218 FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



Mr, Macdonald. Is that letter addressed to Mr. Tingle ? — A. Yes, 

 sir. 



By the Chairman: 



Q. Mr. Ryan, did you observe that spirituous liquors were carried 

 there aud delivered to the natives iu violation of tbe hiw — intoxicating 

 liquors! — A. No, sir. The Alaska Commercial Company has liquor in 

 its drag- store bnt sparingly; they give a small quantity of it to the 

 natives as medicine. If they have given it otherwise while I was there 

 1 did not see it, except on one occasion the chief was made drunk by 

 Dr. Lutz and one Clark, by giving him Perry Davis's pain killer re- 

 duced with water. They had a little work there aud he went into the 

 seal house and lai<l down ; but in that case I overlooked it. That isthe 

 first sign of Jiquor I saw in the thirteen months. Once I i)ermitted the 

 chief and the i)riest, and the chief's danghters, and the priest's daugh- 

 ter to go to a revenue cutter commanded by Captain Abbey. When they 

 returned the chief gave some signs of being in liquor. That is all the 

 signs of liquor that I know of by drunkenness on the island except 

 myself. I have been ac(;usedof being drunk, as I am informed 



Mr. Jeffries. We have heard nothing of that kind here. — A. Well, 

 I was giving the whole history. I was <lismissed the service on account 

 of being drunk, as reported by Tom Morgan, of the company, and one 

 Dr. Lutz. It is an absolute lie, and I would like for the committee to 

 hear my statement. 



The Chairman. That is not the question we are investigating. 



Mr. Jeffries. I do not think we have ever heard of that before. 



The Chairman. No, I do not think I have ever heard of it. I want 

 to assure you that you are not under investigation in this matter. 



The W^iTNESS. I was out at the rookery one day with Mr. Morgan, 

 and came in and took a drink on an empty stomach. They wanted to 

 build a house under the clift, and the men would not go there. I laughed 

 and said to him afterwards that I must have been drunk on that one 

 drink. That is the ouly drink taken by me while on the island that 

 could be construed into drunkenness. 



By the Chairman : 



Q. How does the company pay the natives for their work ? — A. They 

 pay them 40 cents a skin and for all extra work that is done, as well as 

 bringing the provisions to shore belonging to the comj^any and for 

 improving the company's i)roperty or anything that is done for the com- 

 pany, which cover the amount of $500 or $000 a year to the people of 

 St. George; I do not know exactly the amount, but they always have 

 some little for them to do even in the winter, in getting ready for the 

 spring, and they treat them well in that way. 



Q. They are well paid for their work "^ — A.. Yes; they draw those 

 wages. They furnish them coal free, free rent, free doctors, free schools, 

 free fish. They get so much salmon and coal and schooling by law and 

 contract. 



Q. The doctor and the medicine and so on is a voluntary act on the 

 part of the company? — A. I think so. 



Q. Did you make any observations of the conditions of the natives 

 through parts of Alaska so as to enable you to make a comparison be- 

 tween those on the island and those in the other parts of Alaska? — 

 A. Only at Oonalaska. Some of the Oonalaska natives are brought up 

 to help in the sealing season, and being at Oonalaska a few days I had 

 formed an opijiion as to the people. 



Q. What was your judgment as to that ? — A. In appearance, I think, 



