The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-01-29
THE FISH EXCHANGE.
Secretary Whitten's Report of His
Western Trip.

A meeting of the Portland Fish Exchange
was held at their rooms on Commercial street
yesterday afternoon, good many of the
members being present. The meeting was
called to order by President Trefethen, who
stated the object of the meeting to be to
listen to the report of the Secretary in re-
gard to his recent trip to the lake cities.
Secretary Whitten then gave an account
of his trip, the facts of which have already
been published in the PRESS He said that
he went to Boston at the request Of the
chairman of the executive committee with
out knowing the object of the request, Mr..
Whitten undertook the mission with reluc-
tance but found the people of the cities on
the lakes in sympathy with the movement
which he represented.
At Buffalo, where Mr.. Whitten first went,
he met the Hon. j. d. Lockwood. who has
always been friend and supporter of
President Cleveland Notwithstanding the
Presidents recommendation in favor of an
international commission. Mr.. Lockwood ex-
pressed himself in sympathy with the clause
of the fishing interests and himself drew up
and signed a petition against the proposed
commission. The papers of Buffalo without
exception favored the movement against the
commission and reciprocity.
At Cleveland, strongly protective city,
Mr.. Whitten and Mr.. K. ID. Pierce his COM
panion received kindly attention from Mr..
John 0. Winship, formerly of this city. A
petition was numerously signed here, and
similar action was taken in Sandusky and
Toledo. Considerable feeling exists in
Toledo against the Canadians on account of
their unjust laws. For instance under
Canadian law, Toledo man, who owned
vessel which went ashore on the Canada
side was obliged to have her floated by the
small Canadian tugs at a cost of $500, when
his own large tug could have done the work
much quicker and cheaper. The people of To-
ledo who use nets in their fishing apparatus,
have duty of 40 per cent on the material
which is obtained duty free by their Cana
dian competitors,
At Detroit and Chicago the gentlemen
were favorably received. At these places
they found much opposition to the eprovisions
of the Washington treaty allowing Canadian
vessels to compete in the coasting trade on
the United States shores of the lakes. A
few wholesale dealers in Chicago were at
first opposed to the movement but when the
situation was explained to them and the
facts emphasized that unless something was
speedily done, the fisheries would fall entire
into Canadian hands, they withdrew their
objections and Mr.. Whitten thinks that now
no remonstrance could be gotten up in Chi
cago against the strong petition forwarded
from them. The matter was left in charge
of Booth & Son, the largest wholesale fish
dealers Of Chicago.
This completed the trip to the lake cities
and Mr.. Whitten thinks that this action in
visiting those Western points was the key to
the success of the whole movement, making
it'much stronger before Congress than it
would have been if confined to New Eng
land.
From Chicago Mr.. Whitten went to Wash
ington where he met Senator Frye and Con-
gresham Reed both of whom expressed
their faith in the success of the movement.
Mr.. Whitten presented Mr.. Reed with the
petition against early south fishing bearing
1900 signatures, and it has been referred to a
subcommittee of the committee on ways
and means. Prof. Baird is in favor of the
movement against early south fishing and
also the fishing interests of Philadelphia,
Baltimore and New York
This completed the trip which was made
expeditiously occupying but two weeks in
all.
Mr.. C. A. Dyer was added to the committee
on finance.
On motion of Mr.. A. M. Smith vote of
thanks was extended to Mr.. Whitten for his
i,,l nf ba fScbi ir,fa
Mr.. Smith expressed his surprise and gratif
cation at the success attending the trip to
the lake cities. Mr.. Smith said that Hon.
T. B. Reed had recently in a letter to
him expressed his opinion that the inter-
national commission would not be appointed.
Mr.. Whitten said that it was only in the
past few months that the magnitude of the
fisheries had been recognized in the West
and South.
President Trefethen said that until recent
ly people had imagined that England owned
all the fishing grounds and we could not fish
without her permission.
Mr.. Whitten said that members of Congress
to whom maps were shown representing the
localities where fish are caught, were sur
prised to find that little or no fish is caught
within the three mile limit.
The point was raised by Capt Joyce that
the right of the United States to catch cod in
the Gulf of st. Lawrence would be retained
by this country under the treaty of 1908 and
did not enter into this discussion. This cod
fishing was formerly of great Importance to
US but now is of little value.
The meeting adjourned after some informal
discussion