FUR SEALS OF ALASKA, 39 
sealing industry has ceased to be as profitable as formerly. Through 
the United States consul at Victoria I have obtained the annual state- 
ment of the Victoria Sealing Company (Limited), which shows that the 
total net profits of the past season were only $19,852 on a capitaliza- 
tion of $500,000, or not quite 4 per cent. 
Mr. Coorrr. What company is that? 
Mr. Hrrceueock. It is the Victoria Sealing Company, of Victoria, 
British Columbia. 
Mr. Coorrr. Where do they operate? 
Mr. Hrrowcocx. They operate practically all the vessels that are 
engaged in pelagic sealing under the Canadian flag. 
The CuarrmMan. We will have to suspend. You can give those fig- 
uresto the reporter. (See p. 57.) [understand that one of the members 
of the House died since the adjournment yesterday and I do not know 
whether there will be an adjournment of the House immediately or 
not. If the House adjourns we might meet this afternoon. 
(Informal discussion followed, and thereupon, at 11.55 o’clock a. m., 
the committee took a recess unti] 2 o’clock p. m.) 
AFTER RECESS. 
The committee reassembled (pursuant to the taking of the recess) at 
2 o’clock p. m., Hon. Sereno E. Payne in the chair. 
Members present: The chairman, Messrs. Dalzell, Grosvenor, Taw- 
ney, McCall, Hill, Boutell, Watson, Williams, and Clark. 
STATEMENT OF MR. J. W. IVEY, OF ALASKA. 
(Hx- Collector of Customs in Alaska.) 
Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, 1 would prefer 
that the reporter be instructed not to take down my remarks, as I am 
here with no set speech. My attention was called to this hearing by a 
newspaper article to the effect that the seal question was being consid- 
ered by this committee. Having heard Senator Faulkner’s remarks 
on this question during the morning session, and being informed that 
Professor Elliott would be heard this afternoon on the same question, 
I thought the committee might be pleased to hear from me from the 
standpoint of an Alaskan resident interested in the preservation of this 
industry. 
The CuarrmMan. Have you any objection to the proposition of the 
Department of Commerce and Labor suggested by Mr. Hitchcock this 
morning ¢ 
Mr. Ivey. No, sir. {heard the statement made by Mr. Hitchcock, 
and while I agree with it in the main, I think it was possibly going a 
little too far. That is, I do not believe such stringent regulations are 
necessary in order to preserve the seal herd. The people of Alaska 
have well-defined ideas on all their industries, but on account of the 
seal herd being away from the mainland of Alaska we have not taken 
as much interest in this question possibly as is the case with many other 
industries. 
I have been a resident of Alaska for about seven years; have trav- 
eled extensively over that country; have visited the seal islands, and 
have made quite a study of the seal question. 
Tagree with Senator Faulkner that the killing of seal by the seal com- 
pany is not what is causing the diminution of the seal herd. I believe 
