THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OP ALASKA. 23 
other natives, sui)i)lies a certain cannery with his catch, as possibly he has been 
doing for years. A rival cannery tells the native that he must sell his catch to it, 
and that otherwise their men will fish the native’s stream. The result is overfishing, 
complaints, bad feeling, blows, and threats of bloodshed. So far as can be learned, 
there are now no legal rights or title to any fishing-grounds in Alaska except what 
force or strategy furnish. 
LABOR AT THE CANNERIES. 
The cannery fishermen are nearly all foreigners, the majority being “ north 
countrymen,” or, as they are termed, “hardheads,” though there are some fishing gangs 
comprised of what are called “ dagoes,” consisting of Italians, Greeks, and the like. 
When these two classes form different fishing gangs for the same cannery, the north- 
country crew is referred to as the “ white crew.” 
Cutting machine. 
With the exception of Metlakahtla and Klawak, the packing at all canneries is 
done entirely by Chinese, and it is very satisfactory labor. The canneries make a 
contract with the Chinese controlling the labor at a stipulated amount per case, 
guaranteeing a certain pack. If the guaranteed pack is not made, they are jiaid as 
though it had been; if the pack is overrun, they are paid for the extras. They are 
conveyed to and from the cannery in the ships, are given a bunk-house where they all 
live, are provided with water, fuel, and salt, and are paid collectively, according to 
contract, from 40 to 46 cents a case, depending upon the location of the cannery and 
the facilities for packing. The Chinese make all the cans, receive the fish on the 
dock, where they are tossed into bins from the boats, and do all the labor until the 
