Show The Alaska Far Fisheries WASHINGTON Auguat HThe House committee on merchant marine and fisheries today commenced investigation investiga-tion into the fur seal fisheries of Alaska The resolution under which the investigation is held trects the committee to make a thoro h investigation investi-gation into the fur seal fisheries of Alaska and all COn tracts or leases made by government with any persons or companies for taking far seal or other furbearing animals in laska the character duration and conditions of the same The committee is also directed to ascertain whether contracts have been violated and report whether any legislation is necessary for the protection pro-tection of seal fisheries S S BuyingsKY exagent of the Treasury Department who had spent three months on the Island of St George and some time on the Island of St Paul in 1871 and 1872 said that while on St Paul Island he found the people goodnatured and peacable The terms of contract with the Alasfcian Company required that the company should look after the peoples interests He had no reason to make any observations to the agent of the company com-pany with regard to the same The company had issued an order that there should be no greater advance than 25 per cent on the commodites of life over wholesale prices of San Francisco He was satisfied there was no departure from this rule The only grievance the natives had was the attempted suppression sup-pression by agents of the company and those of the government of the practice by the natives of distilling a beverage which the agents regarded as poisonous The company had given all its work to natives at fair compensation The probable effect of opening up to competition the seal fisheries witress said would be to drive seals from toe Alaskan Islands to the Russian seal Islands and the people of the Alaskan Islands would be deprived of a livelihood liveli-hood and have to be supported by the United Mates government H A Glidden also exagent of the treasury department at Seal Islands from May 1882 to July 1885 said the moral habits of the people were good There was no breach of peace to speak of and no necessity for civil officers of-ficers The great evil existing was the propensity of = the people to gamble It was their great failing No intoxicating intoxicat-ing liquors were allowed to be sold His observations were that laborers were paid better than any other laborers in the world From an almost barbarous state under the Russian Rus-sian government the Islanders have been brought up to a state of semicivilization under the influence of the American government His opinion was if fisheries were thrown open to competition seals would become be-come extinct in five years The policy of leasing the privilege of taking seals was the very best that cpuld be practiced prac-ticed by the government The committee com-mittee adjourned subject to call of the chairman |