The Daily Alaska empire., 1928-12-01
ALASKA WAGES ADJUSTED TO
 LIVING COSTS
Conditions Affecting Labor Good, Says Gov. Parks,
 in Annual Report

Conditions affecting labor in the Territory continued very satis- factory in all branches of industry during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1928, declared Gov George A. Parks in his annual report to the Interior Department which was made public last Wednesday, Tie Governor surveyed labor conditions in general in this document.
 Wage schedules were well stab alized and satisfactorily adjusted to living costs. No reports were received of labor disturbances of any kind during the year. he de- clared.
 Skilled Labor Short Continuing the report sad:
 While a shortage of competent miners and skilled laborers was again experienced. particularly at the large lode mines. the supply of common labor for all branchaG of industry was quite satisfactory
 Computed on the basis of 300 working days per man per year, the fishing and mining industries together absorb 96 per cent of the labor employed in the industries of Alaska, aside from that engaged by the three railroads that are operating in the Territory. The fishing industry em1l5ys 70 per cent and the mining industry 26 per cent of the total. The Federal road-building organizations and the lumber and logging industries of southeastern Alaska represent the only other large employers of la Dor in the Territory.
 The Bureau of Fisheriee, De- partment of Commerce. reports that during the calendar year 1922 the fishery industry employed a total of 2S,S72 men, which is an increase of s2O over the number employed in 1926. During the same year the mining industry employed total of f,142 men.
 Employment in the fishery indus. try is of seasonal nature, the working season lasting from four to eight months, depending upon the locality and nature of the fishery. The fishery industry is confined almost wholly to the coastal regions of the first and third judicial divisions.
 From B to 50 per cent of the labor in the first judicial division, which embraces all of Southeast ern Alaska. is secured locally 1 from the resident population, about 10 per cent of those so employed being native Indians. The bal ance of the employees are inn ported from the States for the fish, ing season only. Of those so inn ported approximately 45 per cent are engaged under what is known as the oriental contract system.
 Owing to the remoteness of many of the large canneries and the sparsity of the resident popu- llation in the third division, where the largest percentage of the fish cry labor is employed from 15 to 20 per cent of the total labor is secured locally, the balance being imported from the States Of the labor secured locally in the Third Division. from 5G to 80 per cent are native Indians. From 35 to 45 per cent of the labor imported into the Third Division during the fishery season is contract labor. Wages In Fisheries
 Fishery. Wages paid general cannery labor secured locally in the first division range from $2 to s3.50 per day for. females and from $3.50 to $5 per day for males. In the Third Division wages for females range from $50 to $2.50 per day and for males from $2 to $5 per day All other labor is | paid on a monthly or seasonal basis in addition to which, in most instances, board is furnished by the operators.
 Mining. Labor employed in the mining industry in Alaska works