The Alaska daily empire., 1916-12-16
THE ALEXANDER BILL SHOULD BE DEFEATED

A b:u whose object is to control of the fish
 cries Of Alaska m the United States Bureau of Tsh-
 cries is now a.sose Congress- This measure. which
 is known as the Alexander bi.. .sacrted favor
 ably for passage by the House Committee Mer
 chant Marine and Fisheries just before Congress ad
 iourned last September A number Of hearings were
 previously had by the Committee. The bill is favored by the Department of Commerce. and. of course. by
 the Bureau ol Fisheries; 1t is also being actively supported by the salmon cannery interests whose lob by is particularly active in it's behalf and op- posed by Delegate Wickersham Governor Strong Ter ritoral Senator Aldrch and number of other Alas kans who were in Washington and who maintained that this important Alaskan resource should be con troled by the Territory and not by government bu- reau thousands or miles distant from Alaska
 The output Of the Alaska salmon canneries is
 now subject to a tax by the Territorial government as well the federal and the quasi dual control thus exercised seems to be obnoxious to the Bureau of Fisheries and, Of course. to the ccnnerieS The Blu reau of Fisheries is no; content with the scientific direction Of the salmon fisheries of Alaska. bu. it desires to exercise complete economic control and would thus deprive the Territory of an important source Of revenue. The larger cannery companies owned in California. Oregon and Washington State. have resented the laying of upon their output by the Territorial Legislature and have impeded the operation Of the Territorys taxation law in every possible. The great majority of the cannery compan- operating m the lerrOrN entered lntO StpUll- ton with the Territorial government that suit should be brought determine the right Of the Territory to
 lay these taxes. The Territory in the local Dis trict Court. and appeal taken the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit San Fran cisco. The Territory again. and just the canneries interested are asking permission Of the Circuit Court to take the to the Supreme Court of the United States. the court Of last resort Wheth- this permission will be granted will be decided ly next month
 But in the meantime with this suit still pending in the Circuit Court. the cannery concerns never abated their activities in their attempt to lobby al bill through Congress which would not only deprive the Territory of the right to the canned salmon output but would prevent it from collecting the very taxes which were then matter of litigation in the Circuit Court The bill was amended so as to affect already laid. but not collected pending the adjudication of the case then bar.
 The bill. it stands is acceptable to the canneres. Therefore, it is not acceptable to the f people of the Territory It will think. be admit ted by even any fairminded cannery operator that at time since the exploitation of the Alaskan sal mon fisheries began have the cannerymen contribute ed anything like fair return to the United States government-and to the Territory nothing-for the privilege they have enjoyed for many years The can nerymen object dual control Of the salmon fisher ies. and it will be conceded that there is merit in the objection. and they prefer that this should be exercised by the Federal government rather than by the Territorial Hence their activities in behalf Of the Alexander b upon which they have set their seal Of approval
 Let us briefly examine the equities in the case: The fisheries of Alaska are of the two principal resources of the Territory; they. therefore. naturally belong to and most valuable asset To de- prye the Territory of the right tO tax the canneries for the privileges they have, is to deprive the Terri oriai government of important source revenue It would therefore. that it is matter of vital importance to the people of the Territory that this light to levy taxes on one of their own resources should neither be denied abridged. And this is ust what the Alexander bill proposes to do Taxes ire to be levied by the Federal government solely The cost Of the economic administration of the salmon fisheries and their scientific direction have been pre- b 'ided for in the bill and after this has been c net the balance of the derived is to f e covered into the Territorial Treasury. Wha. his would amount to is indeed. probematicaI al hough it is but fair to state that the Bureau of Fish c