The Portland daily press., 1886-05-28
THE FISHERIES.
What Captain Warren Doughty Says
of the Situation.
Movements of the Canadian Navy.
An Interview With Judge savary of
Digby.

Capt. Warren Doughty, father of the cap |
tain of the seized schooner Ella NJ. Doughty, |
was seen yesterday morning, and stated that |
he expected his son and the schooner's crew |
home from Halifax today The Captain |
owns thirty-second of the captured schoon- |
en- and was himself captured by the Canadi- |
ans in 1913. At that time the American fish |
ermen were allowed to purchase all the bait |
desired in Nova Scotia ports, and seizures |
were only made when schooners were caught |
fishing within the three-mile limit. ut took |
eleven years to settle up that seizure" said |
Capt Doughty, ''and l don't expect to live till
the present case is settled. The slowneSs
with which the present administration ap- |
pears to be conducting their negotiations
with the British government is very exasper-
ating to me. | have always been a Demo-
erat but don't feel now that we have any
government If the matter is not settled up
before a year passes the schooner will not be
good for anything, for she will be all eaten
up by the worms. We don't want any such
settlement between the two countries as we
had the last time, for the American fisher
men have not been able to take S5,5O00Oo
worth of fish from provincial waters during
the past fifteen years. From 1S49 to 1873, the
Dominion fisheries were of some value, but
since then there have been comparatively
few fish there. All the fish we can catch
there are mackerel, which come down from
the Gulf and appear on the Nova Scotia
coast earlier than upon our own coasts.
This is one reason why we should
not longer allow fresh fish to come
into our ports free of duty, for
the Canadians can now get the best prices of
the seasons market to the disadvantage of
our American fishermen. The most of the
mackerel caught along our coast are taken
outside of the three-mile limit, but down to
Nova Scotia the fishing is done within that
limit fished myself down that way for
twenty-six years, and therefore feel pretty
well informed upon the relative value of the
Canadian fisheries. There is another thing
that has not yet been mentioned which
seems to me to have prominent bearing ON
this case of the Ella Nj. Doughty. Before
the vessel went away the captain went to
the Custom House and obtained what he sup
posed were the proper papers to protect HIM
self and vessel from any trouble, and he told
ME he had papers that would allow him TO
buy bait same as any other vessel. Now 1t
appears that his touch and trade papers
were not of the right kind to allow him to do
this, while other vessels, such as the inter
national Steamship Line, | understand, can
buy anything desired. If there was any
fault about the papers the responsibility is
at the Custom House, and they should be
blamed rather than the captain OF the
schooner"
the year 1885, 159S5O pounds of fresh fish,
valued at $2135, brought here by Dominion
fishermen. In addition to this Holsters are
classified as shell fish and are also brought
in free. OF these there were 10l, 200 disposed
of here during 1885, valued at $685.. More
over the lobster trade is confined between
April / and August l. A duty placed on the
above as Capt Doughty suggests, would
prove a serious injury to Canadian tishef-
men and great protection for the Usher
men of Portland though the better prices
they would be able to obtain an active mar
ket
Schooner General Middleton" left her
wharf in Carleton, N. b., about $50 Wednes-
day evening, for the purpose of trying how
she would work. She was too much by the
head and sailed very poorly. She ran out
side Partridge Island short distance, but
as the wind was blowing very strong and the
night looked dirty, Capt. Mclean put back
and came to anchor in the stream. The
schooner will require little more ballast in
her stern before she can sail we'll She still
remains at anchor. As soon as the weather
moderates she will proceed to sea and Will
trim her ballast when she reaches her crulS-
ing grounds. In the afternoon twelve Spen-
Ger rifles and twelve Colt revolvers, with am
munitiOn, were placed on board the cruiser.
There are eighteen hands all told on the
vessel.
The steamer ssLansaowne" received orders
to proceed on cruising trip Wednesday
morning. At 10 o'clock her arrangements
had been completed and she put out Capt.
Scott did not accompany her: she Will De
absent week, and will probably spend tnat
time in cruising along the Nova Scotia and
New Brunswick coasts and IN watching
American vessels in the vicinity OF Grand
Manan.
The Halifax Herald published yesterday
an interview with Judge Savary. of Digby,
on the fishery question. Judge Savary rep
resented Digby in the Federal Parliament
and was the first man to bring up and discuss
this question in the House of Commons.
Judge Savary says that at the meetings OF
the Halifax Commission of 1877 the privi-
lege of purchasing bait, ice, ETC., was placed
in the forefront of the British case and the
utmost stress laid upon it, but the United
States agent and counsel protested in most
vigorous language against the arbltrators
considering that question at all, and 1t was
unanimously ruled out as not coming within
the jurisdiction of the commission. Some
$500, 900 was awarded solely as compensa-
ton for the privilege of Americans to fish in
the 1900 miles of British territorial waters
within the three mile limit The American
representatives declared that the bait ques-
| ton was purely one of commerce and traf1c,
and the arbitrator assentedI.to that view.
But the importance of the fact that this traf-
| fic in bait and ice was expressly torDldden
| by the treaty of 1918 does not appear to have
| been taken into proper consideration. 1t
was left an open question, and now comes
| most prominently to the front. In all future
negotiations Canadians will doubtless insist
upon the value of their inshore fisheries
| alone at the ratio of 100000 per annum,
| while this will be mere bagatelle compared
| to the claim for the privilege Of bait, ice and
| trans-shipments.
Judge Savary points out that all eminent
| American juristS and writers upon Interna-
| tional law have admitted the unassailable
| position of the British claim to prevent traf-
| tic in bait, whiohis the key to the whole sit,
uation. ''If we yield the bait question"
| have by which to secure compensatory
| advantages, and our fishery privileges are IL
| revocabiy gone" He urges that the most
rigorous protection be enforced, SO that
'either the United States must give us Tree
| market for our fish and other advantages, or,
| by denying them bait and ice. we shall Grip
| pie their fishing industry and thus hnally
| have access to their markets in spite OF them
| selves"