The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-20

controversy has just come to light. The
authority for this news is Rudolph Neu-
mann, the representative in Alaska of the
Alaska Commercial Company.
The startling information is given by Mr..
Neumann that the Canadian authorities
are collecting customs duties from Amer
lean merchants in American territory.
The place over which the Dominion Gov
eminent has thus asserted jurisdiction is
known as "Forty-mile." This ga little
mining town at the mouth of Forty-miIe
Creek, small tributary of the Yukon
River, and it has generally been regarded
as being in American territory. On the
published charts of the United States Gov
ernme 1T the 141st meridian, which is the
boundary line between Alaska and the
British possessions, runs just enough to
the westward to bring the site of Forty
mile" in dispute. All the section around
there is known as Forty-mile and with
the exception of the gathering of miners
huts Just at the mouth of the Forty-mile
Creek, it has been conceded to be in Amer
lean territory. This is a rich mining re-
gion, and the town, or port, CT Forty
mile" is its distributing center for sup
plies.
Not until the past year has the Alaska
Commercial Company been compelled to
pay duties on American goods 10 the
Canadian Government at its depot in
Forty mile" but now tariff is C Elected
every time shipment of goods arrives
mounted police, under Captain Constan-
tine, sees that the tribute is paid.
Louis Sloss said last night that within
the past year this company has paid IN
duties at "Forty-mile'' to the Canadian
Government between $4,000 and $4,000.
The Alaska boundary-line dispute prac-
tically originated in the Fortv-mile dis
trict. Valuable gold mines were discovered
by American prospectors, and Canadians
attempted to claim possession on the pre-
tense that they were in the territory of the
Dominion. Eventually the center of inter-
est in the controversy moved southwark,
and the old question arose as to whether
interpreted as from the coast of the main
land" or from the westerly shores of the
outermost islands along the coast"
Were the latter construction to be sup
ported it would leave the American Gov
eminent a very insignificant strip along
the seward side of the islands from Port
land canal. This contention obscured the
original ground of contention, which was
whether the 141st meridian, from Mount
st. Elias to the Frozen Ocean," had
been run in its exact Ions itudinal position.
Surveyors Megrath and Turner have
performed a great deal of triangulation
and astronomical observation along this
meridian, and the results Of their work
are now in the hands of Superintendent
Duffield of the United States Coast and
Geodetic survey at Washington. The re-
ports of the various surveying parties were
sent only recently and have not much more
than reached Mr.. Duffield.
The Canadian Government did not wait
for any results of official surveying, how
hod 80
mounted police on the ground at ''Forty-
mile" and since then it has forced Ameri-
cans to pay duties to it on territory which
has generally been accepted as American,
and to which the Dominion Government
has only claim as disputant. The in
timation is given out that the results of
the triangulation and observations of
Messrs. Megrath and Turner will not give
the British Empire the slightest shadow of
jurisdiction over the scene of its invasion.
Mr.. Neumann is the general agent of
the Alaska Commercial Company. Alto
gether he has been in Alaska for twenty
two years. He has Just returned to San
Francisco and this is the story he tells:
This year went up the Yukon as far as Fort
selkirk, 1000 miles from St Micnaels Island
and then returned to Forty-mile, visiting
Sixty-mile on the trip down. Forty-mie win
tiers probably 500 miners, though 1000 or more
gather there in the summer.
Last fall the Canadian Government sent Cap
tain Constantine and Sergeant Brown over the
divide, and claimed that both Forty-mile and
Fort Cudahy were British territory, and that
duties would have to be paid on American
goods there at the different stores. AS it was
then impossible to estimate what the duties on
the goods then on hand would amount to Cap
tain Constantine demanded and received
lump sum- can't recall just the exact amount
which is immaterial anyway-and then he
placed Sergeant Brown in charge at Fort
Cudahy to collect duties in accordance with
the Canadian tariff. Fort Cudahy is on the
Canadian side of the line, we suppose and
not far distant
This works a great deal Of hardship, because
all the miners are American, and being in
American territory their supplies, upon which
the Canadian Government levies tribute, are
all consumed in American territory. I mean
by this that, even supposing Forty-mile to be
on the Canadian side of the boundary, the
goods go back into territory which is clearly
American beyond any dispute whatever and
are there consumed by Americans.
How big is the force of police? Well, they