The Alaska daily empire., 1913-04-29
Memorial on Fisheries
 Passes Both Houses
Ccontinued from Page 1.)

bill covering this same matter on the ground that the subject matter had been disposed of. The chair declared the point of order we'll taken.
 Representative Shoup took an ap- peal from the decision of the chair and by vote of g to 5 the chair was over-ruled. The amendment was then brought before the House in cornmit' tee of the whole and discussed,
 Representative Svindseth speaking to the admendment declared that the question of whether or not fish traps were to be allowed was the most inn portant matter before the legislature, because it was related to the most important industry in the territory At present it yields in wealth as much as the mineral resources and If wisely conserved will continue to so yield for ages to come.
 In the early eighties the Sacramen- to river became depleted and traps haw to be abolished. Today the sup ply is revived and fishing is again a magnificent industry. There are no traps on the streams of the Ore. gon coast and the pack is holding it's own. The Columbia river in it's palmy days has produced pack for one sea son has reached a total of 630,00O cases while today it is down to 2S5,- 900 cases with more gear in the wa ter than ever before and at the same time one-third of those that are packed now would formerly have been thrown away.
 The speaker then referred to Puget Sound, British Columbia waters and the coast of Alaska, declaring that where traps were in use the waters were depleted or decreasing but that where they were not used the supply was holding its own.
 Devastated forests, worked out gravel beds, exhausted coal deposits and depleted salmon streams could never make a resourceful and pros. porous commonwealth of Alaska. Only by wise utilization and sensible con- servation could we ever hope or ex- pect to become a prosperous and hap py commonwealth,
 The speaker referred to the pup lished interview in Ketchikan paper with a we'll known canneryman in which the statement was made that the House was afraid to go on record on this question. This he said was a challenge of the personal integrity of the membership and he did not believe that it was true. It was his belief that whether a member favored the traps or not he was not afraid to de- clare himself in no uncertain manner on the subject.
 Kennedy, of Candle, opposed the amendment on the ground that abol- ishing traps would be class legislation and said that if conservation was ne cessary he would give the opponents of the traps all that was necessary and for this reason he would like to introduce substitute for the amend ment. The substitute was offered and read. It demanded that all manner of fishing in Alaska waters be prohibited for a period of five years,
 Collins, of Fox, was against the amendment which would only put one class of men out of business for the benefit of another class that did not use the traps. He said that if Mir. Kennedy's substitute were to be adopt ed that seine men and trap owners would crawl into one bed,
 Boyle, of Valdez, supported the amendment, saying that 1t had been the constant demand and a part of the platform on which Delegate Wick ersham had been elected.
 Driscoll, of Fairbanks, said that he was in favor of restriction but not of confiscation which the abolishment of the fish trap amounted to in the end. He would vote against the amend. ment.
 Kelly, of Knik, said that he was against the abolishment of fish traps for the reason that 1t would aid the monopoly to the Westward that did not use traps.
 Col. Iugersoll, of Ketchikan, made a masterly address from the view point of conservation in favor of the amend ment. He not only supported it be- cause some radical departure had to be made in order to protect the sal mon from extinction, but because the cannerymen themselves had forced the non partisan convention to demand the abolishment of traps in the plat form on which they had been elected. He had tried to have a plank insert ed that would have provided for rig i'd regulations and restrictions but the cannerymen had insisted on the plank that was now having it's test vote in the House. He would keep his pledge ord voto for the amendment