The act approved June 26, 1906, provides that the catch and pack of salmon in Alaska by owners of private salmon hatcheries operated in Alaska shall be exempt from all license fees and taxation of every nature at the rate of 10 cases of salmon to every thousand red or king salmon fry liberated; that is, a rebate of 40 cents is allowed on every thousand red or king salmon fry released. The total revenues received from the taxes levied by the Federal Government within incorporated towns from business and trade licenses which were paid by the clerks of the district courts directly to the treasurers of the towns were as follows: Three or more persons may unite to form a stock corporation under the laws of the Territory of Alaska for any lawful business purpose, whose chief business shall be in the Territory of Alaska, except for the purpose of banking, insurance, brokerage, or loan, trust, and guaranty associations. The corporation laws do not require that the incorporators, or any of them, be residents of the Territory. However, at least one of the directors must be a bona fide resident of Alaska. Foreign corporations may register to do business in the Territory of Alaska by filing, in the office of the Territorial auditor and in the office of the clerk or clerks of court in the division or divisions of the Territory wherein they contemplate doing business, a certified copy of articles of incorporation, financial statement, and appointment and consent of resident agent. All corporations registered to do business in Alaska are required to pay annually a corporation license fee of $15, which is due on or before January 1 of each and every year. A penalty of $2.50 is exacted under the law for payment subsequent to January 1. Filing fees for articles of incorporation in the office of the Territorial auditor are proportionate to the amount of authorized capital, as shown by the following schedule: 1. Filing certified copy of articles of incorporation with financial statement: (a) Authorized capital stock, $100,000 or less 2. Filing amendatory or supplemental articles of incorporation: (a) Capital stock not increased over $100,000__. (b) Authorized capital stock over $100,000 up to and including $25.00 .10 10.00 4. Filing annual report-- 5. Filing certificate of dissolution____. 3. Filing appointment and consent of resident agent (not required of domestic corporations). (b) Capital stock increased over $100.000 up to and including 10.00 .10 10.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 AGRICULTURE While the greater part of Alaska is too rugged and cold for extensive agricultural development, there are large fertile valleys along the Alaska Railroad between the cities of Seward and Fairbanks that offer excellent opportunities to the settler. The soil in these valleys is fertile and the climatic conditions, especially south of the Alaska Range, are similar to that of the tier of Northern States. Dairying in some of these valleys has become an important industry. The agricultural experiment stations began a cooperative project with the Alaska Railroad in establishing a creamery at Curry. This project is still in progress. The creamery is operated by the railroad, and the butter manufactured is used by its hotel. The railroad employs a butter maker, and the work is supervised by the animal husbandman at the Matanuska station. The largest experiment station is at Matanuska in the heart of the dairy region of the Territory. Two herds of cattle are kept at this station-a Holstein-Friesian herd and a crossbred HolsteinFriesian and Galloway herd. The Holstein-Friesian breed is well adapted to the climatic conditions of this region and thrives well both on summer pasture and on winter home-grown feeds. The herd is increasing, and the surplus stock, which is sold to farmers, is becoming an important factor in the improvement of livestock in the region. The crossbred cattle are proving to be hardy animals and can withstand a colder climate than that of the Matanuska Valley. Extensive experimental work is in progress at this station to determine the most economic methods of producing native hay. Samples of the different varieties of native grasses are collected at weekly intervals and a chemical analysis of each sample is made. Experiments in land clearing, grain breeding, and horticulture are also in progress. At the Fairbanks station the Yak-Galloway hybrid herd is increasing, and it will soon be necessary to move the herd to some other region where more extensive winter range is obtainable. The hybrids ranged in the open all winter and required comparatively little feed. They were provided with water to drink, but seemed to prefer to eat snow instead while they were out on the range. This station developed a variety of barley (Alaska No. 19) and a variety of wheat (Siberian No. 1). These two varieties are well adapted to the climatic conditions of the Territory. Work in breeding of grains and forage crops adapted to sub-arctic conditions is in progress at this station. A small herd of purebred Galloway cattle is kept at the Kodiak station. The animals ranged nearly all winter at the head of Kalsin Bay, requiring comparatively little additional feed. This station is in a region in which the beef cattle industry and sheep could thrive. A number of ranchers who started with small herds and flocks have had serious losses caused by the brown bear. In a number of instances 100 per cent of the livestock was killed. The Sitka station is in southeastern Alaska. Experiments in horticulture and olericulture have been conducted here to determine which varieties are most suitable. Because this station is located so far from the main steamship lines, it is contemplated to begin work in the neighborhood of Juneau and reduce the work at Sitka. LABOR CONDITIONS Conditions affecting labor in the Territory continued very satisfactory in all branches of industry during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1929. Wage schedules were well stabilized and satisfactorily adjusted to living costs. No reports were received of labor disturbances of any kind during the year. A shortage of experienced miners was again experienced at some of the large lode mines, and a shortage of laborers was reported from some of the mines and canneries during the latter part of the fiscal year, due, no doubt, to the prospecting activities of some of the employees of the mines and the large run of salmon in some sections of Alaska. Computed on the basis of 300 working days per man per year, the fishing and mining industries together absorb about 96 per cent of the labor employed in the industries of Alaska, aside from that engaged by the three railroads that are operating in the Territory. The fishing industry employs 84 per cent and the mining industry 12 per cent of the total. The Federal roadbuilding organizations and the lumber and logging industry of southeastern Alaska represent the only other large employers of labor in the Territory. The Bureau of Fisheries, Department of Commerce, reports a total of 31,086 persons engaged in the fishing industry during the calendar year 1928, which is an increase of 2,214 over the number employed during 1927. During 1928 there were 4,011 men employed in the mining industry, a slight decrease from the number employed during 1927. Employment in the fishing industry is of a seasonal nature, the working season lasting from four to eight months, depending upon the locality and the nature of the fishery. The fishing industry is confined almost wholly to the coastal regions of the first and third judicial divisions. From 35 to 50 per cent of the labor in the first judicial division, which embraces all of southeastern Alaska, is secured locally from the resident population, about 10 per cent of those so employed being native Indians. The balance of the employees are imported from the States for the fishing season only. Of those so imported approximately 45 per cent are engaged under what is known as the oriental contract system. Owing to the remoteness of many of the large canneries and the sparsity of the resident population in the third division, where the largest percentage of the fishery labor is employed, from 15 to 20 per cent of the total labor is secured locally, the balance being imported from the States. Of the labor secured locally in the third division, from 50 to 80 per cent are native Indians. From 35 to 45 per cent of the labor imported into the third division during the fishing season is contract labor. WAGES Fishery-Wages paid general cannery labor secured locally in the first division range from $2 to $3.50 per day for women and from $3.50 to $5 per day for men. In the third division wages for women range from $2 to $4 per day and for men from $2.50 to $5 per day. All other labor is paid on a monthly or seasonal basis, according to the following scale, in addition to which, in most instances, board is furnished by the operators. Wages per month in the fishing industry Mining. Labor employed in the mining industry in Alaska works under widely varying conditions that are controlled both by the location of the operation and the nature of the work. General statements as to wage scales are therefore difficult to make. In the placer-mining industry wages for general labor range from 50 to 80 cents per hour and board. The hours of labor per shift range from 8 to 10 and the cost of board per man per day ranges from $1.50 in the Cook Inlet region to $4 in remote districts, such as Shushana and Koyukuk. The wages for skilled workmen range from $5 per day and board for oilers in the Yentna district to $13 per day and board for dredge masters in the Iditarod-Innoko district. The wage scales for coal miners is quite uniform. Underground coal miners and timbermen receive $8.60 per day; underground laborers, trammers, and rope riders, $7.80 per day; and outside labor, $5.50 per day. Fire bosses are paid $250 per month and foremen from $250 to $300 per month. Deductions from the above wages are made for board at rates of from $1.50 to $2 per day. Except for small winter drift-mining operations, prospecting, and development work, placer mining in Alaska is, of course, confined to the open season, which usually extends from May or June to the freeze up in September or October. The lode-mining industry is confined principally to the coastal regions of the first and third divisions, where it gives all-the-year employment to approximately 1,500 men. The wage scales for an 8-hour shift at the larger lode mines of the coastal region range as follows: From the above wages deductions are made for board and room and for hospital fees and medical attendance. Deductions for board. range from $1 to $1.50 per day and for hospital and medical attendance from $1.50 to $2.40 per month. At the larger lode mines and at the coal mines contracts are let for much of the underground work. HEALTH CONDITIONS A summary of data and reports received from physicians, nurses, and Government teachers throughout the Territory shows that there were a total of 416 cases of contagious disease reported during the year, as follows: Chancroid, 1; chicken pox, 319; diphtheria, 16; gonorrhea, 12; influenza, 28; measles, 26; mumps, 1; scarlet fever, 2; smallpox, 9; tuberculosis, 1; typhoid fever, 1. This by no means represents the total number of contagious diseases occurring throughout Alaska during that period. Physicians seem very reluctant to report contagious disease except in the presence of an epidemic. No cases have been reported by the teachers in the Government schools, and no cases have been reported by nurses any place in the Territory. It is likely that all of the epidemics have been reported, and many isolated cases were, no doubt, without the services of a physician. The epidemic in and about Nome, first reported as smallpox and later reported as chicken pox, amounting to about 275 cases, seems to be under control. No doubt there were many other cases of this disease which were not reported, since it is recalled that Fairbanks had three cases first reported as smallpox and later reported as chicken pox. These three cases were quarantined and cost the Territory more than a thousand dollars before the diagnosis of chicken pox was made. The United States Public Health Service has continued its policy of examining and vaccinating all cannery employees coming to Alaska, with most satisfactory results. Many cases of contagious disease have been kept from reaching the isolated communities, and it is hoped this service will be continued indefinitely. All supplies of old vaccine and serum scattered throughout the Territory have been returned and exchanged for new, thus giving each division an adequate supply for the coming winter. Nome and Fairbanks are supplied with sufficient for distribution throughout their respective districts. No large supply has been sent into the third division, there being no assistant commissioner of health in that section from which supplies to isolated communities could be forwarded. Report of contagious diseases for year of 1928 |