The Wrangell sentinel., 1931-02-13
Fishing Vessel Owners
 And Crews In Deadlock; Owners Will Man Vessels
TWENTY-FIVE PER CENT OF GROSS CATCH DEMANDED BY OWNERS WHO THREATEN TO MAN VESSELS THEMSELVES

SEATTLE, Feb. 1.-The halibut fishing vessel owners have given up hope of reaching an agreement with the fishermen and said they will send between thitry and forty ves- sells to the banks this week manned from their own ranks.
 "We offered the fishermen the same agreement they had in the prosperous year of 1915, but they refused" said Capt. Ole Larson. He said that it was not the 1880 agree ment the fishermen refused, but con- ditions under which they have op- erated since 1916.
 He called attention to the fact that taxes on boats have increased from $50 to $9O and from $150 to $500. Capt. Larson said the whole fleet is threatened with ruin and that steps were being taken to save the property and families of the owners.
 Vessel owners at Ketchikan, Pet ersburg and Juneau are standing pat on the old agreement, he said.
 ElSuCIM6u OuCICu JOUS
 Halibut fishermen now at var lance with the owners have been offered positions on at least forty purse seine boats by individual own CTS, announces P. B. Gill, secretary of the Deep Sea Fishermen's Union. Secretary Gill said the purse sein- CTS will employ about 200 men. All the fishermen, he said, are compe- tent to fill any position on the boats from master down.
 Goldstein Talks
 Statements emanating from Seat tie that deep sea halibut boats to a considerable number from that port, Ketchikan and Petersburg will leave for the fishing banks with non union crews and that there is an unusually large amount of last sea- sons halibut in storage now in the States are not given full credence in Juneau
 "I think the strike has tied up Seattle and Ketchikan fleets tight, and the result of my inquiries and observation is that the halibut mar ket in Seattle has been pretty we'll cleaned up," said l. Goldstein, own CT of fshermen's supply store and of halibut fishing boats, who return ed to Juneau on the Norah from business trip to Seattle.
 "I am not acquainted with the situation in Petersburg, but in my opinion mighty few if any of the deep sea craft will get away from Seattle or Ketchikan this week Hal ibut has moved freely into consump- tion from Seattle. There are no ex- traordinarily large holdings on Pu- get Sound. Present prices are in- dicative of fair returns for early catches this season.
 Fortunately Juneau will not be seriously affected by the strike Only a very few of our boats are in the vessel owners association, and only a few of our fishermen are affiliated with the fshermen's union. Our local fleet will operate on virtually the same terms between owners and fishermen hs obtained last season. While these terms may not be en- tirely satisfactory to both sides, still they are workable"
 The old agreement between the owners and fishermen gave 20 per cent of the gross catch to the ves- sel as it's share and the remaining so per cent was divided among the skipper and crew. The unions turned this offer down and the boat owners came back in retaliation, asking for 25 per cent of the gross catch for the vessel leaving 75 pen cent to be split among the crew.