52 FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



because they have done a great deal more than was expected of them 

 by the law. 



Q. What do you think it is proper for a company to do more than 

 the law already requires? — A. Well, humanity as much as anything 

 else, and the further fact that these people are absolutely in their 

 charge ; that is, in regard to their care and comfort. 



Q. Has it not been to their interest to pursue that policy there *? — 

 A. I think so ; I think it is all important to them for this reason : The 

 law says, you know, that no one but those people who live on the islands 

 shall be permitted to do the sealing. Now, as I remarked earlier in my 

 testimony here, the reason why the Alaska Commercial Company found 

 it necessary to take some natives from Oonalaska to go up there and 

 help with this bundling and other work which had not anytbing to do 

 with the sealing business there was because of the fact that there was 

 not a sufficient number of men on the island to do it. If these peoj)le 

 are not taken care of physically and in all other respects by the Alaska 

 comi)any you can easily see that they will soon die off and it will be 

 impossible to take any one to catch seal whicb they are taking now. 

 That is one reason, and I have noticed that the company's agent has 

 always been as anxious and earnest in the suppression of anything in 

 the nature of excess in the habits of these people which would be detri- 

 mental to their interests as the Government agents have themselves. 

 They have been just as anxious and more anxious to suppress it, and 

 there is not a little thing that occurs, even little family jars and difficul- 

 ties, but what always come under the observation of the company's men. 

 They have a sort of guardianship of the people to that extent; and all 

 these little differences are brought before the Treasury agent for settle- 

 ment and in that way every little detail of the people, even tlie care and 

 comfort of the houses, is brought to the attention of the agent, as the 

 Treasury agents are presumed to make them clean in their houses once 

 a week. 



Q. Have the company built better houses for the people than they 

 formerly had 'i — A. Oh, yes ; I referred to that. The company have 

 built nice little cottages to live in. They lived in dug-outs and sod- 

 houses previously. 



i),. Do you recognize these as correct photographs of these dug-outs 

 and the houses that have succeeded them ? — A. There is the original 

 hut that I have had pictured out to me. There is another [referring to 

 a pde of photographs before him]. You can see them at Oonalaska 

 now. At Oonalaska, where the people are dependent upon their efforts 

 for a livelihood, some still live in this kind of houses. 



Q. How are these houses built 1 — A. They are built out of sod, dirt, 

 and grass across on the top, and they are about half in the ground. It 

 is all dirt, regular earth. 



Q. Is there any tire 1 — A. Nothing of the kind. There are some few 

 that have fires, but most of them have not. Some of them are got up 

 in very good shape, and some are in a very beastly condition. 



Q. Will you look over those photographs and see if you recognize the 

 photographs as being correct of the buildings that have since been 

 erectetl there ? — A. Yes, sir ; that is a correct representation of St. 

 George. There is our old cottage [pointing out on photograph]. Yes, 

 sir, these are correct representations of both the people and villages of 

 St. Paul and St. George. 



Q. Now, about the schools; is there a pretty good attendance? Is 

 that a correct representation of the schools and school children? — A. 

 There is a pretty good attendance; but there is one peculiarity of the 



