that time not less than five well
established plants for such work in
full operation. Among this number
was the Treadwell Co. of Albany, N.
Y., whose dressed and dyed seal
skins took the first prize at the
Philadelphia Centennial Exposition
in 1876 over all competition there by
the English dressers. Therefore,
O’Malley’s statement that “This in
dustry was established in this coun
try through the instrumentality of
the Department of Commerce,” is
not true.
The second point showing the utter
folly of turning large business ovar
to the Bureau of Fisheries as at
present constituted is the important
fact that although all raw furs be
gan to advance in 1916 until in 1919
they were from 80 to 300 per cent
over the price of 1914, yet, our seal
skins alone of all the furs sold in
the market failed to advance a single
penny in 1916, and not more than 15
per cent in 1917 and 1918. Also in
1920 when all furs declined from
the prices of early 1920 to those of
1918, our sealskins fell back at one
bound below those of 1914- And yet
Mr. O’Malley is fighting any change
in the system.
The loss under the Bureau of Fish
eries plan amounts to almost four
million dollars for reasons which will
appear and due to this special con
tract.
At the sale on April 3, 1922, 12,
777 skins were sold at St. Louis for
$388,288 from which Fouke Co. de
ducted $189,549 for dyeing and
dressing, and sales commission. The
cost of operating the Pribiloff Is
lands would further reduce the gov
ernment’s returns to $148,276.
How is it done ? The “wigs” or
old bulls were dyed and dressed un
der the Bureau of Fisheries contract
at a cost of $20. and $19.50 each and
sold for only $7.50 to $16.50 each—
a heavy loss to the government.
Furthermore, in previous years the
seals were killed by the natives and
the damaged skins amounted to 1
in ten. But in 1918 the Bureau of
Fisheries requested the St. Louis
firm to send “experts to instruct and
supervise the natives and select the
animals” whereupon the damaged
skins jumped to 1 in 2. In this way,
one-half of the skins were sold by
the company at greatly reduced
prices. But the price for dyeing and
dressing remained the same.
What income do we get from the
Pribilof Islands?
Mr- Huston, on June 18, 1922, said,
“The government makes a net profit
of a million a year on Alaska fur
seal herds.”
Secretary Hoover in his report to
the Senate June 16, 1922, reports
the net income from 1913 to 1922
as being $2,047,991.99, this being
the net income for the seven open
seasons that had passed. During
this same period the government
paid the St. Louis company for hand
ling and for the cost of administer
ing the Pribilof Islands the sum of
$2,384,670.64.
-Depletion seems to be the one
thing that the Bureau of Fisheries
does well. Facts stare us in the
face and yet the Bureau seems al
ways to prove that facts are wrong.
When we said in 1906 that deple
tion would surely follow the methods
of intensive fishing by traps and
pointed out districts that were then
about ruined, the Bureau pointed to
the increasing case production of the
canneries to prove the contrary. And
indeed the production went up from
two million in 1905 to almost seven
million in 1918. Our answer was
that this increase was at the cost
of seed fish. Today the Bureau of
Fisheries admits our contention.
The same thing is occurring on
the Pribilof Islands. Male seals do
not sire until their sixth year, there
fore the law is that 5,000 males,
three years old, shall be saved so
that they can grow to maturity for
breeding purposes. The Bureau, how
ever, marks them with a disappear
ing brank by merely clipping the
hair instead of branding, or not at
all. When the new fur grows and
the seals return the following year,
the brand has disappeared to give
place to new fur, and these choice
animals are killed to fatten the
“fine” showing of Henry O’Malley’s
department. This procedure means
that no breeding seals are provided
and in the course of time our seals
will disappear- There will be no de
pletion for a time because the bulls
provided for by the closed period
from 1912-1917 will serve to ages
15 and 17.
What is the truth about the in
come to the government from fur
seals? “With the recent announce
ment by the officials of the Bureau
of Fisheries that the value of the
furseal harvest this year is $3,000,
000, the query naturally comes to
mind, When will Alaska be given a
share of the proceeds of this indus
try?” —Juneau Empire, Oct. 7, 1922.
Secretary Hoover now tells the
Senate that the true net income from
fur seal is as follows:
1913 . $ 52,922.00
1917 .. 37,166.00
1918 ... 85,762.00
Total—7 seasons. $2,047,991.99
Alaska is interested in the conduct
of this business for we are entitled
to all the revenue therefrom. It be
longs to Alaska and not to the fed
eral government. If Congress would
let us have only that which is right
fully ours on the same basis as the
State of Washington we would not
have to ask Uncle Sam for one pen
ny. We would be self-supporting.
1919
1920
1921
1922
295.392.67
1,286,847.42
138,509.23
151.392.67
and we could proceed and develop
our country along sane and prog
ressive lines.
Is it not enough that the record of
the Bureau of Fisheries during the
past twenty years is one of cumula
tive inefficiency? They have stood
by, they the only responsible fed
eral agency in the only district
where they have complete jurisdic
tion, and have seen our country de
soiled by cannery and tray interests
with regard to the fisheries, and
with the seals, where they have ab
solute authority, they are pursuing
a policy that will result in depletion
merely to make a good showing.
The answer to all this is the es
tablishment in Alaska the Ameri
can principal of government of the
people, by the people, for the people.
The Bureau of Fisheries would not
function so poorly if they were re
sponsible to the citizens of Alaska
for their misdeeds
Ketchikan Grocery
R. W. Edmonds, Prop.
Redman Building Phone 71
Night—Green 233
Ketchikan, Alaska
SITKA CAMP
ALASKA NATIVE
BROTHERHOOD
Metts 8 P. M. Mondays
President: Frank Price
Secretary: A. Hope
ART’S SHOP
TUB, SHOWER
STEAM BATHS
Opposite Coliseum Theatre
Kaffe-Stova Cafe
ED. BROKKE, Prop.
NORWEGIAN SPECIALTIES
Seamen’s Home, Mision St.
Ketchikan
Butterhorn Bakery
The House that Quality Built
Ketchikan, Alaska
C. M. CARLSON
Chiropractor
Smm'osH ^PP- Bucey Motor Co.
Phone 262