The Alaska daily empire., 1917-08-03
Efforts Also to Be Made to Secure a New Mail Service to Points
 Near Juneau.
MERCHANTS RAISE CASH
Unanimous Sentiment Is Shown in Efforts to Secure Business
 for This City.

At the meeting of the Merchants
 Protective Association held last night it was unanimously decided that the merchants of Juneau should secure suitable boat and place it on the Juneau-lower Chatham Straits run for at least the next three months. as an experiment and to determine if sufficient business could be develop ed between those points and Juneau to make the run self-supporting, and at the same time secure what busi ness there is at those places to Jul neau.
 Those present voted unanimously to send telegram to Delegate Charles A. SulZer and to request Gov. Strong to send one to the Postmaster Gen eral A. s. Burleson, representing that the business men have an oppOrtun ity to put boat on the run to serve Tyee, Washington Bay, Pillar Bay, Port Conclusion, Port Alexander, Port Armstrong, Little Port Walter, Big Port Walter. Red Bluff Bay, Warm Springs Bay and other points provid ed the government would allow $10O 2 trip weekly for carrying the mails, and requesting that this amount be three months, pending investigation of the conditions by the Postoffice Department.
 A committee called on Gov. Strong today and he sent the telegram as requested, and telegram will go for. ward to Delegate Sulzer tonight, re questing that he get to work.
 It was brought to the attention of the meeting that the St. Nicholas could be secured for the run as an experimental boat until it either prov ed a failure or developed to point where it would be self-supporting for either the St. Nicholas or a larger boat, for a guarantee of $2O0 trip, the boat to make four trips month during the summer months.
 With guarantees that have been secured and signed, and with what have been promised by the cannery and fish men at the points of call as soon as their present contracts ex- pire, it was represented that but a small part of this amount would have to be put up by the local merchants, to make the balance in addition to the business taken in by the boat for freight and passenger fares.
 committee consisting of William Britt. George F. Forrest and J. c. Mcbride was appointed to visit the members of the Association and se cure contracts from them for the amounts they would be willing to sub scribe monthly, if necessary to keep the boat on the run. This commit tee was instructed to report not lat CT than tonight. After the committee reports, the other steps that may be necessary to secure the boat and place her on the run will be taken by the Association officers.
 The possibilities of business from the Chatham Straits section were full ly canvassed by those present. using data obtained on the recent trip made by committee of the business men from the Association and It was shown that while the run might not quite pay at first, that business could probably be developed to make it a paying proposition.
 Capt. A. w. Thomas, manager of the Alaska Herring and Sardine Com pany, operating at Little Port Wal ter; William Semar, manager of the Pacific Mild Cure Company, operat- ing at Port Conclusion, Port Alex ander and elsewhere, F. A. Hanson, manager of the Vanssyel Packing Company of Tyee, and others signed agreements to pay bonus to secure a regular boat on the run between their places and Juneau, and others agreed to do so, as soon as arrange ments previously made with boats operating between Frederick Sound