586 INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 



Mr. Clark. I showed in the skins I brought to your attention 

 yesterday that you could not depend on that, because an animal 

 weighing 105 pounds in one instance had a skin but little bigger, 

 42^- by 25-J inches, than one weighing only 52 pounds, 40 by 24^. 

 In other words, an animal of clear sinew and muscle might weigh 

 more than a fat, plump animal, because the blubber — ■ — 



Mr. Stephens (interposing). That would be an exceptional case, 

 But take the killing throughout, do you not think there could be 

 some rule established ? 



Mr. Clark. That is what I tried to do. If I had been allowed or 

 had an opportunity to kill 200 yearlings last fall I would have brought 

 some of this data, but I did not find the yearlings ? 



Mr. Stephens. You think it would be very hard to distinguish 

 between a yearling and a 2-year-old — that is your idea? 



Mr. Clark. Yes; that is my idea. I want, of coiuse, to call to 

 your mind the fact that I showed that the 2-year-old that was born 

 about the middle of June had a great start over one that was born 

 the middle of July and that that start kept them apart in size. As 

 a result jou would find a 2-year-old that was pretty big and another 

 one that was pretty small. It is the small 2-year-old and the big 

 yearling that are hard to distinguish ; not the big 2-yeai-old and the 

 little yearling; those could be easily distinguished. It is different 

 with the big yearling and the little 2-year-old. 



Mr. Stephens. Form your evidence I gather that you are in favor 

 of killing the seals to a certain extent ? 



Mr. Clark. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Stephens. Suppose they should be killed, who would be ben- 

 efited — the United States Government? 



Mr. Clark. The United States Government would receive all of 

 the money. Instead of receiving $10 per skin as under the last lease, 

 the Government would receive the full piice which the skins bring in 

 the market. 



Mir. Stephens. Have you recommended that the islands be leased 

 and that these animals be killed? In your report did you mention 

 that? 



Mr. Clark. I have not. I made a recommendation, first, that 

 there be an interregnum, a peiiod in which we could determine about 

 pelagic sealing, leaving it open for the Government to re-lease if it 

 wanted to, but I did insist that any leasing company should be shut 

 out of all privileges excerpt those of taking and curing the skins, that 

 is, that it should not have any control over the killing. 



The Chairman. You spoke about the lessees paying $10 a skin under 

 the former lease. The skins in the London market brought as high 

 as $50 and oA'er, did they not ? 



Mr. Clark. I know nothing about what the skins brought in London 

 during the company's time, but I have in mind the fact that press 

 dispatches, coming to me in California, as to the recent sale of skins 

 in St. Louis, stated they brought as high as $52 a skin. 



The Chairman. So the Government was really in a bad business 

 enterprise when it got only S10 and the skins brought as high as S50 

 and S60? 



Mr. Clark. Well, that was according to the contract. 



The Chairman. I know: but it was a bad business venture, was it 

 not? 



