The Daily Alaska empire., 1931-01-01
COMMERCE FOR 1880 AFFECT
 BY DEPRESS|
Alaska Commodities
 ped During Past Ye
 Worth $57, 100000 MAJOR INDUSTRIES
 HIT BY HARD II
Gold Mining Only Import ant Industry to Boost
 Production

Alaska's outbound commerce in 1880. despite the depression which seriously affected the Territory's three main industries, fisheries, copper mining and fur, aggregated between $57,000,000 and 5000, 900, it was revealed by estimates made public late yesterday by J. c. Mo- Bride, United States Collector of Customs for this district.
 Gold mining was the only one of the larger industries showing an improvement over 1929. Some of the smaller industries, notably rein deer. apparently were not hurt by the nationwide business depression.
 Figures Only Tentative
 The total for this year is only tentative, based upon preliminary |. .estipates ip sorre ipstapces wneres complete ffgiires were not Available The complete commercial statement will be made public in about six weeks when local Customs authori- ties receive all declarations and reports on mail shipments of furs.
 It is not believed, however, that the gross will exceed $58,000, 900 which is regarded as a satisfactory showing under the circumstances.
 It compares favorably with the commerce of 1921, when postwar deflation hit Alaska with telling effect, its outgoing shipments then aggregating slightly in excess of $42, 100000. It will be about the same or slightly higher than for 1927 when the aggregate of all southbound commerce was valued at $57,068, ,78S.
 Fisheries Products Highest
 The products of the Territory's fisheries, while appreciably less than 1929, still exceeded all other in dustries combined in value. The total for last year was $36.615. .429 as compared to $46.057, FPS, thus showing net decline of slightly more than $10,O00,00O Of this sum, the loss in value in canned salmon alone was more than $8,500000. This was laregly due to the failure of the red salmon pack in Bristol Bay and the abnormally low price for pinks and chums which drop ped one-third in value from last years prices.
 Other fisheries products uniform ly showed losses. Halibut dropped approximately s500,0OO. fresh sal- mon s5O,000, herring s20O,O0O. cured salmon $5O.00O. Clans showed $40,000 advance in valuation, but the crabs and shrimp fisheries dropped enough to wipe out that gain.
 Fish meal dropped another $175,- 900. and oil lost about $4o0,000 Whale oil registered gain of about s35 ,000.
 Minerals Rank Second
 The minerals of Alaska added about s13,580,o00 to the nations wealth during the year. This was reduction of approximately s. 100000 from 1929. The loss was almost entirely in copper. although silver also declined. Tn copper, the ore shipped was valued at, $5,541, ,035 as compared to s8.697 .975. or a decrease of more than 33.300, ,O00. Low market quotations of the red metal was' largely responsible for this result.
 Lead lost about $40,000 Tin, how ever. jumped from $52,000 in 1929 to $150,O00 in 1880. Stone produc- tion was practically unchanged. Gold made the biggest advance. shipments during the year rising to s7.631, ,737, the highest figure for a decade or more and more than $500.00 in excess of the shipments in 1929. Silver dropped from $780, tContinued on Page Two)