Evening star., 1896-02-24
ALASKA SEAL BILL
Report Of the House Ways and
Means Committee.
A JOINT COMMISSION AUTHORIZED
Failing This All the Seals May Be
Destroyed.
G. A n A d A TN TIT f w "
G A n ADA IN THE WAY

The report Of the ways and means COM
m!ttee on the Alaska seal bill has been
presented to the House by Mr.. Dingley,
and is as follows:
In order to prevent the extermfnat ton
OF fur seals. which will soon take place
unless prompt measures can be taken to
prevent pelagic sealing, this bill authorizes
the President to invite Great Britain, Rus
sia and Japan, or any Of them, to unite
with the United States in the appointment
Of joirt commission to investigate the
present condition and habits Of the fur-seal
herd In the north Pacific ocean and il,
Befing sea, and the method Of slaughtering
the same, with the result of such slaughter
and report what further regulation If
any, are necessary for its preservation, with
view to their adoption and enforcement
py the countries uniting in creating such
commission.
pending this investigation the Presf-
cent Is authorized to conclude a modus
NiVendf with said governments or anv of
them providing for such new or addi-
tional regulations as may be deemed ex
fedient Tor the preserva ton of the fur-seal
herd' salG modus vivendi 10 terminate jan
uary l, 1898.
May Kill All the Seals.
If however, the President finds himself
unable to secure the cooperation of Great I
Britain, especially, in securing the modus
vivendi authorized by this bill, so as 10
protect and p. eseIve tho Alaskan seal herd
lor this years scaling season. then th..
secretary OF the Treasury is authorized to
Islands and to sell tie skins of said seaIs
as ne may elect, and to cover the nrocacdS
into the treasury.
The necessity for this course arises
tloln i the TACT that the Alaskan fur-seal
nerd is being rapidly exterminated bv ne
iagic sealing vessels-mainIy Canadian
Which follow the seal herd as it moves
aions our Pacific coast in the spring and
enter berlng sea at the end of the close
season IN August, when they are free un-
oer the ineffectual regulations adopted by
the Paris tribunal to use the spear-more
deadly than the shotgun-in killing out side
ot the slxty-mile zone the seals that fire.
quent these waters in pursuit of food AS
these seals are mainly females that have
brought forth their young on the Pribilof
islands, the killing of the mother seals re-
suits in the starvation of the young upon
the land and the inevitable rapid extinc-
tion of the fur-seal herd.
ihe rapidity of the decline of the val
uable herd which annually resorts TO the
Pr.bilof Islands OF Alaska, mainly on ac-
count of pelaglc scaling, will be seen when
1t appears that in 1874 this herd numbered
about 4,63,OUO In 1890 the herd had been
reduced to 1,039o00, and at the close of the
season in 1870 to about 1I5,5VO-44, 800 SEALS
mostly females, having been killed during
the last season by pelagic sealers, ard
about 10000 pups having died of starvation
In consequence Of the killing of the mother
seals.
The Decline of the Herd.
"One year ago it was the estimate Of ex-
perts chat If all killing Of seals had been
stopped then it would take five years to
restore it to its former numbers. 1t is
now estimated that if regulations can be
secured before the next season opens the
herd can be restored IN ten years. IT. how
ever, the pelagic sealers are permitted to
avail themselves Of another seasons op-
portunities for slaughter under the inef-
fectual regulations OF the Paris tribunal it
Is believed by experts that the herd will
be SO nearly exterm;nated as to make it
very difficult to restore ii, and that IL
pelagic sealing continues, within five years
not only the Alaskan herd but also the Rus
sian and Japanese herds, will be Well-nigh
eStinguished.
When it is borne in mind that our gov
ernment received almost $4,000, 900 between
1870 and 1880 from the lessees who were
given the exclusive privilege of annually
killing 100000 male seals above one year
Of age, and In 1880, under the new lease,
s269,6I3, but In 1891 only $i6,74J, in 1892
only $25,912, and since 1882 it has received
nothing notwithstanding $,50,0u0 is due)
d
ductfon of rental which awaits determina-
ton by the courts, 1t will be seen that the
treasury is being deprived of very val
liable source of revenue by the operations
Of the pelegic sealers. Not only this, but
the government expended in 1894 about
$450,OOO in vain attempt to prevent the
killing of seals in Bering sea by enforcing
the inefficient regulations Of the Paris tri-
bunal.
"It will be seen, therefore, that unless
Great Britain can be persuaded to unite
with this country in so modifying and
enlarging the regulations adopted by The
Paris tribunal-for Russia and Japan are
ready to join us-the Canadian pclagic seal
ers will. within five years completely ex-
terminate not only the Alaskan, but the
Russian seal herds, and deprive this conn
try Of valuable source of revenue and
the world of a great boon. And mas
much as all these seal skins go to London
to be prepared and dyed, giving cmploy-
ment there to nearly $1,000 persons, even
Great Britain herself will be deprived of a
valuable source of income for her own
people.
Canada Stands in the Way,
1T is believed that 1t is Canada that is
standing in the way and holding back
Great Britain from cooperating with US in
the preservation of the seal herd, and that
when Canada sees that we propose to take
summary measures to end hot only the In
huhdhity 'hat cohSlgnS thousands OF young g
seals to slow starvation, but also the farce
by which we are expending large sums of
money to poHce Bering sea practically to
aid her pelagic sealers in the work of ex-
terminating seals, she will no longer en-
deavor to prevent England from uniting
with us in efficient measures to save the
seal herds to the world
III, however, we fail in this, as we have
failed under present conditions, notwith-
standing We have been urging Great Bri-
tain for more than a year to unite with us
In measures to preserve seal life, then con-
slderations OF mercy as we'll as of economy
and justice demand that we should sion the
further cruel starvation of thousands of
seal pups, by taking what seals are left
and disposing of their skins, and covering
into the treasury the proceeds, which would
probably reach $5,00O,0OO''