The Daily Alaska empire., 1939-10-19


 who most need the work, it would be an mpossibity.
 The effect of the employment condition announced by the contractors will be bad on the Territory. Unemployed aborers who can afford it will flock to Sitka and Kodiak Neither place has facilities for housing an increased population. For months it has been impossible to get hotel room at Stka. For months labor army has been camping in tents on the beach at Kodiak Many of those who go will be rejected for employment. They will become charge upon the two communities and upon the Territory
 Sitka at present has about 150 qualified workmen who hope to get jobs on the Government project AL though the report of an Alaska Territorial Employment Service representative at Kodiak has not been re- ceved yet by the local office it is believed there about many at Kodiak who might be hired under the conditions announced by the contractors. total of 300 Alaskans would get jobs on the project, while thousand men from Seattle would be brought north, their way paid by the contractors.
 The men can be hired only in Seattle. Sitka or Kodiak the contractors say because of contract pro- visions covering American citizenship, physical ex- aminations and fingerprinting. There are American citizens in Juneau who are also citizens of the Ter rtory of Alaska which cannot be said for any of the men who will be imported from Seattle for these Alaska jobs. Physical examinations be given here and fingerprnts be taken at Juneau, Ketchikan, Cordova Seward, Anchorage and other places in the Territory where idle want jobs
 We will be glad to cooperate in every way pos- sibe" say the contractors, to hire unemployed Alas kans But farther down in the sentence we find the thing they will be glad to cooperate in doing is hiring only those unemployed Alaskans who apply for work at Sitka Kodiak Juneau demands, and Alaska demands that it's workmen be given opportunity for employment at least as favorable that afforded the workers of Seattle thousand miles awy.
 We can appreciate the position of the contractors Pressure put them by the unions at Seattle to sign labor agreements They didn't want trouble so they signed But they are going to have worse trouble and kind which will make impression on the Federal Government which has contracted for their services, if they do not change their ploymen conditions to give fair break to Alaskans
 We can appreciate also the position of the Seattle unions. They opportunity to put some of their men to work God knows, need work in Seattle as badly as they do in Juneau But they do not deserve Alaska jobs which Alaskans are eager to fill if they are only given fair opportunity
 In short, everybodys position is being appreciated except Alaskas Maybe haven't the right to insist that Federal jobs in Alaska go to Aaskans who need the work We have let the Outside unions a period of years muscle in canned salmon indus try to point where they send up the great bulk of the crews for this greatest of empoyment-givers in the Territory Alaskans allowed to have the leavings in the way of cannery jobs which today pretty slim leavings indeed
 Delegate Dimond is working on the sitka and Kodiak naval base employment situation He sees in it the danger to Alaskan wcrkmen Director Flakne of the Employment Service is working on it. It is time we all should take acNve interest and insist that all Alaskan workers qualified for the Sitka and Kodiak jobs be given employment before single man is sent here from Seattle for this Government work
 If it means going to war with the United States Navy we'll risk that to that Alaska is given
 fair break It is time to let our protest against m- justifable Outside high-handedness be heard.