The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-08-04
4 VERY FRANK OFFER
ALASKA COMMERCIAL. COMPANY
WILLING To STor SEALING
An Earnest Of It's Desire to Preserve
the Seal Herd Given In Letter to
the London Tfme~-woaid stop
Slaughter both ON Islands and at
sca-t'snadians' Excessive Claims.

LONDON. AUS S-Hernan Idebes. pres
idenf q II. I4sebsS 4 Ga. a. san Fran
CISCO which firm. with David Ogden Mills.
TIE New York banker. and Lloyd Tcy.s.
president 81 Wells, Fargo & Cos express
system, and also ~ that banks fsrri os
sSa FRANCISCO. compose The North Amer
icAsi 'o'fliiseVcil1 Company. esses FROM Tire
United States government II he Prssilof
island sessierses, has aadrysS$A a letter to
the Times. in whtca amoas other things
he says;
= ere ny COLLEAGUES Ct TIE North Amer
lean Commercial Company entirely dis
claim ans desire fer measures made In
TIE interests of otie nationality and as&lns,
the interests OF the other and we 10 NOT
and never have suggested tbal fh.. EaSlish
government should surrender The exercsS,,
Of a lucrative industry without receiving
an equivalent. merely in order 10 Increase
cur actual aud prospective profits
Feias1c sealing y open 20 ourselves and
10 the world. and, speaking for myself ,2nd
l am stre ! sho'lld have tAe cooperation
OF my coileasuesl. I should he perfectly
willing To eoncur IN any reasonable ar
rangement with our own and also with
the British government with a view 20
entirely Tor at any rate. for a given NUM-
ber of years. disseminating the killing cf
seals on the islands ia question. as also
pelaeic sealing. and I would 10 this not
as conducted upon the frihilof islands "a
any way endangers the rop@gation az
the seal. because ! am sure Il does not
hut simply 10 assist in bringing about an
arrangement for the suspension Of pelagas
sealing, in order 10 avoid what I ana alb
soiuteiy satisfied VIII otherwise very Short
iy cene TO pass. viz. the entire ex;erfnina-
ison Of the seal from the waters in CUES
ton. and further because ! Will NOT share
the responsibility Of those w.se. by allow
inS the present barharous system TO he
continued. are ramaiy destroying in a very
cruel way very valuable industry.
Prof. Thompsoo's conclusion with refer
ence 70 the decrease in the supply Of seals
is very unsatisfactory. he says: We NAV
set the n.tAo skins taken this year against
the laea that were got with much less
difficulty III the plentltude OF supply We
should then have 10 admit that the herd
Was now something less than one-third of
what II was twenty years ago. Even In
this admission we admit too much. for
apart from other corrections that might
be suggested. ne had merely added for the
purpose Of such n comparison To the sna0
taken on the islands the number OF males
taken in the sea. but this. for lack If bet
ter knowledge OF the proportion OF each
sex and age in the pelasic catch. We can
not do
Il am in position to prove conciusigely
seaiers. at least 50 per cent. are female.
and the remaining 70 per cent. are mostly
pups, In which the sex is not distinguish
able after the skins arc removed from the
body
\ great deal has been said about the
Americans moi paying compensation to the
owners or the vessels seized In the years,
lsS5-ss and fssl list af which vessels IS
set forth in the award. Tie Paris arhi-
traitors by their award did not assess any
damages hut ieft hat matter omen for
further negotiations between the two gov
ernments. The owners of the vessels
seized were promptly asked TO send their
claims. and did so.
"All the merchants who had purchased
the peiagic seal catches from the shlps
which had not been seized by the United
States government during the years mem
toned in the arhiirators' award were
asked 10 give evidence before the c,ruuts-
sion of prices paid 20 the ship-owu,,rs for
the seals caught during eight years and
IL appeared tina; the claims made In behalf
Of the vessels seized Were excessive both
In quantity and price. The numbers
cLtimed were considerably I'm excess OF the
largest catch on any OF the United States
vessels. and the prices asked were certain
ly double the prices obtained hy any 81 The
other vessels seized
Every effort IS being made by the COM
mission appointed for the purpose OF as-
seSssng the compensation tn British Co
lumhia, consisting uf The chief Justice ~
Canada and Judge Of the United States.
who are now sitting there. 20 come Ia a
conclusion upon the polrt Whatever
compensation is awarded Will be promptly
paid"