INVESTIGATION OF THE EUE-SEAL INDUSTRY OE ALASKA. 591 



The Chairman. Do you want to proceed in your own way ? 



Mr. Lembket. I would wish, Mr. Chairman, that I might do so as 

 nearly as possible, in my own way. 



Mr. McGuire. Would it not be well before the witness starts his 

 own narration to let the record show who he is and his official po- 

 sition ? 



The Chairman. He may state that, yes. Are you still connected 

 with the Government ? 



Mr. Lembkey. I am no longer connected with the Government. 

 My name is Walter I. Lembkey, formerly agent seal fisheries, under 

 the Department of Commerce, United States Government. 



The Chairman. For how many years were you agent of the Gov- 

 ernment ? 



Mr. Lembkey. I was appointed assistant agent at the seal fisheries 

 in 1899, and agent in 1900. I was agent continuously from 1900 

 until 1913. 



Mr. Stephens. You had been agent of the United States Gov- 

 ernment ? 



Mr. Lembkey. On the Seal Islands, yes. 



Mr. Stephens. On the Pribilof Islands ? 



Mr. Lembkey. Yes. 



The Chairman. When did you leave the service ? 



Mr. Lembkey. My service as agent terminated on the 30th of 

 June, 1913. I was then on the Pribilof Islands, and was continued 

 in the service under a temporary appointment until the 30th of Sep- 

 tember, 1913. 



The Chairman. You may proceed with your statement, Mr. 

 Lembkey. 



Mr. Lembkey. Since the last meeting of the committee was held, at 

 which I attended as a witness, the committee has sent its own agents, 

 Messrs. Elliott and Gallagher, to the Pribilof Islands in Alaska, to 

 report upon the conditions there. These agents, after visiting the 

 islands, have made a joint report, in addition to which Mr. Elliott 

 alone has made a separate report, and both of these reports have been 

 incorporated in the reports of the hearings of this committee. Al- 

 though the Elliott-Gallagher report contains much printed matter 

 already in the hearings, it might be said to consist in the main of a 

 record of their inspection of the rookeries and of the conditions in 

 general on the islands. 



I intend to pass over this joint report without comment, except 

 to say that there is nothing that can be found therein to disprove 

 anything I have said to the committee or in my reports, or to show 

 that any material fact or condition relating to seal life had been sup- 

 pressed or misrepresented by me. I base this assertion upon the 

 fact that the Elliott-Gallagher report fails to disclose anything as a 

 result of their examination bringing into question any statement 

 made by me previous to their examination. 



The report of Mr. Elliott alone consists of little new matter, but 

 mainly or a reiteration of old testimony before the committee with 

 a considerable amount of personal matter inserted. To this purely 



Eersonal matter it is not my purpose to pay attention. There are, 

 owever, in the Elliott report several new charges of a nature per- 

 sonal to myself which, for the purpose of the record, I feel that I am 



