The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-03-28
SETTLES ASSAY OFFICE
ruE ARRAY or FIGURES WHICH
CONVINCED THE COMMITTEES
The AavePt7sing Cois1ns 81 she
Poss Hnseliiwencer. C0ntrasteA
with PAPER. 81 Other Cities. show
ea Where Alaska Trade Rested.

Special Dispatch to the post-In;eiiigencer.
WASHINGTON. Marc, ss.-Frank t.
Hunter. Of Seattle who has been resi-
dent OF this city for ths last year, never
loses chance to do work for the benefit
% she city in which he still has some
business interests and to which he ex-
poets before many ssonths 10 return. Mr.,
Hunter recently MAS given j hearing by
the committee on coinage. weights and
measures or the house. urging the inlpor~
sance o. tbs establishment II a. ASSAY Of
fee az Seattle. Tie principal part Of his
argument consisted uf al object lesson.
showing the relative Importance OF Pacific
coast ports In connection with the Alaska
gold production. lie exhibited To the men,
hers OF the committee marked copies Of
the Post-Intelligeacer thu Portland Ore
CONAN ard the San Francisco Cali. OF the
saIne dats. showing the number * trans
pcrtalion companies having headquarters
AZ the respective places. as advertised at
the present day. which, said he. cannot
help convincing the most skepteal man
where this Alaska business Is d0ue and
where the gold produced IN our northern
territory rrst lands In the states.
II am aware, he continued, that San
fahetScO Is Hot considered In this traffic,
bGN \ ma tslf impression prevails here III
the last that most OF the Alaskan com
merciIl business is done from that city
This is a great mistake, as these papers
alone viii show.
The papers I submit are all the same
date, and the San Francisco Call shows
that that city is the home port OF two
Alaska transportation companies and they
operate bat two steamers. The Portland
Oregonian OF the same date shows that
Portland Is the home port OF three Alaska
transportation companies, operating only
I'd
Dyea. with a sum total OF seven steamers.
While the Seattle Post-lntelligencer shows
four companies and operating eighty-six
steamers. and. unlike San Francisco ard
Portland comrsnies. the Seattle lines
ping point In Alaska.
''Of Seattle's eighty-six vessels as ad-
vertised. ffty-three ply on the ocean and
these eighty-six vessels seventy-eight are
steamers, and only eight are sailing YES
sells. and the nearest any of these vessels
so to Portland Or. or touch I'm their trip
to or their return from Alaska, Is the city
of Seattle. their home port.
'-Os this Seattle fleet. thir;y-four vessels
Juneau, Skagway. Dyea and Alaska way
ports; six between Seattle. Copper river
ana Cook inlet: thirteen between Seattle,
Inaiaska ana 81; Michael direct. and thir-
ty-three on the Yukon.
'On February q. lSes. there were twenty
three vessels az Seatt.e's docks loading
vessels arrived on their return trip 10 Sc
attic.
The statement I here submit does rot
Include any Of the Eastern companies adj
verttsng sailing around the Horn. hut
onis a. advertised in the panerS herewith
submitted. and 70 he made an exhibit in
lust adj. however that In addition 10 the
fleet as advertised and referred 20 that
there has been renortea ~ sailinF OF
increase Seat'le's fleet later in the season.
but not yet advertised.
Mr.. Hunter then proceeded to present
other arguments to show that an assay
office was essential and that its location
should be in Seattle.
"'The Alaska field" he continued. cts
mere extensive than the Canadian terri
tGrv. though 1t haS been the Canadian dis
ccveries on the Klnndkr whicn have start
American territory which yield $40 ner dav
in gold per man BY the ordinary methods
or working were Dassssl by last wear IN the
mad riish for the CanaGita ;eFritery. where
wages We're SIS per day osr man. but all
this g changing now. TIN. British laws
charging a ROYALTY OF - s1er cent of the
product mined, and reese TX eysry alter
nate claim, making In r@.3ti;J :. 30 per cent.
tax on all the gold found t5,s sr with Ca
madam customs duties On ies making
altogether the tax leviea -. the Ameri-
can miner very much more severe than
that levied hv the South African Beers on
the mines OF the johannesburg district.
which led TO the Uitiander instruction. Is
diveriinR American capital and energy to
American soil. and the American district
viii rival California as placer gold pro-
Queer the coming season
ITO this section whole supplies can
he landed nv steamers and the gold trans
ported to Seattle nv steamer. reducing the
cost OF the provisions and insurinK the
safety of the product 81 the miner. as we'll
az saving its owner from possible uhvs-
zeal harm and robbery along the lonely
trails OF the interior to tide water over any
~ 4f,<sI
Late last season too late TO transport
any OF the product rich strikes were made
on Hunter and Minonk CREEKS stream.
enptving into the Yukon 30 miles west OF
Circle CITY Excellent dieoings have also
been discovered between sa and 100 miles
west az the Fame plscs. In this section
ground can he worked in the summer nj
great advantage over the Kfondike where
work IL confined 10 winter aiggirrs
= LAST season from IL. g,v = . septenber
for Alaska. from all the Pacific coast
norts combined. and OF this number Z aSs
took nasssse from Seattle ard carried
with them s. Tda tons OF freight
Il will not prolonr this statement hv CIV
Ing the n3me OF vessel date Of sailing ard
number Of naFSnneers each trim on each
vessel. but gladly furnish ii 20 the commit
to- should any oDnosinr city ATTEMPT 10
disnute the statement, This PROPORTION %
TIE Alaska travel and business cannot. ~
co3srss.. 10 maintained Nv SEATTLE az the
present Indications are that flo6 0s people
viii astcFnrt 10 ente~ this country THE .aa-
sseH' nfff eanEe1-tfNfuS or aN the pRnuie
fergn~ thia god section will embark from
Seattie and an equal proportion Of the gois,
from that section viii first land there
II challenge anv person 10 Dispute what
the advertising columns of the daily ra-
MERE OF tho three nrin@iBai cities on thr.
Pacific coss Hf e0ncff7 e4vel" nr3Ve. av I have
exhibited n YIN t"sisV. That Seatti4 IS fha
ierical i0rt NJ dcfsertpre ard arrival Of all
Alaskv fransoc~3a fion lnes and "a esirh ia
tee Cntv logical locasicn fer an aesay Of
free 10 care for the Alaskan gold product"
II seems 20 have hem definitely settled
that Portland cannot get tse assay office
under any circumstances and the. I, will
he 2 dog-in-the-uanger act II her Chamber
Of Commerce ana business men prevent Se-
attic securing Il. Representative Lewis
states that the Oregon Representatives
hold IN the June election. IN that state az
z bIlg1ear before the committee declaring
that IL VIII cause harm TO the Republican
party II Seattle is given what Portland
has asked Der repreSe natives TO obtain for
her. In the meantime the committee has
not decided 70 make a report