6 FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 



is shown in the fact that though the herd has declined two-Thirds in size, the quota has 

 never fallen more than one-third in size as compared with that of 1897. 



****** * 



During the presenl season and for some seasons past a minimum of 5 pounds has 

 been in force, the skins taken ranging in weight all the way from 4 to 14i pounds, 

 bringing all classes of animals from yearlings to 4-year-olds into the quota. 



******* 



A killing was made at Hallway Point as usual on the return trip. It yielded 32 skins. 

 Fifteen animals young bulls — too large for killing and 9 shaved heads were exempted, 

 but no small seals whatever. As the end of the killing season approaches it is plain 

 that no seal is really too small to be killed. Skins of less than 5 pounds weight are 

 taken and also skins of 8 and 9 pounds. These latter are plainly animals which escaped 

 the killing of last year because their heads were shaved. Otherwise it does not seem 

 clear how they did escape. (See pp. 184, 185, 187, 188, hearing No. 1,1914.) 



The committee further finds that the said Charles Nagel, disregard- 

 ing the Clark report, and substituting by printing, November, 1909, 

 another report, which denied Mr. Clark's findings of fact, and all 

 former notices in writing of the illegal killing of seals on the islands 

 by the lessees, received on May 9, 1910, from Henry W. Elliott the 

 following letter: 



Lakewood, Ohio, May 9, 1910. 

 Hon. Charles Nagel, 



Secretary Commerce and Labor. 

 Dear Sir: The reason why a new and competent audit of the seal-island books must 

 be made in your department, and why it is demanded imperatively for the public good, 

 is as follows, briefly stated: 



I. The law has been openly violate on the killing grounds of the islands, and the 

 terms of the lease ignored by the lessees thereof at frequent intervals, and repeatedly, 

 from July 17, 1890, up to the close of the season of L909. This violation of the law 

 and the contract has been chiefly by the act of killing female and yearling male seals; 

 said killings have not been in negligible numbers, but have run up into the tens of 

 thousands of female and yearling male seals. 



II. This illegal and improper killing has been ordered by the lessees, and falsely 

 certified into your department as the taking of male seals according to law and the 

 rule- of your department. 



III. The full and complete proof of this illegal killing as specified above exists on 

 the islands and in the records of the sales of those skins. Any competent and honest 

 auditor of those records will lay them open and so disclose the truth of those charges 

 as made in items I and II. 



Very truly, yours 



Henry W. Elliott. 



The said Charles Nagel ignored this letter which is part of the record 

 of the department, and was again notified to the same effect on May 

 24, 1910, by another letter from the said Henry W. Elliott, which is 

 also part of the record of the department. 



After receiving these warnings of the guilty conduct of the lessees 

 in conjunction with the Government agents on the islands during the 

 year 1909, the said Charles Nagel, in 1910, under authority of the 

 Government, sent to the islands the same Government officials, who 

 again killed young or yearling seals in violation of law in the same 

 manner as was done in conjunction with the sealing company prior 

 thereto in 1909. In that year, June and July, 1910, they killed 7,733 

 yearlings. (See pp. 642-645, hearing No. 2, and pp. 702-709, hear- 

 ing No! 3.) 



In the judgment of the committee half of that number were females. 



In 191 1, after said Charles Nagel was fully aware that the Commit- 

 tee (m Expenditures in the Department of Commerce was investigat- 

 ing the conduct of the 1 lessees and Government agents and the killing 

 of seals on the Pribilof Islands, he again sent the same Government 



