THE FUR, LEATHER AND HIDE TRADES 69 



$20,384,569. To this must be added the producing (trapping, etc.) 

 and marketing ends of the business to get the total value of the in- 

 dustry in the United States. In Canada, from 1910 to 1924, the num- 

 ber of plants increased from five to eight, capitalization from $198,500 

 to $926,270. Of 3,473,909 skins dressed in Canada in 1924, 1,615,520 

 were muskrat and 649,836 were rabbit. Of raw furs Canada in 1923 

 exported to the United Kingdom $4,743,986, and to the United States 

 $11,290,514. The manufactured fur goods industry in Canada in 1924 

 included 218 reported establishments, with a capital investment of 

 $9,910,979, paying $1,916,421 in wages, products valued at 

 $i2,265,37i. 39 



In 1867 Alaska was purchased by the United States for $7,200,000. 

 Since then the territory has exported $80,000,000 worth of furs, 

 $2,000,000 in 1918 alone. 40 In 1912-1914, $600,000 worth were 

 shipped out, not including the Pribilof Island seals and foxes. 41 In 

 1917 the total shipments were valued at $1,141,609 (Pribilof Island 

 seals and foxes $109,971 ). 42 In 1923 the total was $1,794,159.85 

 (muskrat 319,611, valued at $367,552; white fox 7939, $297,476; 

 beaver 14,341, $258,138; red fox 10,787, $215,741; mink 2O,668). 43 

 In 1929, 297,440 mammal skins were exported from Alaska, valued 

 at $4,513,863.76, 38,629 fewer than in 1928, but an increase of 

 $215,226.63 in value, because of the increased value of individual 

 furs. 



In Minnesota fur-bearing animals were reported to have been 

 taken under trappers' licenses as follows: Season of 1920-1921, 

 219,685; 1921-1922, 474,544; 1922-1923, 273,055; 1923-1924, 

 264,253." The fur catch in New York State in 1919 was as follows: 

 Muskrat 388,938, value $599,907; skunk 187,703, $750,812; all others 

 53,660, $432,046.^ Though California is not usually thought of as a 

 fur-producing state, the value of the catch reported for the season of 

 1925-26, under 3530 trapping licenses, was $257,711. That state had 

 5243 licensed trappers in 1927-1928 and 6482 in 1928-1929, an in- 

 crease of 1139. Of these numbers 3402 reported in 1927-1928 and 

 3652 in 1928-1929, an increase of 250. Notwithstanding the increase in 

 the number of trappers licensed and reporting, the catch of furs fell 



39 Innis, The fur trade of Canada, pp. 120-123, 1927. 



40 Laut, The fur trade of America, p. 65, 1921. 



41 Bower and Aller, Ann. Kept. U. S. Comm. Fish, for 1914, Appendix x. 

 Science, June 7, 1918. California Fish and Game, v, 34-35, 1918. 



43 California Fish and Game, x, 82, 1924 ; xvi, 258, 1930. 



44 Ashbrook and Earnshaw, Farmers' Bull., No. 1469, 1925. 



43 Johnson, The muskrat in New York, Roosevelt Wild Life Bull, in, 208, 1925. 



