ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES 



87 



member to be appointed by the Governor, which commission shall 

 select a supervisor of the laboratory, obtain a suitable site and build- 

 ings, acquire necessary scientific instruments and equipment, and 

 hire technical and clerical assistants, the amount to be expended for 

 the site and buildings not to exceed $8,000 and for the instruments 

 and equipment, $6,000. The sum of $20,000 to carry into efl'ectthe 

 provisions of the act was appropriated, with the proviso that it be 

 made available when the United States, or some department or agency 

 thereof, shall match or agree to match the amount in cash, equipment, 

 or services. 



An act was passed repealing subsection 9 of section 3138 of the 

 Compiled Laws of Alaska for 1933, which provided for a tax on fish 

 buyers dealing in fresh fish. 



Appropriations for the payment of bounty on hair seals, in order to 

 prevent their increase and the consequent danger to the maintenance 

 of valuable fisheries, amounted to $10,0C0 to cover a deficiency in the 

 appropriation for the biennium ending March 31, 1937, and $40,000 

 for the succeeding biennium. The sum of $25,000 was appropriated 

 for clearing streams so as to improve conditions for the natural propa- 

 gation of salmon. 



TERRITORIAL LICENSE TAX 



Fisheries license taxes were collected by the Territory under the 

 general revenue law of 1921, as amended in subsequent sessions of the 

 Territorial Legislature. A statement from Oscar G. Olson, Terri- 

 torial treasurer, under date of May 28, 1938, gives the cohections made 

 to that date for the year 1937, representing the taxes on operations of 

 the previous year. It was stated that collections under the several 

 schedules were fairly complete, although a few of the fisheries com- 

 panies had not yet made full settlement. 



Fishery license taxes collected by Territory for fiscal year ended Dec. SI, 1937 



KUSKOKWIM RIVER 



The Bureau had no stream guard stationed on the Kuskokwim River 

 in 1937, and reports of operations there are fragmentary. It is 

 understood that the catch by natives in the district was about normal. 

 Robert Gherkie again engaged in commercial fishing and shipped 7,200 

 pounds of pickled king salmon to the outside market. Upon the 

 basis of the average for the last 4 preceding years, 329 natives fished 



