The daily progressive-miner., 1915-10-19
A COMMUNICATION

The stand taken, and action of
 Mayor Beegle against the gathering
 of salmon eggs from Ketchikan
 Creek, for matching and transfer ing to other waters, has the en- dorsement of this community, but
 is it to end heres He spoke of the
 salmon run" as one of Ketchikan's
 greatest attractions to the tourist
 and of the decreasing numbers com
 ing to the stream as compared with
 past years, to which all can testify
 who have lived here any length of time and each season, until a
 year ago seen the struggle of the seething mass of salmon, as thous- , ands upon thousands of them worked their way to the spawning
 beds. Some years the run was
 lighter than others, hence, when last year some reported No run of salmon up the creek" supposed it to be simply lighter than usnal, but was not prepared for the sight that greeted my eyes when 1 visit ed the creek and could not see a dozen salmon from any point in 1t,
 While it was year for a light run, no one of the inhabitants of this -or&sny, o,-ar -ou- ~r,eb (. condition
 before, and this year there should have been big run up the creek, which did not materialize, it being the lightest lsxr ever seen except that of last year in my residence of Is years in Ketchikan. There have not been eggs enough taken from its waters to affect it, so what is usI qonJu ool 6Idu!S ssneo sql traps. This natter shcuid not ise of more vital importance to any one than the .anle.y me1; hut we eau not criticise the present ,aethods of taking the sa' non without incur ring the i'll will of those engaged in the business while they persist in the annihilation of the Goose that lays the gci.lr1 egg" Dr. Jones reports that the seagulls should be destroyed Us thes pici, the eyes ou, of the salmon and the wolves and bears kill maay o. then. as they ascend the stseaEl-, a;i Of which was silly "rot' to blind the real issue. as any boy of fifteen in Alaska knows that the gulls pick no eyes from the salmon until they are practically helpless. The sal mon canners have put up full packs this year and for that reason argue that the supply is not decreasing, while our eyes tell us that they are not getting up the streams to spawn. The fact is that fishtraps are becoming more numerous and are permitted to operate every working day of the week. the full 24 hours. Suppose 1t were possi- ble by law to pass absolute title to certain defined limits of the fish ing domain to the various individuals or companies; isn't it probable that means for conservation would be adopted? The thrifty farmer makes practice of nourishing the soil to prevent depletion and ruin, but the valuable resources Of our nation are recklessly destroyed unless wig orous laws are passed and enforced for their protection. While selfish interests still criticise the conserv- ation system in Alaska. I think it has prevented the wholesale plum der of her great wealth of timber and coal, and the same vigorous watchfulness cannot too soon be adopted for her fisheries.
 Patriotism to the best interests of Ketchikan demands continued ef- fort to secure 2 change in the pre- sent situation Of the halibut ship ping. and cannot support the pes ition Of the Progressive Miner that we Might as well try to make the water run up hill as to try to legis- late a remedy" As a matter of fact, if t were as easily accomplish el as the making of water to run up hill, we need not be discouraged. and the fact is that British Colunl- h;, Io,,;-l.+o5 -be r,arl,ot 4o Priuce