The Alaska daily empire., 1920-06-05


I the contention of H. II. Snow and
S. Simonarson, two commercial trav-
firms and who have visited practi-
cally every section of Southeastern
Alaska during recent weeks. Messrs.
Snow and Simonarson arrived in Jul
neau about ten DAYS ago and since
that time have been studying local
conditions and opportunities for de-
velopment OF the fishing industry
Their opinions and data collected
by them are given in a statement
made today as follows:
Exports from Alaska increased
from $46.166544 in the year 1912
to $50, 423,568 in the year 1918
The exports from the fishing in
1ustry increasing at the rate of S.,
100000 annually with an annual
decrease in the other products. such
rs copper, sold. silver, platinum,
etc in such proportion as to make
he fishing business the chief and
by far the best paying business I'M
Alaska. The export of fish alone
from Alaska in 1919 totaled up toI
S56.000,000 out of $86, 200 ex-I
ports.
Let us go farther into the fish
business; the best fishing grounds
ire to be found between Cape St.
Elias and Lituya Bay. This isl
where the biggest number of fine
,atches are made. Alaskan cities
With their proximity to the fishing
rounds: Sitka occupies the near
st position with Juneau a close
ecoad and Ketchikan about 200
niles away. Comparing these cities
With regard to their facilities for
aking care of the buying, selling
md icing of these fish and also the
Implying of bait, etc, we find these
De the facts ,,
"Sitka being the nearest port tol
he fishing banks one would think
his town would be the most desir-
,ble to handle the fresh fish bust
ness OF Alaska; but Sitka is so sit
lated that large boats make this
port only at intervals. and with no
,iling nor fuel stations there it'll
would be financial suicide to even
'ttempt to locate a cold storage
plant there to do business on such
large scale.
Ketchikan Best Equipped
"Ketchikan has the largest part
If the fish business of any large
own in Alaska Why? Because
she is the only town of any sizel
hat is practically equipped with al
old storage and ice plant to take
are of our Alaskan fishermen, but
wen Ketchikan turns down boat af-
er boat because she has not the
| proper facilities to thoroughly han
| lie this business and consequently
| hese boats at a great loss both
financially and in time have to go|
| the Canadian town of Prince Ru-
1ert and sell their fish at Ketchi-
Kan prices less the four per cent
money exchange. This fresh fish
business in Ketchikan being practi-
ally controlled by the New England
fish Company, naturally Ketchikan
md Sitka have the benefit of this
hriving business because of no ade-
luate facilities for handling more
me time in Juneau.
Juneau Largest Center
Juneau is geographically about
zoo miles nearer to the fishing
rounds than is Ketchikan. The
fishermen could practically make
wo trips to the fishing grounds
md back to one trip to Ketchikan.
Juneau has oil and gas stations, a
perfect harbor, has as great num-
Der of large boats calling to this
1ort as has Ketchlkan, but still
nothing has been done here TO ade-
quately take care of this business. |
What is positively needed here is a
sufficient cold storage and icing
capacity to take care of the ever /,
Increasing volume of the fresh fish
business. The present plant at Ju-
leau is insufficient even TO accom-
nodate one 6-man boat with full
,argo, and even though this plant
s absorbed by the New England
Fish Company the situation will still /
~emain very much as now exists,
ven with the additional space
which no doubt the New England I
fish Co. anticipate adding to the
present plan.
500 Ton Plant Needed
ITO take proper care of this bust !
less we should have a 500 ton cold
forage capacity to accommodate two
four million pounds of fresh fish |,
each season. The following COM !
| Drises some of the fishing boats and
their capacity:
Ralph 5-man boat.-.--.--30, 600 /,
Livingstone 10000
Wilson 10000
| Johanna " 10000
Baltic " 10000
| Norland 1000
Morengen 6man boat.---..35. 900
| Washington S-man boat.....-.45, 900
| And various other boats too nu-
| nerous to go into detail about. The
| Norland. which was in our port and
| sailed May 26th with Skipper Han