ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES, 1930 75 



The new machinery is of the kind now finding increased favor with 

 the meat-packing industry. The type of reduction accomplished with 

 the equipment is known as "dry rendering. " By this process chopped 

 seal carcasses will be cooked and dried in one operation and the fat 

 which is fried from the flesh tissue will be removed from the dried 

 material in high-pressure extraction equipment. The new cooker- 

 dryers, four in number, are well-designed steam-jacketed fat melters 

 of the batch type, so designed as to permit operation either under 

 pressure or under vacuum. Each cooker will be driven by an electric 

 motor. The pressure extraction equipment consists of two high- 

 pressure hydraulic presses. These presses are of rugged design and 

 should give efficient and dependable service, a prereqinsite of any 

 machinery to be used in an isolated location. 



The estimated capacity of the new equipment is approximately 

 40,000 pounds of seal carcasses per day of 8 hours. On this basis 

 about 40,000 seal carcasses can be handled by one working shift 

 during a sealing season. In addition, the old plant will be available 

 for use also. This equipment is admirable for rendering blubber and 

 can be used if necessary when peaks in killings occur. 



In order to house the new machinery an extension 75 by 45 feet was 

 made to the building housing the old by-products machinery. To 

 this extension a separate room 40 by 37 feet was added for the new 

 boilers which were needed as replacements and were necessary to meet 

 the greater requirements of the new machinery. Foundations were 

 laid for a new building for the storage of oil, and the structure is to 

 be completed in the spring of 1931. 



The new cookers, presses, and boilers have been set up and consid- 

 erable auxiliary equipment has been installed, including the new 

 Diesel-driven generator set for supplying light and power to the island. 

 It is anticipated that unless some unforeseen difficulty arises the new 

 establishment will be ready to operate in the season of 1931. 



NATIVES 



The annual census, taken as of December 31, 1930, showed 222 

 native residents on St. Paul Island. In addition, one St. Paul 

 native, formerly enrolled at the Salem Indian School, Chemawa, Oreg., 

 was in the States, and 10 were elsewhere, making a total of 233 accred- 

 ited to the island. Two natives were recorded as having permanently 

 left the island and five, from St. George Island, as having become 

 permanent residents of St. Paul Island. One native who was re- 

 ported as temporarily absent at the close of 1929 has been dropped 

 from the census list, as there is little likelihood of his returning to the 

 island. During the year there were 11 births and 4 deaths among the 

 natives, including the death of one who was temporarily absent 

 from the island. 



On St. George Island there were 142 native residents as of December 

 31, 1930. Five natives left the island and became permanent resi- 

 dents of St. Paul Island and one St. Paul Island native became a 

 permanent resident of St. George Island. There were seven births 

 and five deaths during the year. 



The total number accredited to both islands on December 31, 1930, 

 was 375, a net increase of seven over the figures for the preceding 

 year. 



