Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1892-02-13
SEAL SHRINKAGE.
Special Agent Eiiiott's Alarming Report
The Great Industry Bids Fair to BE
Ruined II the Present Disastrous Meth
DDS of Killing Are Employed

Special Agent Eiiiott's Alarming Report
The Great Industry Bids Fair TO BE
Ruined II the Present Disastrous Meth
DDS of Killing Are Employed.
WASHINGTON, Feb 9--The Behring
sea commissioners, who are now in this
city, will be furnished in a few days
with a very interesting report to be
used as basis for arranging a
settlement OF the long standing con-
troversy. The senate on motion OF
Senator Morgan, recently called on
the United States treasury for certain
information contained in the report OF
Special Agent Elliott. which has been
carefully guarded from the public by
the state department officials for more
than year. Prof. Elliotts report was
submitted to Secretary Window on No
vember /, 1890. and will probably be
sent to the senate during the present
week. The report contains the follow
ing information:
/. That the number Of fur seals on
the breeding ground and rookeries Of
the Pribyloy islands during the season
of 1890 were only 959, 900; while in 1872
"A he found thereon 5000, 900 in round
numb bcrs, decrease since 1872 of more
than two-thirds of the herd.
9. That the number of the killable
seals or young males (which the law
only allows the lessees to slaughter)
was not more than 100, 600 all told, in.
stead OF some l,200,0 as found on
the hauling grounds of these islands in
1872.
3. That such driving on the land
since 1889 and hunting in the water
since 1883 by pelagc sealers were
and are the two factors at work in Gre
ating this remarkable shrinkage of the
herd.
4. That unless the methods Of killing
on land are reformed, and the work OF
pelagic sealing stopped in the waters
of Behring sea and a certain area OF
the North Pacific ocean during the
breeding season of the fur seals, the
ruin OF the fur sealing industry is close
at hand.
s. That therefore all killing for COM
mercinl purposes on land be stopped on
the island permitting, however, the
killing of 5000 or 1000 food seals for
natives only, for seven years from
date and that the pelagic fleet be duly
checked, as above cited, in tho same
time.
6. That unless these checks are o.
once applied to operations both on lant
and in the sea it will be useless to at
tempt to save that herd from ruin BY
enforcing only one OF them.
Z. That in order that the truth o
what he declares to be at once estab
lished a joint commission of British
Russian and American experts be in
vited to visit the seal islands and re
port fairly upon the condition OF al
fairs.
On the strength Of Mr.. Elliotts re
commentators the existing modu
vivendi was adopted and a joint com
mission was appointed 1t visited TIN
islands last summer and its mem
bers are now here, ready to sub
init their view of Mr.. Elliots work
1t is stated that the commission agree
in finding the number of, seals dimin
ished, rs Mr.. Elliott said that the.
were, but that steps necessary to pre-
vent our fur seal herd from destruction
by pelagic fleet which Mr. Elliot
and the American commissioners deem
imperative, are not thought nccessar,
by the British agents, Sir George Ia
den Powell and DR.. Dawson.