INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 801 



Mr. McGuire. And the skins that did not have enough blubber- 



Mr. Elliott (interposing). Oh, no skin failed to have enough. 

 Most of them had too much. 



Mr. McGuire. Well, I meant they had too much- 



Mr. Elliott. Yes, sir ; the little skins had too much. 



Mr. McGuire. Do you know how the Government came to sell 

 those skins ? 



Mr. Elliott. Oh, yes. They were selling them by the agency of 

 reputable people, in London first and St. Louis last, in so far as I 

 know, up to this hour. 



Mr. McGuire. Yesterday I sent a telegram to Funsten Bros. & Co., 



St. Louis, making inquiry as to whether the skins which were taken 



from the Pribilof Islands by the agents of the Government of the 



United States in 1913 and sold in St. Louis were properly skinned and 



properly treated, this being the firm that handled the skins for the 



Government and sold them for the Government. I received this reply 



on my desk this morning: 



St. Louis, Mo., March 13. 

 Hon. Bird McGuire, 



House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. 



Telegram received. Alaska sealskins handled by us for United States Government 

 last December did not have enough blubber left on the skins. This was the only- 

 criticism made by the buyers in connection with the shipment and sale. They were 

 otherwise properly skinned, properly salted, and bundled for shipment. 



Funsten Bros. & Co. 



The Chairman. Does that refer to the 400 or the other skins ? 



Mr. McGuire. It refers to all the skins. 



The Chairman. The reason I am asking that question is this: I 

 have asked them to let those 400 skins remain intact. 



Mr. Patton. I understand that Mr. Elliott makes the claim that 

 all skins that were taken up there were too heavily blubbered. 



Mr. Elliott. Oh, no; most all of the little skins. 



Mr. McGuire. But here is the point : Mr. Elliott has just now stated 

 in his testimony that those 400 skins represented the killing of the 

 day before he reached the islands, and that they were killed and 

 skinned in the usual way. 



Mr. Elliott. Yes. 



Mr. McGuire. With the usual amount of blubber? 



Mr. Elliott. Yes. 



The Chairman. These 400? 



Mr. McGuire. And those 400 represented one day's kill ? 



Mr. Elliott. Yes. 



Mr. McGuire. Now, then, if all the other skins were like these 

 400, then all the others were like those handled by Funston Bros. 

 & Co.? 



Mr. Elliott. Yes; that is a fair presumption. 



The Chairman. No, but the thing I want to know is whether 

 they themselves opened those skins? 



Mr. Elliott. No ; they have not. 



The Chairman. Whether they have opened those cask skins or 

 whatever you call them, and examined these 400 skins? 



Mr. Elliott. I want to answer him right there, because I can 

 clear this up in a minute. 



The Chairman. One moment. 



53490—14 51 



