224 



FUK-SEAL HERD OF ALASKA. 



Lucas says that he did not ad- 

 vise a renewal of the lease. 



The Chairman. Would you have con- 

 sidered it would be better to lease the 

 islands for another 20-year term? 



Dr. Lucas. No, I would not, Mr. Chair- 

 man. The part in regard to re-leasing it 

 I should deem objectionable, as you will 

 see by the resolution adopted by the ad- 

 visory board at its meeting. 



The Chairman. I wish that resolution 

 could be produced. 



Dr. Lucas. It is in the record. 



Mr. Patton. In the doctor's evidence 

 before he said that he believed it would 

 be better for the Government to have con- 

 trol, and control the killing there under 

 the present system. 



Mr. Elliott. The Government has 

 always had perfect control over the killing 

 on those islands since 1870. 



Mr. Patton. The Government does the 

 killing itself, where it was done by leasing 

 companies before. 



Mr. Elliott. This letter ,says they 

 don't want it done. 



Mr. McGuiRE. I don't so understand 

 it, but the letter is the best evidence. 



The Chairman. The letter will speak 

 for itself. (Hearing No. 12. p. 725, May 

 16, 1912.) 



The Chairman. Do you think male 

 seals should be killed that are less than 2 

 years old? 



Mr. LiEBEs. I do not think there is any 

 rule about it at all ; it is a question of run- 

 ning it right. (Hearing No. 13, pp. 877, 

 878, June 20, 1912.) 



But the Bureau of Fisheries 

 officially quotes him as recom- 

 mending a renewal of the lease. 



Mr. Elliott. On page 157, hearing No. 

 3, July 6, 1911, is a letter from the Bureau 

 of Fisheries dated December 16, 1909, 

 signed by Barton W. Evermann. It 

 urges Fish Commissioner Bowers to send 

 agents to New York and educate certain 

 people and induce them to agree to the 

 bureau's idea of renewing the lease of the 

 seal islands and preventing any cessation 

 of the killing tliereon. Now, in this let- 

 ter, which I will put into the liearing to- 

 day as Exhibit No. 6, appears the follow- 

 ing statement : 



Department of 

 Commerce and Labor, 

 Bureau op Fisheries, 

 Washington, December 16, 1909. 

 The Commissioner: 



The Washington Star of December 10 

 last announced that the Campfrre Club of 

 New York had inaugurated a campaign 

 to save the fur-seal herd through legisla- 

 tion designed to prevent the re-leasing of 

 tlie sealing right, the cessation of killing 

 on the islands for 10 years except for na- 

 tives' food, and to secure the opening of 

 negotiations with Great Britain to revise 

 the regulations of the Paris tribunal. As 

 the result of this movement, on Decem- 

 ber 7 tl'ree resolutions were introduced by 

 Senator Dixon, of Montana, one of which 

 embodies the provisions before mentioned, 

 the other two calling for publications of 

 the fur-seal correspondence and reports 

 since 1904. 



As the object of this movement is at 

 variance with the program of this bureau 

 and of the recommendations of the ad- 

 visory fur-seal l)oard, notably in the plan 

 to prevent killing and tl e renewal of the 

 seal island lease, tl e advisability is sug- 

 gested of Inxving Messrs. Townsend, Lucas, 

 and Stanley-Brown use their influence 

 with such members of the Campfire Club 

 as they may be acquainted with, with the 

 object of correctly informing the club as 

 to t^^e exact present status of the seal 

 question and of securing its cooperation to 

 effect the adoption of the measures advo- 

 cated by tills bureau. 



The attach.ed letter is prepared, having 

 in view the object stated. 



Barton W. Evermann. 



(Hearing No. 12, p. 724, May 16, 1912.) 



