East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-06-27

Governor Mead will find out that
his railroad commission does not meet
with the approval of the people of
eastern Washington" is the pertinent
comment of Levi Ankeny, senior
United States senator from Washing
ton, to a reporter for the Seattle
News yesterday morning. "Mr. Mead
was elected governor and doubtless
intends to be the governor himself,
and 1 have no doubt he intends to
do right. l have no criticism to offer
on his actions The commission is
appointed and will stand on its own
merits and on the merits of the work
it accomplishes."
Senator Ankeny arrived in Seattle
from Bellingham, where he has been
attending the sessions of the Wash
ington grand lodge of Masons. Ac-
companied by Mrs. Ankeny, he is now
on his way to Portland for a brief
visit to the exposition for a shor
visit to the exposition. He has al
ready been to the exposition for
short visit, but wishes to spend long
er time in the exposition city.
While in Bellingham the senior sem
ator took much interest in the sell
mon fisheries there and in the catches
which are being made. Mr.. Ankeny
is one of the best informed men on
the subject of fish and fisheries in
the state. He has long taken a deep
interest in the salmon industry and
in the artificial propagation of the
fish as a means of preserving that in
dustry.
At its last session congress made
an appropriation for the establishment
of a salmon hatchery in Alaska wa
ters," said he, "and the hatchery will
be establishedy this summer. Addi-
tional hatcheries will probably be
established from time to time. The
work should be extended until there
is a hatchery in every stream to
which the salmon come to spawn.
Hatcheires do not cost much to
construct, they do not cost much to
sustain. and the industry is sufficient
ly important to justify the expenditure
necessary to maintain and continue
it. The output of canned salmon in
Alaska now amounts to S9,0OO,OOO a
year. If it is not preserved by means
of artificial propagation it will suffer
serious deterioration as a result of the
depletion of the runs of fish.
"I was much interested in watch
| ing the fishermen unloading their
catches of fish at the Bellingham and
! Anacortes canneries. In one of the
| catches l noticed seven sock-eyes, al
though it is not yet the season for the
run of that fish. At Anacortes 1 saw
a fish taken which had on it a mark
which the men told me was put on al
| the Clackamas, Oregon, hatchery. -
81 do not assume that the presence
of the fish there is a disproof of the
theory that the fish return to their
parent stream when they are ready
| TO spawn The fish are absent from
the parent stream four years between
| the time they are hatched and the
time they return to spawn and die
During their absence they may go tc
all parts of the world. This fish may
have been up at Anacortes on a sum
mer pleasure tour instead of bent or
it's mission of spawning.
THE salmon cannery men of British
Columbia are beginning to look with
much more favor on the proposal OF
the Washington fish commissioner tc
establish international hatcheries or
the Frazer river The Frazer river
fishermen are beginning to realize
that their salvation as well as that OF
our own fishermen depends on the es'
| tablishment of such hatcheries anc
they are coming round to favor the
| rronoaaIp -