Evening star., 1924-10-15
IN TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

A neat industry is soon to be in
troduced into the United States, the
outgrowth of the efforts of a mis-
sionary who, a generation ago, sought
only to replace the food sources of the
starving Alaskan Eskimos, largely
bereft Of their natural resources of
fish and game through the coming of
the competition of civilization.
Perhaps there never was a stranger
reversal of natural conditions than
that which now develops in the
slaughtering of 5000 reindeer in far
off, frozen Alaska and the shipment
of the refrigerated meat for the tables
of the the well-to-do families of the
States. This is the first shipment in
quantity, although a limited amount
has come from time to time for the
high priced restaurants If the ship
ments this Fall and Winter create
a steady demand for venison, a regular
packing business will develop, with
no limit to its possibilities. 1t will
supply opportunities for industry in
ed by DR.. Sheldon Jackson. the mis-
sionary who in 1891 thought only of
saving the starving Eskimos.
The entire plan of introducing REIN
deer into Alaska originated by DR..
jackson, who after doing great work
among the Indians of our Western
plains was transferred to Alaska and
almost at once saw that the natives
were in danger of starving because
the fish canneries had taken possess
sion of the rivers, and the hunters,
with their high-powered rifles, were
driving away the game or killing it.
He returned to Washington to ap-
peal to Congress for an appropria-
tion of $4,000 with which to try the
experiment of transporting reindeer
from Siberia and leasing them to the
natives for breeding. But Congress
lacked the vision or the sympathy of
the missionary, and adjourned without
making any appropriation, although
it was urged by the Department of thl
Interior through its Bureau of Edu.
cation. DR.. Jackson was given official
appointment with the Bureau of Edu-
cation, for the purpose Of carrying out
his plans.
After adjournment of Congress-
DR.. Jackson faced the alternative of
seeing hundreds, Or perhaps thou
sands, Of Eskimos starve to death
before the next Congress could act, or
Of soliciting the funds from private
sources. He succeeded in raising
$4,000 by contribution. and the Gov
portation free. With the $4,000 he
invested in goods to barter with ST.
berian owners for the animals, and
he succeeded in getting ten reindeer.
These became the nucleus Of the &c.
900 now estimated as existing in
Alaska, in addition to all that have
been slaughtered in the 33 years
since that first importation. The next
year, with additional private funds,
he imported I'll more head, and each
year a few more until in 10 years a
total of 1880 were brought in.
X X X
Practically all the reindeer are In
! the Seward Peninsula, north of the
mouth of the great Yukon River and
near the coast Of Bering Sea While
the peninsula now has $4,000 head,
the Biological Survey of the Depart
ment of Agriculture estimates the
natural pasturage there capable OF
sustaining 200, 900 head, and the Sew
ard Peninsula is only small part of
Alaska.
The first reindeer were farmed out
to Eskimos, who contracted to care
for them and at tho end Of five years
to return to the Government an equal
number of young reindeer, of the
same proportion of the sexes, the
keeper to get the rest of the increase
for his. labor. There were restric-
tions as to their selling or killing
any in the meanwhile, except by per-
nit from Government officials. No
female deer were slaughtered. Sew
eraI Lapianders, experienced with
reindeer in their native land, were
induced to migrate to Alaska to teach
the natives the art Of handling the