Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-25
+B[UE FOX SKINS
. YIELD BIG REVENUE
o., Likewise Source Of Tidy
income for United States
Government
pals,LoF ISLAND PRODUCT
Bv a star Correspondent


washington. Feb. 2s.--Have you a
S,ue fox or scalskin in your home?
whether you have or not. you prob
.Ny did not know the original owners
v,ee caught. skinned and the furs mar.
ssted BY Uncle Sam, who enjoys a
monopoly Of the fur trade in the Pribilof
I,Isnds In tho Bering Sea.
Neither did Congressman and sena-
tnrs until they came to consider appro-
sJsnons for the Department Of Com
Esrce for the next fiscal year. and dis.
4 coyered that at least one Government
Ssrsrtment is producing revenue resu-
iariy in this unusual way.
They also were told that the United
sssfes has a treaty with Great Britain
"a Japan antedating any of the pacts
Ssned at the Armament Conference. in
~Sich the seal ratio Is 7-7-3 as COM
~sred with the naval ratio Of 6-5-3.
finder the seal treaty. the United States
ssts 20 per cent, Great Britain IS per
an. and japan Is per cent Of the seals
mught on the Pribilof Islands.
Russia Doesn't Share
Ward #. Bower, chief agent Of the
Aihska service, appearing before the
Innropriations Committee. of the
Hcusc. explained that the treaty was
entered into in 1911, runs-like the
naval treaty--for fifteen years, expir.
me in 1925. Russia Is a party to the
pcct, but under its terms "does not get
nv share Of the SEALS" Mr.. Ward
to]d the committee.
In return for their percentages Of
sesiskins, the Governments Of Great
Britain and Japan agreed to stop pela &.
Tic or open sea sealing. which, II 1t had
continued, would have meant the ex-
termination Of the Pribilof Islands
herd The other nations do not share
IN the revenue from the blue fox in.
dustry.
"Our revenue from the seals is de-
rived from tax is It not?" asked Rep
rsssntative Griffin ;of New York.
"Oh, no." Mr.. Ward replied. "Wc
dmply take the skins and sell them at
public auction. 1t is Government
monopoly. We are carrying on a
business up there. taking and market
ing these skins and turning in approx
mately a million dollars a year to the
Treasury. That Is in addition to the
Share Of Great Britain and Japan.
"Russia has a small seal herd Of her
own over on the Kommander Islands,
about 1000 miles westward of the
Pribi1of Islands, both groups being in
Bsrins Sea.
Last Years Revenue 81 ,0S4,150
"In 1921 the total price we received
for 81 ,OO2 sealskins was 81 ,054 ,159.
That was an average Of $34.03 per
sin.
Fin addition to that. we sold 1139
~ &ins. the fox skins being a by
product of our work on the islands, for
000. .3DS. the average price being
$9605 per skin.''
t''Do other countries share in this by.
ptoduct?' Representative Oliver, Of
Alabama, asked.
'No, sir, they do not, under the
cened in tho fox herds at all"
materially" Representative Shreve, Of
Pennsylvania, inquired.
Each year we are taking more and
more foxes" was the reply. ''These
foxes on the Pribilof Islands are pc
blue foxcs--a color phase of the white
.~pVa'INally peculiar 10 tnc t'rlDllOf
Islands. The blue fox skins are very
much moro valuable than the white.
There are always some white foxes pro-
duced, but wc are gradually catching
those up and killing them off 80 as to
breel a larger percentage of blue foxes
'vhe fox herd is increasing very
nicely. The seal herd is increasing
splenddly also. We take each year n
census of the animals. 1t shows a very
hetthy increase. In 1920 there were
E52.IlS seals in the herd, and in 1921
OIL .45I. When we took active charge
IN 19ll the herd numbered about
l6O,O0 animals. SO in our ten years
We have shown worry good results"
"A very successful vcnture?" Rep
resentative Griffin suggested.
eyes cir -