82 ALASKA FISHERIES AND FUR INDUSTRIES IN 1919. 



PAYMENTS FOR TAKING SEALSKINS. 



In 1919 the general plan followed the previous year for making 

 payments for the taking of sealskins at the Pribilofs was continued. 

 By the terms of the contract with Funs ten Bros. & Co., that firm 

 provides funds for paying persons engaged in killing and skinning 

 seals and salting and handling sealskins, or othei'wase employed in 

 connection therewith, and secures reimbursement from the proceeds 

 of sales of skins. Payments in 1919 covered the salary of one general 

 assistant, wages of two cooks and of a number of Aleutian Islands 

 natives temporarily at the Pribilofs, and payments to Pribilof natives 

 in accordance with numbers and sizes of seals killed. It was ar- 

 ranged that A. H. Proctor, the Bureau's agent at St. Paul Island, 

 should make the necessary disbursements for both St. Paul and St. 

 George Islands. He was bonded in the amount of $15,000 by the 

 United States Fidehty & Guaranty Co. 



In July, 1919, the siim of $21,000 was deposited by Funsten Bros. & 

 Co. in the Seaboard National Bank, Seattle, Wash"., to Mr. Proctor's 

 credit. An additional deposit of $2,850 w^as made by Funsten 

 Bros. & Co., on January 22, 1920, to provide for payment of liabilities 

 until the beginning of active work in 1920, a total deposit of $23,850. 

 Through December 31, 1919, expenses incurred amounted to $22,318, 

 leaving a balance of $1,532 to apply on 1920 operations. 



The items of expenditure for the calendar year 1919 paid from 

 funds advanced by Funsten Bros, & Co. w^ere as follows: 



Salary of general assistant, April to December $1, 350. 00 



Wa.ces of 2 cooks 750. 00 



Waces of Aleutian Islands natives at St. Paul 4. 055. 00 



Amount earned by St. Paul Island natives 14, 093. 00 



Amount earned by St. George Island natives 2, 070. 00 



Total 22, 318. 00 



The natives of the Pribilofs were paid 50 cents each for skins taken 

 from seals up to and including those of the 6-year-old class and $1 per 

 skin for those taken from seals of the 7-year-old class and upward, 

 except that after August 10 paj^ment for skins of the 6-year-old 

 class was increased to $1 per skin. No payments were made for 

 skins of seals under the 6-year-old class killed for food purposes after 

 August 10. 



In determining the respective amounts due individually for sealing 

 operations, the Pribilof natives were divided into classes according to 

 their ability. Inasmuch as the taking of skins is necessarily cooper- 

 ative work, each person can not individually take a definite number 

 of skins. 



St. Paul Island. — In the calendar year 1919 there were taken on 

 St. Paul Island 24,053 skins. For these, after deducting skins from 

 seals killed for food, payments were made on the basis of 50 cents 

 each for 18,342 skins and $1 each for 4,822 skins. The division was 

 as follows; 



