578 INVESTIGATION OF THE FUE-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 



Mr. Clark. Yes. 



The Chairman. Perhaps Mr. Baker asked him to do it. 



Mr. McGuire. He did plenty of them. 



The Chairman. But was not that accompanied by a letter showing 

 that I was asked to send them out ? 



Mr. Clark. Oh, I have no complaint about the three documents. 

 But this was not (indicating) . 



"The Chairman. But they were mailed together with a letter. 



Mr. Clark. Not this document. I never received a copy of this 

 from you. These were mailed to several gentlemen at Stanford 

 University. They brought them in to me. 



The Chairman. I left word here with Mr. Baker, and I did not 

 know the addresses of all these people, but I supposed the documents 

 went out. 



. Mr. Clark. They did. Dr. Jordan received the three documents 

 which you sent, which were Mr. Elliott's original report, his state' 

 ment and then that sheet of tabulations. Both Dr. Jordan and myself 

 received these documents properly in connection with your letter, 

 asking us if we desired to be heard before this committee. 



The Chairman. Where is Dr. Jordan now? 



Mr. Clark. He is in Australia. 



Mr. McGuire. There has been, from time to time, Mr. Clark, not 

 only at this hearing, but at prior hearings, a considerable discussion 

 as to what really caused the decline of the seals prior to 1834. You 

 have discussed it to some extent. Xow, I would like to have your 

 statement as to the real cause of the decline, that is, when they were 

 controlled by the Russian Government.. 



Mr. Clark. The cause of the decline was plainly the killing of 

 adult cows, young females, and pups, both male and female. I 

 brought this out yesterday in the quotations from the record of 

 Veniaminof, the only authority we have on the subject. 



Mr. McGuire. Do you know whether there was any pelagic sealing 

 at that time ( 



Mr. Clark. Xo. sir; there was no pelagic sealing at that time. 



Mr. MoGubbe. But there was a decline in the herd? 



Mi\ Clark. Yes. 



Mr. McGuire. What has been the effect, in your judgment, of the 

 treaty of 1911 stopping pelagic sealing? 



Mr. Clark. The effect has been to remove the cause of decline 

 and to provide adequately for the future recuperation and restora- 

 tion of the fur seal nerd, as evidenced by the fact that the second 

 season of the operation of that treaty shows the herd to have 

 increased in its breeding stock 12^ per cent. 



Mi-. MoGuiRE. In your judgment, then, the seal herd is increasing 

 12^ per cent annually? 



Mr. Clark. Yes. 



Mr. McGuire. Xow, is the suspension of land sealing necessary? 



Mr. Clare:. It is not: 



Mr. McGuire. Is it wasteful, in your judgment? 



Mr. Clark. It is. It wasted S500,000 worth of seal skins this 

 summer. It will waste a somewhat greater number next year, and 

 for each of the four succeeding seasons of the closed time, or about 

 50,000. Then for nine years following that, the law provides for a 

 breeding reserve five times too great. This will waste 36,000 animals 



