FUR SEALS AND OTHER UFE, PRIBILOF ISLANDS, 1914. 135 



labor of a nature to benefit the community generally as might become necessary or desirable. Indi- 

 vidual natives, however, who were willing to perform such labor of a skilled or unskilled nature as 

 might be necessary to the upkeep of the Government property and the maintenance of the stations in 

 general were to be compensated individually in cash from funds other than the $40,000 set apart for 

 the community support at the rate of, for skilled labor 25 cents an hour, and for unskilled 15 cents an 

 hour. The skilled labor embraced that of carpenters, engineers, painters, and ironworkers, etc.; the 

 ■unskilled mere laboring work requiring no special aptitude. 



The system involved in the foregoing arrangement for natives' support is one of almost pure com- 

 munism. The main problem confronting those charged with its conduct was to support the people 

 in such comfort and happiness as the resources would allow and at the same time to minimize those 

 admitted evils of communal existence which, in this case, could easily result in reducing the island 

 inhabitants to a mental condition of stolid apathy, and a physical condition of virtual peonage, if not 

 slavery. 



If no labor were required of these people the problem would be simply to give gratuitously to each 

 person supplies sufficient to insure his existence. It is necessary, however, at almost all times of the 

 year to require some of them to perform services for which they receive no specific compensation, but 

 merely a right to participate in the general fund. If all labor required of them were alike in character 

 and amount and if all the natives could perform this labor with a like degree of proficiency, no special 

 difficulty would be encountered. Some of the labor, however, requires aptitude and special training 

 which some natives do not possess; also, some by reason of physical imperfections can perform less 

 work even of a general nature than others, and some no work at all. To support the natives only to the 

 extent that they perform service would be to allow some to suffer and others to starve because of ina- 

 bility to work and therefore to earn. 



But if a helpless cripple and his family should not be allowed to starve, on the other hand a man of 

 high efficiency should not be required to expend his best efforts for a compensation no greater than 

 that which the cripple and his family receive for their bare maintenance in return for which they furnish 

 no labor whatever, and which, too, the efficient would receive as a matter of course without rendering 

 any service in return. Then, moreover, the fund for natives support is not large enough to allow special 

 compensation to some and general support to all, but sufficient only to prevent suffering no matter 

 what labor may be required of them. 



These and other questions, which perhaps appear trivial to the casual observer, become of vital 

 importance to those managing the natives' affairs. It may be of interest to detail the methods which 

 are used in the distribution of the fund for the support of the natives, all of which methods have been 

 the subject of careful study. 



The $40,000 fund was considered as belonging to the community and to be used for its support 

 without regard to the question whether the person so supported was or was not able to perform service 

 in return. It was therefore divided between the two islands on a strict per capita basis; that is to say, 

 the whole amount was divided into as many parts as there were natives on both islands, and each island 

 was allotted as many of these parts as there were natives on that island. From this fund before dis- 

 tribution, however, coal enough for both islands was paid for. This coal was turned over to the native 

 community, and the community, through its chief men, was allowed to make distribution of it without 

 official interference. No cash was paid from this fund except $1 apiece to each native man on Christmas 

 and Easter, for church purposes, and a payment to a midwife of $5 for each baby bom. 



From the amount remaining after the deduction for coal, a suit of clothes was given to each man 

 and boy, each individual was provided with two pairs of shoes, each family with material enough to 

 make imderclothing for the children and women, and each person with a supply of rubber footwear. 

 From the remainder an "emergency fund" of perhaps $1,500 was set apart. What was left was available 

 for purchase of food and clothing on regular issues. This remainder was divided into 52 equal parts, 

 representing weeks in the year, thus fixing the amount that might be spent weekly for support of the 

 whole population. 



The total number of persons to be supported was next ascertained from the census — two children 

 being considered as one adult — and divided into the weekly allotment for the whole island, thus estab- 

 lishing a per capita tentative allowance for each person per week. 



The number of individuals in each family was then ascertained, and the per capita amounts com- 

 bined to give a basis for the expenditure for each family for the week. 



