﻿94 
  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  can. 
  This 
  is 
  one 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  insufficiently 
  exhausted, 
  necessitat- 
  

   ing 
  another 
  treatment, 
  as 
  follows: 
  The 
  cans 
  are 
  laid 
  on 
  their 
  sides 
  in 
  

   the 
  coolers 
  with 
  the 
  long 
  body 
  seam 
  uppermost. 
  They 
  are 
  then 
  

   retorted 
  for 
  from 
  20 
  to 
  30 
  minutes 
  at 
  a 
  temperature 
  ranging 
  between 
  

   230° 
  and 
  240° 
  F., 
  after 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  punctured 
  at 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  

   solder 
  streak 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  seam, 
  blown, 
  and 
  quickly 
  soldered. 
  The 
  

   contents 
  of 
  cans 
  so 
  treated 
  are 
  in 
  all 
  instances 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  perfe(;tly 
  

   good, 
  the 
  package 
  merely 
  having 
  lacked 
  that 
  amount 
  of 
  vacuum 
  re- 
  

   quired 
  by 
  packing-house 
  standards; 
  this 
  is 
  supplied 
  by 
  the 
  additional 
  

   treatment. 
  

  

  While 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  fair 
  to 
  stigmatize 
  this 
  product 
  with 
  the 
  odium 
  attach- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  the 
  term 
  "do-over," 
  it 
  is 
  nevertheless 
  not 
  a 
  first-grade 
  com- 
  

   modity. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  blow 
  mark 
  is 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  seam, 
  

   where 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  thought 
  a 
  drop 
  of 
  solder 
  formed 
  when 
  the 
  can 
  was 
  

   made, 
  and 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  certain 
  to 
  be 
  covered 
  later 
  by 
  a 
  label 
  which 
  will 
  

   conceal 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  innocent 
  consumer, 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  

   packers 
  themselves 
  do 
  not 
  feel 
  sure 
  of 
  it. 
  Certainly 
  they 
  will 
  not 
  

   guarantee 
  it, 
  and 
  just 
  as 
  certainly 
  they 
  will 
  not 
  try 
  to 
  market 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  

   British 
  market. 
  Like 
  all 
  second-grade 
  goods, 
  it 
  is 
  chiefly 
  sold 
  in 
  blank 
  

   to 
  dealers 
  who 
  brand 
  it 
  with 
  proprietary 
  labels 
  and 
  distribute 
  it 
  

   chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  market. 
  

  

  Cannery 
  Labor. 
  

  

  The 
  question 
  of 
  securing 
  competent 
  or 
  even 
  fairly 
  reliable 
  help 
  to 
  

   perform 
  the 
  general 
  inside 
  work 
  at 
  the 
  canneries 
  in 
  Alaska 
  has 
  in 
  

   recent 
  years 
  grown 
  to 
  be 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  vexatious 
  problems 
  with 
  

   which 
  cannery 
  operators 
  have 
  had 
  to 
  contend. 
  It 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  

   with 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  various 
  improved 
  mechanical 
  devices 
  and 
  

   the 
  proportionately 
  lessened 
  number 
  of 
  employees 
  required, 
  condi- 
  

   tions 
  in 
  this 
  regard 
  would 
  now 
  be 
  better. 
  But 
  unfortunately 
  such 
  

   is 
  not 
  the 
  case. 
  Formerly 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  labor 
  was 
  performed 
  by 
  Chinese, 
  

   who 
  were 
  reliable 
  and 
  competent 
  for 
  every 
  class 
  of 
  inside 
  cannery 
  

   work; 
  but 
  now 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  obtain 
  Chinese 
  labor, 
  and 
  the 
  

   result 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  miscellaneous 
  collection 
  of 
  Mexicans 
  and 
  Japanese, 
  

   Filipinos 
  and 
  other 
  Orientals, 
  who 
  are 
  not 
  as 
  tractable 
  and 
  dependable 
  

   as 
  the 
  Chinese. 
  

  

  The 
  importation 
  of 
  cannery 
  labor 
  is 
  essential, 
  as 
  Alaska 
  can 
  not 
  

   begin 
  to 
  supj^ly 
  the 
  demand. 
  With 
  the 
  exce])tion 
  of 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  

   Afognak 
  and 
  Kodiak 
  regions 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  other 
  places, 
  the 
  native 
  

   Indians 
  of 
  central 
  and 
  western 
  Alaska 
  are 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  unreliable 
  as 
  

   cannery 
  hands; 
  moreover, 
  their 
  numbers 
  are 
  pitifully 
  few. 
  In 
  

   southeast 
  Alaska 
  several 
  thousand 
  natives, 
  including 
  men, 
  women, 
  

   and 
  children, 
  are 
  given 
  employment 
  at 
  the 
  canneries, 
  and 
  they 
  do 
  

   quite 
  well. 
  Nevertheless, 
  the 
  fact 
  remains 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  

  

  