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  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  PUR 
  INDUSTRIES^ 
  1913. 
  

  

  painters, 
  and 
  ironworkers, 
  etc.; 
  the 
  unskilled 
  mere 
  laboring 
  work 
  

   requiring 
  no 
  special 
  aptitude. 
  

  

  The 
  system 
  involved 
  in 
  the 
  foregoing 
  arrangement 
  for 
  natives' 
  

   support 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  almost 
  pure 
  communism. 
  The 
  main 
  problem 
  

   confronting 
  those 
  charged 
  with 
  its 
  conduct 
  was 
  to 
  support 
  the 
  people 
  

   in 
  such 
  comfort 
  and 
  happiness 
  as 
  the 
  resources 
  would 
  allow 
  and 
  at 
  

   the 
  same 
  time 
  to 
  minimize 
  those 
  admitted 
  evils 
  of 
  conmimal 
  existence 
  

   which, 
  in 
  this 
  case, 
  could 
  easily 
  result 
  in 
  reducing 
  the 
  island 
  inhab- 
  

   itants 
  to 
  a 
  mental 
  condition 
  of 
  stoHd 
  apathy, 
  and 
  a 
  physical 
  condition 
  

   of 
  virtual 
  peonage, 
  if 
  not 
  slavery. 
  

  

  If 
  no 
  labor 
  were 
  required 
  of 
  these 
  people, 
  the 
  problem 
  would 
  be 
  

   smiply 
  to 
  give 
  gratuitously 
  to 
  each 
  person 
  supplies 
  sufficient 
  to 
  insure 
  

   his 
  existence. 
  It 
  is 
  necessary, 
  however, 
  at 
  almost 
  all 
  times 
  of 
  the 
  

   year 
  to 
  require 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  to 
  perform 
  services 
  for 
  which 
  they 
  

   receive 
  no 
  specific 
  compensation, 
  but 
  merely 
  a 
  right 
  to 
  participate 
  in 
  

   the 
  general 
  fund. 
  If 
  all 
  labor 
  required 
  of 
  them 
  wore 
  alike 
  in 
  character 
  

   and 
  amount 
  and 
  if 
  all 
  the 
  natives 
  could 
  perform 
  this 
  labor 
  with 
  a 
  

   like 
  degree 
  of 
  proficiency, 
  no 
  special 
  difficulty 
  would 
  be 
  encountered. 
  

   Some 
  of 
  the 
  labor, 
  however, 
  requires 
  aptitude 
  and 
  special 
  training 
  

   which 
  some 
  natives 
  do 
  not 
  possess; 
  also, 
  some 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  physical 
  

   imperfections 
  can 
  perform 
  loss 
  work 
  even 
  of 
  a 
  general 
  nature 
  than 
  

   others, 
  and 
  some 
  no 
  work 
  at 
  aU. 
  To 
  support 
  the 
  natives 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  

   extent 
  that 
  they 
  perform 
  service 
  would 
  be 
  to 
  allow 
  some 
  to 
  suffer 
  

   and 
  others 
  to 
  starve 
  because 
  of 
  inability 
  to 
  work 
  and 
  therefore 
  to 
  

   earn. 
  

  

  But 
  if 
  a 
  helpless 
  cripple 
  and 
  his 
  family 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  allowed 
  to 
  

   starve, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  high 
  efficiency 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  

   required 
  to 
  expend 
  his 
  best 
  efforts 
  for 
  a 
  compensation 
  no 
  greater 
  

   than 
  that 
  which 
  the 
  cripple 
  and 
  his 
  family 
  receive 
  for 
  their 
  bare 
  

   maintenance 
  in 
  return 
  for 
  which 
  they 
  furnish 
  no 
  labor 
  whatever, 
  and 
  

   which, 
  too, 
  the 
  efficient 
  would 
  receive 
  as 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  course 
  without 
  

   rendering 
  any 
  service 
  in 
  return. 
  Then, 
  moreover, 
  the 
  fimd 
  for 
  

   natives' 
  support 
  is 
  not 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  allow 
  special 
  compensation 
  

   to 
  some 
  and 
  general 
  support 
  to 
  all, 
  but 
  sufficient 
  only 
  to 
  prevent 
  

   suffering 
  no 
  matter 
  what 
  labor 
  may 
  be 
  required 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  These 
  and 
  other 
  questions, 
  which 
  perhaps 
  appear 
  trivial 
  to 
  the 
  

   casual 
  observer, 
  become 
  of 
  vital 
  importance 
  to 
  those 
  managuig 
  the 
  

   natives' 
  affairs. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  detail 
  the 
  methods 
  wliich 
  

   are 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  fund 
  for 
  the 
  support 
  of 
  the 
  natives, 
  

   aU 
  of 
  which 
  methods 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  careful 
  study. 
  

  

  The 
  $10,000 
  fund 
  was 
  considered 
  as 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  community 
  

   and 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  its 
  support 
  without 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  question 
  whether 
  

   the 
  person 
  so 
  supported 
  was 
  or 
  was 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  perform 
  service 
  in 
  re- 
  

   turn. 
  It 
  was 
  tlieretore 
  divided 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  islands 
  on 
  a 
  strict 
  

   per-capita 
  basis; 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  the 
  whole 
  amount 
  was 
  divided 
  into 
  as 
  

  

  