The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-12-21
PROTECT THE SEALS.


That Effect.
WASHINGTON, December S.-Ihe
Senate Committee on Foreign Rela-
ions today authorized a favorable re-
port upon a bill prohibiting pelagic
sealing By the people of the United
States. The bill is joint production
OF the State and the Treasury Depart
ments, and its passage is asked upon
the ground that with such law upon
the statute books, the Administration
will be in better position than at pre-
sent to ask that other governments /
prohibit pelegic sealing. The bill re-
ceived the affirmative votes OF all the |
Senators present, but its provisions |
were discussed at considerable length. |
The bill was reported to the Senate
later in the day The first section OF 1t
is as follows: THAT no citizen OF the
United States and no person owing
duty or obedience TO the laws and trea-
ties OF the United States. nor any per-
son belon ging to or on board vessel
of the United States shall Kill, capture
or hunt at any time or in any manner
whatever any fur seal i'll the waters OF
the Pacific ocean north of the Both de-
gree Of north latitude, and including
Behring sea and the sea of Okhotsk.
The bill also prohibits any citizen OF
the United States from equipping, us
| ing or employing or furnishing sup
plies to any vessel engaged in killing
or hunting fur seals, and declares that
no United States vessel shall be en-
ployed in this work. The penalty for
violating the proposed law is imprls-
onment for not less than six months or
a fine of not less than 5000 or more
than So, 900, or beth, and the forfeiture
of vessels so engaged.
The fourth section of the bill is as
follows: IF any vessel of the United
States shall be found within the wa
tiers to which this act applies having on
board fur seal skins or bodies of seals
or apparatus or implements suitable
) for killing or taking seals, it shall be
presumed that such vessel were killing
SEALS
: The United States Courts in Alaska
California, Oregon and Washington
are given jurisdiction over cases arts
ing under the act. 1t is especially pro
e vided that the act is not to interfere
;, with the privileges of coast Indians
nor with the taking Of seals on thu
Pribylov islands. Officers Of the nav.
. and the revenue cutter service are EN-
powered to search suspected vessels
q The importation of seal skins by an,
person taken contrary to this law
prohibited and all such skins SO i'm
ported are to be seized and destroyed
Representative Hit of Illinois, chair
man of the Committee on Foreign AT
=, fairs of the House, introduced a simila
bill in the House.
This measure supplements the diplC
b, matte negotiations which have been &C
ing on for some time between the Unit
ed States, Great Britain, Russia an
- Japan. Throughout the negotiation
- with the representatives of Great Br
tain an effort was being made to hav
British citizens stop pelagic sealin.
while at the same time the Unite
States permitted it's own citizens
carry on this practice. When the An
erican Commissioners urged that pei;
gic sealing was contrary to the dictate
of humanity, they We're invariably m,
with the answer that this inhumanit
was sanctioned by the laws of the Uni
ed States. The State Department d.
sires to overcome this objection
y The law as it stands permits either
, of the United States to take seals on
side of the three-mile limit surroun
ing the Pribylov islands. This W,
never intended, but has come abo
through a Supreme Court decision r
specting the Paris awards.