The Alaska daily empire., 1914-12-17

NATIVE LABOR IN
 THE FISHERIES tBy W q. Lopp, Of the eureau of
 Edueatlonf Aiaska)
 The white man's civilization has not generally reeulted in improving the economic condition of the aborigines Of Alaska. His Industrial enterpriges
 n many sections have proven hind ronces rather than helps to those children .of nature Costly and ex- trayagant tastes have been mtroduc- ed among them in many sections without their being provided with op- portunlties to earn Incomes which would enable them to gratify these newly acquired tastes.
 Southeast Alaska, however, has been on exception. salmon cannerles and mild cure plants have furnished them with remuneratiye employment which has enabled them to amply gratlfy their newly acquired tastes. To their primitive diet of fish, wild meats, and berries, they can now add bacon, lard, ham, canned meats, fruits, vegetables, and even fresh apples oranges, peaches, grapes and water melons. Instead of skin clothes and homespun blankets, they can now af- ford to spend more on 'store'clothes
 Chan their white brothers. They for morly went barefooted many months in the year; now they SO well ahod, spending annually several thousand dollars for footwear. Instead of prImi- tive houses with scanty funiture, they now have large frame residences which are overcrowded with house lhold furniture, kitchen utensils mir. TOTS, clocks. sewing machines, phono- graphs, enlarged family pictures, or gans, and even few pianos If they were in @ country Of roads, their pres ent prosperity would no doubt prompt them to purchase as many "Fords" per capita as the farmers of Kansas. Since oil their highways are water, | they use power boats instead. They 1 have replaced their great war canoes with trim. staunch boats equipped with Union Imperial" ]" "Atias," l Icorliss," and other engines.
 These natives were fishermen by racial training; therefore have become expert with the purse seine and troll ing line. It Is not uncommon for the owner of a power boat to make a contract with 9 cannery which nets 1 him and his family S1,O0O to Sl,2OO for a season Boys 14 to l6 years old earn S2OO to $500 as their share l of the catch Of the boats crew. Women and girls make 75 cents to S2 per day for work inside the cannery. Small boys and girls make 50 cents to $1 ] a day bling cans Men hoye been known to make as high as S30 per 1 day trolling for King salmon. Many of them make SiO0 to the man during 1 the King salmon trolling season.
 The total income received by the lIndlans of Southeast Alaska from the canneries and mild cure plants for the year 1913 has boon estimated at S225.OOO which is about $50 per. capita 1 for the native population, or 9l5 per cent of their total income. Con- seryative estimates of their other sources of income were: Labor S1O,- GOO; furs, $5000; basketry Si,0OO; a total of $21, 900. or 8.5 per cent of their total income.
 Tho Indian population of this sec ton, numbering between 4,5O0 and 5000 has become an important factor to the salmon packers. The cenneries depend largely upon the women and cbildren for ingide work and the men and larger boys for purse seining, and usually furnish them all the fishing gear needed The gas boats used lin riBhing are owned by the natives Most of them are native built are 30 to 50 feet long, and arc equipped with gas engines ranging in size from I 5 to 30 horsepower They own at i least 225 Of theae power boats which l have an approximate value of Sl5O'- GOO. When not in use for fishing some of them are used in log, glng, also for pleasure trips and l funerals. The Indian cemeteries are usually across a channel or bay from 7. the village Funeral processlons are made up of all tho gas boats in the ;. village. accompanied by brass band
 if these people progress in the neXl il decade as the past mistake has been made by the cannery men in noi furnishing the Indian families witt inexpensive but neat well lighted model shackg built of sized lumber
 with the smooth sides oi the boards in and the rough side out and stained
 Sufficient number of such houses t'
 accommodate the people while living 4 at the cannerles would cost but , small sum and could not help but have 2 a wbolesome influence on these people
 who now live, or exist in improyised 3 lunsanihry shacke during the ianinl ] season.
 j, It is regretable that congreaa ha' hot provided sufficient funds to en ' able the AiasEa diyisiou Of tho Bureat i, of Education to station nurse oi k teacher at every canuery during tn' fishing season to supervise the estab { iHshment of day nurseries for tn' - smaller children Who art too otter neglected because Of thu employment -i of the mothers and older sisters.