.^jfElTfl .. .
i$Ef : KUSKO times
A. X. Grant, PuhHahsr, Sola '
. 0|NMr u4' Editor. ''
Pubtidhed Evtair Saturday
H Per Mouth
Adrectisistg tain. ’ '
Voiding matter, per fine, per
Issue . .. ........f J&&
Legal advertisements, per tine,
Iftsue .»'........ .2®
Transient display, per inch, per '
issue (minimum charge ft)....' M
Entered as seconcrciasa matter Au
gust 29th, 1923, at the postoAce at
Uo^otna, Alaska, under the Act of
Mafch 3, 1879.
TaUtua. Alaska, Jane.€. 1931.
Takotna, Alaska, May 30, 1921w
wAeRE THERE FS DIRE NEED- '
of* government aid to re.
L1EVE DISTRESS OF NATIVES
ine touowing communication, re
prAited from the Anchorage Times.
tells of the plight of natives in the
codstal region between the-mouth* of
the Yukon and the Kuskokwimi.'
AKAK, "May 16.—Eidtor Times,
Anchorage, Alaska: District Super
intendent Clark M. Garber- of the
United States Office of Educaton with
headquarters at Akiak has just re
turned from a three-weeks*- dog-team
trip to Nelson Island. In the course
of ‘ this trip a number--of native vil
lages were visited with the proposi
tioh in mind of expanding the west
ern district educational and medical
program of the Office of Education.
The villages of Kipnuk, Cheechinga
mdte, Tagairak, Kinak and Sfanak
weVe found to have large available
school populations.- Of'these villages,
Kipnuk, Cheechingamute and Sfanak
are without a question the most prim
itive of the aboriginal people left on
thd North American continent. Hard
ly ‘a winter goes by that these vil-s
lagers are not in dire need, of foodi
Vefy often the situation becomes so
serious that famine and even starva
tion prevai. At Quilgillinok famine
conditions became so active during
th£ past winter that the local teacher,
A.- B. Martin, through foresight and
quick action in procuring a quantity
of* reindeer meat, barely saved the
lives of a number of natives of his
village. Regardless of this relief, a
nulnber of deaths occurred among the
children from malnutrition and infec
tio*n acquired from the filth in which
th&se people live. Because of the Te
1
moteneas and inaccessibility of these,
vllages the opportunty has been given!
to bat a few white men to visit them, j
The meager amount of fur taken
by them people means but little in
their livelihood, especially consider
ing the excessive prices charged by
traders in this section. Their diet for
the''most part consists of seal meat
and needle fish. During the summer
months they go to the Kuskokwim
river to fish, but then they take only
only such fish as they consume dur
ing the summer, for should they take
more than they can use at the time,
according to their superstitions, the
fish will not run the following sea- ■
son. During the fall months the
neede fish come. Then their diet con
sists of needle fish and seal oil until’
the ■ sparing sealing opens. It can
readily be seen that -the failujr*? .of
any one of these fishing or hunting
seasons would spell famine and. pos
sibly starvation for. * these people,!
There is only- one solution to the. da
plorable eondifcion.irr which these peo- !
pie are. forced to live. Thatr»so]ution ^
involves, unlimited, governmental aid I
from, the standpoint of food, clothing.j
nncU improved, dwellings.
• A. decent cabin is. an; unknown
thing to the people of this coastal
section-.. Their dwellings, are small,
filthy holes underground in which the
white men would hesitate to keep
hogs. ..Yet it is not uncommon to find
as many as eight and. ten living in
one of these 8x12 hovels. The ab
sence of good cabins in these villages
is not dufe-to a. lack of enterprise on j
the part of the.native, but. to a lack
of building materials. In this, couh- j
try, where there is not even a sprig
of vegetation, not even a drift Jog,
there is naught the native can do but1
; build his home of sod and earth, the
1 only things available for that pur
pose.
! In this, coastal section between the
mouth of the Kuskokwim river and I
the mouth of the Yukon river there !
ivca approximately 2,000 native peo
ple. All of these people, except in!
the villages of Quigiilingpk, Taunak
and Hooper Bay, where the Office of j
' Education supports schools and- med- j
real work, live in the most, prijnitise !
condition. Their world, extends, hard
fly 30 miles from their dooryard and
| they fear to leave, ther homes, for. any.
great dstance, thinking they will
never return- Their children grow j
up as serfs of the* parents, and the,
orphans are veritable slaves, doing, all
the work, the fishinv and hunting, for |
the support of the family. During;
the coming summev.Js nchool. will.be
constructed at the village of Chee
chingamute. This will be an enter-,
ing wedge in . the program of bringing,
enlightenment to these people* but.
without ample aid in. the • way of.
clothing, food and. building material
(OFFICIAL PUBLICATION.)
B»pwt of tte Piaaaeial Condition of the
Miners & Merchants Bank of Iditarod, Alaska,
tod at tl&t, Tftritof^ of Alaska, at the cl^se of business on the
6th day of April, 1931.
Resources.
Loans and discounts........f40.790.00
Oervdrsfts ..... 388.36
United States -bonds
owned . 11,000.00
Other bonds and war
rants owned ..._ 36,667*03
Checks on other banks
{ and other cash items- 1,274.41
•Cash on hand ..10,296.00
Bullion :.....- 176.47
Total ....♦100,581.26
1“'
. Liabilities. ...
Capital-stock paid in..-..|26,000.00
Surplus fund .— 10,00.00
Undivided profits less ex- .
penses paid .... 3^02^6.
Due to other banka—over- %
_ drafts . 763.45
Individual and savings*. <
deposits . 59^60.00
Demand and time certifi. ..
cates of deposit . 2^)54.84
Total . ..♦100^581.26
United States ef America,
Territory of Alaska,
Fourth Judicial Division.
- •?» ^ B. Sheppard, Vico President of the above-named banic^-do sol
maly swear that the foregoing statement is true to the beS^f my
nowMge and belief. H, P. SHEPPARD',
Vice President
(Notorial seal)
MaviM aad sworn to baforoae this 20th day, of April; M3i
.... . D* E' BROWNE,
United States Commissioner L
^ for Otter Precinct
It will be impossible to. make any ap- •
preclable progress with, these people, f
An effort to clearly portray; to. oar .
government the seriousness: of this
which this group of native ■ people
situation, the deplorabletaondHioiis- in
exist, the gross lackdf any.semblance, -
of health and sanitation among them, j
only leaves the impression that, the f
situation is grossly exaggerated and i
overdrawn. We1 may photograph:•*
them in their homes-and villages, out. i
pictures as well as words. may. be\
faked. How, then, stra wmto oonvinco
people that such a ctuation sealljuex- .
ists within the bounds of our town1
territory? Surrounded with all the .
benefits, and joys pf our own civilira-.
tion. it is, of course, reasonable that u
it is difficult for people, unacquainted
with the situation, itp ^believe that ,
there are yet people-diving in such de
plorable and filthy conditions within.-.
our own: doors. .
ALASKA* CABLE SOON V
TO GO *NTi>.01SGARD!.
Lieut. Glenn H. Palmer, assistant
officer -in charge .of the..Alaska cahlc*
system, who. recently arrived at Ket- '•
ehikan to Aiake.surrangementaioK.the '
installation of a. radio, system there,
says- the change from cable to radio j
communications rvill be ® fan econ
omiial advantage and:will speed! up
traffic.
“At.the present time,” he told the
Ketchikan Chronicle, “the Delwood is
being used as a cableship for Alaska
service.wThe vessel must be kept in
readines at all times to meet emer
ments. gencies. make repairs and
gencies, make repairs and replace
ments. The operation of the ship con
sumes approximately. ..$160,000, or 1
about one-fourth, of the expenses of |
the Alaska cable -system. By replac- |
ing the present cable system with {
radio communication,-- this expense ;■
Would-be.eliminated. It is planned to .
take the Delwood out of operation
December: L of this year, so it is in- j
tended to install the radio system by *
that time."
Lieutenant-Palmer said -that.- An
chorage has. heen selected as the
headquarters for- communications - in
the North, as it waafound reception
there, waa much .better than at Sew
ard,, which has -been the. Northern
headquarters..—
• With the installation of the radio
station at Anchorage, it is possible
for Nome to receive messages with
only one relay,-said Lieutenant Pal
mer. Previously, under the cable sys
tem,, two. or three relays were neces
sary..,.'With the- introduction of the
radio system, traffic, will be speeded,
up to outlying districts
Speaking of the proposed said of
the Alaska cable system, he said that
it was a matter to be decided by
higher officials, and that the officer in
charge , of the system and his assist
ant had. little to say in such matters
His office, he pointed out, was con*
cerned with the efficiency of the com
munications system.
Lieutenant Palmer stated that both
he and the officer in charge of the
Alaska cable system, Col. Frank
Griffin, will be. leaving the service
soon. Colonel Griffin has been trans-;
ferred to Hawaii, to. be in charge of
the communications system there,
and Lieutenant Palmer will go to
West Point,- whew he is to beeome
an insiructor.
Rain Changed Him
“lit vowtd he would traverse, lagg
ing seas just to look into my ey»s.”
“When, last night?”
“No, ast night he. teephoned me"
that it was raining, too -hard/' j
Very Small Son—Dad, give me a
dime. j
Papa—Not today, sonny, not today.
“Dad, ii yo’U give me a dime Til
tell yoa what the iceman said to>
mamma this morning."
“Here, son, suirk; what did he
say?”
“He said: 'Lady, how murb ice-do
you want this morning?'v ” <'
Takotna Pool Halil !
Fresh Fruits^.
Tobacco®?,
A^pless
Candiess Soft iDrmkks
Cigars s Ciggrets s
Oranges
•4
4i
CHiralife O’Halloran
Prop^.
Wfcere EVerytkkig Is Hometike end
Yoto Are Cbrdi«nr Wefortiiie*-'
r,tu »* Wte HOUSES BATHS**
Max Simel : S3T
nl A WON: ✓ UKVIEW, INNOKO ROTR)
Miners’, .Prospectors’ aa.(k;
Trappers’ Supplier
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