ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 129 



authority for tlie natives to traffic in skins or skin clothing, but only 

 authorizes the killing by them of such number of seals "as maybe 

 necessary for their own food and clothing" during other months than 

 June, July, September, and October of every year. 



If the claim set up be conceded, and the United States makes no 

 claim to ownership in this class of skins, and the right of free trade 

 be acknowledged the natives, then it is plain that the restrictions upon 

 shipment should be removed; not otherwise. 



As a matter of fact, there are no seals, either young or old, killed on 

 these islands exclusively for native clothing. All the pups and larger 

 young seals killed by the native i^eople, under section 1 of the " act to 

 prevent the extermination of fur-bearing animals in Alaska," are killed 

 for food. The people use little or no fur clothing, and are, therefore, 

 under no necessity of killing seals for that purpose exclusively. The 

 number of seals so killed for food was, on both islands, in 1878-79, as 

 shown by my last annual report, 6,706 i)ups and 6,264 large young seals; 

 in all, 12,970. About 75 per cent of the skins from the last-named class 

 were accepted by the Alaska Commercial Company and counted as 

 part of their quota; the remainder were rejected as stagey and worth- 

 less, and thrown away. 



I believe the Alaska Commercial Company, as a company, have refused 

 to handle these pup skins, the officers saying that there is nothing in 

 the traffic, and that they do not wish to render themselves or the com- 

 pany liable to censure for improper conduct in the observance of the 

 terms of their lease. Yet individuals are constantly seekiug to clandes- 

 tinely ship pup skins from tlie islands upon the company's vessels, giv- 

 ing the Treasury officials more annoyance than the whole regular catch. 



The price of these skins here is from 40 to 60 cents each, and they 

 sometimes fetch $ L on vessels, where they are a novelty and much 

 sought after. What they are worth or would fetch in the markets of 

 the world I am not informed. 



The question of limiting or restricting the number of pup far seals 

 heretofore allowed to be killed annually for food becomes pertinent 

 here. The proviso in the law, "that the natives of said islands shall 

 have the privilege of killing such young seals as may be necessary for 

 their own food and clothing," etc., need not necessarily, as I interpret 

 it, include any seals of the class known as "pup" seals, but may be 

 contined to those of an age fit to furnish marketable skins, if the Sec- 

 retary of the Treasury so direct. It is true that the meat: of the large 

 young seals, when salted, is not preferred by the native people, but it 

 is eaten with avidity by their countrymen of the Aleutian Isles, to 

 which large quantities are shipped daring the regular sealing season 

 which otherwise would be left to rot on the killing grounds. This class 

 of meat food could be eaten by the seal islanders as well, and without 

 any serious hardship, I think. It is their regular meat food during 

 the killing season proper, and is usually eaten fresh. The pup meat is 

 salted for winter use. 



I do not represent that it is absolutely necessary to cut off the pre- 

 ferred source of native food or recommend any restriction in their present 

 abundant su^jply of seal meat; but the subject is one of sufficient 

 importance, in my judgment, to engage your attention. 



Under the present admirable system of legal protection to the fur 

 seals of these islands, this precious animal life is still very abundant, 

 and the full number of seals allowed by law to be killed annually can 

 be taken without detriment to the integrity of the race. Yet, in view 

 of the large mortality which occurs among the seals while absent from 

 H. Doc. 92 9 



