172 ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 



accepted by the lessees last year was 1,000; same this year, 253; under 

 size rejected last year, 100; this year, 9; cut rejected last year, 27; this 

 year, 33. 



The rookeries are all in good condition and well filled with bulls and 

 cows. At this date the pups are "podding out" in vast numbers. It 

 is the opinion of the old timers here, and also my judgment, that 

 there is no diminution in the number of seals hauling, either male or 

 female, by reason of the annual slaughter of 100,000. The lessees had 

 no difliculty in securing within the forty-one days they worked their 

 full quota of 100,000 from the most convenient rookeries. There is one 

 fine rookery of bachelors at Southwest Point from which the lessees do 

 not drive, it being somewhat inconvenient and there being a surplus of 

 killable seals at the more accessible rookeries. There is a large surplus 

 of old bulls. They are generally late arrivals at the breeding rookeries, 

 and driven ofiF by those established on the grounds who prove them- 

 selves, after hard-fought battles, themostcourageous. These vanquished 

 old veterans haul up with the bachelors, who are too young to contend 

 with the old masters, or assume the responsible position of heads of 

 families, and are of necessity taken in the drives, as they can not be 

 separated. Most of the seals killed on the drive results from the old 

 bulls laying on them and smothering their lives out; they are also obsti- 

 nate and savage in the " pods" when the men are killing. This large 

 surplus of old bulls is of no use whatever in augmenting the seal 

 product. I would therefore respectfully recommend that 2,000 of the 

 oldest bulls, from the surplus driven up, be killed next year; not 

 exceeding 1,500 on St. Paul Island, and not exceeding 500 on St. George 

 Island, at the discretion of the Treasury agent, the skins to be taken 

 by the natives for their own use and benefit, but without any compen- 

 sation for killing and skinning. I am informed by some of the old 

 natives that under Eussian rule it was their custom to kill a portion 

 of the surplus bulls every five years. The excess of old bulls is the 

 accumulation of fifteen years, as the Treasury Department has not 

 within that time issued an order for a reduction of the number. The 

 skin of an old bull is of little or no value. Some are used for covering 

 bidarahs and bidarkas (boats) and as covering for the natives' blubber 

 casks; beyond this, so far as I know, they are of no value. 



The management of the Alaska Commercial Company's business and 

 its manner of dealing with the natives is liberal and satisfactory. 

 The prices charged the natives for all necessaries of life and domestic 

 goods are reasonable and fair. It does not encourage them to spend 

 their earnings for articles of no practical use, as they would do if they 

 had the opportunity, but the company supplies their store with a full 

 and complete stock of goods, such as any family might require for their 

 comfort. The result is the natives have a large sum to their credit in 

 the hands of the company, drawing 4 per cent interest. I find the com- 

 pany very careful to do all required of it under the contract, and go 

 even further than required. The natives on both islands are all com- 

 fortably housed, well paid, well fed, and hapjiy. The sanitary condi- 

 tion of the villages of St. Paul and St. George is very good, the moral 

 and i)hysical condition of the people good. They are law-abiding, 

 readily obeying the orders of the Treasury agents. Indeed, it would 

 be hard to find two as well-con touted and well-behaved communities in 

 the States, where they have the benefit of civilization and refinement 

 and restraints of law. They seem to understand perfectly their rela- 

 tion to the Government, and respect the laws governing these islands. 



