The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-25
CANADIANS HUNT
UNDER JAP FLAG
One Difficulty in the Alaskan
Seal Situation Is Finally
Explained.
Globe Special Washington Service,

1417 Street.
WASHINGTON, D. c., April 24.-The
negotiations with Great Britain to secure
an agreement by which the taking of fur
seals in Alaska will be indefinitely sus-
pended are progressing favOrably. There
Is reason to believe that the British gov
eminent will enter fully into the spirit
of the proposition of this government that,
in the interest of preserving the seal
herds, sealing be stopped entirely until the
herds have had a chance to become re-
plenished.
The Japanese situation is not so sim
pie at present but 1t is hoped that an
agreement may be reached by which ia
pan will agree not to allow her subjects
to engage in pelagic sealing. This feature
of the pelagic sealing evil has, in the
opinion of officers of the department of
commerce. been somewhat exaggerated. 1t
has been represented that the interna-
tional agreement between the United
States and Great Britain was a farce, as
long as Japan and Russia are not party
to it.
Not Japanese Vessels.
1t has been said that scores of Japanese
vessels were engaged in pelagic sealing
and that this had serious effect on the
size Of the herds on the Pribiof islands.
The experts of the department who
nave ILLS IudIA6I III charge, however, say
that the real trouble lies with Canadian
sealing schooners which annually sail for
the North under the Japanese flag. Many
or these vessels encroach upon the three
mile limit. If they were under the Brit
1sh flag, as they ought te-be, they would
De oDllged to keep without the limits
of the sixty mile zone, as provided in
the agreement between this country and
Great Britain. Last year several vessels
flying the Japanese flag, but undoubtedly
Canadian, were discovered taking seals
within two miles of the islands of St.
George and st. Paul.
The department of commerce believes,
therefore, that if an agreement to sus-
pend sealing is reached with the British
government, as the state department has
recently been authorized to do by con-
gress. the dangers which threaten the
very existence of the seal herds will be
overcome. The evils of Japanese pelagfc
sealing are not believed to be very great.
II the British Agree
The agreement which the state depart
ment is authorized to negotiate is that
the United States suspend the taking Of
seals on the PribilOf islands, provided
the British agree to suspend the taking Of
seals in the waters of the ocean outside
the sixty-mile zone.
The question whether the North Ameri-
can Commercial company would have
ground for legal action against the gov
eminent on account of the contract which
the company has with the United States
for taking seals on the seal islands has
been carefully considered by some of the
leading lawyers Of the senate. It is be-
lteved that if such action were taken 1t
would amount to nothing. The secretary
OF commerce is empowered under the
present law to limit the number of seals
Which the company may take in one year
If necessary the secretary could limit the
number to dozen as we'll as to several
hundreds or thousands and the company
under its contract, would have no appeal
or redress. Walter e. Clark.