Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-26
Would Continue Killing Males.

Mr.. Lembkey urges the continued kill
ing of the surplus male seals, not only to
permit the government an income from
the seal resources. but to preserve the
herd from the injurious presence OF the
haremless and fighting bulls.
He urges, also. the readjustnent of the
scheme of compensation for the natives
who kill the seals, abolishing the govern
ment contribution as such and paying
higher wages, sufficient for the needs Of
the situation, and permitting the native
greater responsibility in his own affairs.
The establishment of manual training
schools for the Pribilof natives and the
other Aleuts Of the Alaskan islands he be-
leves to be highly important.
A report on the seal rookerfes by Dr.
Harold Heath, professor In Stanford Uni
versity, was forwarded to Secretary Nagel
at the same time as Mr.. Lembkey's. Both
reports show the rookeries to be in as
good condition as could be expected In
view Of the fact that pelagic sealing is
still going on.
The census Of the herd In 1910 showed
that there were active bulls, 1881; breed
ing cows, 43,777; pups. AZ, TIT: idle and
young bulls. sos; bachelor reserve, 1.911;
two-year males, $500; -two-year females,
13 600; yearling males, 10 800: yearling fe-
males, 1880, or a total of more than
131 600 at the end Of the killing season
1t Is plainly shown by the special IN
vestigation that the number of males for
breeding purposes Is ample, and that this
has been SO for many years, the average
harem in 1910 containing fewer than
thirty-two COWS; on the other hand, the
number of females has been steadily de-
creasing, and there is no question but
that the pelagic sealer has been the one
factor in causing this decline. Not only
must the females be exempt from
slaughter on the land, as they have been
| in the past but they must also be spared
at sea, which has never been the case,
| If the seal herd is to be preserved. Mr..
Lembkey states that there is no POSSIBLE
| ity of injury to the seal herd as result
| of the land killing under the present reg
ulations.
treaty was signed July last by the
| Britain by which killing seals in the
| open will hereafter be prohibited. This
will simplify the question of the conserva-
| ton of the herd, it is said. and opens the
| way for an intelligent scientific study OF
| a number of important phases of the nat
ural history of fur seal which could not
be undertaken so long as pelagic sealing
continued.
| Aleuts Are Decreasing.
Turning to the subject of the Aleuts,
Mr.. Lembkey says that they are not to
be found on the mainland, but inhabit
the archipelago and several of the islands
along the coast of the Alaskan PENN
| sula. The race was never numerous and
now embraces probably fewer than LOCO
| souls, whose numbers are decreasing
rapidly from disease and insufficient
food.
When discovered by the Russians in
the eighteenth century, these Aleuts
| were a hardy race of fishermen and
| aquatic hunters In their tiny bidarkis
! or skin boats they made long journeys,
and in them successfully weathered
pean rowboat to the bottom. They SUBJ
| sisted upon fish and the flesh of such
warm-blooded animals as they could cap
ture.
goaded to desperation they were at once
made use of by the Russians as hunters
of the sea otter, which was the fur, the
white men most eagerly sought. Whole
fleets of bidarkis with hundreds of ma.
tive hunters would be transported hun.
dreds of miles from their homes, and
thence with little food supplied them
| were put to sea to buffet with the storms
not SO greatly feared by the natives as
were their white masters. Thousands OF
them never returned.
| When the Russian-American company
acquired control of Alaska the Aleuts
were paid nothing for sea otter skins
but in lieu of compensation received sub
sistence and exemption from imperia
taxes and dues When this practice was
forbidden by the Emperor Alexander
and the company instructed to pay the
natives for every skin deposited by then
with the company the natives received
for every sea otter 10 rubles in leather
scrip, the equivalent of So. but seacl
hunter was required to furnish his owr
subsistence The company sold the sea
otter skins for at least 500 each
Upon the occupation of the territory by
| Americans the native from condition
of abject misery and want was plunged
into a state of affiuence of which HI
knew not how to take advantage. Riva
trading companies established station.
u along the coast where sea offers abound
ed and bid eagerly for the furs brought
in by the native hunters. But while pay
4 ing him literally for the skins, the trad
4 ers adroitly exposed for sale in the store.
4 articles of sheer luxury to tempt the ma
tive's ,cupidity and encourage him to ex
pend the money received for his skins
During the seventies and eighties thu
Aleut sea-otter hunter clothed his womer
i'm satins and silks of the gaudiest colors
!, his hut contained a brussels carpet and
parlor organ; his church received larg,
: donations; in short "a great zeal of hi.
earnings was expended at once for lux
urfes and he was forced to hypothecat,
his next years catch of skins to obtair
supplies to support his family during tn,
winter.
Il Native Again Hard Hit.