Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-01-29
Ea,lcaster fntellige1lrer.
SATURDAY EVENING. JAN. 20. 1881.
The Fishery Frauds.


The Fishery Frauds.
Another Letter from Prof. Youle Hind.
Another letter from Prof. Hind to the
governor general in the matter OF fishery
statistics is published, dated Jan. "a.
After referring to his former letters as
calling for further explanations OF the SUBJ
ject treated therein, Professor Hind says !:
It is my duty in the first place to sketch an
outline. as have traced it, of the method
by which the successful rOguery was prac-
ticcd at Halifax. At the same time shall
but touch lightly upon its bearing, be-
cause these may be left in their broad re-
lati0ns to the discernment Of the public. 1t
il essential for your excellency to know
that in the preparations for the Halifax
commission there were two classes
of documents prepared and printed at Of
tawa, one, "Class A" relating to the fish
catch statistics the other, 9 Glass B, y to
the fish trade statistics. Respecting the
fish catch statistics. "a there were three
documents prepared and printed to show
the same thing. One document was a true
statement, marked " confidential two
documents we:c grossly false statements
in titles, details and references. One of
these false statements was presented 70
the arbitrators in the case OF her majesty's
government. The other false statement
was reserved for cautious distribution
among memb bers of commission. Respecting
fish trade statistics, I" u, there were also
three documents prepared and preserved
at Ottawa. One document was true
statement (as far rs it goes), and was
marked ''Confdential." Two documents
were grossly false statments, and were not
marked ''Confidential.' One Of these
false statements in gross was sworn to in
evidence the other giving details is the
appendix to the memorandum concerning
the twerty-first article of the treaty OF
Washington. Study OF these false tables,
namely, the one presented in class "A
and the one sworn to evidence ''D, rcvea!
the separate facts that the fish statis-
tics Of the dominion, rs contained in the
annual fishery reports, from which d" \ =
is falsely alleged to have been taken, have
also been manipulated for misleading pur
poses and also that the trade and navi
gatiGn returns from which IL is alleg-
ed to be taken, have been most grossly
tampered with and altered at Ottawa for
misleading purposes. apparently from the
year 1871 to the year 1877. Thus we are
confronted with 4 quidrnD!et series "i'
falsifications, all pointing to one and the
same end. Table " A." presented in the
case, is document Intentionally ralsiiied
from records Of the government supposed
to be correct.
Table "B" is document falsely framed
in part from trade and navigation returns,
supposed to lie records of the government,
but which embody fictitious entries; also
in part from the selection Of improper
items and the rejection Of proper items
and also in part ny the employment of
various misleading and disi,onorable arti-
fees which greatly alter the trade returns
between the different countries, as repre-
sented by false figures. This table ''B 5"
is more important, because at the time it
was known to. he grossly false, and was
submitted in evidence upon oath. IL
formed, subsequently, the basis OF the al
gument in a question of vital importance
relating to tine first article of the treaty
of Washington, and covers L period of
twenty-six years. The manufacture of
this table concerns the dominion depart
ment lof customs from the year 1871 to
the year 1877.
Mr.. Francis Clareford, her majesty's
agent, was duly informed by me of the
falseness Of the statistical table "A, -
and fisheries, before the commission was
organized. Both Mr.. Ford and Mr.. Ber-
que, who was subsequently secretary of
the commission, declared to me. early in
June, 1877, that they had corrected false
figures in this table. 1t turned out, at
the close of the commissions IabOrS, that
these gentlemen, so far from having cor
rected false figures. had actually pre-
sented them to the arbtratols uncor-
rected, known to be false, in the lame OF
her majesty the queen. They kept in
their possession proofs Of guilt during the
whole time the commission was sitting
These proofs came officially into my hands
in November, 1877, and remain with me
As the joint property of the government
of Great Britain and the government OF
the United States, to be produced by me
when called upon by those governments
jointly, or, the British government having
50 far declined to look ut proofs. by the
government of the United States separatey
if required The table "E'' is startling and
shocking exhibition of fraud. prolonged
from year to year. and successfully practiced
at last. The document which discloses it's in-
fanny, namely, the appendix 10 the me:no-
randum concerning the twr-ii, first article
of the treaty of Washiu4:..i!, ',.!opys as
much to the United Stat,:> =. 80 Great
Britain, for it directs II t;.,: =, the at
teution of the joint commission to it's
pleadings. In consequence OF the extra
ordinary speech of Sir Alexander Camp
bell, postmaster general, in the Senate on
the 21st instant, l am placed in q position
to present your exceIlency with some il
lustrations of roguery which had been
concocted at Ottawa, compared with
which, instances have already brought
forward arc mere trlfleS.
have the honor to be your excellency's S
obedient servant,
HENRY YOULE HIND,
Compiler, &c.