The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-01-01


dry their nets and cure their fish. Similar
privileges were granted British fishermen on
the American coast north of the thirty-sixth
parallel
The termination of this treaty in 1866 re-
stricted American fishermen to the conces-
sions of the treaty of 1918. Very soon
trouble began. The Canadians were dis
pleased at the abrogation of the treaty by
the UDited States, aud commenced series
OF prosecutions against American fishermen
with view of coercing the United States
into renewing the treaty. The wood and
water clause of the treaty of 1918 was en-
forced with great stringency, and American
vessels were frequently seized on the fllmsi-
est pretexts. The trouble became so great
that the President of the United States is
sued proclamation threatening retaliatory
measures If these outrages were continued.
The ratification of the Treaty of Washing
ton, however, for the time being uuieted
these difficulties.
Under this treaty American fishermen
were conceded substantially the same privil-
eyes as under the Reciprocity Treaty. To
the Canadian fisherman was given the right
to send his fish and fish oil into American
markets free of duty. The British Commits
sioners claiming that the Canadian conces-
sion was much more va liable than the
American concession, it was agreed to refer
the matter to joint commission, the United
States to pay whatever excess this commits
sion found. EVeryb body knows the result of
that arbitration. The United States were
compelled to pay $5,500,000 for privilege
that experience has shown is nearly value
less, and for which they had already paid
many times over by admitting Canadian fish
products free of duty. By the terms of the
treaty either party could terminate the fish
cry clause after ten years by giving years
notice to the other of its wish to do so. At
the earliest opportunity the United States
gave the requisite notice, and the fishery
clause will become void on the first of july
next.
1t seems to admit of hardly doubt that
the treaty has been of vastly more benefit to
Canadian fishermen than to their American
rivals. The shore fishery. for which we paid
S., 100000 in addition to the amount re,
mitted in duties on Canadian fish and fish
oil, turns out to be of no practical value what
ever to American fishermen. The herring
fishery, to which we had right under the
Washington treaty, has practically been de-
MED us because the local fishermen, whose
only means of livelihood it is, entirely disre-
garded the treaty and drove eff our fisher
men by force. During the present year. of
the $4,000 barrels of mackerel taken by our
fishermen in the Gulf of st. Lawrence, only
a little over one-ffth were taken within the
three-mile limit. On the other hand the ben
ehts accruiDg to the Canad an fisherman
from the treaty were very substantial. All our
markers were opened to him on precisely the
same terms as to the American, and Ameri-
cans were by discriminating duties driven
from the British West Indies, and the Sc, 500,-
900 paid by the United States was turned over
to the Canadian fishermen in the shape of
bounties. Under its operation the Canadian
fishing feet-has doubled, and our fishermen
drive out Americans and give the Canadians
a monopoly of the business. The American
fisherman is therefore making his fight not
for larger profits, but for existence. AS long
as the Canadian can build bis vessels cheap
er, get his crews cheaper, and hire the
labor OF all kinds which he requires
cheaper. as he now can do, and have
precisely the same rights in American
markets as the American fisherman, he can
beat the latter. The American fisherman
must be protected, or succumb in the une-
quail fight.
comparison of the census statistics of
1870 with the statistics of 1880 would seem
to initiate against this theory and to show
that notwithstanding the Washington treaty
our fishing interests for the last ten years
have greatly prospered In Maine in 1870
2461 men we're employed in the fisheries, the
capital invested was 1891, 1913, and the value
of the product $976,61O. Ten years later, af-
ter the Washington treaty had been ia oper-
alton nine years, Maine is credited with H.
OIL hands employed in the same business,
with an invested capital of So, $40, 994, and
an annual product of So, 614,S7S. Thus, ap-
the business in these ten years
A superficial examination of
these figures would lead to the conclusion
that the injurious effects OF the treaty had
been greatly exaggerated, even if they exist.
ed in any degree. The ex planation is two
fold. In the first place the census of 1870,
as far as the fishing business is concerned.
was very inaccurate. The business was
then scattered all along the coast, and it was
exceedingly difficult to get correct state
ments of The number of hands employed or
the capital invested. In 1880 the business
was concentrated almost entirely in Port
land and an accurate statement in regard to
1t was easily obtained. The hands and cap
ltal employed in 1870 were no doubt consid-
erably underestimate. In the second place,
the evil effects of the fishery clause of the
treaty did not begin to be felt until some years
after the treaty went into operation. The
old method of catching both cod and mack
erell was by the hook and line. The new
methods of catching cod by travis and mack
erel by seines were adopted much sooner by
the American than by the Canadian fisher.
men. For some years after the Washington
treaty went into effect the Canadians plod-
ded along with the hook and line while the
Americans used the trawl and the seine. The
excess Of the American catch more than Off
set the other advantages of the Canadian.
The American WAS nuicknr also +hap his ~
madam rival to discover and adopt improved
methods of preserving fish, and this gave him
another advantage. Within few years
however, the Canadian has almost caught up