The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-02-23

outward from line drawn from the head
lands at the mouth of the bays and harbors,
while the United States has contended that
the same rule should be applied t. them as
elsewhere. l., other words England claimed
that we hai no right to enter bays Tor fish
| ing at all, While the United States claimed
that such bays as were more than six miles
wide we had the right to cutter up to point
where their width diminished to that figure.
1t will be seen, therefore, that the arrange
ment IN the treaty il compromise.
III. Article 10 allows our fishing vessels
to enter the bays mentioned in the first arti-
Gle for shelter or repairing damages, without
reporting, entering on clearing, but they cam
not remain more than .twenty-four hours
| They are relieved as0. from compulsory
| pilotage, and when they are in the bays for
the purposes for which they are allowed to
enter under the Treaty of 1918, they are re-
| ieved from harbor dues, tonnage dues, light
! house dues and other similar charges.
| This article relieves our fishermen from
considerable of the embarrassment to which
they have been subjected since the abroga-
ton Of the Washington treaty, and is one of
the most. if not the most, substantial conces-
! sion of the treaty. 1t will be remembered
| that most of our vessels were seized for fail
ure to report when they had run in for shell
| ter or because they neglected to comply with
some practically obsolete customs regulation
| trnmped up to haraSs them. This article
deprives the Canadians of their favorite
means of persecution.
Ill. Articles IL, II and IS relate COM
merclal privileges IA Dominion ports. I'm
| der the Canadian construction of the
J Treaty Of 1918 our fishing vessels enjoyed no
commercial privileges in Canadian ports.
| They were allowed to enter for shelter, for
obtaining wood and water, for repairs, and
for no other purpose whatsoever. They were
4 allowed to buy nothing, not even medicine
for sick scamen. They were allowed to ship
men under no conditions They were per-
mitted to tranship their cargoes under no
circumstances. Under these articles they
are allowed to transhp cargoes when the
vessel needs repairing. and it is necessary to
remove the cargo to repair her, replenish OUT
| fits, provisions and supplies damaged or lost
| by disaster, and In case of death or sickness
| enjoy all ncedful facilities, including ship
ment of men. Our vessels are also permitted
| to purchase on all occasions casual or needful
supplies as are ordinarily granted to trading
vessels, provided they nave secured license
which can be had without charge. This pro-
| vision is not intended to empower vessels to
| fit ont in Dominion ports it is simply meant
to allow them to supply some accidental
| omission or loss
| V. Article IA defines the penalties for IN
lawful fishing and for preparing to fish un-
| lawfully There is considerable gain in this
| article to American fishermen inasmuch as by
it the maximum penalties are fixed and the
method of procedure is established Hereto
fore it has been left entirely to the local
courts which were oftentimes greatly preju-
diced by local feeling and put our fishermen
to unjustifiable expense and delay. Some
thing like fair trial is guaranteed by this
article.
vi. The 15th-practically the concluding
article Of the treaty-is simply an offer on
the part of Great Britain that if the
United States will open her markets to Can
adam caught fish free of duty then American
fishermen shall have all the privileges in Do
minon ports that they seek, namely. the
right to buy bait, supplies and fishing gear
and to tranship their fish in bond.
This covers substantially all the provis-
ions OF the treaty. To say that no conces
sions of any value are made us would not be
quite true Relief from the embarrassing So
called port regulations to which our vessels
were subjected to such an extent during
the last fishing season Is worth something;
SO is an exact definition of the three mile
limit; so is the establishment of maximum
altiac nd n H.. mi IN of A,,ro
in the case of seized vessels. The privilege
of transhipment of cargoes, however, is so
restricted as to practically amount to very
little, and the privilege to occasionally pur-
chase few supplies to make up an ac-
cidental deficiency is of no great moment
Generally it may fairly be said that
the concessions which have been made
us are such as the Canadians
could not Well have refused and defended
themselves in the eyes Of the civilized world
When our vessels get wholly or partly out of
provisions they are allowed to buy enough
to tide them over; when member of the
crew of any of them is sick, it is permitted to
purchase medicines for him; and when one
dies man may be shipped to take his place;
when vessel is so damaged that she cannot
struction of the cargo is not compelled, as it
practically would be If transhipment under
such circumstances were refused; and when
our vessels are seized, something like a fair
trial is conceded.
1t will be seen that practically none of the
privileges rights our fishermen contend they
are-which appertain simply to the bust
ness of fishing have been conceded. We are
not allowed to buy bait in Dominion ports,
we are not allowed to tranship fish in bond,
we are not allowed to purchase supplies, ex-
cept to q very limited extent. The Cana
dams have yielded just enough to meet
the demands Of humanity. but have taken
good care to stop short of any concessions
that would materially benefit the fishery
business of the Americans. They have re-
fused to grant US in their ports the same
commercial privileges that they enjoy in our
ports. They have held them back to open
up our own markets with.
One word with regard to the temporary
arrangement" This is no part of the treaty
and our commissioners appear not to be
in any degree responsible for it. For two
years or until the ratification of the treaty
the British commissioners in the name
of the Crown offer our vessels the
privilege of purchasing provisions, sup
plies and bait and transhipping cargoes
in Canadian ports If our vessels will pay
for it at the rate of 81 so ton for each
ton of their measurement With the fishing
business as bad as it has been for several
seasons past one such purchase or tranship-
ment would ruin the profits of season. If
our government should accept the offer our
fishermen never could.
But there is little chance that the Senate
will ratify the treaty or the temporary ar
rangement.
CURRENT COMMENT.