The Cordova daily times., 1921-01-27
WHAT'S THE MATTER
 WITH ALASKA?
mund Ellsworth Sumner in Railway and Marine News

Every person having al heart the
 interests of Alaska notes with deepest
 regret that the salmon packers are | face to face with serious losses, owing
 to their inability to move the 1919 and 1920 packs. This means that many
 of the canneries will not reopen next spring and it may take several sea- sons for the industry to regain a nor maj standing.
 However, the packers may profit by this sad experience, for as previously
 pointed out in these articles, wise conservation of the fish with attend ant curtailment in the number of can- neries would have greatly helped the market of today as we'll as the future of the fisheries.
 Such pack as was noticed in the last four years could not help but have two serious results. First and fore most, broken market is excessively overstocked. On the other hand the propagation of the fish has been in terfered with to an extent that their future may be seriously menaced. At
 in recent meeting in Seattle, so we learn from the daily papers, some of the packers ascribe their losses to a lack of advertisement and education with the growing popularity of other food products. It is true that the packers were very badly advised or else they were so secure in their eX- cess profits two years ago that they felt secure and, therefore, could not see the advisability of going east of the Rocky Mountains and eXpending million or two in nationwide ad- vertising campaign in such magazines as the Literary Digest, Scrihners and
 the like, or Ieslie's. especially at a time when the appetite of the $15 a day mechanic or the $5 a day mucker was being enticed by three color dis plays of "Pauls James" or "Armour's Veribest," to say nothing of the wal nuts of California, the grape fruit of Florida or the canned goods from
 Canojoharie.
 What chance had the poor old
 canned salmon in such company when the retail price was jumped several hundred per cent. Now, we all love and respect the salmon whether it comes from the Columbia or Puget Sound, British Columbia or Alaska. but we must admit that canned sal mon is not found on the bill of fare at the League Union Club. Neither does the critical housekeeper think of it as a dish to be served at a small dinner party for seven or eight. Nor is it to be found on the average bill of fare.
 In the old days it was largely picnic or luncheon dish and under those con ditions our limited pack was each year quite easify disposed of. With 1 the coming of the war the demand for
 all canned food products naturally in- | Gl tdSSu DSytIlu dII ISdSOIl, DuL IL yOu ask doughboy or jackie who served
 lover there" if he would like a can of
 salmon don't be surprised if the
 answer should be more foreful than
 elegant
 Our friends the salmon packers
 lacked a guiding hand. In March,
 1920, when they saw that the 1919 pack was still on hand, good business judgment should have dictated clos | ing down some of the plants for 1920.
 It is to be hoped, therefore, that seri-
 ous as this lesson may prove to he
 that it will be a profitable one, that
 they will pocket their losses as best
 they can, get ride of stock at any cost and only pack a limited amount dur ing 1921 and 1922, thus relieving the
 market and, above all, protecting the propagation of the fish for the future. | Tn all kindness let it be pointed ont to
 those engaged in the industry that
 with all the competition in publicity
 and education as adopted by the vari- | ouc food prO1ucfc that if ic n11pS-