The Alaskan., 1928-11-30
A. N. E. PROTEST PRACTICES
 BUREAU OF FISHERIES


 The Natives of Alaska, thru the Alaska Native Brotherhood conven- ed at Sitka. Alaska. representing sixteen towns in southeastern Alas ka, wishes to protest certain discri- minatory practices of the Bureau of Fisheries;
 Whenever charges are made against our fishermen, the United States At Crley usually makes tue prop; sition, you enter a plea of guilty and pay four hundred dol lars fine Or we will seize your boat. considering the shortness of the fish ing season the length of time 1t would take to release a boat seizel under the fisheries law even where the charges were groundless Gas ill the case or gasboats Rotor and Peter Gyntl to fight the charges only means to incUrr the heavier penalty of losing the entire fishing season, and 90 many cases have occurred where pleas of guilty have been en- tered and the penalties paid where the parties were innocent. We contend that this procedure of the United States Attorney and the Blu reau of Fisheries is nothing but of ficial blackmail, and that it should be investigated by the Attorney General of the United States, and it true that the parties thereto should be removed from office on the grJ ;"G that they have abused their offices. The chief offender in this direction seems to be headwarden O'COnnor.
 2. .7ne Alaska Native Brotherhood have long charged that certain of the employees of the Bureau of Fisher ies enforce the law against the na tives but shut their eyes as to viola tions of law by the large cannery corporations. We believe investiga- tion will easily show that warden Harry Pryde of the Yakutat district should really be on the payroll of the firm of Libby, ~McNeil and Libby, as he is using all the power of the UniieG States government to further the special interests of that corpora tiOn and agaInst the natives of Yaku- tat, for example in the matter of holding stake net sites on the rivers around Yakutat. Harry Pryde should not be allowed in the government service unless he enforces the law fairly and without favor.
 3 ihe Bureau of Fisheries seem to have placed the dead line for fish ing at points where the seiners and gillnetters cannot catch any fish. This cOmpels our people to risk their 1ivoc o11 roDor+v booouCo Uro main tain that we are pn" tiled to a living, 1 The United States government has no light to make regulations that l will deprive our people of their liv- ing. An example is Klawock Inlet l where the dead line was placed so l that millions of salmon were wasted ] by permitting them to go up the 1 creek when the creek was already 1 and by not allowing the seiners to catch any of the fish. We ! hold that this practice of the Blu reau Of F1SherleS encourages crime l ard since that Bureau knows of these conditions the authority over them should stop that practice.
 4. The dead line at Karta Bay and scowl Arm, west side of Prince of Waies Islan5' have been established | without regard to the rights of the natives of Kasaan and greatly in ev.ess of the requirements of the rea0nable demands of conservation, which reasonable requirements would move the dead line back to tho old line.
 E The fisn adder at Harris Creek, l