The Alaska daily empire., 1917-05-09
Spirited Meeting Is Held by Citizens To Discuss Fish Mobilization
 for Juneau.
FACILITIES ARE NEEDED
Docks and Suitable Ways for Repair Work Are Needed; Appoint
 Committees.

i for Juneau: G. F. Forrest, Henry Shattuck, John Reck, Harry Fish, l CT and William Britt.
 1 Committee to boost proposition oi dredging the bar: E. P. Pond, II i T. Tripp and w. A. Clark. l The above committees were ap- pointed last night at the open meet i ing of the Merchants Protective | Association and city council and are to report next Tuesday night The meeting last night was called 1 to ascertain the reasons for the 1 fishing boats passing up Juneau and going to Petersburg, Ketchikan, l and other places, hundreds of miles away, to sell their catch. Numer- ous reasons were suggested and va rious remedies were put forth, the result being the appointment of tho committees for the purpose of in vestigating.
 The council chamber was crowd l ed with merchants and business i men when the meeting was called to order by President Charles Goldstein of the association. In 6 l few brief remarks he stated the reasons for the meeting and asked | the secretary to read a report made | by a Juneau business man as a re suit of his investigation during the past two weeks.
 High Costs Extolled. Among the points brought out by the report were the facts that ice costs a dollar ton more here than in Ketchikan or Prince Ru- pert; that the average price paid per pound for fish is lower here and that there is practically no docking facilities at Juneau. There is no chance to repair boat of enough to go on the beach, and the fishermen are forced to go to Ket- chikan, a distance of 200 miles each way.
 At Ketchikan, recently, posted on the bulletin board, were nine boats, arrivals of single day. Their combined catch amounted to 693,- 900 pounds of fish and the average amount received per man, after all expenses had been paid amounted to $287. The records do not show the number of men who received this amount, but the average crew for boat of the size of those list ed is eight fishermen besides the regular crew of the boats. Sixteen other large boats were listed but their names were not taken. One Ketchikan merchant totalet his business recently and it is sait to have amounted to $2,600 for 2 single day and it was practically all cash, the greater percentage o it coming from the halibut fleet.
 Vital Proposition.
 It was pointed out that the eff fort to regain the halibut bushes. which has been driven from thu town during the past few years ii vital to every resident and busi ness man of the city and deter mined and combined effort must b, made to regain what the city hal l lost
 | No real competition exists in Ju neau between fish buyers and th' fishermen get from two to thre, cents less per pound than the. would if competition existed. Al effort must be made to secure com petition in that line, continued tn report.
 It was also pointed out that n, | gridirong and marine railways eX ist here for repairing and handlin, l disabled boats of any size and tha such plant is of vital necessity and that suitable docking facilitie must be provided where fishermen may land their boats at all times where they can lay for days, if nee ossary during bad weather, or whil disposing of their catches and re outfitting for the next trip.
 It was stated that the fish busi ness means at least million or
 million and a half dollars yearl and must be brought back if pos sible. As one business man stated ''if it is necessary for us to go dow
 in our jeans and pay to bring back"
 Suggestions Are Made. Mayor Valentine advised that tn
 old Pacific Coast dock be leased
 possible and fixed up by the cit
 for a place to handle the fish bus
 mess and that part of it be convert
 ed into a suitable float for tn
 landing of the boats. Others sus
 gested that boat building plan
 be installed here with ways fc
 handling large boats. and that tn Channel Bar be dredged to suff
 cient depth to allow the smalle
 boats to cross at any stage of tn
 tide.
 It was also suggested that lare amounts of king salmon are caugf IL Drl -sx ( k