The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-10-17
THE ALASKA PACKERS
How They Feel About the
Shortage for This Year.
MORE THAN EeTIMArEO
San Francisco Salmon Talk Writ
ten up in . Chatty Manner for
the Astorian's Readers.

The following interesting conimunica-
ton was received here yesterday frbm
Mr.. Sampel Elmore. who is at present
visiting friends in San francisco;
Down in the business district nearest
TO the water front around where Market
street Is being joined by Carifornia, Sac
ramento and Clay and adjacent thor
oughfares, the talk of today is salmon,
and 1t Is salmon here and there ana
everywhere. Presidents OF companies,
secretaries, superntendents, commission
merchants, packing and shipping men
connected with the salmon industries
have their day just NOW, to be sure, and
on change the air is fun OF FISH talk.
The main topic of the many Nnd varied
conversations, OF course, ~ The shortness
OF the Alaska pack for the sehson. 1t
ls conceded by alb parties concerned
that the Alaska cannertes are with per-
haps only two exceptions, short" Some
of the most conservative people put the
total shortage at only 100000 cases, but
estimates from other wetl-Informed
sources put 1t at almost three times
that amount; as a matter OF fact, only
two Alaska canneries are reported to
ihave a Guli pack and THEY are the Cooks
Inlet and Chicknic Bay concerns.
course Tic DuLk UIlt SilOIIdbt iidO
been ON the side of tine Agaislta Packers
Association, but the Alaska Improvement
Company is also reliably reported to
be at Yeast 10000 cases short.
Before going any further, a good story
making the rounds among the boys down
town" must be told. II hhs been given
out by some wag trhht the initials Of The
Alaska Packers Association "a. p. Al
are the reason for the failure of the
years output, and Secretary Bradford
10 having his busy life made miserable
by a lot OF correspondence which begs
him to change the name of the combine
to take the .'hoodoo' of.
But, speaking seriously, there 10 NOT
much chleerfufness among the Alaska
cannef.s ana packers. Luckily all the
pack was sold before the results OF the
season were known and rs far as prices
are concerned none of them win be
losers. They even hope thht this years
shortage will have a tendency to raise
prices for next year, and, with the ever
ready hopefuInesis of the enterprising
merchant they expect big catch next
season to make up for this season's
shortage. One may travel for days
and not find a single man wfIo would say
thnlt the shortage OF this years pack
has any future Significance.
ut is just an OFF year." says one.
''nhere win be plenty of fish next year"
SAYS another. And so they pass The
matter over.
One old FELLOW got hEBmseCR much dis
liked yesterday because while speaking
OF 1.-THE decrease of salmon In Alaska iva
ters, he Claimed that 1t maW not only
be temporary. but permanent. II re-
member" said me. while the crowd list
sned, ''that "a Fellow started q cannery
at Thin Point some FIVE or six years
ago and the first year he packed from
thirty TO forty thousand cases. The very
next season he had only three thousand
cases and there Ihas not been any saltnDn
to speak of caught Ground that nelghb5r-
hood since" They did not nke tho old
fellows ominous talk and he didn't set
any invitation to drink that afternoon.
What is strange 10 thlat nobody VEN
lures any opinion ais to the causes OF
the decline OF fish in Aihlska waters. 1t
ls Just matter of fact and everybody
takes 1t philosophicaaly. AS far as get
ting any exact figures as to the actual
results is concerned. 1t ID almost impcssi-
bee TO do so ait This thine. In the first
place aid the ships are not in as yet,
and II with be November 1st before the
whole salmon fleet is in the harbor Be
sides 1.-THE big concerns have had too busy
a thine to gather figures either for pub
hcation or for other purposes, even II
they were willing to do IT. That, under
the circumstances, they ARE not eager to
give figures goes without saying.
Who can blame themT if
The Pacific Whaling Company's cam
nerles on Prince WarEIam Sound and at
Copper River are said to be very short,
some putting the amount alt $1,000 cases,
asthoueIl this may be an over estimate.
The Alaska Improvement Comps.ny's
new cannery on THE Yougahhk near Chik-
ak, has just about one-lialf the pack ex-
pected and an the other canneries along
the Zine are In pretty near the same
position, with the exception OF the two
mentioned above.
That there 10 just a tribe OF jealous
asperBty nlmong these Alaska camneries,
when they refer to the great output OF
Columbia River salmon, which they all
acknowLedge exceeded expectations. need
not be mentioned, for such Is human
nature. But II would be a sore troaG for
your nelghbors the Puget Sound peope,
10 hear HOW their pack OF salmon Is
spoken OF, or rather sIlenced mere.
"W1hlo cares how much Puget Sound
produces?' aadd a very prominent com
missioner. "T,heir Asa Is OF so inferior
A auafaty and commands an entlrely
different trade from that Of any other
saeupon canned, tlat people In The bus
lness do not recognize It as factor"
what a body blow such remarks (and
they are not only solitary. but quite
generaa) musH be to your friends on INC
Sound who 50 dearly love TO claim that
their salmon rs the very next uhlng to
the Columbia River article.
In a little white I wiz probably be
aIble to send you authorized figures say
Ing just what The combined pack of
Alaska salmon for this season is. ana
also some more details concerning she