FUR-SEAL FJSHERIES OF ALASKA. 85 



would forget Russian, .autl as they forgot the Russian they would forget 

 tlie precepts and practices of the church, and there would be no one to 

 vsay the pra^'ers, and consequently tliey objected seriously to the chil- 

 dr; 11 being instructed absolutely in the English language. 



ii. The church service is printed entirely in Russian ? — A. Yes. You 

 see how that would operate with them. 



Mr. Felton. It was considered a precious thing by them ? 



The Witness. Yes; and it was met by teaching them both languages. 

 We have an English school and we have a Russian instructor, as it 

 seems desirable to please the elders to get along. 



By the Chairman : 



Q. I believe Mr. Taylor said yesterday, part of the day they were 

 taught English and the remainder of the day was devoted to Russian. — 

 A. Yes, sir; I think it was what he said. 



Q. Will you state what the comjiany does for the poor and aged and 

 iuhrm — the indigent'? — A. All that class of people generally styled 

 paupers are provided for by the company. As the family becomes in- 

 capacitated from laboring by loss of its head or sickness or by anything, 

 whatsoever may be the cause, and if it is carelessness and irregularity 

 and bad habits, an endeavor is made to make the person provide for 

 theuivselves, but they are never allowed to suffer. They are fed, clothed, 

 and housed without charge by the company. No charge is made to any 

 portion of the native population in any way for this service.* 



Q. I understood from Mr. Morgan yesterday there is no charge for 

 seal meat and no charge for fuel ? — A. There is no charge for any nec- 

 essary of life. No charge is made for shelter, for houses, for church, 

 for provisions ; when I say provisions,! mean dried meat, and no charge 

 is made for fuel, which is part of the company's contract. 



Mr. CuMMiNGS. W^hat is the contract? 



The Witness. I think it is about a ton to a family. That is about 

 what is sufihcieut for them through the year. When they were first put 

 into the houses, each house was furnished with a stos^e. If they used 

 up those stoves and burned them out and wanted another, then they 

 furnished one themselves with what they had accumulated. But when 

 they first started we furnished them. I think there is no class of labor- 

 ing men in the United States or anywhere who receive anything like 

 the proportionate compensation that those people receive. Their occu- 

 pation includes perhaps about two and a half months, with about six 

 weeks of actual sealing, and for that those 350 people receive $40,000 

 wages, divided amongst themselves, and their shelter, food, clothing, 

 and care, and medicine, and they are taught in the schools, and the com- 

 pany makes large contributions also to their churcli. 



The Chairman. Are they paid for any other labor they perform ? 



The Witness. For any other labor they perform they are paid at the 

 rate of a dollar per day; but as I said before, they do not like that kind 

 of labor, because they earn so much in the sealing season, and there- 

 fore we have to have supplementary labor. 



By Mr. Jeffries : 

 Q. What did they have tor fuel before the company took charge of 

 them! — A. Not much ; pieces of driftwood — whatever they could pick 

 up. 



By INIr. Cummings : 

 Q. Do you find it necessary at times to make discharges — discharge 

 men who work on the islands i — A. No, sir ; we can not discharge them ; 



