The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-08-17
sEALERs DIsGRUNTLED.
They Say Bering Sea is Effectively
~ :. Closed Against Them.

SAOcNa IN hSihs
= VICTORIA, Aug. 16.---It would be hard to
find a more disgusted set of men than the
Victoria sealers. They hope that fuller
:: details sof the decision Of the arbitrator
Will change the aspect of affairs.
Captain j.: e.. Cox. president. of the
:. Sealers' Ass ociation, said this morning:
81 believe we should await the complete
details before expressing ourselves. 9. As
::the case now stands our, business is de-
!. stroyed:; and: there will. be many cheap
pleasure yachts ::for sale this fall. Isup-
pose we will :. be. UNIDENTIFIED for actual
seizures, but that point is not touched. 1t
seems. that mo, mention is made of the
Pribyloff Islands and what the American
company willbe allie wed to do. The mar
ket for this years skins should be high"
Mr. MuDsie, another sealer, thinks it
peculiar that no, mention is made of the
Pribyloff: Islands or what the Americans
shall be allowed to do there. The present
company has twenty years lease, granted
three years ago: the number of seals
which may betaken TO be regulated by the
Government. IL" e.
.."Letus send Thompson and. Upper a
telegram congratulating: them: on destroy
ing the sealing industry and requesting
them to stay.o of Canada" suggested a
third sealing man. ?
II note, said another gentleman. "that
our representatives at Paris are congratu-
lating everybody and everybody is con-
graduating them. Have they actually
made themselves believe: that they have
won or haVs*they not yet found out that
they have been fooled by the smart
Yankees ?'' ::
The proposition to place the sealing
sehooners under the flag of some nation
which is not a party to the Paris
agreement has again been revived. 1t is
believed that nc: other nation will agree to
closing up the Pacific, and if that is left
open the sealers will be satisfied. 1t is
stated that the French Consul, Snowden,
will be asked to get an expression of
opinion from his Government on the sub
Meet
The Victoria Times says: The fact
that the neutral arbitrators went further
in the matter of .prohibitory regulations
than the American authorities yentured to
hope is cause for surprise. Still it is not
difficult to imagine the method by which
this result was arrived at. The arbitra-
tors found themselves obliged to reject
the American claim of jurisdiction and
right of property in the seals and simply
conceded severe regulations as a COM
promise. 1t IL possible that they did not
know how severe were the regulations.
Those in Charge of the Canadian case
felt sure that the award would 90 to Great
Britain on the question of American juris-
diction and control, but were afraid that
the regulations would be made very strin-
gent as a consolation TO the other side.
Theresult is worse than they anticipated.
Not only will Boring Sea be as effectualIy
closed to sealers as under the present
modus vivendi. but the close season will
shorten operations on the Pacific.
The Colonist says: British Columbia
sealers object that so far as the present
information goes they are likely to be
sufferers. not by the decision upon the
five points that were submitted fer de-
cision. but en- account of the regulations
adopted by the tribunal Tor the carrying
on of the sealing industry, which regula-
tions as effectively close the sea as If there
had been an actual recognition Of the
claims of the Americans to jurisdiction.
When the full decision is published, or
when further information is obtained, a
more correct conclusion can be arrived at.