156 FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



fort and happiness. In otlier words, they are not treated by the com- 

 pany as employes in the States are treated. They are treated with too 

 much consideration and deference. They have never been accustomed 

 to such treatment. 



Q. What does the company do in excess? You say they do more 

 than the contract and the hiw requires. What does the contract re- 

 quire?— A. The law requires that they shall furnish these natives with 

 a maintenance. It does not require that the company shall pay them 

 40 cents per skin, but that they shall furnish them with a mainte- 

 nance. 



Q. You mean for kdling and skinning seals ? — A. Yes, sir ; for kill- 

 ing and skinning seals the natives every year receive $40,000. They 

 can not spend it all in their maintenance. It is not necessary ; $20,000 

 would be ample each year. The company also carries them around on 

 their vessels from island to island free. 



Q. Are the natives not capable of purchasing and owning property 

 and estates, if such were accessible ? — A. Some few are ; very few. 



Q. Is there any property on the island that they might buy ? — A. 

 There is property on the island, but they could not raise anything on 

 it ; absolutely nothing. 



Q. Can they use money in business in any way ? — A. 1:^0, sir. They 

 can not raise anything on the island. It will not produce anything, ex- 

 cept grass. They have attempted to raise vegetables, such as potatoes, 

 and they never grew larger than the size of marbles. It is impossible 

 to raise anything on those islands. The natives were expected, under 

 their contract, to do all the work for the 40 cents per skin pertaining to 

 the business. 



Q. The law forbids the company to employ other than natives'? — A. 

 Yes, sir ; but the company have of late years brought from Oonalaska a 

 considerable number of men — thirty or forty. 



Q. Natives?— A. Yes, sir,- natives of Oonalaska, and employed them 

 on the islands to do the rough work, paying them extra from $30 to $40 

 per month each. They do almost half of the work. They do all of the 

 drudgery upon these islands, such as salting skins, loading boats, load- 

 ing and discharging cargo, and work on the seal fields. The Oonalaska 

 natives are paid extra by the company, whilst the island natives receive 

 the full sum of $40,000 each year. It is this indulgence that the com- 

 pany has granted these island natives that I most complain of. I think 

 that they ought to be required by the company to do all the work. They 

 are paid for it, and they should do it, instead of bringing other men 

 there. Of course, by death, the natives on the islands have been largely 

 reduced, and as the company is anxious to get its catch within the time 

 allowed by law, they employ extra help; they must get their quota 

 before the 15th of August, because then the skins become stagey ; so 

 that, in order to facilitate matters, they have adopted this plan of bring- 

 ing natives from Oonalaska to help do the work. 



Q. The natives are unwilling to do it? — A. They will be now. They 

 will growl like everything if they are ever compelled to do it all. 



Q. The natives are glad to be relieved from that rough work ? — A. Of 

 course. 



Q. All they do is to kill seals? — A. All the natives do is to drive, 

 kill, and skin the seals. They knock the seals in the head, stick, flip- 

 per, and skin them, and help to salt them iu the salt-houses. They do 

 not bundle or do any of the outside rough work. They are called on to 

 salt skins in the salt-houses, and some of them think that a hardship. 

 It only takes about an hour each day to salt the day's killing. 



