The Alaska daily empire., 1917-08-01
HERRING MAY
 YET RIVAL THE
 SALMON TRADE
Pioneers in Handling Little Fish Disclose Great
 Possibilities
TWO PLANTS SUCCEED
Port Walter Institutions Prove Practicabi|ity of
 Industry in Alaska

ue great pidHtS Ol tuS AldSh Herring and Sardine company at Little Port Walter and the Alaska Pacific Herring company at Big Port Walter are believed to be sug- gestive of the possibilities of the herring industry in Alaska. In addi ton to the herring caught and sold for bait, these two companies have been putting up nearly 600 cases of kippered and spiced canned her ring and several hundreds of barrels of salted herring daily, yet both companies are adding to their ca pacities. Both companies admitted that they have no difficulty in pro curing all the fish they can handle. These two companies now smploy about 375 men and women, a con perts from Europe. The success of the industry seems to have been es tablished.
 Those who have watched the op erations of Capt A. w. Thomas, pioneer among all Alaska herring men, since he began business as man ager of the Alaska Herring and Sar dine company early last year and the newer Norwegian company this year and who are familiar with the wat CTS of Southeastern Alaska, say these institutions are but the forerunners of an industry that will shortly ri val the salmon and halibut fisheries They say that Icy Straits is filled with herring and that other waters are as favorable for the herring in other fisheries.
 Formerly in Business at Juneau.
 Captain Thomas, who is a pionee' of the Puget Sound country, engaged in the herring business at Juneau many years ago. At that time he confined has activities to salting the shipping them to the southern mar kets. This pioneering undertaking was not successful, but 1t did moi discourage the doughty captain Captain Thomas then went to Ketchi kan and engaged in the herring business again, this time confining his efforts to furnishing the halibut andother fishermen with bait. He prospered this time. but never lost sight of the possibilities of packing herring as a food fish for the mar ket. About two years ago he in terested Lee H. Wakefield of Seattle and the Alaska Herring and Sardine company, the expert Scotch lassies and the lads and Wakefield" brand of kippered herring, which we find in all the grocery stores were the result
 The plant is in perfectly land locked harbor, with beautiful mountain and forest setting. The townsite, which surrounds the head of the little bay, is almost per feet crescent. In the foreground on piles with ample wharfage facil ities, are the canneries. salteries and curing rooms. The company operates fleet of boats, and is headquarters of course, for many fishing craft and fishermen who work independently and sell their product to the packers
 Capt Thomas boast is that he has not an employee that is not oi the white race, and that he is laying the foundation for permanent pop fishing town.
 This year his company began cur ing and salting salmon as we'll as herring.
 Alaska Fishermen Are Ship Owners Einar Beyer, Haakon Beyer Friele and the others who are interested in the Alaska Pacific Herring com. pany, the Pacific Mild Cure com pany and other concerns that are engaged in the Alaska fishing busi ness, three of whose plants were visited by the Merchants Protective Association delegation Sunday are among the heaviest ship owners ot Norway, and among the first to let contracts in the United States fol the construction of vessels. They udNC iOoI uCdNlly III tOuHd6C thiOu6h he German submarine warfare, and have had to replace the ships losl with new vessels and to add to theiI tonnage in order to keep up with the demand on them for water car riers.
 Not only have MT. Beyers and as sociates placed orders for many yes sels in the United States, but the, are having them built in Japan, China and elsewhere. They were among the first of the Norwegian ship own CTS to call on American yards foI aid in rehabiliating their merchant
 fleet. They early found that Nor
 wegian ship yards are too greatl, crowded to supply vessels as fast as they are needed. and they came
 to America, placing orders in both
 Atlantic and Pacific yards. The her
 ring plant of this company is located
 within a short distance from the Alas
 ka Herring and Sardine plant. ana
 it's methods are largely similar. Its
 purpose is to employ only white la
 bor in its herring department. bu
 it was forced this year on accoul