130 ALASKA FISHERIES AND FUR INDUSTRIES IN 1915. 
process of securing such license, an arrangement might be made whereby same could 
be issued by a deputy marshal, United States commissioner, or even a postmaster in 
districts that are remote or where there is no fur warden or other representative of the 
Department of Commerce. Such licenses should be numbered and should be issued 
for a given number of traps. It is also suggested, in order that a fur warden in the 
field might recognize or identify traps found, to have all traps tagged. It should 
further be provided that any person receiving such license must make returns, show- 
ing the number and variety of animals caught, where and to whom disposed of; also, 
that persons purchasing live foxes caught in the wild must make returns stating from- © 
whom purchased and the number of the license under which caught. 
3. If the fox ranchers, the trappers, and fur dealers cf Alaska are to be fully pro- 
tected, then the exportation of breeding stock taken from the wild must be stopped, 
especially to foreign countries. Only ranch-bred stock should be allowed to leave 
the Territory and then only under permits issued to legitimate fox ranchers. The 
privilege granted to certain parties in the past to ship wild foxes from Alaska has been 
greatly abused, we think, and to the detriment of the fur business in the Territory. 
Many of the foxes shipped out have been bought by Canadian speculators, who have 
paid comparatively low prices, but who have used the animals to further the interests 
of some of the companies that have been organized for excessive amounts. This 
traffic has been greatly remunerative to the Canadian fox-ranching interests; but very 
little benefit has been derived for Alaska and, as a matter of fact, the furs produced 
in Canada from this stock come into direct competition with Alaskan furs. We are 
firmly of the belief that, if the fur business of Alaska is to be fostered, the exportation 
of breeding stock should be so regulated as to discourage it to a large extent. 
Another matter of vital importance to the fox ranchers of Alaska is the lack of laws 
that will permit those engaged in the business to acquire title to the islands along the 
coast that are suited to the business. This lack, we believe, will greatly retard large- 
scale ventures, for people will be unwilling to invest the amounts necessary to make 
fox ranching an important industry unless they have assurance that their titles will 
be secure. The system of leasing the islands for a short term of years is entirely 
inadequate. It has already been shown that a considerable amount of capital is 
required to establish a ranch, and this fact is going to make it necessary to raise money 
through incorporation where the business is undertaken on a large scale. Without 
full protection as to property rights, however, it will not be possible to get capital to 
invest. 
OTHER FOX FARMS IN KODIAK-AFOGNAK REGION. 
The following information in regard to various fox-farming opera- 
tions has been furnished the office: 
Carlson & Smith, of Uyak, have a ranch at Uyak Bay, Kodiak 
Island. In 1914 three corrals were built. The stock consists of black 
and cross foxes. 
Peter J. Petrovsky, of Uyak, has a ranch on Amok Island, Uyak 
Bay. In 1914 eight pairs of cross foxes, caught in the winter of 
1913-14, were liberated on this island. There are also two pairs of 
black foxes in corrals on this ranch, caught from wild stock in 1914. 
Alex Friedolin, of Afognak, has a blue-fox ranch on Hog Island, a 
small wooded island near Afognak. The foxes are permitted to 
run at large. This island was stocked with cross foxes by Johansen 
& Christensen in 1897, and a few years later some black foxes were 
introduced. Shortly afterwards sll the foxes on the island disap- 
