166 



FUR-SEAL HERD OF ALASKA. 



recommended the slaughter of just now 

 [to Mr. Bowers], did he consult with you 

 about this matter? 



Dr. Stejneger. He did. 



Mr. Elliott. And you advised him to 

 do just what you said now? 



Dr. Stejneger. I did. 



Mr. Elliott. What did he say to you? 

 Do you remember? 



Dr. Stejneger. He said that that was 

 not in his hands. He said it was up to 

 Congress. He said lie consulted me, not 

 as to what he should do, but as to what he 

 should answer to the committee that was 

 then handling the question in Congress. 



Mr. Elliott. Did he agree with you? 



Dr. Stejneger. He did. {Hearing No. 

 11, p. 682, May 4, 1912. ) 



All killing of fur seals on 

 Pribilof Islands is ordered under 

 ''recommendation of advisory 

 board," of which Stejneger is a 

 member : 



Mr. Bowers. I have referred, in my 

 report of June 30, 1909, to the Alaskan 

 fur-seal service as follows: 



"On the establishment of the Depart- 

 ment of Commerce and Labor, in 1903, the 

 Alaskan fur-seal service was transferred 

 thereto from the Department of the Treas- 

 ury, to which it had been attached for 

 many years. In the Department of Com- 

 merce and Labor this service formed a 

 distinct branch and was administered 

 through the Secretary's office until De- 

 cember 28, 1908, when it was transferred 

 to the Bureau of Fisheries. The Com- 

 missioner of Fisheries has appointed a 

 special board, composed of five members 

 of the bureau's staff who have personal 

 knowledge of the Alaskan fur seals, and to 

 this board will be assigned for considera- 

 tion and recommendation all matters per- 

 taining to the seal life on the Pribilof 



the caption of an additional statement, 

 says: 



"I want to say to the committee that 

 llie restrictions 1 proposed this morning 

 would be considered extreme by these 

 gentlemen. There is not one of these 

 scientists who has suggested measures 

 that are nearly as radical as those I have 

 proposed. I have purposely made the 

 regulations somewhat extreme, in the 

 view of these gentlemen, with the idea of 

 being on the safe side, particularly during 

 the first year of the department's admin- 

 istration of the seal service." 



And he is alluding to yourself and your 

 associates? 



Dr. Stejneger. Where is that allusion? 



Mr. Elliott. Preceding here. You will 

 find it on this page. 



* * * * * 



Mr. Elliott. Therefore, Mr. Hitchcock 

 did not agree with you, did he? 



Dr. Stejneger. I did not say he did 

 not agree with me. 



Mr. Elliott. I thought you said he 

 agreed with you? 



Dr. Stejneger. That he could do it. 

 That does not mean necessarily that the 

 rules should be framed accordingly. 

 That is altogether different. 



Mr. Elliott. In other words, Mr. 

 Hitchcock did not take yoiu' advice when 

 he proposed those rules? 



Dr. Stejneger. He certainly did not. 



Mr. Elliott. That is what I want; that 

 is it. Doctor. (Hearing No. 11, pp. 682- 

 684, May 4, 1912.) 



Stejneger swears that he does 

 not know whether the killing has 

 been in violation of law or not: 



The Chairman. Do you know whether, 

 of your own personal knowledge, seals 

 have been killed that were too small or 

 too young, under the act of Congress? 



Dr. Stejneger. I do not know, be- 

 cause I have not been on the island since 

 1897— since 1896. 



* * * * * 



The Chairman. Mr. Elliott, do you 

 want to ask him any questions? 



Mr. Elliott. I have only a few ques- 

 tions to ask him. Dr. Stejneger, what is 

 the length of a yearling fur seal of the 

 Alaskan herd? 



Dr. Stejneger. I could not tell you. 



Mr. Elliott. Have you ever measured 

 one of the Alaskan herd? 



Dr. Stejneger. No. 



Mr. Elliott. You do not know any- 

 thing about the length of a skin of a year- 

 ling seal as taken from the body? 



