The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-08-03
Pelagic Hunters Kill the Mothers and
Young Are Left to Starve
determination Will Follow
Its Continuance.
Unpaid Claims Of Canadians Whose Vessels
Were Seized Are Excessive

of San Francisco, one Of the principal
Commercial company. In regard to the
seal controversy, which Is now receiving
90 much attention. Mr.. Liebes says:
II and my colleagues OF the North
American Commercial company entirely
disclaim any desire for measures made
lin the interests of one nationality and
against the interests Of the other, and
we do not and never have suggested
that the English government should
surrender the exercise of lucrative In
dustry without receiving an equivalent
merely in order to increase our actual
and prospective profits.
''Pelagic sealing Is open to ourselves
and to the whole world. and speaking
for myself (and am sure / should have
the cooperation OF my colleagues) /
shall be perfectly willing to concur In
any reasonable arrangement with our
own and also with the British govern
ment with a view to (either entirely or
at any rate for given number Of years)
discontinuing the killing OF seals upon
the islands In question. as also all pelagic
sealing, and would do this not because
the killing OF young bachelor seals as
conducted upon the Pribyloff islands in
any way endangers the propagation and
existence Of the seal (because am sure
1t does noD, but simply to assist In bring
ing about an arrangement for the sus-
pension OF pelagic sealing In order to
avoid what am absolutely satisfied will
otherwise very shortly come to pass, viz:
1.-THE entire determination Of the seal
Rrnv t1,oxx to,.. H. n
because 1 will not share the RESPONSE
bility Of those who. by allowing the pres
ent barbarous system to be continued.
are rapidly destroying in a very cruel
way very valuable industry.
II am In a position to prove conclusive
1y that Of the seals caught by the pelagic
sealers at least 80 per cent are females
and the remaining 20 per cent are mostly
pups, in which the sex Is not distinguish
able after the skins are removed from
the body. AS have said the skins all
come to London to be dressed, and there
is not the slightest difficulty in determin-
ing the sex Of the adult seal from the
skins, an inspection Of them would con-
vince all who saw them.
Tho Males Escape.
''The males are much more active than
the females, who are all heavily encum-
bered and float at the top Of the water
and are unable to escape SO rapidly as
the males.
Professor Thompson, in his report
gives the number Of vessels and the
number OF people employed in the catch
for the year 1896. There were, accord
ing to this report, 65 vessels employed in
the work, having in the aggregate crews
of 800 white men and $50 Indians, or 1913
in all.
"The skins of the seals when caught
are packed by the crews of the ships and
forwarded Immediately to London for
sails.
Where, may ask. are the 5000 Cana
dians to whom Sir l.. II. Davies alludes
as being dependent on the industry. un-
less they be the shareholders OF the COM
panies owning the various vessels and
which shareholders certainly during the
last three OF four years never saw, as
the result Of seal fishing. q penny divi-
dend, as their skins the last few years
not being sos. pc rskin, and II certainly
cost them 40s. to catch them and in some
Instances much more.
During the last seven years our COM
pany (the so-called great monopolists)
have killed only about $1,000 seals per
annum, and the average price received
for the skins In London were certainly
under f5 per skin gross-last years
catch only brought C 1cd. per skin-and
inasmuch as the skins cost us over G
each. to say nothing Of our invested
capital. you will see the monopoly is not
very large, and had we invested our
money in government bonds we should
have done better
"A great deal has been said about the
Americans not paying compensation to
the owners of the vessels seized In the
years 1sS6-7-9 and 1890, a list of which
vessels is set forth in the award. The
Partisan arbitrators, by their award,
did not assess and damages, but left
that matter open for further negotiation
between the two governments. The
owners OF the vessels seized were
promptly asked to send in their claims,
aGui did so.
"All the merchants who had pure
the pelagic seal catches from the ships
which had not been seized by the United
States government during the years
mentioned In the arbitrator award were
asked to give evidence before the COM
mittce Of the prices paid to the ship
owners for the seals caught during those
bears, and II appeared that the claims
made on behalf OF the vessels seized were
excessive. both in quantity and price.
The numbers claimed were consider
ably In excess Of the largest catch on
any OF the others vessels. and the prices
asked were certainly double the prices
obtained by any or the other vessels not
seized.
Every effort In being made by the
commission appointed for the purpose
for assessing the compensation I'm Bri
fish Columbia, consisting OF the. chief
Justice Of Canada and n Judge OF the
United States. and who are now sitting
there 10 come to n conclusion upon the
point. Whatever compensation Is
awarded viii. be promptly paid.
Rcliing Mills Resume.
Cleveland, Aug. 3.-All departments
OF - Cleveland rolling mills opene.
yesterday. About 1000 men were give.
work. Several departments which ha