The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-04-01
NOT REASON BUT sOPHIsTRY.

Judge Wickersham's plea to Southeastern Alaska business interests to turn radical elect the Paul Steel legislative ticket and give it power to put into effect a program outlined by him is an unusual sample of political sophistry. While the program in itself has a plausible ring, it is in fact speclous pleading unsupported by facts and figures
 One concrete figure used by him in the entire plea Ninety-nine per cent of the revenue accrung from the salmon fishing and canning in dustry he charged went to Seattle. Portland and San Francisco. If this is fact, it is readily sus- ceptibe of subsantiation The figures either prove or disprove the allegations available in the office of the Treasurer of Alaska Judge Wickersham needed no enlightening on that score. The taxes, alone emount to than the one per cent. of revenue that he credited the industry with leaving in Alaska His failure to quote from official records ct hand must be taken as proof of the weakness of his
 The salmon canning industry paid to Alaska, m taxes going directly into the Territorial treas ury in 1927 and 1923 the sum of $l490235 In addition it paid to the Federal Government the sum Of S386241 This money went either to muni- oipaiaes or was deposited in the Alaska fund to the credit of the Territory at large and was used for the support of schools and in building roads and trails. This in taxes it must be remem- bered and did not include any of the money that eanneries expended for fish taken by local fisher men and sold to the canners, any money ex- pended for labor at the canneries or for supplies purchased locally.
 h 1926 the latest year for which such records are at present available, Il cannery operators, 9.th total pack of 2O33771 cases, expended, elusive of taxes in the Territory $2,38 ,2l0.58 It is estimated in that year alone, the industry ex- pended almost $650O00o for materials labor, etc, furnished within the Territory. The pack value in that year $46 748664 The taxes paid to the Territory for that year amounted to $8507 70974 It's profit for the year was $34l0O0o And it must be remembered that 1926 was banner year for the salmon packers
 Turn to the matter of employment of local labor Indian fishermen have been driven from the fishing areas along with the whites Judge Wickersham charged Again he furnished no figures to substantiate this The United States Bureau of Fisheries each year issues official report on employment in the canning indutsry for the preced ing season The latest such record available is for 1928 In Southeast Alaska there were 1126 white fishermen employed, 1888 Indians and a total of 3l of all other races In Central Alaska there were 1901 whites, 456 Indians, and in Western Alaska, 4.5O1 whites and 95 Indians. Fishing in the last two limited entirely to whites and Indians Not all of the white fishermen residents but the Indians
 In shore labor. Southeast Alaska canneres em- ployed 2249 whites, 1422 Indians out of a total of 6519 such employees, in excess of 50 per cent of the whole number In Central Alaska, there 1923 whites and 450 Indians, and in Western Alaska S9O whites and 1855 Indians
 The total for all classes of labor showed 12 030 whites and 4.29s Indians receiving employment in the industry, with 24,428 of all races The wage bill for the season s761369s Judge Wicker ersham failed to quote these figures to substantiate his accusation in this instance, also.
 None but residents of Alaska should be per mitted to have employment in the canning industry he argued. That raises the question of labor supply Suppose such system effective could by fiat be made SO of this date Would it be pos sibe for the canneries to operate, could they get the fish to pack, the labor necessary to put up the pack for the current season?
 The official figures prove the contrary. In 1928 in Southeastern Alaska alone there 10265 per sons regularly employed in the industry. The pre- lminary report of the Federal census made public a few weeks ago. gives for this district population of approximately 10000, men, and children of all races. While official figures of population by age and gainful employment not yet pub lished it is reasonable to conclude more than hall have employment and there is large percentage of minor persons who would not be available fol labor It is certain that the local labor market is not sufficiently large to furnish the workers of al classes necessary for cannery operation And if this is true for Southeastern Alaska, which is the most populous in the Territory the situation would be worse in the Third Division As a matter of fact Western Alaska plants employed 7l73 laborers oi all classes in 1928. The population of the district is less than one-half of that number.
 But concede that one but residents were permitted cannery employment and the canners