252 FUR-SKAL FISHERIES 01< ALASKA. 



through the process of salting, they are taken out of the salt-house, as 

 tlie Khij)])ing- is not done until they are killed and ready for sliij)i)ing. 

 Then tiiey are loaded on barges for shipment and brought out to the 

 ship, which runs in about a mile, and brought there by natives anil em 

 I)ioyes of the company. A tally of them is then kept. 



Q. Does the Government officer observe that count also? — A. lie 

 oversees the count and keeps the tally. 



Q. Where are they shipped to? — A. San Francisco. 



Q. Are they again counted there "!—A. They are counted over by the 

 custom-house ofhcer — some inspector of (justoms. 



Q. And the Government tax upon them is there paid?— A. As I un- 

 derstand it, that is the liual count. 



Q. What discrepancies did you observe in your administration be- 

 tween the island and the San Francisco count? — A. Very little. Some 

 seasons there would be very little, not more than one or two bundles; 

 and sometimes it would be as liigh as twenty.' 



Q. Nothing considerable? — A. No, sir. 



Q. How long was your administration? — A. Eight years. 



Q. What was the condition of the natives on the island while you 

 were there? — A. I do not know exactly how to get at that. 



Q. ]Iow did they live and dress? — A. They had comfortable wooden 

 houses, two or three rooms. They were ciapboarded, warm houses, 

 imide as comfortable and warm as possible. They dressed the same as 

 our hiboring people do and some of them much better. 



Q. IJo they wear the same clothes as civilized communities? — A. Yes, 

 sir. 



Q. Have plenty of fuel ?— A. Yes, sir. 



Q. 13y whom was that furnished ? — A. The Alaska Commercial Gom- 

 psiny furnishes 60 tons of coal annually. 



Q. Is that sufUcient to keep them cotnfortable?— A. That is, in addi- 

 tion to the drift-wood; but they are allowed to'buy coal, juovided the 

 company has a supply on hand. 



Q. Did the company always furnish the amount required by law? — 

 A. Yes, sir; they furnished salt and salt salmon. They had more than 

 required, and sometimes several barrels would be left over. 



By Mr. MacdonALD : 



Q. What is their food ?— A. Seal meat. 



Q. IJow about breadstuffs and vegetables 1 — A. They have very few 

 vegetables, and the company serve them Hour and crackers. They use 

 more crackers than flour, rerhaps there are some few families that 

 make bread, but the majority can not bake bread and prefer to buy 

 crackers. 



The Gkairman. The company is required by law, I believe, to fur- 

 nish a stated amount of coal and a certain aujount of salt hsh and keep 

 a s<;hool a certain length of time. Were these conditions always com- 

 l)liedwith? — A. Yes, sir. 



Q. Always ? — A. Yes, sir; school was kept eight months during the 

 year. 



Q. Did they obtain good teachers? — A. Yes, sir; good teachers. 



Q. What was the attendance at school? — A. The iirst season 1 was 

 there there was a very small attendance. There were no instructions 

 there when 1 went there in regard to compelling the peoi)le to send 

 their children to school. They sent them or nrnt as they liked, and some 

 seasons there would not be an average of more than ten out of forty. 

 The course pursued by us was to conq)el the parents of the children to 



