178 INVESTIGATION OF THE EUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA.. 



PROFITS OP THE NORTH AMERIACN COMMERCIAL CO., OF SAN FRANCISCO. 



(Second lease.) 



1890-1910 (20 years): Total catch, 343,365 seals. With the exception of the sea- 

 sons of 1894-1898, inclusive, the average price has been $28 per skin; the highest 

 average was in 1890, when it went to $36.50 (due to all "prime skins"), and the low- 

 est was in 1897, when it fell to $15.50; the last sale, 1909, was $30 and made up of 

 ""small pup" or "eyeplaster" skins chiefly. 



This record of the second lease declares that its aggregated catch of 



343,365 skins sold in London for $9, 614, 222. 00 



JFrom this gross sum total the cost of each skin at $13.45 for tax, rental, 

 and other incidental charges must be subtracted, or the sum of 4, 637, 646. 00 



Declaring a net profit of 4, 976, 574. 00 



Profit of the United States Government from this work of the lessees 

 as stated above, derived from said catch of 343,365 seals, each skin 

 paying a tax, rental, and bonus of $10.22 3,509,190.30 



3Less cost of patrol, supervision, and protection of this seal herd from 

 1889 to May 1, 1910, 20 years, at an average cost from start to finish of 

 $250,000 annually 5, 000, 000. 00 



Declaring a net loss of 1, 491, 809. 70 



This in brief is the loss fairly and conservatively stated, which the 

 Public Treasury has suffered by the mismanagement of our fur seal 

 herd of Alaska since 1890-91 to date: 



I have this to say anent that remarkable combination which has 

 been made in Washington, on the seal islands, and elsewhere to loot 

 and ruin this fine public property. 



Whenever facts were courteously given to Secretary Nagel and his 

 associates, these men either denounced the action as an "imperti- 

 nence" and "meddlesome" or ignored them. 



Of course this is the natural result of a partnership between the 

 Government and private business interests. Such a partnership is a 

 close corporation, into which no one else has a right to intrude. 



To oppose the wishes of this combination, to question the facts 

 upon which it relies, to suggest that any others, or the people have 

 any rights that ought to be considered, even to seek for information 

 outside this circle of the interests involved by the lease, all this was 

 very "tiresome" and "impertinent." 



The men on the inside, Liebes, Mills, Jordan, Elkins, Clark, Lernb- 

 key, Bowers, et al., had made up their minds that certain things must 

 be true, and all they wanted was that "evidence" which "proved" 

 their theory; they furnished the "evidence." 



They did not want the truth as it actually exists, but the "truth" 

 •only in so far as it conformed to their preconceived ideas of what it 

 .should be. 



With the foregoing statements carefully made, I now desire to 

 •submit the several items of fact which bear directly on the effect of 

 killing yearling seals as has been done by the lessees and our own 

 agents and others, upon the life of the fur-seal herd, and this show- 

 ing I arrange as 



