The Cordova daily times., 1923-02-13
|0RPHANACE IS GREAT HELPT0
 THE NATIVES

The management or the Government Ohphanage at Kanaganak state that they have submitted plans and requisi- tions to their Bureau calling for ex- tensive building in connection with the orphanage during the summer Of 1923 This step is in pursuance with the plan announced by the Bureau a few months ago for converting the Or phanage into an industrial school.
 The orphanage is an institution op- erated and maintained by the Bureau of Education, Alaska division. 1t is an outgrowth of the influenza epi, dennis, which proved so disastrous to the natives of Alaska. There are ap- proximately 100 children in the or phanage, most of whom come from the ] villages of the Bristol Bay district. The Bureau of Education proved to be the appropriate organization to meet the emergency. The crisis was met by a temporary. conversion of the Gov ernment school house at Snag Point into a home in which the children were cared for till the present per manent quarters were completed at Kanakanak. The Government has generously provided every convenience necessary to the welfare of the chil- dren and the staff. The children are wisely fed and comfortably clothed at the expense of the Government. splendid school is maintained for them under the supervision of the SUI perintendent of the orphanage where they receive in addition to the aca- demic training instruction in sewing, cooking, fancy work, basketry etc., all of which tends to prepare them to meet the more practical problems Of life after leaving the orphanage.
 It is the policy of the Bureau to de- velop more and more the industrial side of the work to the extent that ul- timately the institution may become wholly or partly self-supporting. The practicability of this plan has already | been abundantly demonstrated with similar institution operated by the Blu reau of Education in Southeastern Alaska. Fish being the basic natural resource of this section the industrial work for the boys will be largely con fined to canning and salting fish. It is hoped by doing this to develop the { children into self-suppOrting and re- liant citizens of Alaska and at the same time to materially reduce the running expenses of the Government. 1 In pursuance of this plan it is an- nounced that a saltry will be operat- ed on a limited scale next summer and also a large general store will be established and run on cooperative basis. The supplies for the store will be purchased from the savings of the children, which have been earned by them from their work in the canner' ies during the summer. In connec, ton with this store it is contemplated establishing a cooperative store both at Kulukak and Tugiak to be supplied from the Kanakanak store. These two stores will be under the immediate su pervision of the Government teachers at those places. The stores will be conducted for the exclusive benefit oi the natives of these isolated villages Another very important considera tion in the minds of those who are working and pleading for the erection of a boarding school at kanakanak, IS that such a system will enable the Bureau to care for and educate the native children who live in inaccess ible villages where there are no sys tenn of schools. As rule the number of children is so small that the Bu reau would not be justified in incur ring the large expense necessary to the construction of school buildings and maintaining school The result is that if these children receive any schooling at all they must either move to some village where there is a Blu reau of Education school or else go to the Indian school at Chemawa, Ore
 Experience has demonstrated that the children who regularly attend the day schools in Alaska and receive in struction in such lines as the proposed industrial school at Kanakanak would afford, become the sturdy, self-reliant members of their race. In addition the instruction given in Alaska to the native children is of less expense and more adapted to their needs than if they were sent to the States.