The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-08-14
Government people and is doubtless ap-

proximately correct.
The situation therefore is that the
Government Of the United States,
through the representatives OF the De-
partment of Commerce and Labor, is
shooting people in order to protect the
revenues of a corporation which num-
bers among it's stockholders, so it is
stated, persons standing high in the Of
fetal life of this country. This same
Mr.. Sims. who is now in Alaska and
who made the official report to the Gov
ernment on the killing Of the Japanese,
on Appropriations last spring as solic-
itor for the Department of Commerce
and Labor and made this statement:
"No other business Of any descrip-
tion is transacted on these, islands other
than that Of capturing and killing seals
contract with the Government the
North American Commercial company
has the exclusive right to transact this
business. Only three persons who are
connected with the company or with
the Government are allowed to land on
The islands. AS a result OF this, the
only work or business the natives can
do is that of catching and killing seals.
The appropriation for supplies for the
inhabitants Of the islands, so far as /
know, was first made in 1893 and has
been made every year since,'
When he had made this statement tho
chairman OF the committee, Hon. James
A. Tawney Of Minnesota, asked this
question:
"Inasmuch as the Commercial COM
pany is making over 100 per cent net
profit, why is it that the department
does not insist upon their paying these
people enough to maintain them?"
1.-The department now requires the
company TO live up to the terms Of the
contract" replied Mr., Sims, "and if
the terms Of the contract are not adj
vantageous. they should be changed
when the Government enters into new
contract three or four years from now,
providing it enters into such contract.
OF course, the department might say to
the company, you must do this OF
quit, but it seems TO me that would be
inadvisab]e, -
Profits Are Enormous.
Mr.. Lembkey, the Government agent
in charge of the islands, was also be-
fore the committee and was asked what
each skin cost the company. He re-
piled: "Under the Government con-
tract 1t costs $10.221a ropalty, and, in
addition. rs cents per skin to the ma
lives. 1t is estimated I believe, that |
the expense of taking that skin to
London amounts to about 10 per cent Of |
the selling price, which is now on the
average about S37 a skin. That would |
be 1915. / should say, on a rough
estimate, that each skin costs them in
the neighborhood Of SIS. Last year the
took almost $4,000 skins"
"But,' asked a member of the COM
mittee, edo they not preserve the meat
of the seals as we do pork, for use in
the winter7''
"No," replied Mr.. Lembkey, "in the
summer time, because Of the rush of
work, all the men are required on the
sealing field and have little or no time
10 preserve meat. They take what they
want for their present needs and the
rest rots.''
"Are the islands increasing in popu-
ationS" asked Mr.. Taylor OF the COM
nittee.
"The population has been decreasing
for a number of years." said Mr..
sept up by importations from other
Stands The death rate exceeds the
birth rate almost constantly
''What are the morals of the people
up therei" asked Chairman Tawney.
f'They are consistent church-mem-
,ers and go to church whenever they
AVE a chance, " was the rather startling
eply. "The natives have built their
'wn churches from fund which they
in years past. The COM
,any has never been to the expense of
the houses of Worship !
But this seal meat persisted Mr..
Taylor, "does anybody eat it except
ng the natives7"
.'I have eaten lot Of it, said Mr.. i
hlr IL a
After the sealing season is over, when
ge occasionally permit them to kill
ew seals for food, every scrap of this I
neat, even the internal organs, is care
ully preserved and salted, if not eaten
t once
Chairman Tawney then asked about
he schools. ]
"They maintain their schools very
aithfully through eight months Of the
upils show marked advancement. The {
ompany is required TO meet the ex- :
ense OF the Schools !
What kind of teachers7' !
I'VE have one teacher on st. Paul !
sland who is native who was given =
college education In San Francisco .
y the Alaska Commercial company. =
he other teachers come from the +
states. On st. George island there is .
man from Vermont who has been !.
eaching school all his life and is a very 5
ompetent teacher
From all of which it will be seen
hat the situation on the PribilofY e
Stands might easily be like that of v
newfoundland, but ,is not Possibly
7hen the contract with the North \
american Commercial company expires q
he natives may be given a share In
be seal business, but it. is not likely. =
t