dead into
the water. Our proposition 10 to have
only Just such a catch yearly as the mar
ket calls for The canneries therefore
will be run to that same purpose. Prices
will remain just as they are, for the very
good reason, II no other. that salmon Is
too plentiful to be luxury. For the can
ming business the commodity must be
one Of general demand or else the busi-
ness could not be made to pay. II prices
were raised the commodity Immediately
becomes a luxury and the demand would
necessarily fall off. There Is absolutely
no profit in the business unless our goods
can be placed on the market 30 that they
can be purchased by everyone.
when the market was overstocked
during the past few years It did not make
n particle OF difference in the prices
Warehouses and canneries as well as
stores were packed. Salmon In cans
keeps readily, and no sales were made
under the regulation prices. hence every
once in while the canneries became 81
lent and men were thrown out of employ
ment. Now thoy will run oil the time,
but will only furnish what the demand
calls for.
"The demand is increasing yearly ana
last year. when the Gamers combined
under the form OF lease Of all their In
institutions, the output was 6S5,OOO cases
as against $4,000 cases for the year pre-
vious. The catch two years ago was JUS
as large, however. as last year and It is
there that you can see the wanton Loss
OF fish.
'.As / remarked before, the Sacramento
river is dead, so far as salmon Is con
cerned. Two years ago the output from
there was 2S5. 900 cases and only 5000 cases
were obtained last year. That kind o.
business can not possibly continue with
out eventually killing all the fish In tn
Columbia and Alaskan waters as well"