The Cordova daily times. [volume] (Cordova, Alaska) 1914-1947, 1919-01-20

yon, at Mile lis, be made a govern
ment reserve by executive order. and
set aside for the benefit OF the Copper
River Indians.
That the bureau of education may
under a leasing system conduct and
operate a cannery by native labor as
means of support and industrial ed
ucatiOn for the natives. entireley under
regulation by the bureau of fisheries
and under the supervision of the bu,
reau of education.
Where this policy has been fol
lowed by the bureau of education the
natives rapidly became self-suppOrting
and this is also solving the problem
of the natives" unreliability to do the
work the cannerymen must take
white men and Chinese from the
States to do We are constantly be-
ing reminded by the cannerymen that
the native Is undependable for can
merry work and in a great majority of
cases we must admit that this is true.
We are therefore applying ourselves
to the task of a remedy for this con
dition.
1T is simply a matter of education.
Ten millions of black men were assim-
Hated into the population of the Unit.
ed States by industrial education The
$4,000 natives of Alaska may be han
died likewise
Until congress can give us suffi.
cicnt appropriations to establish in
du.triHl schools among the natives of
Alaska. the h1reau of education has
tried to secure fishing reserves and
lease their waters as means of praC-
teal industrial education.
In every instance where this has
been done the natives became self
supporting and more dependable for
labor At Metlahahtla, whore the
fishing reserve was made, the natives
are making rapid advancement toward
intelligent and useful citizenship.
In Prince William sound. where we
have the Gravina bay. Long Bay and
Fish bay reserves. the natives are
prosperous, and many of them are
good fishermen and sought after by
the cannerymen.
I'm Cook inlet. where the Moquaw-
kic reserve protects twelve miles OF
king and red salmon waters, a viii
lagc, hitherto "A wretChed. poverty.
stricken one. owns its own CO-opcra-
tive store and is we'll on the way
toward producing reliable workers
"Gcntlcmcn. this is not a conflict of
interests. but if viewed in a large
way will lead up to the solution of
great problem in which every interest
here represented will ultimately ben
eft Cannerymen in every section OF
Alaska in which | have Travelled tell
me they would like to employ native
labor II the native could be depended
upon, rather than go to the expense
of sending thousands of men north
every year to work in the cannerieS,
when there are thousands of men right
on the ground. the work of whose
hands would be their very redemp-
ton
"If the natives were ever going to
be intelligent workers by simply
working at the canneries under pres
ent conditions they would long ago
have become so But they never will.
The canneryman has neither the
time patience nor disposition to do
this work. nor is he under any obi
CATION to anyone to do so.
THE bureau of education is charged
by the government to do this work,
and is held responsible for the man
ner and degree in which it is per
formed The unpretentious work we
are now doing on the Copper river
must necessarily be intcrfered with
if we must use the meager funds
given us for education of these ma
tiyes to prevent them from starving,
because they are unable any more TO
secure their usual basic food supply
from the fish of the river.
when | went to the Copper river
in Septembere. 1914, in charge OF the
government school at Copper Center.
the catch of fish made by the natives
for that season amounted to approx
mately 500 fish for each family. The
fifty families took with their dip nets
and not more than two fish wheels
about 10000 fish.
From time immemorial the natives
had up to that time been able with
their dip nets and other crude meth
DDS of fishing to obtain all the fish
they needed for their food, and food
for their dogs.
The present fishing season of 1918
the natives had had twenty-five fish
wheels in operation, besides their dip
nets. | estimate this increases their
fishing capacity not less than five