New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-05-10

as with che exception Of the fisheries In open beats
cations above nenoned that fishing ground the
whole coast Of Nova scotia Is more 'n n.eo oep
s ae Short Of the fisheries on that coast ova scoa
WILL Notwithstanding the remuneration. be preserved:
Americans The right fish IN the Gulf OF St IAwpenco
but that taking consideration the width OF the Gut
OF Canso leading to IL, foreign nation has rght 10
| use or navigate 1t.
On this point Chancellor Kent says:
every nation is bound in time OF peace TO grant
if o fssr Hs can be
! permitted without Inconvenience" ,..o
The law officers decide that the treaty dd noS
Islands.
AS the privileges granted in connection with 'no'o
islands are worthless, unless the fishermen "cio
to land, such an Interpretation is absurd
To the repeated demands OF the Assembly, " wv"
Scotia for more to away the Americans
Lord Stanley at length in 1872 wrote that inc ciaS VI
the colonists being practically deq~esoeo W " 80.
Americans, no purifier measures are req"He". ~
he based this declaration has never appcieu' " 80
the British authorities, by what was terinco an i
nortant concessop~ withdrew objection TO the use oy
- 0.,oror NJ the Bay OF Fundy, and from that time
90 ,eK tbore was comparative quiet In this year the
canadian authorities began again their proscrpuVe
Hesitation the most Objectionable act being an oruor W
forbid the transhpment OF fish in any OF ther ports IL
had become to some extent the practice OF our fishermen
70 send home their fares" by steamer and thus save
much time and expense.
RECIPROCITY.
In 1854 the Reciprocity treaty with Canada was
adoptcd II was never held by the people of New
England to be an equitable arrangement at all but was
adopted for the purpose OF buying off Canada from
plundering fishermen During its continuance there
was little of complaint since, as Canada had the
best of the bargain and could abrogae at any tno
years notice, the Dominion very CAREFUL be-
fore the war TO give for doing 80 But the
Os tttrino tha wit
causes influenced Government, in 1865 to give the
required notice When about to lose the privileges con-
forred by this treaty the Canadians first began to appro
cise their value, and sent delegation to this city 10
beg that the treaty might be continued Their efforts
unavaliug.
LICENSING AMERICAN FISHERMEN
Then the Dominion Government adopted the system
Of licensing fisher on, and at first estimated the
value Of the privilege OF reshppng their cargoes buy
Ing bait &C., at 80 cents tun per annum on the tunnage
of the vessels employed. This fishermen paid will
ngly though they thought 1t rather high price There
were 1885, therefore, 3 licenses taken out at this rate
producing a for Canada OF Sl0620. The next
year they doubled the rate Of license issued 2sl and col
ected $780, In 1868 they increased the price to 81 per
tup issued only Sc licenses and collected 0OO In lS69
the rate was xed at S. and then only IS licenses were
issued and 81 500 collected This the true explanation
and answer to the story published widely last year by
! the Canadians that the Yankees dishonesty scorned
| their accommodating spirit.
The system of licenses having failed, It abolished
in 1870 and OF seizure adopted. This was the last
straw which broke the cames back; it was no longer
possible 10 POSTPONE an adjustment Of this vexed ques
ton and preserve the peace and this fact probably bad
much to do in Fastening the negotiations which resulted
in the appointment of the Joint High Commission.
TIE MAcKEREL FISHERIES.
Tie mackerel fishermen of Massachusetts, have been
the ones suffer most from the action Of the Canadian
Government and therefore often supposed that the
Of the maekerel taken by them caught IN Cana
dian waters and within three miles Of shore Suchis not
the OF the 100000 barrels of this fish caught by
citizens OF the United States last year, only about
$1,000 barrels were taken in Canadian waters During
the last year that the Reciprocity treaty was in opera
ton IL was found that only about 20 per cent Of the
mackerc caught taken within the three-mle limit.
At this rate, only 1000 barrels taken "iD-shOre"
in Canada last year. AS there large extents of
coast where the Americans allowed to fish Sin
Shore" under the treaty OF 1918, the number
illegally taken must be very small. The mackerel
appear in the Spring off Cape May and it is there that
our fishermen first find them. Then they go in a
direct line for Newfoundland and, as the Fall ap-
proaches slowly down tho coast. They are caught
by throwing overheard quantity Of bait which consists
Of meuhaden Ash, and when shOa OF the mackerel is
gathered around the vessel to put out the lines when
they are taken with great rapidly. The vessel is gen
orally moving slowly when fishing is going on, and the
result Is that II the sLoa Of FISH is swimming the
shore it may pass the threemile limit The fishermen
in the midst of the excitement Of catching would not be
likely to stop just before going beyond the limit But
the Canadian authorities, the alert have been
ready to any vessel which passes the limit and
sometimes long before they reach it, and even fit is not
condemned the trouble and delays that follow are sure
to make the voyage losing one. The Treaty of 1913
gives TO Americans the privilege of entering harbOr
for shelter to repair damages and to procure water or
purchase wood. Under the Reciprocity Treaty, and
when the license system first adopted, Americans
were also allowed to purchase provisions and bait to
buy fish caught by the boat fishermen inshore and to
transbp their cargoes 10 the United States in steamers
Some or all OF these privileges essential to make
the business profitable
The Canadian press and diplomatic correspondence
have since 1885, often contained statements TO the
Questionable value" Of their fisheries. The question
naturally arises ITO whom are they Of such inesmabe
value y" To the Canadians themselvesH Take the case
Of the mackerel fisheries Tho Canadians themselves
cannot make the business profitable. Three grades Of
FISH are taken-No. !, No. ., and No. s. The No.
more valuable and far plenty than either other
grade. But the only market for No. mackere-outside
Of the small number consumed in Canada-is the United
States The richer classes in Europe do not eat them in
very large quantities. and they are too expensive for
the poorer people The Canadians cannot take them to
the Southern States West Indies they contain so
much fatty that they cannot be preserved The
duty excludes them from the American market
RECAPITULATIoS
Stated briefly, the Joint High Commission was ex-
pected decide whether American fishermen shall have
restored them all that the treaty of 1888 secured
right and which surrendered in the treaty Of 18lS
partly In consideration Of concessions made to us and
partly through the ambiguity Of the terms of the treaty
This, which win hereafter probably DO called priv
lege instead Of right Is the liberty TO fish anywhere
the coast the sea- the OF the Canadian harbOrs
for the purposes Of buying provisions, bait, &C.,
and the right TO cure their fish and dry their nets
any Of the unsettled bays Of the Dominion. Nothing