The Alaska daily empire., 1913-04-03
Fish Traps Are Less
 Detrimental Than Seines
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Continued from Page 1) trap was far superior to any other method of catching fish for it kept them alive and fresh until removed to be taken to the canuery, while the gill net and the seine killed them. It was showed that seine operators kept their fish before delivered so very long on occasions that the fish were not fit to be packed but the canners were com pelled to use them and sell the pack at a loss.
 Mir. Forbes said that he had been in the fish business for twenty years and after using all the methods was of the opinion that the trap was the only right method from every point of view, for sanitary reasons, for economic req sons and for the preservation of the fish. He was of the opinion that if the law was enforced again,t taking fish at the mouths of spawning streams by seine men and by gill net operators and the vicious practice of hooking them in the streams where they had gone to spawn. that there would be little danger of depletion of the fish supply.
 He said that he was in favor of a closed season that should be rigidly enforced and of a larger number of government hatcheries He had fine site for a hatchery but rather than be subject to the charge of making fraud ulent returns of fry released in lieu of license tax preferred to pay the tax, He was still in favor of paying tax and of the government attending to the hatcheries. Mir. Forbes said that he was also in favor of an inspector be- ing appointed for each cannery,
 The Excursion Inlet people repre- sented by Mir. Forbes have 17 traps in the Icy Straits section and $1OO,OOO invested in traps which require an ex' penditure of about fifty thousand dol lars yearly in upkeep. They paid $4. .OOO in tax on last seasons output If the traps were abolished they would certainly have to close down.
 A statement from John Van Asperen was read by Chairman Svindseth set ting forth that Van Asperen worked in Icy Straits and Cross Sound and Lynn Canal during the summer of 191Z Van Aspcren had seen many young salmon crushed and thrown away from the traps because too small to be oI use to the canners; the few salmon that do get clear of the traps anC reached as far as the Chilkat ant Chilkoot rivers near their spawning grounds were hooked mostly by In dians and brought to the canneries fol canning. The cannery people, he al legged. bought the fish to keep the In dians from complaining about tho traps.
 C.J. Alexander, of the Hoonah Pack ing Company said that he had been il the fishing business for "A years anC had used every known appliance fol the taking of fish. Mir. AleXander'i views fitted into those of Mir. Forbes exactly. And his remarks so far at argument go were practically a repe Itition of the gentleman who preceded him. He, however, gave some yer! interesting historical facts bearing ol the fishing industry around Icy Straits and Lynn Canal points, He admitted that the salmon may have been de pleted some in the Chilkat and Chil koot rivers, but charged it to violations of the law around the natural spawning grounds and the lack of propagation b! hatcheries. He is also in favor of { closed season, more hatcheries, inspec tion. and a rigid enforcement of tho law.
 There were in Icy Straits at tho present time about fifty traps, O which his company owned four | the bill became law and was enforced it meant that Mir. Alexander's canner! could not operate. There was no pos sibility of the canneries getting the necessary supply of fish without the traps. His company had invested 1T their plant $1OO,OOO which would be entirely confiscated if the bill became law.