Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1914-10-15

1
$500, 4230.OS.
2. That when new lease was CON
cluJed with the North American
Commercial Company in 1890 the herd
had been reduced to about 100000
seals; that the nav company had
great difficulty in obtaining its first
quota in 1890 and commenced to kill
female seals and yearlings, which is
now and was then prohibited by law
and by the regulations of the depart
ment; that this fact was reported to
| the officials but that no steps were
taken to stop it, but that the agent
who made the report was Immediate
| ly removed and assigned to other
duties; that the seals were so killed
that in 1910 the number on the islands
did not exceed $4,000; that the less
ees in the 20 years of their lease de-
rived net profit of approximately
$5,C00,000, while the government, af-
ter paying the expenses of managing
| the seal herd, sustained a cash loss
of more than $1,350,000; that the rec
ord of the 40 years of leasing the
islands discloses that the government
has suffered property loss of not
less than $S0,000.000. caused by the
almost complete commercial ruin Of
| the seal herd, while the net revenue
Of the government for 40 vars amount
ed to but approximately $3,194,O0O.
! 3. That the lease made in 1890
| with the North American Commercial
Company was obtained by fraud, in
part having consisted in the filing OF
false affidavit; that bond was filed
in the sum of $4,000 on which
Stephen B. Elkins was one of the
sureties.
4 That in spite of the record OF
the company in decimating the seal
herd George Ne. Bowers and others
recommended to the Secretary of
Commerce and Labor that he enter
into another lease of the islands for
20 years more, but that this was pre-
vented and the affairs on the islands
were placed under the direct super
vision of the Secretary of Commerce
and Labor.
g. That the lessee company took
l2S 900 yearling seals in violation O!
the law during the term of their
lease.
6. That the leasing company, IA
conjunction and connivance with the
government agents on the islands,
killed yearling seals and added sufii-
cient blubber in sKinping the anina
SO as to bring the skin weights with
in the regulations.
Z That the taking of seals from
the islands under the direction of the
Secretary of Commerce and Labor,
from 1910 to 1912 was conducted t.
the same manner and by the same Of
fcials as in the latter years of the
leasing company; that an agent was
sert to the islands :, investigate and
make report; that he reported that
the law was being violated and that
no seal was too small to be killed.
thai this report WAS disregarded and
another one substituted, denying that
sells were being killed illegally, and
that the Illegal killing of seals was
continued, 1888 yeerlings being killed
in 1910
That regulations as to weight Of
skins are futile, as the weight can b.
increased by the addition of blubber
m skinning; that TIE records of ths
Bureau of Fisheries curing the lease
of the sealing company and subse-
luently were made by skin wei .hts
and not by skin measurement, as
should have been done.
3 That Stephen B. Elkins and
others were members of the leasing
company; that two members of the
company were engaged in pelagic
sealing, which would have barred
them from the sealing contract if it
had not been sworn TO that they were
not so engaged; that the lessees had
full knowledge of the illegal killing
of yearling and female seals and d.
vided the profits OF the same
IN view of the findings of fact, the
committee recommended:
1. That the Attorney General be
requested to TAX ,uch steps as may
be necessary to collect the bond of
100000 from the said North Ameri-
can Commercial Company and the
sureties thereon.
2. That the Attorney General be
requested to institute civil proceed
ings against Isaac Liebes and his as
sociate lessees (Elkins and others;
anil their lppa1 rpnraSanta tiypS IN re-