The Portland daily press., 1886-11-05
CUTTING THEIR OWN FINGERS.

A correspondent of the Halifax Herald,
in the course of long article on the existing
relations between Dominion authorities and
American fishermen, enumerates the disad-
yantages under which the latter are placed
by the existing interpretations of the treaty
OF 1918. With exasperating care the disad-
vantages are summed up RS follows:
% Their inability TO get provisions of any kind
and especially fresh meat, Vegetables, etc With
out stealing or smuggling them. Thirty or forty
vessels with only few fish have gone home from
tne pay THIS season for want of provisions, before
they otherwise would have DONE They We're
compelled TO go home and leave the fish in the
ocean; Had they been able to obtain supply of
provisions and remain they would doubtless
nave secured good fare.
70 They can't repair their nets or seines or
(3) They can't cure their fish in port and fire..
que,ntly lose them endeayoring TO clean them at
night outside the limit. This is a very great
drawback.
a. They can't clean them in port as thew for
merry dld, and throw their curry overheard TO
the destruction of our inshore fisheries.
oSolIIney are compelled to conform to our Gus
t tps LAWS, sometimes at great Inconvenience to
themselves, especially When they have to go
several miles to report.
l6)-They have frequently to 90 TO sea when
Nova Scotia vessels remain iii harbor,
CD-They can't ship or land men. This is a
very great annoyance to Americans. Often one
OF more OF their men desert. and they are practi-
caly helpless. They must have a fun crew to
successfully prosecute their VOYAGE ShiDpers
have often made the most earnest Teouesfs to he
allowed TO ship man-to .srepaiI,' the crew TAX
the case OF the American captain who wrote 10
the gloucester Advertiser from Sydney, TO the eff
iect that he was at his wits end and didn't know
now TO supply the assertions from his crew. Many
vessels have been delayed weeks and put to great
Inconvenience in this respect.
(S)-Then, perhaps, the greatest loss of all is
tnelr inability To transbip cargo at Mulgrave,
Point Duchene, Alberton or Souris. This has
been more severely felt than anything else during
the present season.
1t will be observed that of these eight es-
pecial disadvantages, there are only two
which can be of any possible advantage to
the Canadians. These are the 4tl and 9th.
To inflict the other six trials the Canadians
put themselves out greatly The refusal to
sell provisions has brought hardship on the
small traders; the chance to repair nets, cure
fish, etc., privilege for which Americans
would pay well, would be profitable
for the Canadians to sell; it is useless
trouble to order an American vessel
to sea when harbor room costs nothing
the shipping of men has been in times
past means of giving profitable en-
pioyment to many Canadians who would
otherwise have had little to do; and finally
the denial of the right to tranship cargoes
means only the loss of so much business to
Canadian transportation lines.
II the object of these restrictions was to
protect the premises within the three-mile
limit, they might be justified. But this is
not the object. The cruisers attend to the
three-mile limit. These restrictions are to
prevent the Americans from enjoying to adj
vantage their undoubted rights of fishing on
| the hlUh havon1 ba 10 lf,,.;1
To effect this purpose Canada is putting her
self to great trouble, in the hopes that our
markets may be forced open. But the hope
is futile, as our fishermen declare that they
had rather suffer all the present inconyen-
fences rather than be forced to compete with
the underpaid crews of the Provinces.