2G0 COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



The propositions sought to be established in the Chapter 

 of the United States Case from which the above eita- 

 305 tions are taken wonhl appear to be the followino-: 



I. That there is a distinctive and separate fur seal- 

 skin industry, and that this iudustiy, so far as Great 

 Britain is eoneerned, was prior to 1870 insignificant and 

 was in that year established through the united etforts of 

 the Alaska ^Commercial Company and their agents in 

 London. 



II. That pelagic sealing produces an irregular supply 

 which is ruinous to the industry. 



III. That there is little capital invested in Canada in 

 pelagic sealing; and tliat, compared with the fur-seal 

 industries of Great Britain, France, and the United States, 



. the Canadian industry is scarcely worth consideration. 



NO SEPARATE INDUSTRY, EXCEPT AT SOURCES OF SUPPLY. 



As regards the iBrst proposition, no doubt the persons 

 actuallyengaged in cai)turing the seals at the sources of 

 supi>ly form a separate and distinctive industry, more 

 directly interested than all otliers in the questions at issue; 

 but, excei)t in this sense, it is submitted thai neither in 

 Great Britain, nor in the United States, nor in other coun- 

 tries, is tliere what can i)roperly be called a sei)aiate and 

 distinct fur-seal industry. 



The circumstances in G reat Britain will suffice to demon- 

 strate that this statement is correct. 

 United states n jjj stated in tlie United States Case that there are 

 Case, I 2, J. employed in the fur seal skin industry in Great Britain 

 from l*,U(>0 to 3,000 ])ersons. who would be compelled to 

 leaiu other trades in case the industry were to fail. If 

 such failure were possible, it is denied that any such result 

 WDuld follow. 



Including brokers, dyers, dressers, merchants, furriers, 

 wholesale and retail, and their respective emi)h)yes, there 

 are at least a number of persons above mentioned engaged 

 in the fur seal skin business; but they are not so occuined 

 exclusively, nor are they absolutely dei)en(ient upon the fur- 

 Appeiidix, vol. (^eal skin business. But a very small part of the above 

 1, p.2*jj. classes are at any time entirely occupied with or dependent 



upon the business connected with fur seal slcins. all of them 

 being concerned at the same time with furs and skins of 

 other descriptions. 



SEAL-SKIN BUSINESS PART OF GENERAL PUR TRADE. 



The fur seal skin business forms no doubt a considerable 



part, but still only a part, of the whole fur trade of Great 



Britain. Its relative position to the whole fur trade 



306 may be roughly gauged by comi)aring the total sums 



realized by sales of all raw furs and skins in London 



with those realized by fur seals. It is estimated that furs 



of all desciii)tions sold in Great Britain realize annually 



Unired States ovcr 1,1*00,0(10/., and the total sales of fur-seal skins (taking 



Case, Api.eiuiix, for exam])le 1887) amount to about 450,000/., so that the 



vol. u, p. 561. seal- skin iudustiy composes in point of value less than 38 



