276 ORAL ARGUMENT OF JAMES C. CARTER, ESQ. 



yoiuig males, liow many females can safely be taken"? Here yon have 

 a race of polygainons animals, one nnxle being snfiQcient for twenty or 

 tliirty females. If tbe herd cannot stand the loss of 100,000 males, 

 surely it cannot stand tbe annnal loss of 20,000 or even 10,000 females. 

 On tbe Britisb Commissioners own bypotbesis that nnist betrue. I^ow, 

 what assurance have we that, limiting tbe catch in tlie manner pro- 

 l)Osed, tbeie will not continue to be taken 20,000 and even 50,000 

 females'? No restriction is placed on the sealing from the 1st of May 

 to tbe loth of September, except by the protected area around the 

 islands, and the exclusion from Bering Sea until tbe 1st of July. How 

 do you know that this scheme would not result in tbe taking of as many 

 females as now"! Why, it is certain it would result in tbat: I wish to 

 call the attention of tbe learned Arbitrators to a provision of this 

 scheme which nuikes it certain tbat, under it, the destruction, so far 

 from being diminished, would be increased, because i)elagic sealing 

 would be immensely stimulated. One half of tbe supply now furnished 

 by tbe Pribilof Islands is taken out of tbe market at once ! What must 

 be the effect of that"? Why, of course, to vastly increase the price, and 

 proportionally to add to the inducements to pelagic sealing. We know 

 this would be tbe case, for it must be taken as certain that tbe force of 

 pelagic sealers would have been largely increased at tbe price which 

 skins commanded in 181(0 when 00,000 or 70,000 skins were taken. We 

 know that pelagic sealing would still continue to increase and rapidly 

 increase, even though no lurtber stimulus should be furnished in addi- 

 tion to what tbe present market price otters. It has been rapidly 

 increasing all along. But what will be tbe eftect when tbe supply from 

 the islands is cut clown to tbe extent of 50,000"? The world wants that 

 50,000, and will pay a great price for them. Under this scheme tbe 

 pelagic sealers are offered tbe chance of furnishing them at a great 

 protit. It is certain tbat the pelagic sealers would furnish them. They 

 could do it with ease. All that is needed is to furnish tlie additional 

 force of vessels and men; and this will be done because it will be 

 highly i)robtable. The time allowed is abundantly sufficient if the 

 requisite additional force is employed. 



These regulations which begin by cutting down tbe supply of seals 

 from the Pribilof Islands, which raise theprice of sealskins in the market, 

 and entice ca])ital for the employment of more men at sea — these are 

 provisions, not for the restriction, but for tbe encouragement of pelagic 

 sealing! Tbat is their character upon the face of them: Tbat is tbe 

 object of this sliding scale which they propose for enlarging tbe area 

 around the island. For every ten thousand of reduction in the number 

 killed on the Islands, tbe Islands are to have an additional protection 

 of ten miles. What does tbat amount to"? Tbat is still further reduc- 

 ing tbe supply which comes from tbe Pribilof Islands, and still further 

 stimulating pelagic sealing. It makes the bulk of tbe whole supply of 

 the market to depend upon pelagic sealing! The consequence would 

 be not to diminish, but to greatly increase the slaughter of females. 



Take another feature. Of course the taking- at tbe Pribilof Islands 

 is much less expensive than by i^elagic sealing, and consequently the 

 skins obtained there can be supplied to the world at a lower price. 

 The greater tbe ex])ense attached to the catching of tbe seal, the greater 

 the price, if the market will bear it, which it will, as the demand 

 exceeds the supply. These regulations will insure tbat pelagic sealing 

 will be carried on, and tbe same or a greater number will be caught; 

 but tbe exi)ense is increased, and the consumer must pay that. You 

 cannot increase theprice of a commodity without increasing the outlay 

 of tbe consumer. 



