stefansson-wrangel-09-14-034-002

Mr. A. J. Taylor -----2

required before wages to the extent of $1,873.50 can be paid
out of the money which I cabled to you. The various supplies,
such for instance, as the item of $1,371.50 paid to Lehman,
Nome, Alaska, and $589.86 paid to Holt of Nome, Alaska, and
Midnight Sun Trading Co. for $958.50, and all the other items
including the skin boat for $100. all require further parti-
culars in order to ascertain if they were required for the
relief or for the colonization. If they were for the relief
then they would come back with the Donaldson and the proceeds
from for resale would be available for return to the subscribers.
If, however, they related to stores for colonization and not for
the use of the ship in navigating to and from Wrangel Island.

No doubt, you will be able to let me have full
particulars separating the relief from the colonization
expenditures. Copies of the invoices would enable the analysis
to be checked by the auditors in England and I would ask you
to give the fullest particulars to satisfy them. We can then
ascertain definitely how much of the money which the public
has subscribed for the relief of the men on Wrangel Island
has been appropriated for a purpose for which it was not
contributed.

With regard to your suggestion that the company
should give me a note acknowledging its indebtedness, I will
not ask you to do this because it would remove the responsi-
bility from the individual to the company which I have been
careful to avoid up to the present. As I explained to Stef
in England the reason the money was cabled to you personally
was to be able to hold you personally responsible for the
money which was entrusted to me personally, and for which I
am personally responsible. For the same reasons I have
decided not to accept the shares which you have kindly offered
to have transferred to me, even though these would cost me
nothing. It would, however, prejudice my position as trustee
of the public money to by introduceing an element of personal
interest in the concerns of the company. The part I have
hitherto played has been purely for the humanitarian purpose
of saving the lives of the four men who were marooned on
Wrangel.

With regar d to the earlier portions of the account,
which however does not concern me personally, it appears that
the relief expedition last year under the command of Captain
Bernard cost for the charter and supplies, $1,222.95. Appar-
ently the Canadian Government contributed $3,000. for this
purpose in addition to $3,000. which does not appear in the
account, contributed by Mr. Orville Wright. Seeing that these
contributions of $6,000. were only partly utilized for the
purpose of sending the "Teddy Bear", should not the balance of