The Wrangell sentinel., 1944-09-22
Hearings Held
 At HYdabUrgI
 And klaWOCk

HYDABURG, Alaska Testimony supporting the Haida Indian claims to portion of Southeastern Alaska have ended here and the Hydaburg hearing recessed by Judge Ricnhard H. Hanna for the department of interior, to be continued in Ketchi- kan September 27 No affirmative evidence was offered at the hearing by salmon industry lawyers and others opposing the Haida claims Instead, w. c. Arnold, attorney rep resenting the opposition, said they were relying on reassurances of a general hearing in November when opposing testimony will be given.
 Tt is now amply clear that it is the intention of the interior de- partment to issue an administrative order on their proceedings which, if enforced, would dispossess us of our property and deprive Us of our fishing rights" Arnold said.
 Form, Not Fact
  ment have carefully designed this procedure to afford opponents of these claims a hearing in form but not in fact =..-.
 Judge Hanna. however, said al proposed general hearing in Seattle, if approved by Ickes, would be De- tober 4 to 2.
 Hanna resumed the Alaskan hearings at Klawock where theI Thlinget tribal petition was con- sidered.
 George E. Haldane, 66-year-old fisherman and Presbyterian lay worker, and Powell Charles, chair man of the Hydaburg cooperative, were witnesses. Haldane's appear ance as a witness brought up the question of admitting additional pe- titioners into the Haida claim.
 Haldane, born in Port Simpson, British Columbia. and never natur- alized, is one of group of Craig, Alaska, residents signing an inter vening petition to "share in the benefits of their tribe" They also seek to move the boundaries of the petition north from Waterfall to include Craig. The judge admitted all of Haldane's testimony but ruled that his own jurisdiction did not include hearing claims now for other petitioners. He also denied the addition of new territory but shortly afterwards allowed Theo- dore Haas, department of interior lawyer representing the Indians, to amend the original petition to in- clude the entire western shores of DalI island. heretofore not claimed. Haldane said he was born after his mother went to Canada on a | trading trip with the Hudson's Bay company. He was reared by his grandparents in Hokwan and was a church worker among his people until 1911 when he built the sec ond power boat operating on the western coast of Prince of Wales island. "The Indians were fishing with rowboats before then" Hal l dane testified, "but when I made n seasons catch of 17O,0O0 fish with | my power boat the other Haidas } got mad. Look at that preacher taking the bread out of our mouths,' the Haidas said. I didn't , want to hurt my brothers so that's when I stopped being preacher. ' Not only the commercially oper- ated fishing traps but also seine fishing regulations have hurt the Indians livelihood, both Haldane , and Powell Charles said.
 Asked by Arnold if there wal not always friction between th' men who used the less modern way of catching fish and those wht caught by other methods, Charles !, . said "yes" but that the fish ant wildlife service had discriminatet against Indians seeking trap sites D Haldane said he could have put il $ a trap once but did not want t' . take the financial risk.
 Arnold asked that reference t. commercial disadvantages of In It dians be stricken from the record as having no bearing on whethe
 the Haidas had aboriginal rights t