14 ALASKA FISHERIES AND FUR INDUSTRIES IN 1915. 
ever, which stated that nothing should prevent the Territory from 
imposing other and additional license fees or taxes. Pursuant to 
the authority which was supposed to exist by virtue of this proviso, 
the Territorial Legislature, at its first session, which occurred in 1913, 
imposed certain license fees on the fisheries. ‘This act was reenacted 
by the legislature at its second session, in 1915, the following being 
that part referring particularly to the fisheries: 
Section 1. That any firm, person or corporation prosecuting or attempting to 
prosecute any of the following lines of business in the Territory of Alaska shall apply 
for and obtain a license and pay for said license for the respective lines of business 
as follows: 
¥* * * * * * * 
6th. Fisheries: Salmon canneries, four cents per case on king and reds or sockeye; 
two cents per case on medium reds; one cent per case on all others. 
7th. Salteries: Two and one-half cents per one hundred pounds on all fish salted or - 
mild cured, except herring. 
8th. Fish traps: Fixed or floating, one hundred dollars per annum. So-called 
dummy traps included. 
9th. Gill nets: One dollar per hundred fathoms or fraction thereof. 
10th. Cold-storage fish plants: Doing a business of one hundred thousand dollars 
per annum or more, five hundred dollars per annum; doing a business of seventy-five 
thousand dollars per annum, and less than one hundred thousand dollars, three hun- 
dred and seventy-five dollars per annum; doing a business of fifty thousand and less 
than seventy-five thousand dollars per annum, two hundred and fifty dollars per 
annum; doing a business of twenty-five thousand and less than fifty thousand dollars 
per annum, one hundred and twenty-five dollars per annum; doing a business of ten 
thousand dollars and less than twenty-five thousand dollars per annum, fifty dollars 
per annum; doing a business of four thousand, and less than ten thousand dollars per 
annum, twenty-five dollars per annum; doing a business of under four thousand 
dollars per annum, ten dollars per annum. The ‘‘Annual Business” under this 
section shall be considered the amount paid per annum for the product. 
It has been felt by the commercial fishery interests of Alaska that 
the enabling act did not confer sufficient authority upon the Terri- 
torial Legislature to impose any license fees or taxes upon the fisheries. 
As a result, there has been much controversy, and the license fees or 
taxes collected by the Territory have been paid under protest by the 
companies concerned. It was finally agreed upon by representatives 
of the fishery interests and the Territory that a test case would be 
instituted with a view to having the matter definitely decided by the 
courts. Accordingly, a case was brought to trial in the district 
court at Juneau, the Alaska Salmon Co., operating a cannery in west- 
ern Alaska and with headquarters at San Francisco, being named as 
defendant. In December, 1915, the district court rendered a decision 
in favor of the Territory of Alaska, and the case was accordingly 
appealed to the circuit court of appeals of the ninth judicial district. 
No decision has been handed down as yet by that court. It is under- 
stood that the representatives of the fishery interests and the Territory 
bound themselves to abide by the decision of the circuit court without 
attempt at further appeal. 
