ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 125 



Cr. 



Ang. 18, 1878. By 20 barrels salmon for distribution to natives. 20 tons coal for dis- 

 tribution to natives. Barrels and salt for the preservation of meat have been 

 furnished in such numbers and quantities as demanded. Maintenance of school 

 eight months, commencing September 2, 1878, and closing May 1, ]879. 

 I certify that the above account is correct, 



J. H. MOTJLTON, 



Assistant Agent at Seal Fisheries. 



1880. 



Special Agent Otis; preliminary report for 1880. 



Washington, D. C, March 29, 1880. 

 Sir : I have the honor to present for your consideration the following 

 subjects connected with aflairs at the seal islands of Alaska and to ask 

 for your instructions thereon : 



(1) Under its lease and section 1962, Eevised Statutes, the Alaska 

 Commercial Comi^any claims, in abeyance, the right of taking 100,000 

 fur-seal skins upon the islands of St. Paul and St. George, independ- 

 ently and outside of the number of prime skins which may be taken 

 by law from seals killed by the natives for food. 



Heretofore the uniform practice has been for the company to accept 

 and count in its quota all prime skins taken by the natives from seals 

 killed by them for food, outside of the regular sealing season, when 

 such skius were not required by them for their own clothing. In this 

 way the whole number of prime skins annually taken and shipped from 

 the islands has been kept within the limit of 100,000 provided by law. 

 To grant tbe claim set up by the Alaska Commercial Company would 

 increase this number by several thousands. The number of prime 

 skins taken by the natives on their own account during the last sealing 

 season, sold to the Alaska Commercial Company and accepted by it as 

 a part of its quota of 1879, was, for both islands, 4,315. 



In the absence of specific instructions from the Department on this 

 point, I shall consider it my duty to resist this claim of the company, 

 notwithstanding the apparent color of law under which it is made. 

 (See section 1962, Revised Statutes.) I ask instructions in the 

 premises and an authoritative interpretation of the statute governing 

 the case. 



(2) By Department letter dated April 7, 1879 (A. K. T.-E. W. C), I 

 was instructed to report in detail, at the close of the sealing season of 

 1879, the amount of seal oil manufactured by the Alaska Commercial 

 Company in 1878 and in 1879, the cost of its manufacture as shown by 

 the books of tlie company, and the difference between the whole cost 

 and the amount of the tax of 10 cents per gallon imposed by the Depart- 

 ment. In compliance with those instructions, I reported, under date 

 of August 25, 1879, that the amount of oil manufactured in 1878 was 

 15,000 gallons, at a total cost of $1,022.92; and that the amount manu- 

 factured in 1879 M^as 17,469 gallons, at a total cost of $1,666.06. It will 

 thus be seen that the tax on the whole quantity of oil manufactured in 

 the two years amounts to $3,246.90. Deducting the reported cost of 

 manufacture, $2,688.98, a difl^rence of $557.92 is shown. It appears 

 that the Alaska Commercial Company (having paid the native laborers 



