TESTIMONY RELATING TO THE GENERAL SEALSKIN 

 INDUSTRY IN TRANCE. 



Deposition of Emin Hertz, memher of the firm of Emin Hertz & Co., 

 furriers, Paris. 



general sealskin industry. pelagic sealing. 



City of Paris, 



Bepiiblic of France, ss : 



Erain Hertz, beiug- duly sworn, deposes and says as follows: Tliat 

 he is 42 years of age and a naturalized citizen of the 

 French Eepublic; that he lives in the city of Paris, Experience. 

 and is a member of the firm of Emin Hertz & Cie. ; 

 that he has been engaged in the fur business for eighteen years, dur- 

 ing which time he has been in the habit of purchasing sealskins; that 

 he has personally handled many thousands of said fur-seal skins, and 

 that he has a general and detailed knowledge of the history of the 

 business of dealing in fur skins, in the city of Paris, and the character 

 and difference which distinguish the several kinds of skins which are 

 on the market. 



That the said firm of Emin Hertz & Cie. has existed for ten years, 

 l)eing the successors of Goetze & Cie., who were established since 1873,^ 

 trading in furs generally and dealing, ever since the establishment of 

 the lirm, in seal skins, undressed, dressed, and dyed; that their busi- 

 ness is carried on at 11 Hue Dieu, in said city of Paris. 



That there has gradually sprung up a large demand for this article 

 in France, which demand was at its height two years 

 ago, during which year the said firm bought and sold seaUkin^'inlrance.'^ 

 10,000 skins at the average price of the last ten years. 

 That in consequence of the falling off in the supply of Recent increase in 

 Alaska skins (Pribilof Islands and Bering Sea) two price. Demand les- 

 years ago, the price had increased from 50 to 75 per '^''"^ ' 

 cent, and in consequence, the year after, the demand was affected so 

 that instead of selling more than 10,000 skins the firm scarcely sold 

 5,000, and a still smaller number this year. 



That the total production of sealskins, which during the existence 

 of the concession of -the Alaska Company (which con- 

 cession has now expired) amounted annually to 150,000 one-hfif?"*"' ''"^"'"^ 

 skins, is now hardly more than 70,000, coming from 

 Alaska and the Copper Islands ; that the con sequence is 

 a loss for everyone connected with the trade, for while '^'"'^'"^ ''^ ■'' ''''^• 

 there was an annual iiroduction of 150,000 skins there were, the depo- 



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