The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-06-24
WASHINGTON, d. c..
History of the Legislation of Congress
upon the American Fisheries.
SPEECH OF HON. STEPHEN c.. FOSTER.
OF MAINE,
~ THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES


under all changes of administration, with
single exception, 10 encourage our cod and mack
erel hSherles, by bounties and allowances 10
the salt consumed in curing the fish. This prop
ostion will not, think, be controverted by am
one who will investigate the subject. And it /
equally clear TO my mind, that the object of thu
Fedeeal Government, in thus fostering the hshe
ries5 has been TO train seamen for the public
service in times of war.
viii proceed, briefly, to establish the histor
ical proof of these propositions, and TO show the
wisdom of the course which has been pursued
Sir, the second act of the first Congress, passed
July 1, l7s9--an act for raising revenue-was
not unnndful of the duty of protecting the fish
cries The fourth section of the act is in these
words:
That there shall be allowed and paid or
every quntal of dried, and on every barrel o
picked fish, of the fisheries of the United
States and on every barrel of sailed provision.
of the United States, exported to any country
without the limits thereof, in lieu of draw.
back OF the duties imposed on the importation
of the salt employed and expended therein viz
"On every quintal of dried fish, five cents
"On every barrel of picked fish, five cents;
"On every barrel of sailed provisions, five
cents"
The first section of the act laid duty on i'm
ported salt of six cents per bushel. 1t also laid
a duty of seventy-fve cents per barrel on import
ed picked fish. (See Stat. at Large, vol. /
p. "a.
Ii may be alleged that this bounty was only
intended a drawback OF the salt duty. But
the allowance or drawback is accompanied BY
heavy duties upon imported picked and dried
fsh-duties ten times the amount of the salt
duties-and furnishing a most ample remunera-
tion for the latter. How then can it be doubted
that the object and purpose of the first Congress
was TO foster the fisheries?
In August 1890, the same Congress passed
another revenue act, doubling the tax salt
and doubling the allowances to exporters of fish.
(See Stat. at Large, vol. p. 1907
In 1892, February Ii, Congress passed another
important act touching the fisheries, and leaving
no doubt on the mind of any one that the object
to protect, encourage, and foster them, as
schools for seamen The previous act paid the
allowances to the exporters of fsh-in other
words, to merchants who bought fish in the mar
kets for expectation. The fish consumed in the
home market produced no bounty to the catcher
or to any one else, except that indirectly accru-
ing from the high duties upon foreign fish. But
the act of 1892 went much further, and paid
bounties directly to the owners of vessels and
crews. 4 proviso of this act goes still further
to remove any lingering doubt as to the real OBJ
ject and purpose of lis trainers, by requiring that
the fishing vessels shall remain ut sea, engaged
in the business of catching fish, at least four
the bounty simply to refund the salt duty
there would not be the slightest prOpriety in any
of these regulations. With such an object in
view, the Government, by the plainest dictates OF
common sense, would only require the produc-
ton Of the sailed fish as a condition of refund
ing the duty salt and it would be equally
absurd and unjust to interfere with the contracts
between the fishermen and their employers
to require four months in the performance of Il
laho rxUhi mir no oh ed in tUO ar hrea
| will read the material parts of this act, in
order that the Committee, and those who may
think proper to read my remarks, may see that
i have not misrepresented it. Ii was passed, "a
have said on the 10th of February, 1892, and
is entitled IAN act concerning certain fisheries
of the United States, and for the regulation and
government of the fishermen employed therein. !"
1t enacts " That the allowance now made upon
the expectation of dried fish of the fisheries OF
the United States, in lieu of a drawback of the
duties paid on the salt used in preserving the
same, shall cease on all dried fish exported after
the 10Th day of June next, and, as a communal
ton and equivalent therefor, there shall be after
ward paid, on the last day of December, annu-
ally, TO the Otrer Of erery resseI or his agent by
the collector of the district where such vessel
may belong, that shall be qualified agreeably
TO law for carrying on the bank other cod
fisheries, and shall actually have been employed
therein at for the term of four months nj
least of the fishing season next preceding
which season is accounted to be from the last
day of February to the last day of November in
every year-for each and every ton of such YES
sells burden, according TO her admeaSurement
as licensed enrolled if of twenty tons, and
not exceeding thirty tons, one dollar and II
half; and il above thirty tons, two dollars and
half. pfwhch diIOUdRce aforesaid, Mree-eGghfk
parts shall accrue and belong to the owner OF
such fishing vessel; and the other ive-eighths
thereof shall be divided 10y him, his agent or
lawful representative, to and among the several
fishermen who shall have been employed in
such vessel during the aforesaid or a
part thereof, the case may be, in such pro-
portion as the fish they shall respectively have
taken may bear TO the whole quantity of fish
taken on board such vessel during such season
Prorided, That the allowance aforesaid on any
one vessel for one season, shall not exceed one
hundred and seventy dollars"
The second section extended the allowance to
fishing boats of five tons and under twenty tons,
at the rate of one dollar per ton, provided they
land at least twelve quintals of fish per ton.
This statute to continue in force seven
years, and to the end of the next following SEES
sion of Congress. (See Stat. at Large, vol. ,
page 229l
Ii will he seen that every clause of this act
proviso and all, keeps in view the leading idea
of fostering school for seamen, while the resto-
merely used as pretext. In the first place, the
bounty is paid without reference TO the exporta-
ton of the fish second, i; is paid not in proper
ton TO the fish caught and sailed but with ref
erence to the size of the vessel. If under twenty
tons, only dollar per ton is paid on the
principle that such a vessel boat is not calcu-
lated to afford the best discipline for seamen
vessels of twenty to thirty tons in sdmeasure-
ment treated a little better; they receive one
dollar and fifty cents while all above thirty tons
burden to receive two dollars and a half
Third the bounty is not paid unless the vessel is
at sea, engaged in catching fish, at least -four
months during the fishing season. If one vessel
should be out two months. and catch FIVE times
many fish another which remains out -four
months the latter would receive the bounty
while the former would receive nothing Could
the object of this regulation be made palmer
Is it not clear that the salt had nothing to dc
with it? Fourth, the bounty was to be divided
between the ship-owner and the seamen, in
certain proportions. The former was TO have
three-eighths, in consideration of the risk of his
capital and superintendent, while the sailors
were to receive fve-eighths. Is there the faint
est trace of purpose to restore the salt duty in
this regulation
The act of May 2 1892 raises the duty on
salt by altering and reducing the standard of the
bushel measure. This was done by SUBSTITUTING
the weighed bushel of fifty-six pounds for the
measured bushel of eighty -four pounds The
effect of this upon the fishing interests wa.
counteracted by increasing the bountes twent,
per cent. (See Stat. at Large, vol. l, page 259
The act of July s, 1897, raises the duty on sal
from twelve to twenty cents per bushel of fiftysi
pounds The bounty on picked fish is raise,
from eight to twelve cents per barrel; on salte'
provisions il is raised from five to ten cents
BARREL; and the bounties to fishing vessels ar
still further increased thirty-three and a thir'
per cent. (See Stat at Large, vol. l, page 533.