The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-04-12
SEAL FISHERIES.
THAT WIRE
RECENTLY MADE.
Earnest Effort VIII Probably Be
Made to End the Present Unsat-
isfactory State of Affairs, or at
Least Prevent the Situation From
Growing More Serious.

Washington, April if--The recent ap-
pointment of ex-Secretary Foster and ex-
Assistant Secretary HamIin by the presi-
dent to assist in the negotiations now in
/ progress with Great Britain respecting
J the Bering sea seal fisheries is indicative
that this long-standing diplomatic issue
/ has at last assumed grave Importance,
and that an earnest effort is to be made
! TO end the present unsatisfactory state
/ Of affairs, or TO place the subject on such
a footing, before the beginning of the
approaching open season. as will prevent
1t from passing into more serious phase.
The diplomatic correspondence of the
past year makes it evident that a severe
strain was placed upon the patience of
the officials OF both the United States and
Great Britain. and the warning given
quietly yet firmly. by the British premier
that further proceedings by the Amer
lean revenue cutters in the line of last
years programme would not be tolerated.
! and the intimation from Secretary Olney
! that there would be no change unless adj
dit5Onal restrictions were imposed upon
the British sealing vessels hold out latent
possibilities of a serious ENHANCEMENT of
the TWO friendly powers unless some ar
rangement can be made before the end
of May For the reason that eX-Secretary
Foster was familiar with the early stage
of the negotiations leading up to the
Paris arbitration. while TO eX-ASSiStant
Secretary Hamlin is due to a large meas
ure the credit for the conduct of the ne
godations of the last administration on
this subject. they have been chosen to
assist. now. in composing this threatened
difficulty.
The trouble appears to have begun
principally through the refusal of the
British TO renew last year the regulations
requiring British vessels going into the
seal waters TO place their firearms under
seal. TO give effect 10 the Paris regulation
prohibiting the use of such weapons in
killing seals. This regulation was laid
down on evidence that a large proportion
of the seals killed with guns sank and
were never recovered. involving wasteful
mortality. The British having refused to
seal UP their arms. the United States gov
eminent adopted the plan of making a
most thorough search of every sealing
vessel in Boring sea There was juStihca-
ton for a search in the regulations. but
again the British government protested.
claiming that British vessels were there
by subjected TO unnecessary and most
vexatiouS detentionS and that their
catches were overhauled and thrown into
confusion. and that the only result was
the discovery of one skin in which the
American boarding officer thought he
saw Q shot wound and a log-book few
days in arrears in entries. Yet for this
&c out of % British vessels in the seal
waters We're searched 3 times one vessel
being boarded six times in a days.
Secretary Olney on the other hand justi- |
fed the course of the revenue officers by |
pointing out that all of the three seized /
He also gave some startling figures to !
show the need of additional restrictive |
regulations which he invited the British !
government to accept.
From actual counts he showed that in |
1895 no less than $4,000 dead seal pups |
were tou-d on seal islands. which had /
persisted from starvation, because their |
mothers had been killed while at sea by |
sealing vessels.
Also It was stated that in the same |
season the vessels had taken a. 1859 skins !
as against 31.5S5 in the previous year. and |
Secretary Olney asserted that if the kill |
ing was to go on at this rate, the total |
destruction of the seal herd would be
accomplished in the course of about two |
more seasons.
To make the showing worse from our
point of view, ii was stated that the |
lawful catch of the seal islands had |
largely fallen off. Efforts were made to
devise way of ensuring the seal against |
the use of firearms by poachers. but they
came to nothing. and the upshot was that
both sides stood firm. the British warn
ing against further indiscriminate search
Of British vessels. and Secretary Olney'S
on our right to make it.
Meanwhile an expert commission sent
out by both governments made an ex-
haustive report tending TO sustain Sec
rotary Olney's assertions regarding the
probable determination of the seals I'M
der present conditions, and it must be
upon this basis that negotiations will
now proceed.