The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-17

decrease as perceptibly since the cavern
.ment has entirely stopped the slaughter OF
the animals on shore, and in spite Of the
! fact that there is a goodly crop of young
two-year-olds coming along, tine bare ap-
! pearance OF the breeding grounds agd the
comparatively small quantities OF cows In
each herd. is still subject Of grave anxiety
to those whose interests lie in the perpetu-
alton of the species. Restriction in Killing
on the Islands is, Of course, necessary az
this juncture. but there are evils connected
with this remedy which are apparent even
TO one not student of the problet.l. In
the hrst place, the stopping OF Ellllng
seals entirely on the islands by enhancing
the value of the skins in the market
tends directly to make the killing oE seals
at sea more remunerative and hence en-
cages the attention of a greater NUM- Der OF
men anxious to make money IN anE way
possible. Second. from humanitarian
point OF view, 1t is not right or just 10 the
natives OF these islands, who are really the
wards of the nation, TO deprive them OF
their only means of support. Whea seals
are killed the natives do all of the work
and are paid for it, and in no other way IS
1t possible for them TO earn dollar. 1t
must be clear to any thinking person
that either these people must be kept en-
pioyed or That the government must pro-
vide them with the means of living The
tremendous growth of the sealing fleet
from five or six in number 10 over 125 ves-
sells in the course of six years IS the
most alarming feature of the whole BUSH
ness, and many people think that the in.
crease in the number of vessels put in
commission as sealers would not have been
nearly so great had not the government
stopped the killing of seals entirely on the
Islands. From the state of the rookeries
today it Is believed by those whose bust
ness 1t is to know that it would
do no harm to take at least
10000 skins and perhaps even 49,
900 skins in 1898. Furthermore, should
this number be allowed it would probably
deter any other vessels from becoming
sealers, as it certainly will not pay any
one party to venture his capital where the
competition is SO great and the chances of
failure so many.
The work of gathering data regarding
the migratory habits of the seals has been
most exclusively performed by the
steamers Rush, Albatross and Corwiii since
last April, and mass of new and valuable
evidence has been gathered as to the evils
OF pelagic sealing, which will be of great
assistance to the American commission
when the case comes to trial before the
board OF arbitrators. The reports IF the
work of these vessels is not yet pu0licly
known, but enough has been learned to
make it fair TO bel eve that when the EVIL
dence gathered by experts in these vessels
is laid before the board, there will ne no
difficulty in obtaining an international
agreement for closed season not Only in
Boring sea, but also in the North Pacific
ocean. For there can be no doubs now
but that the ruthless destruction os the
gravid female seals along the coast OF Ore
gon, Washington and Vancouver Island IS
what has caused the frightful elimination
almost the extinction-of seal lie in
our northern rookeries.