The Daily Alaska empire., 1927-10-24
FACTS, NOT CONTROVERSY ARE
 NEEDED.

The Chamber of Commerce was well adyi ed Friday when it adopted a resolution calling for thorough investigation and study of the Alaskan herring industry rather than go on record for a closure Of certain branches of it, namely tEc manufacture of oil and meal from the fish. Tae principal reason it declined to adopt the Peters burg Chamber of Commerce's resolution e- cause of the premise set up by it that the habut and salmon trolling industries are men aced by such use of herring. which, it was claimed has made inroads on the supply that threaten extinction
 No one who pretends to follow events in thc Territory can be unaware of the agitation which has been directed against reduction plans for several years Repeatedly has the claim be Il made that the herring supply of the Territory is being exhausted by the operation of these plants Yet in all that time there has been no study made of the fish about which the con troyersy rages No facts, old new, have been assembled And just what is the real state of Alaska's herring resources remains as much in doubt and of controversy today man it was four more years ago
 Even as to the actual facts of the present season there is honest dispute official, and a?- parently very reliable reports say the run CT spawning herring last Spring was the largest in many years. that while the seine boats were fishing off the capes. there were great schools of fish in inside waters: and that there were herring in great abundance of the shore where nrevailinp winds had carried the food which IS customary for them to come inshore to get o'i the other hand, there are the admitted lacts that the herring pack was smaller the output of the reduction plants less. and the bat stocks in the several cold storages smaller thah last year Now these conditions are not necessarily discordant. Both sets of facts might well De, and very likely are true But until there shall
 
 dutv is to keep close watch in the situation, to investigate fully the runs. the habits and life of the fish themselves, 1t cannot be said with any certain degree of authority that these claims are true or false the others are raise or true
 The settlement of the controversy should not be left to haphazard measures nor made poii'ica' issue It is a matter for earnest research. Here we have three industries involved industries that have been established for years and in which millions of dollars ot invested capital are at stake Anything that threatens disaster to any ot them is very naturally matter of deep cor cern to all Alaskans Each gives employment fin hundreds pays taxes to the Territory ana a unit in the economic and industrial structure of the Territory. The attitude or the chameei in holding that "There Is not available suniceh information on the life of the herring TOT II U determine whether it would be advsape 'o ois' continue the fishing of herring" for the manu' facture or oil ana iheai' anu "'e'"e ~ =, of Fisheries to make scentinc study "i .n' question: was the only one that It couio' as representative of local business interests, logi cally take.
 The resolution that it adopted was moderate In tone reasonable in it's requests and shoui' not he obiectionabe any industry concerned ri should receive the support of similar organ' zations in the Territory which have taken as uee' an interest in the question as has the i'sa Chamber They too, are anxious that the req state of the herring fisheries be ascertained ra'he than that new fuel be added to useiess eo'' troyersy which, in the very nature oi t"'hss will serve good end