266 



Mr. Pollock. The feeling— it was before I came abroad and it was 

 also before when it was in the Department of Interior. 



Mr. DiNGELL. Let us understand one thing. I recognize you had 

 nothing to do with the negotiation of the contract or making the judg- 

 ment and you are sent up to defend it and I expect you to do your best 

 and I expect that you are going to tdl us where you got the authority 

 to advertise sealskins. 



Mr. Pollock. We think we have it under the general authority of 

 the chapter to the extent that we increase the amount of money that 

 we get into the fund from the sale proceeds. We have it available for 

 municipal and other purposes. 



Mr. DiNGELL. The statute here is for the conservation and protec- 

 tion of the North Americaji fur seals and not to advertise hides. 



I am waiting for you to tell me the authority. 



The general section gives you general authority to do the things that 

 are specifically enunciated elsewhere and not to do anything else that 



comes to your mind. 



If we are going to take the assimiption that general authority gives 

 you authority to do anything that crosses your mind down there, we 

 might as well close the Congress up and go home and let you do what 

 you have in mind, because we have been enacting general statutes for 

 the freedom of the people and the dignity of the Congress for a long 

 time. 



Mr. Pollock. Mr. Chairman, we were given the authority to operate 

 the program, to administer the program and to the extent that the 

 sales proceeds are increased, then to that extent we have the money 

 available through the natives and for other purposes. 



Mr. DiNGELL. If you gave the natives that one-quarter million dol- 

 lars you blew on advertising, they would have one-quarter million 

 dollars more. 



I will give you authority to submit to us an opinion justifying the 

 advertising for seals, but 1 am going to ask you a different question. 

 How does advertising protect and conserve the fur seals ? 



Mr. Pollock. It does not, and I did not make that statement. 



Mr. DiNGELL. The statute says that is what you are supposed to do. 



Mr. Pollock. We conserv^e these seals under our conservation pro- 

 gram ; and if we harvested the skin and they were not salable, there is 

 no market for them, we could not get the funds for the program to 

 provide for other purposes ; that is, for the natives. 



Mr. DiNGELL. That is an additional whereas and wherefore, but that 

 is not the function of the statute. 



The function of the statute is to conserve the North Pacific fur seal. 

 It is not to advertise seals and not to help the Fouke Co., and it is not 

 really to increase the capital return and the income of the Pribilof 

 Islanders. 



I was in the Congress when we passed that statute. You may have 

 been on the subcommittee at that time, but it was not our intention. 



Mr. Pollock. Mr. Chairman, may I call your attention to title 16, 

 United States Code, section 1154, the authority of the Secretary, and 

 the agreements. 



One portion of that is subparagraph No. 4, utilize such quantities 

 of fur sealskins taken pursuant to this section as the Secretary deems 

 desirable for product development and market promotion. 



