ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES 129 



The supply vessel Sirius brought to Seattle m August 324,265 

 pounds of meal, which was turned over to the Division of Fish Culture 

 to be used as fish food at Federal hatcheries throughout the country. 

 Later that division found that a part of the shipment was surplus 

 to its needs, and 35,000 pounds of meal was turned over to the Bureau 

 of Animal Industry, of the Department of Agriculture, to be used in 

 the feeding of hogs at the experiment station at Miles City, Mont. 



Shipments of fur-seal oil were brought to Seattle on the Penguin — 

 372 barrels of No. 1 oil on the September voyage and 169 barrels of 

 No. 2 oil in November. A barrel of the No. 1 oil was delivered to 

 the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, of the Department 

 of Agriculture, for testing to determine whether it would be suitable 

 for use in spraying activities in the gypsy and browntail moth work 

 carried on in the New England States, in which work large quantities 

 of menhaden oil have been used for a number of years. There was 

 furnished also to the Oil, Fat, and Wax Section of the Bureau of Chem- 

 istry and Soils, Department of Agriculture, a 1-quart sample of oil 

 for experimental purposes. 



In November, 19,912 gallons of No. 1 fur-seal oil and 9,429 J^ 

 gallons of No. 2 oil were sold at Seattle by competitive bidding for 

 $5,396.80. The No. 1 oil brought 20 cents a gallon and the No. 2 

 oil 15 cents a gallon, or decreases of about 37 and 48 percent, respec- 

 tively, from the prices obtained for similar grades of oil in 1936. 

 The general decline in prices of oils is attributed to an overproduc- 

 tion of cottonseed oil during the season. 



NATIVES 



On December 31, 1937, the total native population of St. Paul 

 Island was 263, including 10 persons wiio were temporarily absent 

 from the island. There were 13 births and 3 deaths during the year 



The census of St. George Island on December 31, 1937, showed i 

 population of 163 natives, including 5 persons temporarily absent 

 from the island. There were 5 births and 1 death during the year. 



The total native population of both islands at the end of 1937 was 

 426, or an increase of 14 over the census of the previous year. 



MEDICAL SERVICE 



Two physicians stationed at the Pribilof Islands throughout the 

 year gave medical aid to the natives and to Government employees 

 and their families. The general health of the natives and the sanitary 

 conditions on both islands were good. 



During the year two Pribilof natives were taken to Seattle on the 

 Penguin and placed in the hospital of the United States Bureau of 

 Indian Affairs at Tacoma, Wash., for special surgical treatment 

 which could not be performed at the islands with the facilities avail- 

 able there. In one of these cases, a boy of 6 from St. George Island 

 was operated on for cleft palate and harelip. He arrived at Seattle 

 on March 20 and returned to St. George Island on the May trip of the 

 Penguin. At least one more operation will be necessary before the 

 deformity is corrected. The other case was that of a boy of 9 from 



