Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-25

| tives to meet in Rome in 1911.
AS an interude between the business
sessions of the fisheries congress today
was a luncheon given the members of the
congress by the Alaska Packers Asso-
| citation. 1t was intended that the meal
should be tribute to the king fish of the
great white north, the fish whose annual
output from Alaska equals in value the
gold product of the country. Everything
was arranged to make the tribute nota BILE.
There is but one Alaska salmon. the red
salmon of the north. which its devotees
declare is as far ahead of all other salmon
as the Potomac shad is ahead of all other
shad in the world There are just about
376 ways of cooking the fish, and the
managers of the luncheon intended at the
st art to give the guests samples, If not of
all styles at least of the principal Ones
and there was to be nothing else on the
menu but salmon. except in such places
as are usually occupied by wines and
cigars. things whose place even the sal
mon world find it difficult to fill.
The luncheon was arranged for Friday,
too. when there was every ethical and re-
ligiOus reason for eating fish. The man.
agement of the Willard demurred a little
at first saying that 1t was all right from
the packers viewpoint to make an ex-
clusively salmon function of the feast,
but that the hotel had to consider its
reputation as WELL To this the managers
of the luncheon responded somewhat
tartly that if the hotel could live up to
all the possibilities of red salmon it
would be doing well enough for the rep
utation of any hosterly So everything
proceeded merrily till the president of the
association was struck by the awful
| thought that some of the delegates to
the congress might not like fish and So at
the last moment, the whole menu was
recast and while red salmon was retained
as the piece de resistance 1t appeared
in only two places on the bill of fare. and
the luncheon was robbed in large part of
it's distinctive character and came nearer
to the level of an ordinary complimentary
luncheon.
Meeting Is Notable.
1t was a notable meeting. There was a
long table along one side of the ballroom,
where the luncheon was held the princi-
pal guests being Secretary Straus of the
Department of Commerce and Labor,
Secretary of the Navy Metcalf, Assistant
Secretary of Commerce and Labor Wheel
er, Maj. Sylvester, Richard Rathbun of
the Smithsonian Institution. George F..
| Peabody Theodore GIL. President Bumpus
! of the congress. DR.. Hugh NJ. Smith, Dis
| trict Commissioner Henry l.. West. Fish
Commissioner Bowers, Clifford Pinchot
and James Hood. The host was G.. w.
| Dorr, president of the Packers Associa-
| ton.
| The souvenirs at each plate consisted of
book on the Alaska salmon and another
| of receipts for cooking salmon in the 316
| different ways referred to. If any of
| the guests of the luncheon did not take
| this receipt book home to their wives they
will have only themselves to blame for
| the consequences. The souvenirs were all
stamped with the house flag of the ASSOC
! citation and the Alaskan book contained
| sufficient varied and interesting infor-
nation for a dozen stories. The foreign
delegates were grouped at small tables
| in front of the host and the other MEM
| bers of the congress at similar tables
anthemumS, princes feather and other
| autumn flowers About 300 persons were
present.
The Packers Association is interested
| in the preservation of salmon and itself
| conducts two of the largest hatcheries in
| the world. One at Fortman has capac-
| ity for 1OO.Oo0O0O eggs a year and the
other at karluk is about half that size.
To Meet Next in Rome.
| The next meeting of the international
fishery congress will be held in Rome.
Italy, in 1911. This decision was reached
today, when an invitation to meet in that
city was extended by Decio Ninceguerra
| of the royal fish culture station In Rine.
The congress will be held on the Occa-
sion of the tifteth anniversary of the
! Italian union.
Discuss Lobster Culture.
| The afternoon session yesterday was