The Wrangell sentinel., 1944-08-11
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In addition to poor season. cannerv mer in Southeast Alaska have run into another barrier-an OPA hurdle. Fish for canning pur- nose is under a ceiling while for some unknown reason there IS no ceiling on seine and gillnet caught fish for the fresh fish and mild cure arade Due to the demand and scar city of salmon in the Southeast Lhls season, gillnet and seine caught fish are going into the fresh fish market while the packer sits at the dock stymied by a price ceiling on the fish he tries to buy Tor ms cannerv. Protests were launched to OPA this week with demands that fresh fish buyers be put under slnl- lar ceiling to that under which the hackers are forced to operate. Can ming industry hoped for quick ae- ton; feared the worst-too httle' too late.
 
 Fishermen were coming back from Bristol Bay this week with various reports Alaska fishermen on the whole fared poorly, as they had to pay their own expenses to and from the fishing grounds. Out side fishermen who had their eA- penses paid both ways from h e States did fairly well; excellent in some places. Best report came rom the Ugashik. The eannery operated there by Lemual Wingard, former Alaska agent for the old Bureau of Fisheries, and his brother Lester Wingard. Superintendent of Schools at Petersburg, had an excellent mack of reds. The other rivers weren't so good. Last reported pack figures for the Bristol Bay region was 92O,O0O cases. Final figures were expected to put it at around a million cases.
 Benjamin ". Thoron (pronounced toe-ron), Director of Territories and Island Possessions, in the Territory on his annual personal study of Al aska affairs. is, like Gov. Gruening, a firm believer in getting around to find out at first hand what makes Alaska tick He tries to work out the same theory with all pos sessions and islands under this de- partment. He tends to frown on the old long-distance government prac- tice which, though often eXaggef- ated. was the foundation of much of the cry in Alaska against Wash ingiton control. Gruening was among the first to upset the old practice, both when he was Director and since he has become Governor. There's scarcely a village in Alaska the Governor hasn't visited, become conversant with most of it's prob lems and knows half the local citi- zens by name Director Thoron works on the same principal, but naturally is handicapped by time and the scope of his duties which have to stretch over Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
 This week, after a few days in Juneau. the Director was off to An chorage, the Rural Rehabilitation set-up at Palmer, to Fairbanks, Point Barrow and perhaps Nome. The farm colony, native problems, rehabilitation of war-evacuated na- tive people in their own homes and many other notes were on his list for personal check.
 
 Dr. Ira N Gabrielson, Director of Fish and Wildlife and top man in his profession, both from the stand point of ability and rank, will be in the Territory about a month from his Chicago headquarters and is making a close personal study of the fishing situation in the South east with the possibility of granting some extensions if the fish show He was making the west coast and central and southern areas of the Southeast this week.
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 Democratic party chieftain John Walmer began shaking out the party moth balls, accumulated since the primary, this week and fore cast is that directly you'll be hear ing the welkin ringing with appeals to Alaska voters to sample some Bartlett for Delegate" and "sup port the full ticket" Politically wise Walmer is of the old schoo who believes that when it look easy is the time to do the hardes work, politics being what they are
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 Interior Secretary Harold Ickes who is credited by Alaskans witt hnuinn hrnnpht more frOWnS t