The morning call., 1895-02-12
MESSAGE ON SEALING.
Cleveland Answers a Senate
Resolution.
LOGBOOKS NOT AT HAND.
Whatever the President Has He Has
Submitted.
CLAIMS AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT.
The American Commercial Company Makes
a Heavy Loss Because Of the Restrie.
tiOns Upon Taking Seals.

To the Senate: On the 9Th day of January
received copy of the following Senate resolu-
ton:
RESOLVED, That the President be requested, if not
incompatible with the public interest, to communi-
to the Senate all reports documents and other
papers, including the logs of vessels relating TO the
enforcement of the regulations respecting fur seals
adopted by the Governments of the United States
and Great Britain in accordance with decision of
the tribunal of arbitration convened at Paris and
the regulations under which said reports are re-
qured to be made as well relating TO the num-
ber of seals taken during the of 1894 by the
lessees of the Pribylof and the Commander
Islands; also relating to steps which have been
taken to extend the said regulations to the ASiatic
waters of the North Pacific Ocean and Behring Sea
and secure the concurrence of other nations in said
regulations; and further, all papers not here
tofore published, including the communications of
the agent of the United States before the said tri-
buna at Paris, relating to the claims of the British
Government account of the seizure OF sealing
vessels in Behring Sea.
In compliance with said request herewith
tran smit sundry papers, documents and reports
which have been returned TO me by the Secro-
tary OF State Secretary of the Treasury and
Secretary of the Navy, to whom said resolution
was referred. 1 am not in possession of any
further information touching the various sub
jects embodied in such resolution.
It will be seen from the letter of the Secre-
tary of the Navy accompanying the papers and
documents sent from his department that it is
impossible to furnish at this time complete log
books of some of the naval vessels referred to
in the resolution, but l venture to express the
hope that the reports of the commanders of
such vessels herewith submitted will be found
to contain in substance so much of the matter
recorded in the said logbooks rs is important
in answering the inquiries addressed me by the
Senate. GRNEH CLEVELAND.
The message is accompanied by letter
from the Secretary of the Treasury, who
puts the number of seals killed by
pelagic hunters in the North Pacific
and Bering Sea during the season of
1894 at $4,000, and says of this
number about $4,000 were killed in
Bering Sea and on the American side of
the American side of the North Pacific.
He also states that 1908 seals were taken
on the Pribyloff Islands by the North
American Commercial Company. The un-
official figures place the number killed on
the Commander Islands at q, ,2S5.
The Secretary also transmits the. logs
of the Rush. Bear and Corwin in relation
to the enforcement of the Paris tribunal
decision, and closes with the statement
that the papers forwarded constitute all
the reports and documents in the depart
ment which it is deemed compatible with
the interests to transmit to Congress at
this time"
The correspondence includes 129 letters
and kilograms. In a letter of January %
to Sir Julian Pauncefote, after referring to
the seal killing of the year, which was, he
says, unprecedented in the history of
pelagic sealing, Secretary Gresham says:
1t would appear that the vessels engaged in
Bering Sea, although only one-third of the total
number employed in the North Pacific, in four
or five weeks killed 81 ,555 seals, not only
5000 more than were killed in Bering
sea in 1891, the last year the sea was open, but
even more than the total number killed during
the four months OH the American side of the
North Pacific Ocean this season.
This startling increase in the pelagie slaugh-
! ter on both the American and Asiatic herds
has convinced the President and connot fail
to convince her Majesty's Government
! that the regulations enacted by the
Paris tribunal have not operated to protect the
seal herd from that destruction which they
were designed to prevent, and that unless a
speedy change in the regulations be brought
about the extermintion OF the herd must fol-
low. Such a deplorable result must, if posi-
BILE, be avoided.
Mr. Gresham suggests in order to add to
scientific knowledge that a committee be
appointed consisting of one or more
men from each country. He would
have the committee visit the Asiatic
side of the North Pacific and
report, among other things, upon the
proper measures needed to regulate seal
ing so as to protect the herd from destruc-
ton and permit it to increase in such
manner as to permanently furnish an an
nual supply of skins
He adds that he is directed by the Presi-
dent to propose such a commission, and he
also submits terms of modus vivendi to
/ be observed during the commissions de-
| liberations as follows:
That the regulations in force be extended
along the line of the 35th degree of north
| latitude, from the American to the Asiatic
shore, and be enforced during the coming
season in the whole of the Pacific Ocean
and waters north of that line.
Furthermore, that sealing in Bering Sea
be absolutely prohibited pending the report
of such commission. He suggests the ne
cessity of speedy action.
Secretary Carlisle sent to the House
| a reply to the resolution introduced by
Representative McMillin of Tennessee,
calling for infoEmation upon the Beriug
| Sea claims and the expenses of the Govern
ment of Samoa. Much Information has
| been contained in q statement recently
made. The Secretary says the Alaska
Commercial Company pays $685. 600 per an
nun in addition to the regular charges on
its catches for the privilege of sealing, and
that the American Commercial Company
has made claim for 100000 against the
Government by reason of its loss by the
restrictions placed upon sealing.
The United States has paid out, accord
ing to the statement of the Secretary of
State, $71, AGO, under the agreement, for the
Government of Samoa.
nnIrinE Am nITIIMlN GlnO