6 FDR-SEAL EISHEETES OF ALASKA. 



tlie islands, the natives are unable to accomplisli any considerable im- 

 provement in their system of building without assistance on the part 

 of the Government. Prevalence of inflammatory diseases of the lungs, 

 mostly due to the miserable condition of dwellings, requires the pres- 

 seuce of a medical practitioner at each island. The recall this summer 

 of the United States military posts at the islands leaves the population 

 without medical assistance. 



Q. Have you any information whether the company furnishes any 

 assistance to the natives in the matter of medical assistance ? — A. At 

 the time of my stay on the island of St. Paul there was a German 

 doctor whom I considered to be a very good medical practitioner, Dr. 

 Kraemer, in the employ of the company. 



Q. Did he charge the natives for treatment, or was his treatment 

 free ? — A. Yes, sir ; it was entirely free. 



Q. Have you any information as to whether the companj^ have main- 

 tained an establishment of that kind since then, so that the natives 

 could be furnished medical assistance *? — A. I can not now recollect. I 

 may have inquired into it, but I can not recollect. I must state, Mr. 

 Chairman, that recently I lost a member of my family, and my memory 

 is very weak since, and I have not yet recovered fnlly, so you will have 

 to excuse me on that point. It might be proper for me to state, Mr. 

 Chairman, that before the act authorizing the leasing of the islands 

 was passed I was a great partisan of the idea entertained by Secretary 

 Boutwell at the time, of administering the islands like any other Gov- 

 ernment reservations, entirely by Government agents. It was consid- 

 ered by Secretary Boutwell then that a monopoly of some kind was 

 absolutely necessary ; but while several members of Congress who in- 

 troduced the bill ior the leasing were in favor of private monopoly. 

 Secretary Boutwell was in favor of a Government monopoly ; and, being 

 then fresh from Eussia and not very well acquainted with the manage- 

 ment of Indians here, I thonght that the idea of Secretary Boatwell 

 was the better one, and I was trying to assist him in carrying out that 

 idea. Since, I have learned a good deal more about the management 

 of affairs in this country by means of Government oflQcers, and I would 

 not now encourage — I would not assume the responsibility, of recom- 

 mending the measures which I recommended to Secretary Boutwell 

 then. This management of the economical side of the fisheries is, I find, 

 exceedingly complicated, and a couple of Government agents would be 

 entirely iDOwerless to manage it. 



Q. You mean two Government agents would be powerless. — A. Pow- 

 erless to sell the skins and handle'them and make any profitable busi- 

 ness out of them, and sell them at figures at which a private company 

 may sell them in a foreign market. I understand the company has 

 agents at London, and that they have used a great deal of labor and 

 means in pushing the trade. They have been successful in raising the 

 price of the skins in the foreign market to a very considerable extent. 

 I can not state the percentage ; I haven't that, and I do not know what 

 the present prices are in Loudon. 1 find, however, that in my report 

 the prices paid in London for seal skins shipped in 18G7 and 1868 ranged 

 from IG to 30 shillings per skin. 



Q. How much is that in American money ?— A. Dividing by 4, 1 say 

 it is from $4 to 87-i. The average was, therefore, about $5. 



Q. That is, about $5 for seal skins undressed, as they go from the 

 islands ?— A. That is all the expense, the taking and selling them and 

 shipping to London paid. If we take that under the law there is a tax on 

 the skins, the above prices would not pay at all. Now, if the Govern- 



