ALASKA FISHEEY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTEIES, 1920. 53 



On August 20 practically the entire plant of the Hidden Inlet 

 Canning Co. at Hidden Inlet was destroyed by fire, entailing a loss 

 in buildings, supplies, equipment, and canned salmon of $217,823. 



The burning of the Nakat Inlet cannery of the G. W. Hume Co. 

 occurred on August 28. Buildings and fishing gear valued at 

 $75,000 were lost. 



The Chinese quarters at the Eoe Point cannery of the Northwest- 

 ern Fisheries Co. were burned, at a loss of $-1,635. 



The vessel losses in southeastern Alaska aggregated $35,660, chief 

 of which was that of the barge Dashing Wave, owned by Libby, Mc- 

 Neill & Libby, and valued at $15,000. 



A rather heavy loss of fishing apparatus was also reported, which 

 in the aggregate was valued at $80,288. Of this amount, $67,238 

 represented the value of traps that were destroyed. 



Property losses in central Alaska amounted to $22,544, the major 

 part of which consisted of fishing apparatus. In w^estern Alaska 

 losses of property having a total value of $126,966 were reported, of 

 which $88,802 was charged under vessels and floating e<iuipment, 

 i^31,664 to fishing apparatus, and $6,500 to buildings and wharves. 

 The notable item in these losses was that of the ship ('has. E. Moody, 

 owned Ijy the Northwestern Fisheries Co.. and valued at $80,000. 



In 1920 the total loss of property in the salmon industry through- 

 out Alaska was reported as $773,914, of w'hich approximately 81 

 per cent was sustamed by operators in the southeastern district. 

 The loss of life in this industry was considerably greater than in 

 1919. In southeastern Alaska 1 fisherman, 3 shoresmen, and 1 trans- 

 porter met accidental death; in central Alaska 2 shoresmen and 1 

 transporter were Irilled and 2 transporters were drowned ; in western 

 Alaska 11 fishermen and 2 shoresmen were drowned and 2 shoresmen 

 were killed. 



STATISTICS. 



There were operated in Alaska in 1920 a total of 146 salmon can- 

 neries, 12 more than in 1919. Several of them were small floating 

 plants. The investment in the salmon-canning industry was $62,- 

 550,727, a decrease of $3,044,444. There as a decline of $3,588,093 

 in southeast Alaska and $1,517,356 in western Alaska. In central 

 Alaska the investment increased $1,161,005. 



The canning industry gave employment to 24,423 persons, or 1,076 

 less than in 1919. Whites decreased 345, natives 126, Chinese 401, 

 Japanese 39, and Mexicans 214. Filipinos increased 10, and miscel- 

 laneous, including Negroes, 39. 



The pack of canned salmon was 4,429,463 cases, valued at $35,- 

 602,800, a decrease of 154,225 cases in the pack and of $7,662,549 in 

 value of the products of 1920 as compared with those of 1919. This 

 is a decline of approximately 3^ per cent in production and 17f per 

 cent in value from 1919. These decreases in quantity and value of 

 products are directly and entirely due to the smaller pack in south- 

 east Alaska, as in both the other districts the pack was larger than 

 in 1919. A comparison of the pack in 1920 with that in 1919, by 

 districts, shows that southeast Alaska dropped from 3,119,260 cases 

 to 2,225,011, a decrease of 894,249 cases; central Alaska increased 

 from 771,907 to 1,337,448, a gain of 565,541 cases; and western Alaska 



