126 FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



divide it among the laborers according- to tlieir standing as workmen, 

 whicli they themselves have agreed npon by special tally sticks. For 

 instance, at the annual division or "catch" settlement made by the 

 natives on St. Paul Island among themselves in 1872, when I was 

 present, the proceeds of their work for that season in taking and skin- 

 ning 75,()()() seals, at 40 cents per skin, with extra work connected with 

 it, making the sum of $30,037,37, was divided among them in this way: 

 There were 74 shares made up, representing 74 men, though in fact only 

 56 men worked : but they wished to give a certain proportion to their 

 church, a certain proportion to their priest, and a certain proportion to 

 their widows, so they watered their stock, commercially speaking. The 

 74 shares were proportioned as follows : 



37 first-class shares, each $451. 22 



23 second-class shares, each 406. 08 



4 third-class shares, each 360.97 



10 fourth-class shares, each 315. 85 



And since 1870, up to 1890, they have never received less than this, 

 except in one season (1877), when only 80,000 instead of 100,000 were 

 taken. But, last summer the catch on St. Paul was little more than 

 16,500 skins, so that the division was but slightly over one-fifth of the 

 cash equivalent of the annual settlement hitherto, during the past nine- 

 teen years. 



In August, 1873, while on St. George Island, I was present at a sim- 

 ilar division under similar circumstances, which caused them to divide 

 among themselves the proceeds of their work in taking and skinning 

 25,000 seals, at 40 cents a skin, $10,000. They made the following sub- 

 division. 



Per share. 

 17 shares each, 961 skius $384.40 



2 shares each, 935 skins 374. 00 



3 shares each, 821 skins 328. 40 



1 share each, 820 skins 328. 00 



3 shares each, 770 skins 308. 00 



3 shares each, 40' skins 160. 00 



These 20 shares referred to, represent only 25 able-bodied sealers, 



2 of whom were women. This method of division as above given is 

 the result of their own choice. Four shares went to the church. 



In August, 1890, I was again present on St, George when the list 

 was made up, but instead of the division being based upon the proceeds 

 of taking 25,000 skins, it was the mere form of dividing $50 or $60 

 apiece among the sealers, who have been able to take only 4,132 skins 

 on St. George this year. 



There has always been much difference of opinion as to how this 

 annual settlement should be made among the natives. 1 said in 1874: 



It is an impossible thing for the company to decide their relative merits as work- 

 men on the ground, so they have wisely turned its entire discussion over to them. 

 Whatever they do they must agree to ; whatever the company miglit do they possibly 

 and probably would never clearlj' understand, and hence dissatisfaction and sus- 

 picion would inevitably arise. As it is, the whole subject is most satisfactorily 

 settled. 



I am still of that opinion : but, since then a gradual removal of the 

 whole control from the natives has been made in the following manner: 

 At the close of the season's work, i. e., when the quota has been secured, 

 by the 16th to the 20th of July as a rule, the chiefs and their people 

 would niiike uj) their division in the method above described. This, 

 when submitted to the company's agent and the Treasury officer, was 

 usually altered by changing the names of the notorious loafers in the 



