﻿92 
  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  fact 
  that 
  these 
  agents 
  are 
  so 
  used 
  remains 
  to 
  prejudice 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  the 
  

   up-to-date 
  consumer. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  inception 
  of 
  the 
  canning 
  industry 
  it 
  has, 
  with 
  few 
  excep- 
  

   tions, 
  been 
  the 
  custom 
  to 
  coat 
  all 
  cans 
  with 
  some 
  protecting 
  medium; 
  

   the 
  reasons 
  for 
  this, 
  as 
  stated 
  by 
  Cobb, 
  « 
  are: 
  (1) 
  That 
  the 
  English 
  

   market 
  which, 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  especially, 
  absorbed 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  

   of 
  these 
  goods, 
  insisted 
  on 
  their 
  shipments 
  being 
  finished 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  

   and 
  (2) 
  from 
  the 
  fact, 
  as 
  the 
  canners 
  speedily 
  found 
  out, 
  that 
  if 
  they 
  

   did 
  not 
  protect 
  their 
  cans 
  in 
  some 
  way 
  enormous 
  losses 
  through 
  rust 
  

   would 
  ensue. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  lacquer 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  means 
  employed 
  to 
  

   afford 
  the 
  necessary 
  protection. 
  To 
  secure 
  good 
  results 
  in 
  lacquering, 
  

   however, 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  have 
  dry 
  weather, 
  a 
  condition 
  rarely 
  

   assured 
  in 
  Alaska, 
  particularly 
  in 
  the 
  Bristol 
  Bay 
  region. 
  Also 
  there 
  

   has 
  always 
  been 
  the 
  danger 
  of 
  fire 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  highly 
  inflammable 
  

   character 
  of 
  commercial 
  lacquering 
  fluids. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  surprising 
  

   therefore, 
  to 
  find 
  salmon 
  packers 
  largely 
  adopting 
  a 
  compromise 
  

   scheme 
  whereby 
  objectionable 
  features 
  in 
  lacquering 
  may 
  be 
  over- 
  

   come. 
  The 
  plan 
  is, 
  briefly, 
  to 
  use 
  only 
  lacquered 
  tops 
  and 
  bottoms, 
  

   leaving 
  the 
  body 
  to 
  be 
  protected 
  by 
  the 
  label. 
  The 
  tops 
  and 
  bottoms 
  

   can 
  be 
  purchased 
  already 
  lacquered. 
  

  

  Unfortunately, 
  however, 
  this 
  does 
  not 
  entirely 
  solve 
  the 
  problem. 
  

   The 
  thin 
  film 
  of 
  varnish 
  on 
  the 
  end 
  piece 
  has 
  some 
  hard 
  knocks 
  to 
  

   withstand 
  before 
  the 
  final 
  casing 
  of 
  the 
  can 
  takes 
  place, 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  

   percentage 
  become 
  marred 
  and 
  scratched. 
  Where 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  

   can 
  are 
  the 
  same, 
  either 
  entirely 
  plain 
  or 
  bearing 
  similarly 
  stamped 
  

   designs, 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  serious 
  a 
  defect 
  because 
  it 
  seldom 
  happens 
  that 
  

   both 
  ends 
  of 
  one 
  can 
  are 
  defaced. 
  But 
  when 
  an 
  otherwise 
  perfect 
  can 
  

   is 
  badly 
  marred 
  on 
  the 
  end 
  which 
  is 
  intended 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  top 
  after 
  the 
  

   label 
  has 
  been 
  put 
  on, 
  the 
  matter 
  becomes 
  grave. 
  A 
  great 
  deal 
  

   depends 
  upon 
  the 
  good 
  appearance 
  of 
  a 
  pack, 
  and 
  defaced 
  tops 
  in 
  any 
  

   quantity 
  are 
  a 
  distinct 
  defect. 
  

  

  As 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  scratches 
  have 
  been 
  ascribed 
  to 
  the 
  coolers 
  in 
  which 
  

   the 
  cans 
  are 
  cooked 
  and 
  handled 
  on 
  the 
  cooking 
  floor, 
  a 
  new 
  type 
  of 
  

   cooler 
  has 
  been 
  brought 
  out. 
  This 
  has 
  sides 
  extending 
  above 
  the 
  tops 
  

   of 
  the 
  cans 
  and 
  cross 
  braces 
  in 
  each 
  corner, 
  thus 
  protecting 
  the 
  tops 
  

   from 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  cooler 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  

   placed 
  above. 
  The 
  new 
  coolers 
  are 
  undoubtedly 
  a 
  great 
  improve- 
  

   ment 
  over 
  the 
  old 
  type, 
  but 
  they 
  have 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  entirely 
  solved 
  

   the 
  problem. 
  

  

  The 
  damp 
  heat 
  of 
  exhausters 
  and 
  retorts 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  responsible 
  

   for 
  as 
  many 
  abrasions 
  of 
  varnished 
  surfaces 
  as 
  some 
  cannery 
  men 
  

   imagine, 
  but 
  that 
  it 
  does 
  affect 
  the 
  lacquer 
  to 
  an 
  extent 
  to 
  render 
  it 
  

   tender 
  is 
  the 
  firm 
  conviction 
  of 
  many. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  

   softened 
  varnish 
  is 
  further 
  imperiled 
  in 
  the 
  strong 
  lye 
  bath 
  with 
  which 
  

  

  • 
  The 
  salmon 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Coast, 
  by 
  John 
  N. 
  Cobb. 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  Document 
  No. 
  751. 
  

  

  