The Alaska daily empire., 1921-03-23

mercial purposes is prohibited. Ii the Boring. Copper Ugashik ant | Yukon rivers and tributaries, fish i ing may be continued under regula of Commerce until such time as the Commission may determine on tn, modification or abolishment of those privileges.
 Alien Fishermen Prohibited.
 Section 49 provides: That il shall be unlawful for any person not a citizen of the United States and who has not declared his in- 1 tention" of so doing or any alier who claimed foreign citizenship to escape military service" to take, fish for or kill any fish, shellfish o, acquatic mammals, or to engage i'll any operation of fishing in any capacity whatsoever in any of the Territorial waters of Alaska
 Reasons for New Law. Urging by resolution the bill be speedily enacted into saw to prevent annihilation of the industry, the arguments for its passage by Con gress are summoned up by MT Britt as follows: .5
 CD For the ten year period ended with 1919, the value of the salmon pack alone is $24G,499,221.
 (2) For the year 1917 the sal mon canners paid Federal income tax of between $4,000,00O and $6,- 900, 900. In 1918 the income tax decreased to about $3,000,000 In 1920 the income tax paid was prac tically nil.
 (3) In 1919 the amount of the pack of canned salmon was about two-thirds that of 1918, the value of which was over $47,O00,O00. h 1920 a still further decrease was shown, there being an almost com plete failure in certain localities. For 1921 the pack will probably be only one-third that of 1918. '
 Supply Depleted.
 (4) The curtailment of the pack is due almost entirely to a deple tion of the supply caused by over fishing. There are less fish to be caught than in previous years al- though more fishing gear is yearly being employed. Hence the propor tion of salmon escaping to the spawning grounds is becoming less and less. n
 (5) The laws covering the Al aska fisheries are inadequate .anl antiquated. The regulations Whic1 are issued from the Bureau of Fish cries of the Department of Com merce. even when well ropceiy ed, are practically untnforced Those in charge of the fisheries are sell den in Alaska. In tbs connection | il is noted that the Commissioner of Fisheries has made only one trip Ketchikan. with the joint American and Canadian Committed The Alaska agent of the Bureau of Fish cries, who supposedly has Alaska matters in charge, has visited Alaska but once in five years and
 
 spent on the Seal Islands.
 $3O0,OO0 Needed.
 l (6) Although the Territorial | Fish Commission hc5 repeatedly urged greater protection 10 the fish cries and has po'ntel out the futil- ity of present efforts. the Bureau of Fisheries has taken practically no steps to stop the uncontrolled stream fishing or other violations of their own regulations. member of the Bureau has estimated that at least $300,000 per annum is nee essary to patrol and protect Alaska fisheries, and yet a'lotments for thi; work from the inadequate estimates are pitiful in the extreme.
 : (0 Regulations of the fisherie! . of Alaska, even with the best o intentions, can never be administ cred from Washington by official personally unfamiliar with loca conditions. In enacting and carry , ing out its own laws and resula tions the Federal Government ha failed as il always must, whei 4 authority is vested in a Bureau fou thousand miles away which dae not even maintain a local a9en with discretionary powers.
 (S) To show the resul: Of wis conservation by the Federal Govern mcnt, it may be stated that the ne profit from the Pribiloff Seal Island now amounts to between 5000, co and s9,000,000 each year aecordin to the statement of the Commis sioner of Fisheries, while the an nual revenue from the same, sourc ten years ago was about $l20, ,00C The Territory does not. however participate in any part of this reve nue. nor is any part of the sam devoted 10 fisheries protectloh
 ONE CASE IS POSTPONED