12 .FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1910. 



the natives of the islands earned the following amounts, to be applied 

 to their support: 



St. George: 



203 blue foxes, at $5; 9 white, at $1 $1, 024 



2,834 sealskins, at $1 2, 834 



St. Paul: 



664 sealskins, at 75 cents 498 



10,088 sealskins, at $1 10, 088 ' 



Total : 14, 444 



As the fox skins were delivered to the North American Commercial 

 Company, that company paid directly to the agent on St. George for 

 the natives the amount of $1,024, due the natives on that account. 

 The company also paid in cash to the agent on St. Paul the $498 due 

 the natives from the 664 sealskins which the Department authorized 

 the company to take to complete its quota of 15,000 for 1909. The 

 amounts of $10,088 earned by the St. Paul natives and $2,834 earned 

 by the St. George natives for taking the sealskins shipped on Govern- 

 ment account in 1910 were credited to the natives on the island 

 books. Payments of cash therefrom were not made except of small 

 sums in very rare instances. Each native sealer, however, was 

 allowed to draw supplies against this fund at a fixed rate each week 

 until the cost of such supplies equaled the amount of the native's 

 credit from earnings; after this, supplies to be issued to him directly 

 from the stores in sufficient quantity to support himself and family. 



The various statements of the division of natives' earnings are filed 

 in the Bureau of Fisheries at Washington. 



Census of inhabitants. — On St. Paul, on June 30, 1910, there were 

 198 resident natives, including 98 males and 100 females, a net 

 increase of 5 over the previous census. During the year 13 births, 

 1 arrival, and 9 deaths occurred. 



On St. George, at the same date in 1910, 91 natives were present, 

 of which 45 were males and 46 females. Six births and 2 deaths 

 occurred during the year, leaving a net increase of 4 in the population. 



Detailed censuses are filed in the Bureau of Fisheries at Washington. 



MANAGEMENT OF SEAL HERD. 

 MARKING OF BACHELORS. 



The general instructions to the agent, dated May 9, 1910, required 

 that not any 2-year-old bachelors but only 500 3-year-old bachelors 

 should be marked to form the breeding reserve. This was predicated 

 upon the assumption that the 500 3-year-olds so reserved would be 

 over 14 per cent of the whole number of such young males in the 

 herd. Subsequently, by a telegram from the Secretary dated June 

 6, which, not having been delivered, presumably through the fault 

 of the telegraph company, was repeated June 10, the number of 



