FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 253 



send them to school. Tlicn.the average attendance was much greater, 

 because it was a small village and we could control them. 



Q. Did the children seem to learn reasonably? — A. Well, for that 

 class of people. 



Q. Were they taught in the English language? — A. They are taught 

 in English altogether by the company, but at the request of the priests 

 they were allowed to teach Eussian ; that is, outside of the eight mouths' 

 school. 



Q. The eight months' schooling by the company's teachers was in the 

 English language f — A. Yes, sir; and the other time they were taught 

 by the i)riests or some one selected by the priests. 



Q. The company clmrged no rent for the houses '? — A. No, sir. 



Q. Did the company furnish the houvses ? — A. They belong to thecom- 

 ])any, with two or three exceptions. There are two or three houses be- 

 longing to men there. 



Q. Did the natives pay anything for the seal meat they ate ? — A. No, 

 sir; they helped themselves. 



Q. Does the oompauy keep a store there? — A. Yes, sir. 



Q. What sort of rates do they charge natives for what they sell to 

 them ? — A. The intention is to charge 25 per cent. <lifterence on the 

 wholesale i)rice in San Francisco, but provisions and articles of that 

 kind are sold for less than that. Flour has been sold therefor less than 

 it would cost in San Fiancii^co when Hour was high there. 



Q. You satisfied youi self that the company did not extort from the 

 natives? — A. Yes, sir. 



Q. How were the natives paid for the work they doforthe company ? — 

 A. They are paid 40 cents tor every skin they take from a seal. 



Q. Are they paid in money or orders on the store ? — A. In money. 



Q. That would be about 140,0(10 a year, llow many natives are on 

 those two islands ? — A. 1 think on St. Paul therc^ are about 235 Indians 

 when I left there and jierhaps 112 on St. George. That is less than 

 when I v.ent there, as the population has been reduced since I went 

 there by sickness, etc. 



Q. Who gets paid for the killing and skinning of seals? — A. All the 

 l)opu]ation on the islands derive beneiif IVom it in this way: They 

 keei> a record of all the killing that is done, the comi)any agent and 

 superintendent, and at the end of the sealing season a division is made. 

 They keep a record of the amount of work every man does. 



Q. Who keei)s that record ? — A. That record is kept by the company 

 agent and is overlooked and seen every day by the Government agents 

 in regard to what is done. 



Q. Do the natives have any say in that? — A. No, sir; none at all. 

 That system was changed wlien I was there and was done with the 

 sanction of the Government agents there. That is the only system by 

 which they could be dealt with justly. Before that the division was 

 always made by Mie chiefs and i)riests and some of the leading men of 

 the church, and they are very unjust towards each other; the most un- 

 just [)eoi)le towards each other. A few would get all the money if they 

 could and the others would not have any. 



Q. The (Jovernment agents and company agents try, then, to ar- 

 range a just system of compensation ? — A. They changed the system 

 of making <livision so th(^ distribution could be made by the Govern- 

 ment agents, ami this record is kept by the company agent. They 

 keep a record of the work each man does. 



Q. The skinner's work was iiigher? — A. The divi.-^ion is made on 

 merit; just by the work done, The man that did the most work and 



