The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-02

The recent announcement that Great Bril-
tain had once more refused the request Of
our Government for further restrictions
upon pelagic sealing, is in accordance with
what may be surmised to be the settled
policy of the British Government In this
matter. 1t seems to be resolved to turn us
over to make terms with Canada, while
Canada, in spite of the conclusions Of last
autumn's conferences, Is determined, II
possible, not to make us any concessions on
sealing unless we pay her In trade and
transportation regulations or In something
else that she desires.
In the last Congress the House Commit
tee on Ways and Means summed up the
injuries which pelagic sealing, mainly
Canadian, had inflicted on the Pribylov
herd up to that time. The animals killed
by this sort Of sealing in Behring Sea, said
the committee, are mainly the mother seals
that have brought forth their young on the
Pribylov islands. The young starve when
the mothers perish, and 80 the rapid diminu-
tion of the valuable herd is accounted for.
In 1874, says the report, this herd num-
bered about 4,693, 900; in 1890 1t had
been reduced to 1,O39, 600, and at the close
of 1895 to about 175,~ 50O-"44, 900 seals,
mostly females, having been killed during
the last season by pelagic ~sealers, and
about 10000 pups having died of starva-
ton in consequence of the killing Of the
mother SEALS That is the kind Of evil
which we cannot a stopped in the gen.
eral interest of the seals, without pay
ing for it.
Next let us see what special wrong it
does our own country. The report just re-
ferred to says that our Government ere
ceived almost SO, 100000 between 1870
and 1890" from the lessees of the Pribylov
islands, who were allowed to kill annually
100000 male seals over one year old, land
in 1890, under the new lease, $269, 673,
but in 1891 only $48,749, in 1892 only
$23, 972, and since 1892 1t has received moth
ing Notwithstanding $550,O00 is due) be-
cause of a claim of the lessees for a reduc-
ton of rental, which awaits determination
by the courts" 1t is obvious that the raw
ages of pelagic sealing, which have made
1t no longer possible to take the old number
of skins, has cost US millions in revenue
already. and greatly reduced the value of
the islands bought from Russia. In addi-
tion we have to try to enforce the Paris
regulations, the cost of which for 1894
alone, fortunately reduced in subsequent
years. was put in the report at about
$45O,OOO.
Great Britain may be relying on the con-
clusion reached in the autumn conference
of experts, that "pelagic sealing has Of
late fallen off in greater ratio than the herd
has, thus producing a tendency toward
equilibrium in numbers " of males and fe-
males. while Congress has done something
to make it fall Off still further, by the re-
cent law excluding the skins Of sea.killed
seals from our country. But the whole
tendency of the conclusions of the experts
is to show the ruinous tendencies Of pelagic
sealing, it being declared that even " the
decrease from 1896 to 1897 was notable"
If, in spite of these scientifically ascer-
tanned facts, Great Britain proposes to fold
It's hands and do nothing, Congress may
well consider whether it cannot add some
further legislation to It's recent act.