NEED OF REGULAR SUPPLY OF SKINS. 585 



That all the skins bought by the said firm of Revillon Freres are 

 dyed in France, and therefore the skins piss under our eyes in the fol- 

 lowing conditions: (L) in salt when we buy them in London; (2) 

 dressed; (3) dyed. That deponent believes that the firm of Revillon 

 Freres is by far the largest firm of furriers and fur dealers in France; 

 that the greater part of the skins bought by Revillon Freres are made 

 up into garments, cloaks and mantles, but that some of the skins, after 

 having been dyed, are sold to other manufacturers. 



That the sales of seal skins by the said firm of Revillon Freres have 

 amounted for the last twenty years to about 4,000.000 francs per year. 



That the number of persons employed by the said firm for the dye- 

 ing, scraping, manufacturing, lining, and for the sale of the seal-skins, 

 is about 300, of which the greater part are well paid, on account of 

 their work being upon a very valuable species of merchandise, and that 

 there are about 500 or 600 persons employed in the industry in France, 

 exclusive of salesmen, porters, etc. 



That in the years from 1872 to 1877 we bought only Alaska seal-skins 

 (that is to say, those from the islands of Pribiloi) and the Copper 

 catch, coining from Russia, and a few skins coming from the islands of 

 Lobos and from the South Seas. 



NEED OF REGULAR SUPPLY OF SKINS. 

 Page 274 of The Case. 



Deponent further says that the preservation of the seal herds and 

 the continued supply of fur-seal skins, which, fur- 

 thermore, it is important should be constant and n, s. Bevington, /-. 553. 

 regular in supply, is absolutely necessary to the 



maintenance of this industry. Deponent says that the reason for this 

 opinion is shown in the history of last season's business. For instance, 

 at the October sale, the prices of skins were very high, as a short supply 

 was expected. The skins purchased at that sale were then put into 

 the hands of the dressers and dyers, where they would be retained, as 

 above stated, in process of treatment four or five months. Dining this 

 interval it appeared that instead of there being a short supply the 

 poaching vessels had caught a large number of skins, 50,000 or 60,000, 

 which being unexpectedly plumped on the market, brought the price 

 down so that there was a loss of perhaps 25 shillings per skin on the 

 skins bought at the October sales; and deponent farther says that it is 

 of course obvious that the business can not be maintained unless the 

 herds are preserved from the destruction which has overtaken the South 

 Sea herds, which formerly existed in such large numbers, and so im- 

 portant has the seal-skin business become that if the herds were exter- 

 minated deponent says it would hardly be worth while to remain in the 

 fur business. 



That the increased price of seal-skins two years ago, caused by the 

 falling off in quantity, has not been maintained, 

 although this year there is perhaps even a fewer Emin Hertz, p. 588. 

 number of seal-skins, which indicates, in the opin- 

 ion of deponent, that the article when offered at a high price is within 

 the means of only a very few persons, and the demand for it will con- 

 tinue to decrease. 



