Douglas Island news., 1908-09-16
That Salmon Tax
(Valdez Prospector)

statement by speaker at the Gale meeting in Valdez in June. quotedln the Prospector, alleging that all D. Fl. Jarvis ever did for Alaska was to lobby through congress bill to use the tax on canned salmon for the encourage nent of hatcheries, thereby taking away>a large revenue from the Alaska school and road fund. MT. Anderson or Miss Anderson, as the case may DC who evidently has something to learn about law, asks:
 "WillSou kindly explain to me how that eau be. Alaska has three classes of school. The native schools under the supervision of the Bureau of Ed ucation, supported by direct appro- priation from congress- The Terri toriaI school under the supervision of the Governor of Alaska and supported by an appropriation from congress. The schools within the limits of in. corporated cities and supported by one- half the revenue collected from liquor licenses? 1 believe 1t is true that tho appropriations for the school funds these last two years have been larger than at any time before.
 "It seems to me that Alasks would stand a far better chance of obtaining recognition at the hands of congress If the newspapers would stop their petty auibbIing, cut out personal spite. and devote the columns of their papers to the discussion of the principles of the issues which effect the country at large"
 The Prospector wishes to be fair with A. k. Anderson because A. E. may stand for Amelia Elizabeth, or some thing like that, and the owner of the name may wear Merry Widow hat and with mouthfull of hair pins dress before glass in the morning. It will therefore refer A. E. 10 the act of con- gresa of January 27, 1905, which reads as follows:
 "That all moneys derived from and collected for liquor licenses, occupa- tion or trade licenses outside of incor- porated towns in the district of Alaska shall be deposited in the Treasury De- partment of the United States. there to remain as a separate and distinct fund, to be known as the Alaska fund" and to be wholly devoted to the purposes hereinafter stated in the district of Alaska. One.fourth of said fund, or SO much thereof as may be necessary, shall be devoted to the establishment and maintenance of public schools in said district; five per centum of said fund shall be devoted to the care and maintenance of insane persons in said district, or so much of said per centum as may be needed; and all the residue of said fund shall be devoted to the construction aud maintenance of wagon, roade, bridges and trails in said dis. trict"
 Under this provision half the tax of cents case upon canned salmon went into the school and road fund of tho territory The bill lobbied through by Capt. Jarvis transfers this 4 cent tax to d fund to be used for the en- coursgemenG of private salmon hatoh- cries. It gives the packers rebate of 40 cents for each thousand red salmon fry liberated from their alleged hatch cries. No provision is made for official supervision of this hatchery industry and reports of it's output are left to the packers themselves. The grand jury of the January 1908 term of the district court of the Third division reported that the salmon packers are apparently using the law to swear themselves out of the salmon tax altogether It found that the Alaska Packers Association in 1907 paid balance of g cents into the office of the clerk of the court as the amount due at cents case after deducting the rebates claimed for the liberation of fry from it's purportsd hatcheries, offering no proof of ehe same.
 Even though the packers honestly re- port on the work of their. .hatcheries those industries benefit nobody but themselves, and the diversion of the salmon tax is bounty to the packers at the expense of the Alaska school and road fund.
 This, uf course, has nothing to do with "the principles of the issue which effect the country at large"