St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-10
WILL BE EXPENSIVE.
The Lease of the Islands OF
st. George and St. Paul
Just Made
By the Treasury Department
Will Put an End to Cheap
FupS.

The seal-fshing privileges OF the IS
ands of st. George and st. Paul, off the
coast of Alaska, which has just been let
by the treasury department for a term
OF twenty years, are of greater COM
mercial Importance than appears on the
surface. This is subject which should,
and will when its true bearing becomes
known, attract the attention and excite
the interest of every civilized woman in
the world.
"Why, under the terms of the lease,
the award of which has just been made
In Washington, the price of sealskin
garments will go up from 100 to 500 per
cent" said an ex.treasury agent who
knows all about the seal fisheries. This
gentleman. who four years ago repre-.
sented the government on the seal
isl ands, Is on his way from Wash.
ington to Puget Sound on a tour
of timber inspection, and is stay
Ing for day or two at the Grand Pa
citic. IL was much interested in those
bids" he remarked, "for the reason
that all the bidders offered the govern
ment more than three times the revenue
for the privileges that the old Alaska
Commercial company has been paying
for twenty years past. The old COM
pany itself offered what it declared
would be practical revenue to the gov
ernment of S875.000 year. 1t has been
paying for twenty years about 5000
Part of this revenue, however, is to
come to the government in the shape Of
benefits to the Aleut Indians and i'll
maintaining whdrVes, schools and i'm
prOvements on the islands.
But" continued the treasury man,
''as said before, the chief interest thai
the ladies will feel in the new lease will
be that it will add from Sc to 81 to tho
cost of every sealskin before it goes to
London to be dyed. Again. the annual
supply will be cut down from 100000
skins to 10000, and dealers will at once
take advantage of that to raise the cry
of sealskin famine and so the skins
may have as a result or all this $40 add
ed to their cost before they get into
the hands of the furriers. The present
lease of the islands calls for $4,000 a
year rental and 81 a skin. This Is equiv.
alent to about $3.50 d skin. The new
leaSa, with the added royalty on rent al
and reduction of The catch, will bring
up the amount to be paid to the govern
ment to about Sl4.50 skin. And who
will pay that difference? Why, the
beautiful wearers of the beautiful fur,
Of course. 1t takes from four to six
skins for an ordinary sealskin sack, and
so any lady can figure out herself that
she will have to pay in the near future
from $50 to Sl25 more for garment than
she has been paying in the past. The
sealskin question, can tell you, is one
well worth thinking about"
The above is taken from a recent
issue of the Chicago Herald, and should
command the close attention of every
lady who cOntemplates purchasing a
seal sacque the coming winter. 1t is
true, word for word, and comes from an
unquestioned authority. Next winter
you will indeed think that the beauti-
full seal sacque is a luxury TO be in
obliged in by people with plethOric
purses only, and you will regret not
having taken advantage of tine many
opportunities you have had while furS
were cheap.
We have over $50 elegant seal sacques
and jackets now in stock that were
bought at very close prices last year,
that will help solve the problem of eX-
pensive furs as long as they will last.
The prices we are asking for them are
at least % per cent less than we eX-
pected to get for them early last win
ter. and we would rather sell them now
at small profit than carry them over.
We have some elegant sacques in
small sizes for Sl25 that are snap IL
they will fit you. They are excellent
value for S175.
You can wear a seal garment with
much comfort for two months vet, and
you will be sensible if you buy now and
take advantage Of Present prices.