The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-02-20
THE NATIONAL CAPITALS
Washington Asking Questions About
the New Fisheries Treaty.
Probability that the Public Will First
Read 1t on Wednesday.
How Congressman Reed Secures
Fair Play In the House.
[snecial TO the Press. j

here now Secretary Maddocks of the Ma
tional Fishery Commission has been fairl,
surrounded by reporters, but he has kept hi
head level and has positively refused to tall
until he has seen the official document an(
knows.with some degree of formality wha
it is.
The treaty is in the Presidents hands anC
will not go to the Senate until Monday, ant
the public will get it Wednesday, probably
unless things go differently from what is nov
expected. Meantime everybody is talking
over what has leaked out and discussing tn,
scraps of information. All sorts Of state
ments have been made, but this is probably
the most reliable outline of just what was
done and what was not done;
The British and Canadians, it is under
stood, have agreed to the American inter.
probation of the 'Headlands" doctrine. They
concede that where the mouth Of bay is SC
wide that the territoritorial jurisdiction Of
Great Britain does not extend across it
that is, where a. line drawn three miles from
shore around the headlands would still leave
an open passageway into the bay-the Amer
leans shall have right to fish inside, provi-
ded they do not approach within three miles
of the coast line. The right to purchase bait,
which has claimed for our fishermen, is given
up. The Canadians insisted upon this on
the ground that their fishermen being re-
| quired to pay a duty of two cents pound on
| Canadian fish landed in the United States,
| while American fishermen are relieved from
it, it is not fair that special facilities shall be
| afforded to the latter to enable them to take
| fish at less expense than otherwise.
This is a clean surrender OF right which
the United States government has always
claimed for its citizens, not only under
the provisions of the treaty of 1918,
but in accordance with the principles
| of international law. The rights to
land and tranship fish, to have the COM
mercial privileges of traders accorded
| to fishermen, and to navigate the Gulf
| of Canso, are understood to be agreed
| to by the British and Canadians in
| the treaty on condition that the Ameri-
| cans shall submit to tonnage tax These
| are rights which the United States could net
under any circumstances surrender. But
| whether the conditions will be satisfactory
| or not remains to be seen.
| By the convention of 1918 Americans are al
| lowed TO fish within three miles of the shore
| on the southern coast OF Newfoundland
| from Cape Ray to the Rameau Islands;
| Cape Ray to the Quirpon Islands; on
| the southern shore of the Magdalene
| Islands and on the coasts, bays har-
| bOrs and creeks from Mount Jolly to the
Southern coast Of Labrador, to and through
| the Strait of Belle Isle and thence north
ward indefinitely along the coast. By the
new treaty it is understood the United States
gives up these rights. This surrender is
made with the idea that the privileges given
up are of no value to American fishermen,
al nd th af thew will n0t fharaf0rp object f0
being shut out from the shore at points
where they have heretofore had liberty to
fish. The argument is that the conditions
under which the fisheries are conducted have
so materially changed in the last forty years,
and even since the disastrous treaty OF 1871,
as to render the inshore fisheries of Ibut little
Importance to our fishermen.
Tue deep sea fisheries will still be open to
them, and these include the greater portion
of the cod and fully two-thlrds OF the mack
erel catch. The changes in the character of
the fisheries bid fair to be continued by
means of new Inventions which increase the
value of the deep sea fisheries at the expense
of those insh0re. Ii the fish can be taken
far out at sea by means of new appliances
and preserved by artificial freezing the me-
cessity of going in shore will be greatly de-
creased. 1t still remains to be seen, how
ever, whether American fishermen will be
content with the surrender of rights which
have never been questioned by Canada or
Great Britain in order 30 secure rights which
we claim to be ours by the plain terms of
the existing treaty. AT best, this part of the
agreement has very unpleasant, though ex-
ceedingly familiar feature, that of the sur
render of rights that are not disputed in or
der to secure a recognition OF those we be-
lieve ourselves entitled to without paying
anything for them. 1t is the old story over
again. We come out OF the negotiations
worse than we went into them.
Republican Leader.
Congressman Reed continues faithful,
pungent and energetic as ever. He has his
eye on the other side constantly and never
allows the majority to grab more than its
rightful share. Ii one more Democrat than
Republican is recognized by the man in the
chair during the morning hour, Mr.. Reed
is sure to demonstrate and sharply. Reed
has had his dig at Springer this week again.
When the Illinois man made long and
foolish ilibuster against the Mckay claim
bill some attempt was made TO keep Springer
from speaking. Finally Mr.. Reed gave up
in despair. 1T might save the House time
if nothing else" said he, II the li illinois
tariff bill is expected Thursday, and then
Reed will shine most
improving the Bayaduce.
:. The Engineer Corps thinks the Bay
aduce, between Brooksviile and Penobscot,
well worthy of improvement. Major Smith,
who has been in charge of the surveys, re-
ports to the House, submitting first the re-
port of Engineer Burrowes, dated at Port
land, Feb. 1, 1885, The latter says:
In accordance with instructions, the sur
vey was restricted to an examination of
the channel through Northern Bay and of
Johnson's Narrows. Both surveys have
been plotted on one chart, to scale Of
l :2000
An azimuth line, carefully measured with
a steel tape, was run down one shore, the de-
Election points being marked by drill-holes In
the ledge. The soundings were located by
intersection with two transits, and the
depths measured with graduated rod. Ihe
plane of reference to which the soundings
have been referred is that OF the lowest tide
observed during the survey. The difference
in level between mean high water and mean
low water is about 9.5 feet. A bench-mark
was established near wharf at South Penob-
scot, as shown on the chart being drill-h0le
in large boulder. 1t is 1914 feet above the
plane of reference. A bench-mark was es-
tablshed at Johnson's Narrows, as shown
on the chart, being drill hole in ledge. 1t
is 14.12 feet above plane of reference.
"The survey of the upper branch included
the portion of the channel through North
ern Bay from head of tide water at South
Penobscot to Bridges Point Atpresent the
low, and so obstructed by rock oppositeWins-
lows Island as to make it hazardous to nav
igate at all stages of the tide, and vessels
are compelled to wait for extreme high wat
er so as to be able to pass over the shallower
but safer flats to the north of the island.
sThe plan of improvement upon which the
following estimate is based is to obtain by
dredging and blasting a nearly straight
channel. 100 feet wide by feet deep at low
water, from the wharf at South Penobscot to
deep water at Bridges Point, and passing to
the south of Winslow's Island, a total dis
tance of 1000 feet. Most of the material,
from an examination made by driving down
an iron rod in a number of places, seems to
be soft mud and clay, with some gravel, and
could be dredged without great difficulty
The loose rock at Winslow's Island could,
with proper machinery, be thrown outside of
the proposed channel, and only the larger
pieces would require blasting.
ESTIMATE.
1000 cubic yards dredging at 25 cents. .S2o,000
3,417 cubic yards rock TO be removed, at
Engineering and contingencies ........... ADS
or.4.t AK O0a