Salmon Strike

Into the mouth of the Columbia River last week swarmed hundreds of thousands of plump fish. The salmon were running, fighting rapids, flashing over falls, bucking fishways around dams, bound more than 500 mi. inland to spawn and die. And last week for the first time in years no man hindered them. Boats cruised slowly on the river to see that no nets were laid. The Columbia River fisherfolk were on strike.

Last year packers paid 6-c- a pound for salmon, offered it again this year. Fishermen demanded 8-c- to meet present costs and anticipated inflation. Canners made a counter offer: A retroactive bonus if inflation boosts fish prices. Said the fishermen: "Eight cents or no fish."

Last week 6,000 boats and 10,000 men were idle. More serious will be the strike if fishermen in Puget Sound and Alaska (where the salmon run later) do not come to terms. Then whole nations of Chinook, King and Sockeye salmon may live and die in a state of nature instead of filling 5,000,000 cases (240,000,000 cans) as they do in a normal year.

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