The Salmon-canning Industry 
diplomatic, for he most good-naturedly lent me 
a big first-class boat a few days later. This, too, 
without my having to bother him by begging 
for it. I take this opportunity of thanking him 
most sincerely for his help and consideration, 
without which I should indeed have been beaten. 
The salmon-canning industry fairly amazed me. 
Of course I had heard and read of the Fraser 
River canneries, but I could not believe salmon 
existed in such profusion. There are so many 
fish to be caught for the trouble of setting a net 
for them that not only do the Indians make 
them their staple food when fresh, and also 
when smoked and dried, but the dogs are fed on 
them. The actual work of a salmon cannery is 
performed by Chinamen. The custom is to 
employ a boss Chinaman, who engages a suffi- 
cient number of men to perform the necessary 
work, and who is responsible for the smooth 
working and satisfactory behaviour of those 
under him. In the Kusiloff Cannery which I 
will describe the modus operandi was somewhat 
‘as follows: A steamer leaves San Francisco in 
March for the site of the factory. She has on 
board the Chinamen and white men necessary 
for the works. She also carries a_ sufficient 
amount of tin plates that are to be used in 
making the cans for the purpose, together with 
stores, labels, ete. On arrival at the river, 
all hands are turned on to make the eans in 
215 
