The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-02-18
BY ADELE MOODY, LIBRARIAN ALASKA BUREAU
 SEATTLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND
 COMMERCIAL CLUB -.-- .:

Alaska-Seward's Polar Bear Gar den! If those scoffers of Secretary Stewards day could, Rip Van Wrinkle. like, return to earth today, how amazed they would be. and think themselves still dreaming, if confront. ed with the figures of Alaska,s food production alone. We: doubt that even Secretary Seward, far.seeing man that he was, could have imagin- ed Alaska shipping fish to supply countries across the Atlantic and vegetables in successful competition with those of Puget Sound, to say nothing of killing Santa Claus rein. deer for meat. j..
 Take the one item of fish alone Multiply the price paid to Russia by little over thirty-nine, and you then have the total production of fish and by-products since the year 1867, to and including the season just closed, or a total of about $282198,702. Ma ture, always willing to do her share, has seemed to respond to the world need at this time for food, for the unprecedented pack of salmon in southeastern Alaskan waters this past season will probably bring the total of fish products for 1917 to be- tween forty million or fifty million dollars. exceeding in value the com. bined output of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California. No other country in the world con- tains fish feeding grounds equal in extent to those of our northern ter ritory.
 In 1916 the total investment in the Alaska fisheries amounted to $39,- 269,612 approximately 88 per cent of which was in the salmon industry. This past season about 30 new sal. mon canneries have been added, mak- ing a total of about 130. One can. nery in the Icy and Chatham straits district packed more than 160,000 cases, and single-lineplant put up 63,0O0 cases which, for the size of the plant, is a worlds record. Own CTS of gas boats earned from $2,000 to $5,00O for their two and half months work. Fishermen not own ing boats cleared from $400 to $1,5OO per man during the same period.
 The natives have reaped "Klon- dike." as evidenced by high. white topped shoes and silk and satin party gowns. The present fad of the Ketchikan natives Undians. not Els. kimos) is taxi riding at $500 per hour. To bid good-by to a friend departing on one of the boats, an entire family of natives rode down to the dock, alighted and seriously shook hands with him. wished him a bon voyage, re.entered their auto. and the head of the family airily waved to the. chauffeur. Homo, James," With this prosperity have also come liberal patronage of tho bootblack and a demand for silk hose and expensive face-powder for Milady Thlinket.
 Alaska's halibut ranks next in i'm portance to that of salmon, and, un- like the latter, the fishing is prose cuted throughout the year supplying both Puget Sound and the eastern markets the entire year with fresh fish. The banks extend over the southeastern and southern coast of Alaska as far west as Kodiak ls- land. Notwithstanding the lessened catch in 1916-11.495.557 pounds. or approximately 3,922,232 pounds less than in 1915, the total value of this industry in 1916 exceeded that ot the previous year by s101.54S. It is estimated that Alaskan waters fur nish about 50 per cent of the halibut on the entire Pacific coast catch.
 A new high record for one days earnings in halibut fishing has been made by the American schooner. Director" out of Prince Rupert. After an eight-day trip this past Sep tember. she sold her catch for $2,- 139. After deducting expenses and the share of the vessel. which was $435.6O, each of the four men in the crew received $438.60. making frac- tion over $43.57 per day.
 During the past year there has been established at Seward a cold storage plant made necessary by the large yield at Portlock Bank. less than 200 miles from that point. Each year the fishing vessels are going farther afield to make catches, so that 1t would seem to be a wise move to establish additional cold storage facilities along the south coast and nearer the banks.
 Apropos the cold storage question. a point worthy of consideration by out people is the fact that American vessels. fishing in American waters. landed at Prince Rupert 12,215,S95 pounds of fresh halibut in 1916, against 7,12S,500. pounds in 1915, ,,nolr{o1 on fnocaoca If ctv y,at11inn