New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-08-03
EXTINCTION OF THE SEALS.
HERMAN LIEBEs WRITES TO THE LON
DON TINES
,,,sv>r prcr,1.,TIoNs INSUFFICIENT AND THE
REQUEST FOR \ CONFERENCE REAsoNAblt.-
FEMALE SEALS SHOULD BE PROTECTED
AND TIE YOUNG NOT ALLOWED
TO srARvE TO DEA'

FEMALE SEALS SHOULD BE PROTECTED
AND THE YOUNG NOT ALLOWED
TO srARvE TO DEATH!
,,,o, ,uc o-uermsn Liebes. president of H.
, ,ohos C. % of San Francisco which firm, with
n q Mills the New-York banker. and Lloyd
Tev,. president OF Wells Fargo 20 express
system md also of that firms bank OF san IRAN
cisco composes the North American commercial
Comna,v lessees from the United States Govern
,,ent Of the Pribylon Islands seal rookereS. has
addressed a letter 10 THE Times in which, among
other things lie says:
81 and my colleagues OF the North American
commercial Company entirely disclaim any desire
for measures made in the interests oil one ha'io'-
,lrv and against the interests Of the other. and
80 10 NO, and never have suggested that the Brit
,sh Gcverrment should surrender the exercise OF
lucrative industry without receiving an equivalent
merely In order TO increase our actual ana pros
,er,ye pronts' Pelagc scaling Is open 10 our
s.lyes and TO the whole world. and. speaking Tor
myself (and | sure should have the co-opera-
,,o, Of nv colleagues) / should be perfectly will
ing TO concur in any reasonable arrangement with
,u- own and also with the British Government with
q view 10 (ether entirely or AT any rate for given
runber of years. disseminating the killing OF seals
man the islands in question. also all pelagic
sealing and | would do this not because the kill
,rr Of voting bachelor seals as conducted upon
the Pribylofr Islands in any way endangers the
nropagation and existence Of the seal because |
does nOt), but SIMPLY 10 assist IN Drlns-
enc about an arrangement for the suspension of
,elseic sealing in order TO avoid what am abso-
,u,elv satisfied will otherwise very shortly come
~ mass viz the entire determination OF the sea-
from the waters in question and further. because
I will not share the responsibility of those who. by
allowing the present barbarous system TO be con-
,iuued are rapidly destroying in very cruei way
a very valuable industry.
professor Thompson's conclusions with refer
.,ro TO the decrease in the supply of seals is un-
satisfactory. He says:
e. ye may set the coco skins taken this year
AGAINST the 100000 that got with neither more
nor less difficulty in the plenitude of the supply.
ro ebould then have TO admit that the herd was
NOW something Jess than one-third of what 1t was
twenty years ago. Even in this admission we ad-
nit too much. for. apart from other corrections
mat might be suggested. should merely add
for the purpose Of such comparison 10 the SoWo
,akor on the islands the number Of males taken
I'm inc sea; but this. for lack of better knowledge
az the proportion of each sex and age in the
relaCic catch. cannot do
II am in a position 10 prove conelusivey that OF
the seals caught by the pelagic seaers. at least
G, nor cent are females. and the remaining 20 per
cent are mostly pups. in which the sex Is not dis
,incuishable after the skins removed from the
body As have said. the skins all come 10 London
10 be dressed and there is not the slightest Diff
Guilty in determining the sex OF the adult seal from
the skins An inspection Of them would convince
active than the females. who are all heavily en-
numbered and float at the top of the water. and
are unable TO escape rapidly as the males.
Il see from notice which appeared in The |
Standard Of July "A that Sir Louis H. Dawes |
canadian Minister of Marine Fisheries recently |
made a statement to a representative Of Reuters |
Agency TO the effect that pelagc sealing employs |
q large number of white people and Indians, While
m, less than eight thousand Canadians are de- |
PENDENT upon the industry.
Professor Thompson. In his report, gives the |
number Of vessels and the number of people en- |
rloved in the catch for the year 1896. There were
according this report. sixty-ve vessels employed
in the work having in the aggregate crews of 500
whi,e men and $50 Indians, or 1,6sS in all
The skins OF the seals when caught are packed |
ly the crews of the ships ana forwarded lhheui- |
a.ely 10 London for sac.
Where NAV ask are the eight thousand Cana |
a,ans 10 whom Sir l.. II. Davies audes as being |
DEPENDENT on the industry. unle they be the snare
no ders of the companies owning the various vessels
ami which shareholders certainly during the last
three four years never saw. as the result OF seal
fishing a penny dividend their skins the last few
years lid not bring shillings per skin. and 1t GER
tainlv cost them 40 shings 10 catch them, and in
some instances much more?
During the last seven years our company (the
so-called great monoposts) have killed only about
price received the skins in London was certainly
under e. per skin gross-ast years eaten OILY
cost US over en- & each. to say nothing Of in
vested capital you will the monopoly is not very
ment bonds we should have done better.
A great deal has been said about the Americans
sells seized in the years lSs6@s9 and 1890 list of
which vessels is SET forth in the award. The Par-
sian arbitrators by their award did not assess any
damages but left that matter open for further nego-
Of the vessels seized were promptly asked send
in their claims and did so; .,.o, .,o ,o,oo,o
the ships wnich had not been seized
by the United states Government in the years men
evidence before the committee OF the prices paid
10 the shpowners for the seals caught during those
half OF the vessels seized excessive both in
quantity and price The numbers e Sa Of FOR WeGf
the other vessels. and the prices asked were Ger
Every effort is being made by. the Commission
ton IN British nGt she eoiambs Consisting the
Justice Of Canada and Judge Of the United i satss
sion upon the point. Whatever compensation is
a%fTaeS e T be DrSmpy at length with the matter
a. feel convinced that when the facts are fully
vii he EDversaliy condemned surely there is moth
ing unreasonable in asking, even on LroleSsor
narrow one II It be not in measure oyerstepped
that conference be held to consider whether the
Client TO protect the seal from total extinction. or
skn To- a. sy the lives Of the female seals and
- avert the amount of destruction by the slow
process OF starvation or so many OF pups
he arbtrators did not themselves consider the
Ia tons made by them at all permanent They
expressly provided for their reconsideration at any
time by agreement between the two Powers inter-
es,ed or At latest at the end OF five years, viz,
IN August. 1898.
Upon those who oppose so reasonable request
a es5 hevaBy lSr the eS
termination OF the seal from the Pacific Ocean by
the barbarous process of killing the mothers and
starving their young.
Il think that having regard TO the facts above
stated and the end in view you will hardly consider
the attempt to secure some alteration in the present
system 'ungracious' "