Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-09-15
DANGER OF STARVATION.
Deplorable Condition of the People
of Newfoundland.

of Newfoundland.
From the Ysso York World.
HALIFAX. \. :, sept. l2.-Destitution
| in Newfoundland is assuming an acute
form. Eugland's oldest colony Is in
most deplorable condition. Starvation is
staring in the face 400 helpless and
almost hopeless men aud women ana
children. The situation Is all the more
| deplOrable because the recent bogus
! stories OF starvation and cannibalism
among the Labrador EsQuimaux so hor-
| ritied and disguised the Eng disappearing
| public that future tales of suffering from
! Newfoundland will naturally be regarded
with suspicion and will largely
| curtaii, if not efectually prevent,
| all attempts at outside relief. Not only
| is the condition of the fishing population
| a most pitable one. but the public imam
! ces are 50 stratened that il will be Ut
terly impossible for the government ade
! quately TO deal with the trightful dis
tress. The colony is completely isolated
from The commerce both of Canada and
the United States. Tue people are al
most solely dependent upon fishing for
a livelihood. Agriculture, manufactures
and almost every other industry are I'M
known. For wears the fisheries have
been going from bad to worse. until this
year the colony is on the brink of a ca
tastrophe. Last year the government had
10 feed large part Of the people along
the coast. the planters and large fish
operators have advanced supplies to the
fishermen for two winters to keep
body and soul together, until the
poor people are now hopelessly in debt
and the merchants are unable to advance
more supplies. Added to the complete
failure of the fisheries is the general de-
moralization of the markets hitherto con-
trolled by Newfoundland by French,
American and Canadian competition.
The Newfoundland government pretends
to Cooperate with Canada IN enforcing
the treaty OF 1918, butts utterly poWerless
to do anything, and every Yankee vessel
can treat all its warnings and regula-
tions with contemptuOus defiance. Mean
while the imperial government still re-
fuses to assent to an act prohibiting the
sale OF bait TO foreigners, and the eXas-
perating French shore question is further
from settlement than ever. These things
combine to shake the loyalty OF the sturdy
Observation-Disclosures TO the very bottom.
Alfred b. MOrine, member of the
Newfoundland Legislature for the fishing
district of BonaVista, who has just ar
rived from st. John, tells a graphic story
OF the prevailing distress and the gloomy
outlook for the fall and winter. Not less,
he says, than 49,, 900 of the population
solute1y without the possibility of earn
ing dollar to keep themselves alive dur
ing the fall and winter. Thirty thousand
Observation-Disclosures go to Labrador every
season, and the average catch was for
merly 800 quintals per vessel. This only
enabled them and the 10000 other people
dependent on them to exc out a fair exist
ence, but this year the Labrador catch is
not one-third the average and not enough
nj fFn n FfufT nn
and supplies advanced by the merchants.
Then there are $1,000 resident fishermen
at Labrador who are, il possible, in q
worse plight than those who go there
from Newfoundland. All of these 65.-
600 people to-day are In a state OF great
restitution and entirely dependent upon
government support for existence. They
are scattered along 1900 miles OF the
most barren and dangerous coast in the
world, and unless prompt and extensive
measures are taken TO send these people
supplies 1t will be impossible for relief
steamers TO reach them during the win
ter. and hundreds of them must inevlta-
bly, starye. This language may seem ex-
aRgersted, but 1t is the plain English OF
the existing facts and the inevitable con-
sequences.
The herring catch is an utter failure and
is less than 10000 barrels, against 90, 900
barrels for last year. The shore fishing al
| most equals the Labrador fishing in the
| completeness of its failure. or the 10000
| people dependent upon that branch for an
| existence, less than 10000 have secured
| enough to carry them through the
winter. This will leave 10000 of these de-
| pendent on gOvernmentor public charity
In all fully 100000 people will have to be
| provided tor. 1t will be next to impos ST.
| BILE for the government to feed these peo-
| pie, and the distress and suffering that
must ensue must be something terrible
unless the government borrows large
sums of money to expend in construction
| of public works, such as railways, and
| even that would be but a drop in the
| bucket. The great fear is that the gov
eminent will not realize and attempt to
grapple with this problem until it is too
| late.