ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 233 



pups born the summer before; but tbe greatest majority of the year- 

 lings put in their appearance in the month of July. Now, in opening 

 the season it is customary to secure all the two-year-olds and upward 

 possible before the yearlings begin to fill up the hauling grounds and 

 mix with the killable seals. By so doing it is much easier to do the 

 work, and the yearlings are not tortured by being driven and redriven 

 to the killing grounds. Heretofore it was seldom that more than 15 

 per cent of all the seals driven the latter part of June and the first few 

 days in July were too small to be killed, but this season the case was 

 reversed and in many instances 80 to 85 per cent were turned away. 

 The accompanying percentage examples will show the disposition of 

 this year's drive. 



The first killing of fur seals by the lessees was on June 0, and the 

 scarcity of killable seals was apparent to all. The season closed 

 July 20, and the drives in July show a decided increase in the percent- 

 ages of small seals turned away and a decrease in the killables over 

 the drives of June, demonstrating conclusively that there are but few 

 killable seals arriving and that the large part of those returning to 

 the islands were the pups of last year. The average daily killing for 

 the season was -400, or a daily average of 522 including only the days 

 worked. 



In 1889 the average daily killing, from June 1 to July 20, inclusive, 

 was 1,510, or a daily average of 1,974 including only the days worked. 

 With this undeniable decrease in merchantable seals, and knowing the 

 impoverished conditionsof the rookeriesand hauling grounds, andbeliev- 

 ing it to be inimical to the best interests of the Government to extend 

 the time for killing beyond July 20, I adhered to the letter and spirit 

 of your instructions to me and closed the killing season July 20, against 

 the bitter protestations of Mr. George E. Tingle, general manager for 

 the lessees. His communication to me upon the subject and my reply 

 are inclosed. Had there been a reasonable probability of the lessees 

 securing their quota of 60,000 seals I should have deemed it my duty 

 to extend the time for killing to July 31. 



The killing of June G, the first of the season, was from the Eeef 

 Eookery, with drive of about 700 seals; total killed, 110, 8^ per cent 

 being turned away as too small. On June 11 the drive was from the 

 Eeef Eookery, about 1,000; total killed, 574, 42^ percent turned away. 

 On June 24 the drive was from the Eeef Eookery and Zoltoi hauling 

 grounds combined and about 1,417 were driven; total killed, 200, 85| 

 per cent turned away. This exhausted Zoltoi hauling grounds for a 

 period of twenty-one days, and it was not available until July 18, when 

 again, in connection with the Eeef Eookery, the last drive was made 

 and about 3,953 seals were driven ; 556 were killed and 80 per cent 

 turned away. The seals turned away from the several drives invaria- 

 bly returned to the hauling grounds and rookery, from which they 

 were driven, only to be redriven to the killing field and culled of the 

 few killables that chanced to join them upon their return to the sea 

 from each drive. 



By reference to the table marked D, showing the daily killing for 

 this year, and also comparing the same with that of last year, you will 

 see that from all of the drives the same percentages were turned away 

 as from those I have cited. We opened the season by a drive from the 

 Eeef Eookery and turned away 83^- per cent, when we should have 

 turned away about 15 per cent of the seals driven; and we closed the 

 season by turning away 86 per cent, a fact which proves to every impar- 

 tial mind that we were redriving the yearlings, and, considering the 



