﻿144 
  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  amount 
  is 
  just 
  about 
  enough 
  to 
  support 
  the 
  population 
  without 
  want. 
  

   It 
  reaches 
  a 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  $100 
  per 
  capita. 
  Everything 
  to 
  eat, 
  to 
  

   wear, 
  and 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  fires 
  burning 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  transported 
  over 
  2,000 
  

   miles, 
  and 
  the 
  food 
  is 
  mostly 
  in 
  tins. 
  Nothing 
  edible 
  except 
  seal 
  

   flesh 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  locally. 
  It 
  can 
  be 
  realized, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  if 
  

   the 
  fund 
  for 
  natives' 
  support 
  is 
  barely 
  enough 
  to 
  provide 
  the 
  actual 
  

   necessities 
  of 
  each 
  person, 
  little 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  toward 
  encouraging 
  and 
  

   compensating 
  extra 
  effort 
  or 
  otherwise 
  alleviating 
  the 
  objectionable 
  

   features 
  of 
  communistic 
  life 
  in 
  general. 
  

  

  Where 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  share 
  equally 
  in 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  a 
  

   general 
  fund, 
  as 
  these 
  natives 
  do, 
  the 
  natural 
  tendency 
  of 
  each 
  is 
  to 
  

   take 
  and 
  use 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  that 
  share 
  without 
  regard 
  to 
  whether 
  it 
  is 
  

   needed 
  or 
  not. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  niducement 
  for 
  a 
  native 
  to 
  strive 
  through 
  

   self-denial 
  to 
  exist 
  upon 
  less 
  than 
  his 
  share 
  from 
  the 
  general 
  fund 
  

   when 
  such 
  abstention 
  would 
  result 
  simply 
  in 
  increasing 
  the 
  share 
  

   of 
  his 
  less 
  provident 
  neighbor. 
  The 
  whole 
  tendency 
  of 
  a 
  scheme 
  of 
  

   this 
  character 
  is 
  to 
  produce 
  an 
  attitude 
  of 
  carelessness 
  in 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

   communal 
  resources 
  — 
  in 
  short, 
  to 
  create 
  that 
  attitude 
  of 
  mind 
  which 
  

   says: 
  "As 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  reward 
  for 
  economy, 
  let's 
  get 
  all 
  we 
  can. 
  The 
  

   other 
  fellow 
  will 
  get 
  it 
  if 
  we 
  don't." 
  

  

  Experimental 
  Plan 
  to 
  Induce 
  Thrift 
  and 
  Self-Reliance. 
  

  

  This 
  tendency 
  toward 
  shiftlessness, 
  which 
  is 
  an 
  inevitable 
  result 
  of 
  

   these 
  peculiar 
  circumstances, 
  has 
  long 
  been 
  recognized, 
  and 
  efforts 
  

   have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  palliate 
  it 
  at 
  least. 
  In 
  1911 
  a 
  plan 
  was 
  put 
  in 
  

   operation 
  designed 
  to 
  induce 
  the 
  natives 
  to 
  save 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  small 
  

   portion 
  of 
  their 
  earnings. 
  It 
  was 
  based 
  upon 
  the 
  general 
  principle 
  

   that 
  by 
  reducing 
  weekly 
  and 
  other 
  issues 
  of 
  supplies 
  to 
  a 
  mini- 
  

   mum 
  an 
  unexpended 
  balance 
  would 
  be 
  created, 
  which 
  balance 
  at 
  

   the 
  year's 
  end 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  distributed 
  in 
  cash 
  among 
  the 
  earners 
  accord- 
  

   ino- 
  to 
  their 
  proficiency 
  as 
  w^orkers. 
  If 
  even 
  from 
  a 
  weekly 
  allowance 
  

   the 
  native 
  saved 
  something, 
  that 
  saving 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  given 
  him 
  in 
  cash 
  

   at 
  once. 
  It 
  was 
  hoped 
  he 
  could 
  be 
  induced 
  to 
  open 
  savings 
  accounts 
  

   with 
  cash 
  thus 
  obtained, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  to 
  use 
  it 
  in 
  purchasing 
  some 
  

   article 
  not 
  otherwise 
  obtainable 
  that 
  would 
  increase 
  his 
  happiness 
  

   and 
  comfort. 
  

  

  This 
  scheme 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  operation 
  on 
  St. 
  George 
  during 
  the 
  

   winter 
  of 
  1911-12. 
  The 
  results 
  from 
  a 
  careful 
  following 
  of 
  the 
  plan 
  

   are 
  interesting. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  month 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  native 
  

   men 
  were 
  informed 
  that 
  such 
  savings 
  as 
  they 
  made 
  from 
  their 
  

   weekly 
  allowances 
  for 
  family 
  supplies 
  would 
  be 
  paid 
  to 
  them 
  in 
  

   cash, 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  the 
  families 
  in 
  the 
  village 
  drew 
  cash 
  savings 
  

   thus 
  derived, 
  the 
  sums 
  varying 
  from 
  $1 
  to 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  $8 
  or 
  $9. 
  

   They 
  continued 
  to 
  do 
  thus 
  during 
  each 
  remaining 
  month 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  