The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, July 19, 1937, Page 1

THE DAILY “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS ALASKA EMPIRE PRICE TEN Union WORK TO BEGIN THIS WEEK ON ROCK DUMP SITE Large Tank to Be Built Will| Double Present Capacity —Dock Is Planned ENGINEER DUE HERE ON PRINCESS ALICE Two Years of Arrangements Completed by District Manager Boyle This week is expected to see work | under way on a mnew Union Oil Company plant for Juneau, which will have a capacity very nearly double that of the company's pres- ent plant here, it was announced by J. E. Boyle, Alaska District Man- ager for the Union Oil Company, who is now in Juneau. Mr. Boyle stated that K. B. Stey- ens, resident engineer for the com- pany, for the Northern Division, is to arrive in Juneau tomorrow on board the steamer Princess Alice, and will immediately lay out the program of engineering details for the work, which will be done under the direction of Construction Su- perintendent T. J. Walker, who is now in Sitka, where he has been in charge of the enlargement of the Union Oil plant there. -~ Site is Chosen After examination of several sites, arrangements have been made by| Mr. Boyle for erection of the new plant on the Alaska Juneau rock dump, adjoining the lower Govern- ment float, on the side of the dump| toward Juncau. Plans call for the moving of the company's present tanks from their location on the| ‘Thane road, plus the construction of a new, large-size steel oil tank.| The new tank has been made nec- essary by the steadily increasing demand in Juneau for burner oil, and the huge new receptacle will be devoted to the storage .of the fuel. Five of the company’s present tanks here will be moved ut break- ing them up, but the sixth is too large to be moved to the new site ' whole and will be torn down and re-built. Bulk oil capacity of the new plant will be approximately 225,000 gallons of diesel oil, 150,000 gal- lons of stove oil, and 100,000 gallons of gasoine, which is figured to be sufficlent to fill the needs of the company for some time in the fu- ture. To Hire Local Workers Tank construction will probably be done under contract to the Se- attle Boiler Works. Plate steel for the largé new tank will be ship- ped to Juneau from the South and fabricated here by the tank crew.| Workmen in the tank crew will most likely come here from the States, but it is planned that nearly all other labor will be hired locally. The work is expected to be competed about the middle of Otcober. Besides the installation of the storage tanks, which are to be placed on top of the rock dump, but well back from the face of the pile, establishing of the new plnmt will include the driving of a dock straight out into the Channel to- word the city, and the widening and improving of the present road leading from the Thane highway to the Lower Floats. The dock will be built large enough to accommodate ships, as well as having a float adjoining for servicing of small boats. Due to the nature’ of the shore-line at the proposed site, the dock will not have to be built out very far, but it will be broad enough for the building of the warehuse on top of it. On the second floor of the warehouse will be a five-room apartment for the dock attendant, so that hé may be on hand at all times. Temporary Float The present dock and warehouse of the company here is to be wrecked and, as much as possible, its materials made use of in con- struction of the new plant, Mr. Boyle stated. The work will there- fore be complicated by the neces- sity for making arrangements for service to customers in the period (Continued on Page Three) Oil Is to Build Large Statlon Here Oldtimers on Gastineau Channel pricked up their ears, figuratively speaking, last Saturday forenoon, looked at each other, scratched their heads and said: “By Gosh, that's the Alameda or else I'm off the paystreak.” Then they looked, but it was not the Alameda, it was the steamer Baranof but there was something for sure, that brought up memories of the -old Alaska liner, but what |was it? And then, when the half hour whistle blew and, the 15-minute whistle, old-timers on the Pacific \ began to ask questions—it was the | W histle on Baranof Causes Oldtimers to Speculate If Old Alameda Back On Run/ Coast dock solved the mystery and | whistle of the Alameda, that was' certain. The explanation was soon made. The Baranof's whistle needed tun- ing, or valve grinding, or some such job, and the Alameda was called on for spare parts and her whistle was transferred to the Baranof. It has been six years since the Alameda, one of the most famous steamers on the Alaska run, turned her prow up Gastineau Channel and to a Juneau dock, for Novem- ber 28, 1931, at 3:40 a. m., she caught fire at her Pier 2 berth in Seattle, was towed into the stream and | burned to a sheer hulk. The whistle was, however, saved and now it is on the Baranof for one voyage at| least. ALASKA PUBLIC WORK PROJECTS WITHOUT FUNDS Allotments Are Pendmg Al- though Appropriation Bill Is Approved By J. J. ECKLES Secretary to Delegate Dimond | WASHINGTON, July 10.—(Spec- jal Correspondence)—Although the work relief appropriation bill carry- ling funds not only for work relief | but also for the Public Works Ad- ministration projects was passed and approved some days ago, up to the end of the week no allotments had actually been made for any Alaska {public works projects. A consider- able number of such projects, in- {cluding Skagway municipal im- | provements, Juneau library, An- chorage paving, Seward gymnasium, | Douglas school building, Skagway ‘school building, Fairbanks munici- pal improvements, Territorial school buildings, Sitka sewer system, Uni- |versity of Alaska dormitory, and | possibly one other, have been here- | tofore approved by the examining | | Inm all of them are eligible for al- |lotments under the appropriation bill recently enacted. Nor have al- lotments been made for other pro- Jects in the United States, for it is understood that all such projects are being held up awaiting the formula- tion of some plan which will work fairly and equitably for all parts of the country. The appropriation made will not H and therefore a large number of them must be omitted. It is expected that within the next two weeks the {plan will be £greed upon and allot- {ments made. In view of the lan- guage of the bill it seems almost certain that a grant will be made to aid in the construction of a pub- lic' school building for the town of Douglas since the former school building at Douglas was destroyed | by fire last winter. ° SSA FUNDS The benefits of the Social Secur- {ity Act marched into Alaska this week to the tune of nearly $30,000 |in Pederal funds to be expended for old-age assistance among residents of the Territory. The exact amount was $29,137.50, which was the ini- tial grant made to the Territory as announced by the Social Security Board in Washington on July 6. This allotment will be available for aid in providing for aged per- isons under the provisions of the So- cial Security Act and the Public Welfare Act of Alaska during the {months of July, August, and Sep- tember, and is expected to furnish aid to about 700 eligible benefici- aries during this period. | MATANUSKA LAND CASE | A favorable department report was made to the House Committee Ion the Public Lands July 3 by Act- ing Secretary of the Interior Charles West on the bil to validate settle- ment claims established on sections 16 and 36 in the area withdrawn from settlement in the Matanuska Valley. The Delegate introduced this bill to authorize the Territory to desig- (Continued on Page Seven) |divisions of the PWA, and most if, ytake care of all approved projects: EARLY CLOSING OF BRISTOL BAY RECOMMENDED Alaska Agent Reports Catch Poor Last Week and Season Should Be Cut —_— Returning to Juneau by plane at the week-end, Agent L. G. 'Wingard said today t after look- ing over the spawning grounds in |the Bristol Bay region, he had rec- 'ommended to Washington that the season be closed there on the morn- ling of July 22, or Thursday morn- |ing, just after the mid-week closing | period. The early closing would cut} two and one half days off the regu- lar season. The Agent said it was his beliet | that it was in the interests of con- serving the salmon supply to close early as there were few fish going to the spawning grounds. Fishing in | the area has been poor the last week, | he reported, and the catch for the! season probably will be well under, the million-case mark. Through Ju- ly 10 the total pack was only about| 625,000 cases. In Washington at noon today,| Commissioner Frank T. Bell sald‘ no action had yet been taken by Secretary of Commerce Roper on the,early closing recommendation. | AIRBATTLEIN MADRID, July 19—~The heaviest | battle in the Civil War is raging' west of Madrid as the Insurgents launched a fierce drive to hurl t.he| Loyalists back to the capital. | It is estimated there are 160| war planes, the greatest number ever massed in battle, over West Madrid’s front. ‘The Government claimed to have Drilling for Oil in Alaska ANCHORAGE, Alaska, July 19.-- The spokesman of the Iniskin Drill- ing Company working on Chinitna Bay, said the bit was’ down 3,100 feet and penetrating at a rate of about 45 feet daily. A favorable change in the forma- tion is expected at about 5,000 feet. Men at the scene of operations are working two 12-hour shifts daily. ———— TED HALBACH MAKES TRIP TO TERRITORY Ted Halbach, Stanford Univer- ty freshman, passed through Ju- neau aboard the Yukon enroute south following & vacation trip to outstanding scenic points in Alaska. Mr. Halbach, who made the Gold |row aboard the Alaska for a four lot the Sunday School times, who i$ | will be at the dock to meet the tour- MADRID SECTOR : SEARCH FOR AMELIA NOW CALLED OFF Navy Beheves Aviatrix, Co- pilot Noonan Are Dead in South Pacific HONOLULU, H. I, July 19.—The Navy Department has decided that Amelia Earhart and her co-pilot |Noonan, are dead, and has called |off the search vessels, 1,500 men and scores of planes which ‘have been scouting for weeks over an area of 250,000 square miles in the South Pacific in the region of tiny Howland Island, where they were last reported on their projected world flight. No trace of the two fliers has been found. The cost of the search is not es- timated but is unofficially set at many hundreds of thousands of dol- lars. There has been no trace and no word of the missing fliers since they flashed their position report on the afternoon of July 2. Fellowship Tour Party Arrives On - Kaska |Rev. Waggoner Is Host to, Group Traveling From East With the Rev Duvnd Waggoner in | charge as Alaskan host, a group of 60 Christian Fellowship tour mem- bers are to arrive in Juneau wmor-} hour stay in the Capital City, mark- !ing an outstanding day on theh‘ trip from across the nation. Assisting in managing the tour Ls‘ John W. Lane, Jr., associate editor accompanied north by Laura Z. Le¢ Fevre, sister of Mrs. Charles E. Per- soneus. Mrs. Le Fevre, known as an! author by the name of Zenobia Bird, | will be accompanied by her sister | when the Alaska clears port here for Seward, continuing the cruise| to the westward. Several members of the Interde- nominational Missionary Society ists when they arrive tomorrow, identifying them by small blue rib- bons which Mrs. Personeus distri- uted through Rev. Waggoner some time ago. Varied plans for enter- taining the visitors have been planned, and scores will be on hand to welcome the Alaska when it reaches port. | | Foreign Affairs, |House of Commons today that | chantmen ULTIMATUM GIVEN CHINA | BY JAPANESE th ang on Nipponese| ‘| Troops or Something Will Be Doing ENTSIN, July 19.—The Japan- Army Headquarters tonight is- an ultimatum giving the Chin- ‘Twenty Ninth Army until noon rrow (or 8 p.m. tonight Pacific it Time) to cease the alleged at- on the Japanese patrols, es- lly in the vicinity of Peiping lapan will take independent ac- ‘The ultimatum also demands the Withdrawal of troops from the dis- l‘lmed area west of Penpmg BRIT. VESSELS ARE CAPTURED ' BY INSURGENTS k4 two Battleshxps Are Dis-| { patched to Demand .. Immediate Release { } 0 3 , duly Anthony sEden retary for disclosed in the Great Britain has demanded the Spanish Inurgents release the cap- tured British merchantman Molton. The merchantman Cand elston Castle is also reported to have been captured. The British Admiralty also an- nounced that two British warshlps have steamed from Saint Jean deq Luz, France, to see that the mer-| are released. Regional Health Consultants Are Here On Survey {Dr. Sappington and Miss Taylor Arrive on Aleutian Dr. Edith Sappington, regional medical consultant, and Miss Ruth Taylor, regional public health con- sultant, arrived in Juneau aboard the Aleutian Saturday to survey ac- tivities of the Maternal and Child Health program and the Crippled | Children’s program in Alaska. Conferring with Dr. Sonia Chei- ftz in the offices of the Territorial Ihours after arrival, By EDWARD WEBER ALLEN Member International Fisheries Commission Pacific Coast papers and maga- zines have startingly presented the threat of foreign invasion of Alas- ka’s salmon, cod, and halibut fish- eries. Easterners, on the other hand, are inclined to be complais- ant. The threat is genuinely ser- jous. The problem is not that of a section only; it is national in im- portance. It is interndtional in its ramifications. Prompt consideration is essential if critical entanglements are to be avoided. Alaska’s salmon industry is the most important individual fishery of the entire United States. The us- ual case of salmon consists of 48 one-pound cans, and in 1936 Alaska produced 8,437,603 cases out of a total world pack of 13,127,643 cases. The producers’ price is from $4 to $10 a case, according to the var- iety, so the pack has a worthwhile mnnetsry value There is also a 2 DESTROYERS REMAIN HERE UNTIL TUESDAY itdof Squadron, Dallas, Leaves Today for Sitka— Third Navy Visitin Week The third visit of a portion of Uncle Sam's fighting navy to Ju- neau within a week broughi three destroyers, the U.8.S. Dallas, the U.S.S. Long and the U.S.S. Was- muth, to the government dock Sun- day at 10 a. m., almost 24 hours {later than originally expected. The destrooyer Dallas, carrying Capt. H. E. Kays, Commander of Destroyér Squadron 14, steamed away today at 10 a. m., exactly 24 for Sitka to refuel from the U.8.8. Langley, navy Southeast Alaska port. The remaining destroyers will stay here untjl Tuesday at 7 a. m, when they will join the Dallas at Sitka, before the three destroy- ers return to the States. Accounting for their late arrival in Juneau by the statement that “we merely stayed in Skagway for no particular reason,” officers de- clared they were enjoying their cruise in Alaskan waters. Out From San Diego The cruise was ‘launched from the home port in San Diego, Cal, June 24. The Fourth of July was spent at Newport, Oregon, which port they left on July 6 for Port Angeles. On the afternoon of July 10 the three destroyers sailed for Bella Bella, B. C,, arriving there the airplane carrier stationed at the: downed 18 Insurgent planes nndl Lefiman, FDR’s Follower, Raps Court Reform “Deliberate Government Department of Health this morn- ing, the two consultants considered plans for expansion of the service programs in the Territory. Dr. Sappington and Miss Tuylor\ are both associated with the United States Children’s Bureau through| the Department of Labor, and have | jurisdiction over the eleven west-| ern states, Alaska and Hawaii. They expeet to remain in Juneau for a! week, and ‘enroute here stopped at| {Herbert H. Lehman, who has al-| Should Not Be Sacrificed,” States N. Y. Governor ALBANY, N. Y, July 19. — Gov ways been a strong supporter of President Roosevelt, today voiced opposition to the President’s court reform plan. He had been asked to express him- self by Senator Robert F. Wagner of New York. “I believe that the orderly and deliberate process of government should not be sacrificed merely to meet the immediate situation,” the New York governor stated. Gov. Lehman, who was President Roosevelt’s Lieutenant - Governor for two terms, was persuaded to run to succeed him as governor. He was also persuaded to run for a third term as governor last January by Democratic leaders after he had already announced his retirement. ——— Rising vanilla prices in the world Belt tour to the Westward, visited briefy in Juneau when enroute north two weeks ago. market are improving the econo- mic conditions of South Sea natives, Wrangell, Ketchikan and Peters- | burg to survey department activi-| ties, | FEDERAL EMPLOYEES GET BACK OF POOL MOVEMENT IN CITY The Federal Employees Associa- tion is adding its support to the swimming pool movement in Ju-| neau and has named a committee to work with and aid the Cham- ber of Commerce committee in ev- ery way possible, it was reported today. A general meeting of the repre- | sentatives from the various organ- | izations is planned this week by| the Chamber committee. Organizations which have now added their support to the Cham- | | | | | | following night. They arrived in Ketchikan the night of July 12, from which port they headed for Humpback Bay, 72 miles from the first port. Dropping anchor there, the offi= cers and men of the destroyers en- gaged in a bit of fancy salmon fish- ing which was described by Lt. B. Connelly, executive officer of the destroyer Long, 8s “the high point of the cruise.” . ¢ Locate Fishing Spot “The salmon were so thick at that place you had to push them away to catch a trout by law. It’s undoubtedly the greatest fishing spot in the world.” Lt. Connelly, however, had a com- plaint about the board trail near the Humpback Bay site, declaring that it was so rought one of the of- ficers who had caught five salmon, |stumbled and suffered agony as he saw his day’s catch bumping down the mountain side. “Gobs of fish* were caught, the largest being ap- proximately 20 pounds, he said. The destroyers left Ketchikan the night of July 15, spent the night at Wrangell Narrows and arrived in Skagway on July 16. They left Sat- {urday at 11 p. m., went to Taku Glacler and arrived in the Capital ber ~movement include the Fire- men, American Legion, Pioneers'[ Auxiliary, Rotary, Women's Club, | Elks, Juneau Business and Pro-| City Sunday at 10 a. m. South From Sitka The three destroyers will leave Sitka Wednesday on the return voy- Thrmtvn ed I nvasion Of Alaska Fisheries in fresh, frozen and And sport fisher- is nothing large trade salted salmon. men consider that there superior to kings and cohoes. The halibut industry each year sends forth about 470 vessels to bring in a catch worth about $4,500,000. Al- though the Pacific cod fishery does not compare with that of the At- lantic, it is. substantial. Extensive Employment Altogether Alaska fisheries give |direct employment to about 25,000 persons. They substantially contri- bute to numerous other industries, can manufacturing, ship building, etc. They pay approximately four- fifths of the entire territory’s tax revenue. They are more important commercially than mining and all other Alaska industries put togeth- er. From the standpoint of the con- suming public the Alaska salmon fisheries furnish one of the most valuable low-priced food supplies. ((,onunued on Page Three) U, S, OFFICIAL PROBES BRISTOL BAY “INVASION” State Department Official Arrives Kanakanak to Study ‘Conservation’ KANAKANAK, Alaska, July 19.— Leo D. Sturgeon of the State De- partment, who arrived in Bristol Bay Friday aboard the U. S. Coast | Guard cutter Daphne with W. C. Arnold of Ketchikan, will spend four days in this area investigating fishing problems. Arnold is representing the can- ning industry's fishing survey of fused to comment but it is assumed time investigating the reported in-| vasion of the Bristol Bay area by Japanese fishermen. Mr. Sturgeon, who spent 17 years in the Far East for the American Foreign Service, speaks Japanese. His work is largely investigation. He spent Friday morning inter- viewing representatives of nearly all canneries in this region. He spent the afternoon ashore at Na- keen conferring with union repre- sentatives, All expresed willingness to cooperate. L. G. Wingard, Alaska Agent for the Bureau of Fisheries, and other members of the Bureau of Fisher- ies, cannery men and fishermen union officials expressed gratitude that the State Department is in- terested enough to send someone to study the problem at first hand. Mr. Sturgeon commended by say- ing that the Government has been giving much attention lately to the problems affecting the salmon industry in this area, especially from the standpoint of conserva- tion. He arrived here via Kodiak, Sand Point, Unalaska and False Pass. At Sitka he conferred with Gov. John W. Troy. WM. BONNETT PASSES AWAY ANCHORAGE, Alaska, July 19.— Willlam Bonnet, 72, member of the Alaska Pioneers and a pensioned Alaska Railroad employee, died Sat- urday after an illness of two months. Bonnett mined in the early days |on Willow Creek and entered the railroad service in 1920. He came to Alaska [mm New. York. DIE SEEKING RELIEF, HEAT SEATTIE, July 19.—Seventeen | persons died violently in the North- west over the week-end. Nine were fessional Women's Club and the 86¢ and are scheduled to arrive in| . 0noy geeking relief from the Federal Employees. i " {Continued on Page Seven) | record breaking heat. fishing problems. Mr. Sturgeon re-| here that he would spend some| FRIELE TAKES PICTURES OF NIPPON SHIPS |Gear and chAJ‘Salmon Re- vealed on Decks of In- vading Vessels, He Says BELIEVE ORIENTALS LEFT AFTER SIGHTING Official Feels Agreement Can Be Reached Be- tween Goverments H. B. Friele, vice-president of the Nakat Packing Company and chair- |man of the Executive Board of the Association of Pacific Fisheries, whose flight over Japanese salmon fishing vessels in Bristdl Bay on July 7 brought out the first actual evidence of Japanese fishing in the Bristol Bay area, reiterated in Ju- neau yesterday the statements he had made in a previously published telegram to Gov. John W. Tray and in an affidavit prepared following his airplane trip over the foreign fishing vessels. With J. N. Gilbert, vice-president of Pacifio: American Fisheries, and L. G. Wingard, of -the Bureau of Fisheries, Mr. Priele -arrived in Ju-' neau Saturday night on the Marine Alrways Fairchild; Alex Holden, pi- lot, aff | Bristol Pouowinl a morning cohference with Gov. Troy, Mr. Friele left early yesterday afternoon on Pilot Herb Munter’s Intercoastal Airways plane for Waterfall, Union Bay, Hidden Inlet and Ketchikan.. He will safl for Seattle aboard the Aleutian from Ketchikan and arrive in Seattle Fri- day. No: Longer Rumor “Japanese salmon fishing in Bris- tol Bay is no longer a rumor,” Mr. Friele said. “We flew over four Jap- anese fishing vessels, one large mother ship and three smaller aux- iliary vessels. We took pictures of them; saw salmon aboard them. * No License “However, in view of the repre- sentations made by the Japanese government that such fishing has not existed, that they would not li- (Continued on Page Two) JAPANESE ARE CUTTING UNDER U.S. FISHERMEN Union Agent Says Japs Get Only 3 Cents Fish While Americans Get 14 cents SEATTLE, July 19. — Japanese fishermen taking salmon from Bris- tol Bay have offered to sell their catch to American packing firms at prices ‘undércutting those paid to American fishermen. Louis Mostad, business agent of the Alaska Pishermen’s Union, said: “The Japanese are paid three cents per fish for their catch while Am- ericans get 14 cents. Just recently the Japanese had the gall to pro- | pose selling to packers undercutting union prices. They fish the year around without gear restrictions. There are no actual laws broken ‘rwhen the Japanese take salmon out- side the three-mile limit but the fish are American by birth, spawned in American lakes and streams in Alaska. “The United States has spent mil- lions of dollars on conservation measures to develop the fish. We've found evidence that the Japanese are setting up camps along the shores of Bristol Bay to shoot rein- deer for meat supplies and to get water for their ships.” Mostad was in conference with packing firm officials on the report by the party who flew over Japan- ese fishing operations. The - party returned here with photographs and affidavits to file with the Bureau of Pisheries. Arthur Ellsworth re- ceived the report of the plane sur- vey from Arthur Farlow of San cutive who spent a vacation in Al- aska. Farlow described the flight details. > ten-hour flight from, ., 4 Francisco, an advertising firm exe- =~