Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-02-03
THE FISHERIES DLSPUTE
4 Plain Statement of whnt the Trouble
IL uII about.

4 plain Statement Of what the Trouble
IL nII about.
~. }. Carpenter in January Wide Awake.l
So much has been said of late in the
newspapers concerning the dispute between
our country and Great Britain relative 10
the fisheries that | am sure you will be
glad TO know what it is all about. OF
course you know already that there are
great many people ut and about Gloucester,
ON Cape Ann, who make their living by
fishing 1t really is an immense industry.
A large numbered vessels are owned there,
which go out to "the banks after cod and
mackerel aud hnlbut. The banks are
great tracts of shoal water, where the fish
chiefly congregate. The largest of these
banks is the Grand bank which lies off
the southern coast Of Newfoundland. The
Western bank is off the Nova Scotian
coast, while JeiIreys bank and Georges bank
are off the coast Of New England. Fish
ing on these banks is dangerous business
and many brave men lose this lives every
winter in this hazardous occupation The
vessels are owned ON shore, but sometimes
the captain owns Il share in the vessel he
commands. The sailors are paid proper
tional part of the profits of the voyage.
So much, in brief, for the fishing busi
ness itself Now about the troubles. As |
have said, the largest fishing territory is OIL
the coast of the British provinces. Natur-
ally our fishermen wish TO go 10 those
banks. When peace was declared between
our country and Great Britain after the
war of the Revolution, a treaty was made
/ by which it was agreed that our fishermen
| should continue to enjoy the right TO take
fish on the banks " New Foundand and
along the Canadian coast but they were
not to 20 ashore to dry fish, except at
| places where no people live, without the
| permission Of the inhabitants
In the year 1918 another treaty was
made by this the American fishermen
were allowed 10 take fish on the southern
coast Of New Foundland, from Cape Ray
to the Ramean Islands aud on the western
and northern coast from Cape Ray to the
| Quirpon Islands also on all the shores Of
| the Magdelen Islands and on the coasts and
bays from Mount Jolly, on the southern
coast of Labrador, through the straits Of
| Belle Isle and northwardly along the coast
50 far as they cared to 90 But in all 9th
| er parts Of the Canadian coast il was agreed
that our vessels should not fish within three
miles of the shore and that they should not
| enter Canadian ports, except for shelter IN
! bad weather, ~ repair damages, to buy
wood, or - get water. But our fishermen
were allowed 10 go ON shore 10 dry fish on
/ the southern coasts of New Foundand, or
on the coast Of Labrador, where there is
no settlement
Again, in 1871 another treaty wa, made:
| by this our fishermen obtained greater priv
| ileges but we had TO pay for them This
/ is known as the Treaty of Washington.
| BY it our fishermen obtained the right to
| fish wherever they chose and, in return,
] Canadian fishermen were given the right
| t. fish in American waters also the fish
| of the Canadians was allowed to be sold in
our markets without paying any duty to
| the government But the British thought
| that this was not enough to pay them for
the privileges granted to American fisher
| men, and 50 It was agreed that the United
states should pay sum of money to be
! fixed by a commission One of these com
missioners was chosen by the United States,
another by Great Britain, and the third by
Austria. They met in Halifax IN 1877 and
made an award of five and half millions
Of dollars to Great Britain.
This amount our government paid, but
with reluctance and little later occurred
what is known as The Fortune Bay af-
fair An American fishing vessel went
into Fortune Bay, on the southern coast of
New Foundland, 10 catch herring for bait
The crew was attacked by New Foundland
men and driven off and their nets destroy
ed. For this outrage Great Britain paid
our government S1j 900
Then, in 1855, the Washington treaty
was broken up, or "abrogated' by our
government and the treaty Of 1878 of
course came into force again. The British
were loath to give up the Treaty of Wash
ington,' because it gave them liberty to
bring salt fish into our ports, free Of duty
and they now are irving to force US to
make "A new treaty which will admit their
salt fish free, in competition with the fish
of our American fishermen.
To bring this about it is claimed that
they are vexing and troubling our fisher
men in many ways that they have armed
vessels cruising about and if they find one
Of our vessels within three miles of the
shore, even if the crew are not fishing
they seize the vessel and give the owners
much trouble that sometimes they detain
the vessels for long time and then only
let it 20 by paying large tine that if "A yes
sci goes into a Canadian port to get wood,
or water, or for shelter (which things are
allowed by the treaty they seize or detain
her ana make great deal ot trouble that
they will not allow our vessels to enter their
ports and send fish home by railroad 50
they can 20 for another catch
The British claim that three miles from
the coast means three miles from the fur
thest point of the coast that is, they say
that it means a line drawn three miles of
the headland. Our fishermen claim that il
means a line drawn along the shape of the
coast.
So there the dispute now stands. Some
time ago Congress gave the President pow
er to retalate, 10y denying Canadian yes
sells the privileges of our ports. But thi,
he has not done. He has, however, ap
pointed William H. Putnam of Portland
Me, and James b. Angel, of Ann Arbor
Mich. 10 meet British commissioners ant
settle the question, and these English com
missioners have already arrived.