Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 January 1914 — SOLVES LIVING COST [ARTICLE]

SOLVES LIVING COST

United States Fosters Co-Opera-tive Stores in Alaska. Bureau of Education at Washington Helps Natives of North Country Protect Themselves From Exorbitant Traders, Washington.—Co-operative stores, owned and managed by natives, are fostered wherever possible in Alaska by the United Statee bureau of education, which has charge of education for the natives of Alaska. In this way the bureau helps the natives protect themselves from those traders who charge exorbitant prices for food and clothing and pay as little as possible for native products. In the small villages even legtlmate marketing expenses are a heavy burden unless there is some form of co-operation. These co-operative attempts have been a decided success. AtUydaburg, in southeastern Alaska, where the United States school teacher has general oversight of the co-operative stores, the natives were able, after 12 monthS'of business, to declare a cash dividend of 50 per cent, and still have funds available for the erection of a larger building. •‘The Klawock Commercial company, also under native management, was able after nine months of existence to erect a new store building from its surplus. At Klukwan also the natives have organized a co-operative store. : 7—7 Native stores have for several years been In successful operation at Cape Prince of Wales and on SL Lawrence island, where the natives buy food at reasonable prices and are assured on an equitable exchange for their furs and other products. A more recent example of co-opera-tion is at Atka, a remote island in the Aleutian chain. Formerly rough lumber cost SSO per thousand and shingles $8 a. thousand on this island, and clothing and food supplies were correspondingly high. On the other hand, the natives were poorly paid for their labor. For each of the few blue fox skins the natives could catch they received from the trader goods averaging $8 in value. at public auction in Seattle, these skins brought from $17.10 to $66.50 each, according to quality. In April of this year, with the help of Seattle merchants and officers of the revenue cutter service, a co-op-erative company waß organized under the direction of the United States public school teacher, and now the natives are doing their own buying and selling with considerable advantage... jto themselves. Eskimos on the shore of Bering sea and the Arctic ocean have until recently had tq market through local traders. Now many of them are sending by mail packages of fox, lynx, mink and hair seal to the Alaska division of the bureau of education at Seattle, and The government officials ■sett-the furß for the natives at public auction to the highest bidders. Natives in Tatitlek co-operated In salting and exporting Salmon during the past season, under the instruction of the local government teacher, with the result that they havq not only netted SI,OOO in cash, but have also put away 76,000 pounds of emoked salmon for winter use. Co-operation in Alaska has been aided by the policy of reserving tracts of land for the exclusive use of the natives. On this land the natives build up their own Industries, safe from the evil influence of unprincipled white men. Hydaburg is a reservation settlement;' Klukwan has recently obtained a similar reservation upon which to cpnduct its co-operative enterprises