ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 413 



superintendeut to return this money to tbe priest, wMcli he did, declin- 

 ing to remove the money from the island. Upon my arrival at St. 

 George I was confronted by the same proposition. There was about 

 $300 on St. George Island. This sum was likewise refused to be taken 

 from the island by the lessees. When I arrived at Dutch Harbor I 

 requested Capt. Nicoll Ludlow, commander of the fleet, to instruct the 

 captains of the several vessels doing patrol work about the islands not 

 to convey said church funds from the islands. A copy of the letter is 

 inclosed, marked Exhibit K. 



Were these natives earning in their own right a sufficient sum of 

 money to support themselves and not deijendent upon the Government 

 for their maintenance, one might see some justice in their contributing 

 a respectable iiortion of their earnings to their church on the islands ; 

 but in no instance should priests be allowed to send from the islands 

 the money contributed for the support of the churches thereon. But 

 inasmuch as the Government is furnishing the greater part of their 

 support, the only money they handle being a possible $4 to $6 per week 

 given them for each week's subsistence during the time the community 

 sealing fund lasts, it seems to me an outrage and an injustice that what- 

 ever part of this small pittance the priest may demand is forthcoming, 

 though the family starve. Under the present condition of affairs on 

 the islands every dollar that is taken from the native's portion of the 

 community sealing fund is virtually taken from the United States 

 Treasury, for so soon as this fund is exhausted the Government fur- 

 nishes the native the means of subsistence. For this reason I directed 

 that the money should remain on the islands until instructions could 

 be obtained from your Department as to the proper disposition to be 

 made of the same. 



COAL SUPPLY. 



In addition to the 80 tons of coal provided under the terms of the 

 lease the company furnished under their special contract with the Gov- 

 ernment 290 additional tons, making a total of 370 tons delivered at the 

 islands. This was distributed as follows : On St. Paul Island — for Gov- 

 ernment house, 10. tons; for use of natives, 250 tons. On St. George 

 Island — for Government house, 10 tons; for use of natives, 100 tons. 



It was found at the time of delivering coal at St. George Island there 

 was on hand about 15 tons of coal left from the supply of 1892. Con- 

 sidering this amount, I thought 100 additional tons for the natives 

 sufficient, and made the delivery accordingly. 



While the quantity of coal was delivered by the company in accord- 

 ance with their contract the quality was anything but first class, there 

 being among it a large proportion of soft slack coal, which burns very 

 rapidly and gives but little heat in return. At present there is no coal 

 house upon either of the islands sufficient to hold the amount of coal 

 delivered for the natives. The North American Commercial Company 

 this season furnished buildings on the islands to shelter the greater 

 part of the coal delivered. The remainder of the coal on St. Paul was 

 put in a small building arranged last season by the Treasury agents 

 for the purpose of smoking seal meat, which proved to cure well, but 

 was a failure in the way of getting the natives to use the meat, so the 

 building was converted into a coal house. The building furnished by 

 the company on St. Paul, though the best they could do, was so open 

 that it subjects the coal to about the same fall of rain and snow as if 

 left out of doors. 



I most earnestly urge the necessity of building a coal house on each 



