The Seward gateway., 1923-01-31
WHAT DOES ALASKA, GET?
(Railway and Marine News)

issue of The Pathfinder of Alaska, published at Valdez. The editorial deals with the salmon industry ot Alaska and in its concluding words says. The salmon industry is big one, but under present conditions the Outside gets the poodle and Alaska gets the bunk" Railway and Marine News comments on the editorial as questioning but friendly analyst not as an unfriendly critic
 In the opening paragraph The Path finder refers to having published in the preceding issue information dhat the salmon pack for 1922 was estlma- ted at 5,O35,0O0 cases, worth to the packers S21, 100000, but that later re- ports from Seattle raise the value to
 s35,OO0,O0O The Pathfinder thinks that this may be too high, but is cer- tain that the value will run we'll over the sc5,coO. 900 mark, but observes that it must be remembered that this is the value to the packers, and then asks. What value has the salmon mack to Alaska" and answers, some where between nothing and very lit tie. but closer to nothing"
 Proceeding The Pathfinder says the reason for this is that a great many of the larger canneries are operated from San Francisco and Seattle; that the cannery ships come north ln the spring bringing supplies for the sea- sons operations and a motley crowd of Chinamen. Japs, Hindus and other foreigners who always leave a big crime bill behind them, and after hacking enormous quantities of the finest salmon close up their establish ments, leave a watchman or two on the ground, and sail back home, and pay off the cannery employees after they get back Outside leaving nothing of value in Alaska except an inslgnlh- cant amount of taxes.
 Possibly the statements made thus Jar by the Pathfinder are truthful statements of the bare facts, but do they create for an uniformed or pre- iudiced reader a fair and complete .uicture of all of the conditions just as they exist under which salmon are packed in Alaska, or has The Paln- finder only pointed out some of the facts which seem objectionable from an Alaskan point of view and With held facts on the other side of the ar gument?
 Let us grant that the estimate oi 4o35 .O0O cases as the total of the l9ZZ pack is approximately correct. How ever will not even The Pathfinder ad- nit that the value of the stock to the hackers is not the gross value of s2l,- oOo0oo or S25,0oO,OOO or $35,0OO,ooO, but is the difference between the gross value and the cost of putting up the back and delivering it to market, which we feel pretty safe in believing is not an unreasonable proportion or the gross value.
 Whether so intended or not the ccmplaint that many of the cannesy firms bring their crews and supples from outside must inevitably create Ibe impression that the cannerles are located at places where Alaskan com ,aunities exist from which adequaAe supo]ies of labor could be drawn for oneration of the canneries, but that objectionable foreign labor is brought into the Territory instead of glVlhs employment to Alaskans.
 Well. is this the true status of the ease? Or, on the other hand, Is IL not tue that approximately three anu one-half million of the 4,OS5,OOO cases hacked in Alaska during 1922 were hacked at canneries located at points at varying distances, in some cases oundreds of miles from any Alaskan +ovnq Is it not further true that 4here is not in the towns or Aldsh" surplus labor to the extent of ten per cent of the cannery requlrenehts Therefore is it not true that IL was necessary to take in labor from U Outside or not operate? Is 1t not further true that sufficient labor for the operation of the canneries does not exist in Alaska because there IS not sufficient employment for such labor outside of the cannery season and that the earnings from the fe" months of cannery operating would he too small for a years wage? Is it not further true that with one possl- ble exception, namely box shocks, not one commodity used in the packing of salmo his produced in Alaska, but