238 



rUE SEAL HERD OF ALASKA. 



Department of Fisheries they certainly 

 have the ability, and the people around 

 the islands certainly understand their 

 business. They are good conscientious 

 people. If such people run the thing and 

 take the surplus males each year, it will 

 be all right. (Hearing No. 13, pp. 877- 

 879, June 20, 1912, Ho. Com. Exp. Dept. 

 Com. and Labor.) 



Hitchcock, learning that the 

 lessees and Lembkey were trying 

 to get a modification of his 5^- 

 poiind minimum hmit to 5 pounds, 

 had the following peremptory in- 

 struction added to the orders of 

 May 1, 1905: 



Department of 

 Commerce and Labor, 

 Office of the Secretary. 



Washington, May J, 1905. 



Mr. W. I. IjEMbkey, 



Agent in Charge of Seal Islands, De- 

 partment of Commerce and Labor, 

 St. Paul Island, Prihilnf Group, 

 Alaska. 

 Sir: With reference to the provision in 

 your instructions prohibiting the lessees 

 from killing any seals during the coming 

 season that are luider 2 years of age, you 

 are directed in the enforcement of this 

 requirement to fix upon the same mini- 

 mum limit of weight for the skins to be 

 taken as that prescribed for the season of 



1904, namely. 5h pounds. 



It will be your duty to see that every 

 possible precaution is exercised to prevent 

 the killing of seals that yield skins under 

 the weight mentioned. 

 Respectfully, 



V. H. Metcalf, 



Secretary. 



(Appendix A, p. ]53, June 24. 1911. 

 H. Com. Exp. Dept. Com. and Labor.) 



Lembkey officially declares, in 



1905, that no change should be 

 made in the Hitchcock rules — it 

 "would be wholly unwise." 



PRE.SENT REGULATIONS SHOULD BE CON- 

 TINUED. 



Since it appears that a scarcity of bulls 

 is threatened on the islands, and, in fact, 

 has occurred actually on several of the 

 rookery spaces on St. Paul, any change in 

 the present regulations looking to a lessen- 

 ing of the restrictions placed on killing on 

 the islands would be MdioUy unwise. 



The result of these regulatiors can not 

 be felt before 1907, as has in effert been 



Lembkey acknowledges this 

 peremptory mandate, but he does 

 not enter it on his official journal 

 of the Government house, St. 

 Paul Island. 



Office of Agent in 



Charge Seal Islands, 

 St. Paul Island, Alaska, June 17, 1905. 

 The honorable the Secretary op 



Commerce and Labor. 

 Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge 

 the receipt of the department's letter of 

 the 1st ultimo, prescribing, for the season 

 of 1905, a minimum weight of sealskins to 

 be taken of 5h pounds, and to say that the 

 necessary measures will be taken to have 

 the regulations properly observed on the 

 islands. 



A copy of the letter referred to has been 

 forwarded to the assistant agent in charge 

 of St. George Island, for his guidance. 

 Respectfully, 



W. I. Lembkey, 

 Agent in Charge Seal Islands. 



(Appendix A, p. 153, June 24, 1911, H. 

 Com. Exp. Dept. Com. and Labor.) 



But when Hitchcock is out of 

 the department, then Lembkey, 

 without warrant, does unite with 

 the lessees and secures a change 

 for the worse in them. 



Mr. Elliott. \Mien Mr. Hitchcock left 

 the department who succeeded him? 



Mr. Lembkey. As chief clerk? I think 

 Mr. Bowen did. 



Mr. Elliott. Mr. Bowen. Did you 

 again renew your recommendation? 



Mr. Lembkey. I do not remember that 

 I recommended that the weight be re- 

 -duced to 5 y^ounds in 1905, Mr. Elliott. 



Mr. Elliott. That order of reduction 

 was made in 1906? 



Mr. Lembkey. In 1906. 



