FUR-SEAL HERD OF ALASKA. 



241 



key, pp. 264, 265, Appendix A, June 

 24,' 1911, H. Com. Exp. Dept. Com. and 

 Labor.) 



The lessees with help of Liemb- 

 key m 1906, "established" a 

 "5-pound" minmuim, so as to 

 easier "load" the 4^-poinid year- 

 ling skins. 



Mr. Lembkey. We have found on the 

 islands that the most reliable way of 

 gauging sealskins so as to classify them 

 into different ages is that of weight, of 

 weighing the skins. We have very re- 

 liable data showing that 2-year-olds sel- 

 dom if ever weigh less than 5 pounds, 

 and we also have data which give us the 

 Information that the skins of 3-year-olds 

 weigh from 6J to 8^ pounds. Upon that 

 basis we have established our regulations. 

 (Hearing No. 9, p. 398, Mar. 1, 1912.) 



Mr. Lembkey. 1906 is when we re 

 dueed the weight from 5^ pounds to 5 

 pounds. Please get that correct. 



Mr. Elliott. But in 1904 you made 

 that recommendation? 



Mr. Lembkey. To Mr. Hitchcock. 



Mr. Elliott. Have you any table of 

 weight measurement of your own making 

 which warranted you in making that rec- 

 ommendation? 



Mr. Lembkey. 1 had not. 1 expressed 

 that as my opinion. (Hearing No. 9, pp. 

 449,450, Apr. 13, 1912, H. Com. Exp, 

 Dept. Com. and Labor.) 



Lucas, under oath, and facing' 

 cross-exajnination, tells the truth 

 and denies Lembkey. 



Dr. Lucas. In regard to the sizes and 

 ages of killable seals, Dr. Evermann has 

 pointed out in his admirable resume that 

 there is no law against the killing of male 

 seals of any age. There have been regu- 

 lations against it, but all I can say is that 

 no yearlings have V)een systematically 

 killed. I took Mr. Elliott's figures of 

 1873 as a good average. He cites the 

 weight of 2-year-old skins as 5^ pounds. 

 1 agree with him there. 1 think that is a 

 good average. (Hearing No. 12, p. 708, 

 May 16, 1912.) 



Mr. Elliott. I will go further and 

 submit as Exhilnt J this paper. 1 won't 

 read all of this in regard to the British 

 authority on Alaskan fur-seal classifica- 

 tion and what he says, as compared with 

 our tables; but I will read one word from 

 a chief British authority in an official 

 letter written December 21, 1892, by Sir 

 Curtis Lampson's sous to the British com- 

 missioners Sir George Badeil-Powell and 

 Dr. George M. Dawson. Sir Curtis Lamp- 

 son says: 



''We are unable to answer your inquiry 

 as to in what class in the sales catalogue 

 would be placed a skin classified on the 

 islands as, say. a 7-pound skin, as we do 

 not know whether the classification you 

 mention refers to the sldns as taken from, 

 the animals or after they have been, 

 cured and salted ready for sliipment. 

 The process of curing and salting must of 

 necessity add to the weight." (Seep. 916^ 

 Proceedings of the Tribunal of Arbitration,, 

 vol. 8, Paris, 1893.) 



Now, let me tell you that the salt added 

 in curing a 44-pound '' green" yearling' 

 skin will increase its weight to 5 pounds, 

 or even to 5^ pounds, according to the 

 amount of salt used. 



Now, you will understand why a "5- 

 pound" skin can not be taken on the 

 islands and honestly, truthfulh' certified 



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