The Wrangell sentinel., 1939-01-20
WHAT WILL THEY TURN Tor
BILIOUS F. PAUL


With the advent of union activity
We near much talk of the fish trap
system in Alaska; depletion Of sal
mon runs; herring runs; lack oil
earning power OF f ishermen, and
what not. All of which is nothing
new. When fishermen, laboring men
and businessmen were profiting by
the political efforts OF the Alaska
Native Brotherhood and its leaders,
they refused TO give moral or finan-
ciaI support to the Brotherhood in
its tight against the predatory, vest
ed interests. Another time and We
will present policies advocated IN
the years past when fishermen re-
fused TO even consider utilization
with any kind OF union.
It will be OF interest to the fish
ermen and businessmen to read
what the Brotherhood declared in
1880.
In most of the fishing districts
of Southeast Alaska, the seasons are
closed. As much salmon as usual,
Tor the late years, were put up. In
the main, the runs were spotty-
traps doing fairly well; few fish
ermen getting up to forty thous-
and, but most of the men not max
ing their expenses.
The saWmilIs are closed down
for lack of market for their pro-
ducts; work in the mines is limited,
as there are but few mines operat-
ing in the district; the trapping sea-
son is limited to one month and in
most of the districts, there has
been SO much depletion that the
trapper will not be able to make
decent living. And further, the &C.
onomic depression has hit the fur
markets as hard if not harder than
other lines for furs are recognized
as being luxury.
with their pitifully small sum-
mer's earnings used up in meeting
a part of last winters credits, what
will the next winter be faced with?
The big reason why there has been
no bread line" in Alaska is not
that the depression was slow getting
here, but because the business men
carried credits and thereby prevent
ed such condition.
But such philanthropy cannot
continue. The wholesale houses in
the States are getting more hard
boiled" and demanding business
either on short credits or cash ba-
sis. With no working producers
bringing in their earnings to spend,
just how is the business man to con-
tinue in his business with any de-
gree of profit?
THE sooner the business men,
politicians and office holders APP
preciate the fact that the fishing
industry is the one and only indus.
try which gives full employment to
resident Alaskans; as soon as av
cry Alaskan appreciates and recog
nizes the fact that any discrimin
atory regulation enforced to the
hurt of the fishermen, is a hurt to
All Alaska business; the sooner
they can join in a united protest
against such Determinations then
the sooner will every line of bust
ness endeayor prosper in Alaska"
A short period of prosperous
earnings by fishermen and again
another cycle of no earnings. What
a united Alaska should have done
years ago was to join in with the
Brotherhood in its effort to remove
those determinations that were not
only hurting residents of all classes
but destroying a great industry.
But no. The ideas were presented
by Indians and who wanted to fol-
low Indian leaders? Men dependent
upon the fisheries for living rath-
er than join in with this group OPP
posed, derided and made every eff
fort to destroy the very organization
seeking to better conditions in AL
aska. And now, after being forced
by the masters to make bricks with
sout straw, these same people are ad-