271 CHAPTER XV. 



Management of the Prihyloff Islands hy Russia and by the United 



States — (coutiuued). 



ABSENCE OF PROPER CONTROL BY GOVERNMENT AGENTS. 



The United States Contentions. 



(1.) United States Case, pp. 136, 137— 



"The origin and practical workinos of the lease of 1870 were made the subject ©f 

 an elaborate investigation in 1876 by the Committee of Ways and Means of the 

 44th Congress, who reported that in their opinion, the terms of the lease were 

 highly favourable to the Government and all parties concerned." 

 (2.) United States Case, p. 137— 



"In a subsequent investigation in 1888 by the Committee on Merchant Marine and 



Fisheries of the .50th Congress, the same conclusion was reached." 



(3.) United States Case, p. 139— 



"It is evident from the nature of the industry that in case the sealing on the 



islands should be managed directly by the Government the opportunities for 



fraud and theft are very great on the part of the agents, who under the Act of 



1870 are prohibited from being in any way connected or interested in the indus- 

 trv: as it is now, the lessees and Agents are restraints upon each other." 



(4.) United States Case, pp. 139, 140- 



" Immediate Government management is at once seen to be impracticable under 

 these circumstances and the present method employed to be the only feasible one. 

 "The careful investigations made by the Congressional Committees showed that 

 the Alaska Commercial Company had fultilled the terms of the lease in all 

 respects according to the rer^uirements of the Act of 1870." 

 (5.) United States Case, p. 145 — 

 "The handling of the seals on the islands, being entirely done by the nativ^, is 

 directly under the supervision of the Government Agents." 

 (6.) United States Case, pp. 146, 147— 



"Under this lease [that of 1890] it is difficult to see how the United States could 

 have a more complete control over the seal indiistry on the islands, even if it 

 took the entire management of the business. Leasing under such terms gives 

 the Government. absolute power in iixing the quota according to the condition 

 of the herd, and at the same time avoids the details of management and dispos- 

 ing of the skins, which are the especial diflSculties in the way of the United States 

 working the rookeries itself. The course thus adopted by the United States 

 seems as free from criticism or improvement as any that can be suggested." 

 272 (7.) United States Case, pp. 153, 154 — 



"The number of seals allowed to be killed annually by the lessees was, from 



1871 to 1889, inclusive, 100,000; but this number is variable, and entirely within 

 the control of the Treasury Department of the United States. In 1889 Charles 

 J. Gotf, then the Government Agent on the islands, reported to the Department 

 that he considered it necessary to reduce the quota of skins to be taken in 1890.'' 



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