Seward daily gateway., 1925-11-10
ALASKAR RED TAPE NOT so BAD AS
 THAT OF RUSSIA
A THOUSAND CANNERIES SCAT. TERED ALONG 2,OOO MILES
 SIBERIAN COAST
BoATLoAD OF RUSSIAN FURs
Capital of Siberia Habbors Announces
 Skipper in port last Week.

Captain Harry Needing of the two
 masted schooner Chukatsk which ar
 rived in Seward last Saturday from
 Petroavlovsk, Siberia, where, for the
 past four months he has been engaged
 in the fur trading business, stated the
 season had been very successful in
 every way. On board the staunch 110-
 foot schooner, constructed for Arctic
 work, with iron bark sheathing the hull from stem to stern, were two of the Olaf Swenson Co.,, traders, which com pany also owns the ship. These men, E. J. Ketchum and George Hunter, have been stationed on the Siberian coast for the last four years.
 There was also Kenneth Price on board the vessel who was picked up at Petroavlovsk, where, it was report ed he had been left stranded. Two Russian sailors, George Kulink and John Kleshin, we'll known in the Nome district and both of whom have talk en out their first citizenship papers in the United States, were also taken on the vessel. These men were among the members of the crew from the schooner Ram, wrecked on the Siber- ian coast. The "Scurvy Kid" we'll known Alaskan character commanded the wrecked vessel. The sailors are being carried to Seattle where their status will be determined by the au- thorities.
 The schooner Chukatsk was form erly the Tyee of Seattle, and is known to many local citizens During the last season, Captain Needing reports no ice was encountered, in fact, no ice was seen at any time.
 The vessel has her holds damned full of furs, sable, ermine, squirrel, bear skins and fox, furs of every des- cription, blue silver, white, red and cross fox. In addition the skipper has four live Russian squirrels which he is taking out to the Seattle zoo at Woodland Park.
 Conditions on the Siberian coast show a great improvement, Captain Needing stated to the Gateway. There are lots of Siberian and Russian of ficials and soldiers everywhere but the soldiers were being rapidly with drawn at the time of the schooners departure. The customs house and hospitals, and other official offices and buildings, are modern in every re- spect, the captain said. The capital of Siberia, unbeknown to the majority of people is not at Vladivostok, but at Habboris, it is stated. An attempt to find this town on the Siberian map, though, would, the captain believed, prove unavailing for he could not To- cate it himself, and he looked over many maps. Habboris is a fairly good sized town, the last census be- ing 10000, and is located about 200 miles north of Vladivostok on the Si- berian-Russian Railroad
 The Captain did not believe any comparison could be made with ref erence to the Alaskan and Siberian | fishery, or cannery business, for the | canneries of Siberia outrival by far, 1 in numbers, of those along the Alas l kan coast. He said that intervals of 1 approximately two miles, salmon cannery or saltery is located on the l Siberian coast line running North for | about 900 miles, then Westward for i another 900 miles. Some of these can- neries, which number close to a thou sand, are very small but many are as | modern as can be found anywhere. | The canneries are nearly all owned by Japanese and worked by their countrymen
 Captain Wedding has been operat- ing in the Siberian trade for the past 1 fifteen years. The Olaf Swenson Co.,, of Seattle, the former Hubbard and Swenson Company, are the oldest tra- ders on the coast and have been, for l some years past, the only trading com pany which the Soviet government has been doing business with, it is stated. | Last year, in 1924, the company did not operate, but the three years pre- vious, carried on their regular trading activities
 In conclusion, Captain Needing jocularly remarked, q have heard a lot about the Alaska red tape,' but you ought to view the workings of the