702 INVESTIGATION OF THE FUE-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 



The Chairman. Do you mean to simply submit an answer to what 

 Mr. Clark has said ? 



Mr. Elliott. That is what I am doing. 



The Chairman. And statements that are not in your report? 



Mr. Elliott. I have not brought this into my statement; this is all 

 new matter. I am not recanting anything I have said in my state- 

 ment. What I say now will be in answer to Mr. Clark and indirectly 

 in .answer to Mr. Lembkey. I want to show you how the yearling 

 seal skins were taken. 



In re taking yearling sealskins in VIOLATION OF LAW AND 

 regulations by the lessees of the seal islands of alaska 

 1896-1909, inclusive. 



The committee has given much time to taking testimony on this 

 point of whether or no the law and regulations governing the taking 

 of seals by the lessees have not been violated, as charged 



The whole question has resolved itself into the correct understand- 

 ing by this committee, of what a yearling seal was as to size. Then, 

 the size being determined, to ascertain the size of its skin when .re- 

 moved from its body, and as sold by the brokers in London, after it 

 has been cured for that sale, on the islands. 



I think I am perfectly right in making that deduction. 



As Secretary Nagel in an official letter declares that he, himself, 

 knows nothing whatever about it; and, that "I am relying upon the 

 advice of experts who have been appointed to inquire and report." 

 (See p. 915, hearing No. 14, 1912.) These "experts" upon whom he 

 relied were duly sworn and examined by the committee. Their 

 testimony is summarized on pages 914-920, hearing No. 14, 1912, 

 and it declares the fact that each and every one of them knew, and 

 knows nothing about the size of a yearling seal, or of its skin as re- 

 moved and cured on the islands. 



This unanimous confession of total ignorance on the part of those 

 "scientists,'' who as Secretary NagePs "advisory board" on fur 

 seal sit vice, and who were named to this committee by the depart- 

 ment, as such was surprising to say the least. (See Summary of 

 testimony on pp. 914-920, hearing No. 14, 1912.) 



The committee then examined the man who as "chief special agent" 

 in charge of the seal islands, had done all the killing ordered by the 

 Government since 1900 to date on the islands. 



The testimony of this man, most unwillingly and reluctantly 

 given, discloses the fact that thousands and tens of thousands of 

 yearling seals have been killed on the seal islands of Alaska. (See 

 pp. 740-776, for the law and regulations : hearing No. 2, 191 1 ; and pp. 

 360-372, 428-429, 434, 442-143, 446-447, hearing No. 9, 1912.) 



This man, and sworn official, W. I. Lembke}', out of his full 13 

 years' experience in directing and supervising personally all the 

 killing of seals on the islands, testifies that the skin of a yearling seal 

 of his own identification as such, measures 36J inches in length. 

 Then he identified 7,733 "small pups" skins sold in London, Decem- 

 ber 16, 1910, as the skins which he had himself taken on the islands 

 in July, 1910. (See pp. 434, 441, 442, 443, hearing No. 9, 1912.) 



Each and every one of these 7,733 ''small pup's" -kins measured 

 lfvss than 34 mches in length: and Mr. Lembkev admitted that this 



