The Daily Alaska empire., 1927-12-24

NtSStlS anu tilc uotuiiicHiiHS aiiu inspection of the same. They also act as special representatives of the Immigration Bureau and oi the Public Health Service.
 The Collector of Customs Is custodian of the custom house and the post office site in Juneau and of the government buildings at Wrangell, Sitka and Nome.
 Shortly after the United States procured Alaska from Russia an act was passed by Congress against liquor importation except for medicinal, mechanical or SCI entific purposes. People couli have alF the liquor they desired provided they could smuggle it in, as it could be sold legally.
 Big Problem
 Many ways of bringing the liquor in were resorted to. and customs officials experienced much difficulty in attempting to stop the large quantities coming into the territory. This was prob ably the biggest problem the, had on their hands for many years. Capt Beardsley of the man-of-war Jamestown at one time seized 22 stills in Sitka and 150 stills in the Indian village there. Most of the liquor snug gled in came from Fort Simpson. B. C.. which has ceased to he of importance since the establish ment of Prince Rupert.
 The first steamboat to ascend the Yukon river made the trip in 1869. The first license to be i,- sued in the Alaska district by the Customs Service was given on October 2S. 1867 to the Fidele- ter by Collector Ketchum who was then acting under direction from Washington. D. c.
 Since that time the number of vessels has grown steadily until at the present time, in the Ju- neau District there are 1.434 reg istered vessels of five or nor tons and 3.779 registered vessels of less than five tons.
 Exports Exceed 1 Billion
 Customs service statistics show that in the period from 1867 to 1915 the value of shipments from Alaska was $5S7.S27.710 while in the period from 1916 to 1926 tho shipments reached $753,734,916 or a total value since 1867 of $1.- 341 1,562.626. Exports of gold, sill yer, aquatic and land animals and furs and furskins in the first pc rlod exceeded the exports in the second period but the value of all other exports was greater in the second period than in the first.
 The local Customs House force is at present composed of six men. J. c. Mcbride was appoint ed Collector of Customs in 1922 and was reappointed for four year term in the spring of 1926.
 M. s. Whittier, Assistant Col lector of Customs, has been with the service since 1903 when he was a deputy at St Michaels. In the same year he was transferred to Stka and the following year came to Juneau when headquar- ters were transferred. He re- mained here for year and one half, spent three years in Skag- way. went from there to Cordova and later to Ketchikan, returning here in 1914. He was appointed to his present position in March. 1922.
 Deputy Collectors here are w.. R. Heisel, J. T. Petrich, M. H. Sides and George M. Simpkins, night inspector. Mir. Heisel re- ceived his appointment in 1923 and MT. Petrich in 1922. MT Sides was transferred from the Immigration Service in Honolulu in 1916. enlisted in the World War. and returned in 1918. The Deputy who has been with the Juneau force longest is MT Simp- kins, who was appointed to his position in 1904.
 Twenty Collectors
 Following is list of men who have served as U. s. Collector Of Customs since the service was in augurated with the passage of the act of July 27, 1868, and the year in which they were appointed
 Hiram Ketchum, Jr., 1868; Vii liam Kapus, 1869; George A. Edes. 1871; Willie Chapman, 1873; M. P. Berry. 1874; H. c. DeAhna, 1877; Mottrom D. Bull. 1878; William Gouverneur Morris, 1881: Peter French, 1884: Arthur K Delaney, 1887; Max Pracht, 1889; Edwin T. Hatch, 1891: Benjamin P. Moore, 1893; Joseph w. Ivey. 1897;
 David H. Jarvis, 1902; Clarence L. Hobart, 1905: John R. Willis. 1908; John F. Pugh. 1913; John