492 TESTIMONY 



privilege tlian it was worth, it was absolutely necessary for tliem to 

 have the most accurate information relating to the probable destruction 

 of the seal herd, and also relating to the probable size of the illicit catch 

 in years to come. 



The necessity for knowing thoroughly what the seal catch was likely 

 . to be arose from the fact that illicit skins come into 



vete'^^'with'^Ailska Competition with Pribilof Islaud skins in the London 

 «'^"'s. market, and aft'ect their value very greatly. While 



the island skins are superior in quality and are of better average size and 

 value, the effect of dumping 50,000 or 00,000 or more illicit skins on the 

 market materially reduces the value of the Pribilof Island skin. It 

 being the juirpose of the Alaska Commercial Company to base their 

 bid upon the information which I obtained for tliem, it was absolutely 

 necessary for me to get accurate information. To the Alaska Commer- 

 cial Company it made but little difference whether the expense of the 

 investigation was small or great, but in a matter of sucli magnitude as 

 a long lease of the Government sealing privileges in Alaska, an erro- 

 neous estimate about the eft'ect of pelagic competition, or the diminu- 

 tion of the seal herd by pelagic sealing, would have the most serious 

 consequences. 



Fully understanding the responsibility which I accepted in under- 

 taking the inquiry, the investigation I made was most 

 tio^nSnld!"^*'™'*" thorough and careful. In no case did I accept second- 

 ary testimony where primary testimony was available; 

 as, for instance, in finding the number of skins captured by vessels in 

 former years, I did not rest at an investigation of the custom-house re- 

 ports of Victoria, but in nearly every case secured access to the books 

 and accounts of the managing o^vners of the vessels, and in every in- 

 stance went to the books and accounts of the purchasers of the skins, 

 and again compared their reports when possible with the reports of 

 the auction sales in London, and where private sales were made with 

 them. 



In estimating the value of the vessels engaged in the sealing indus- 

 try I pursued this i)lan. No one in British Columbia had any idea of 

 what my real business there was, as I was careful to conceal that fact. 

 I went to the builders of boats, to the owners of vessels, to the charter- 

 ers of vessels, representing that I might be in need of such schooners 

 as were engaged in the sealing trade, and received proffers of vessels 

 at the selling values. I secured reports which Mr. Miln, the collector 

 of the port of Victoria, had made to the Dominion Government, with 

 the view for presentation with the British side of this question, and 

 compared his reports with the cash value estimates of the owners of 

 vessels and the offers of builders and otliers to furnish vessels. 



In trying to arrive at the cost of outfit and the profits of sealing 

 voyages I looked through the accounts of nearly one hundred voyages 

 of sealing schooners. 



In attempting to determine the sex of seals killed in the Bering Sea 

 and the North Pacific, and of the number of seals killed in excess of 

 those actually secured by the hunters, I had interviews with upwards 

 of 50 seal hunters, aside from interviews subsequently had with In- 

 dian hunters. I found this portion of my work by far the most diffi- 

 cult. Much discussion had already been had ab(mt the damaging effect 

 of pelagic sealing, and the hunters were loath to tell how many seals 

 were killed and not recovered, and were often averse to making truth- 

 ful reports about the sex of the animals killed; but by frequenting 

 their haunts and cultivating their company for long periods I suc- 

 ceeded in getting accurate statements from a number of them. 



