Evening star., 1926-10-19
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

similar butchery, the pelagic sealing
was exterminating the Pribilof Island
seals, prior to the 1911 treaty. The
seals swim upon the surface of the
ocean, and even sleep on the surface,
visible from all boats. Pelagic seal
hunters, therefore, were able to
slaughter thousands as they ap-
preached their breeding grounds In
compact masses Of millions, and the
wastefulness was indicated by the fact
that they killed cows as well as bulls,
of their slaughter. If that had not
been stopped, all seals would have
been exterminated long ago.
Under our Government manage
ment, no cows are killed. All killing
ia limited to bulls under 8 years Of
age. A bull weighs about 500 pounds,
a COW 80 pounds, SO that 1t Is easy to
distinguish them apart. No private
hunter Is now permitted to kill at all,
except that the aborigines Of the is
lands may kill what they need for
food. provided they hunt with only the
aboriginal weapons. For 40 years
after our purchase Of Alaska, the
right to hunt seals was leased, but
since 1911 no such leases have been
granted. The control is in the Depart
ment Of Commerce. Ten thousand
bulls are marked and protected each
year; all killing Is Of the surplus bulls
above the 10000. A young bulls fur
is soft, but upon maturity 1t becomes
coarse and useless as fur. A COW be-
gins breeding at 2 years Of age, but
a bull not until 1t is or 6 years,
when it becomes strong enough to
RrI, hA ~ Iv,I1 nv%A
harem.
1t is by thus protecting all COWS
and killing only surplus bulls that the
number Of the herd has been in
creased. 1t is expected to bring up
the total, in another decade. to the
original millions.
Until 1921, all sealskins had to be
sent to London to be dressed and
dyed by a secret process. 1t was
contended that even when London
dyers, who were believed to know the
secrets. were imported into America.
there was something in the water or
atmosphere here which made it i'm
possible to dye seal with equal quality
as that produced in London" It has
now been demonstrated by the Gov
ernment and a single firm in St,
Louis that that p1 etense was false,
for today the ST. Louis firm excels the
London dyers in skill and excellence
of product. It takes 180 distinct op-
erations to dress, tan and dye q
sealskin. London has lost it's mo.
nopoly. and. since 80 per cent of the
seals Of the world belong to the
United States, our development of
the processes of dressing and dyeing
the skins Is OF great Importance.
Our Government monopoly has built
up world market for flne seaiskins
In st. Louis, where the skins are auc.
toned off annually, bringing from $50
to $3.50 a skin.
From 1911 until 1916, no seal was
killed; since then only the surplus
bulls. This reduction of seal car.
casses had serious effect upon a by.
product of the Pribilof Islands-blue
foxes. which are permitted to feed
upon the seal bodies after the skins
are taken. With the reduction of
such feed, the foxes have been de.
creaSing.
After 1926, any party to the 1911
treaty has a right to ask for revision
with one years notice. Japan ap'
pears to be taking advantage Of that
proviso. with the intimation that she
wants the right to prey upon seals
in her waters and in the open ocean
Russia has, in the Commander Is
lands. off of Saghalien, some $4,000
seals, and agrees to pay US 15 per
cent of all skins she takes from them
Japan has some 1000 or 5000 seals
on Robben Island. and. by the 1911
treaty, paid us and Canada each, 10
/ per cent OF all she slaughtered dur
| ing the first five years of that treaty
and 8 per cent since 1915.