The morning call., 1890-07-21
THE DECADENCE OF GLOUCESTER.
Causes Which Have Led to the Old Fish
ing Towns Decline.

Causes Which Have Led to the Old Fish
ing Towns Decline.
The people of Gloucester, Mass, accord
ing to recent news from there, are evidently
waking to an appreciation of the fact that
the old fishing towns steady decline is
strictly accountable to the trade restrictions
placed upon fisheries by the Canadian aud
American governments, and to the local
monopoly, which is doing its best to drive
men of small capital out of the business
Gloucester has long boasted Of fishing su-
premacy, but it is inevitable that, if the
present conditions continue, she will be
obliged to surrender that position and sink
into hopeless decay instead of becoming, as
she might, point Of distribution for the
whole country.
Appreciation of these facts leads Glou-
cester people to advocate closer trade rela-
tions with Canada. Our short-sighted pol
Icy of restriction is naturally met by the
Dominion with similar policy. Injurious,
like ours, in its deadenlDg effects. Ameri-
can fishermen must now take out licenses
for their vessels at 81 90 a ton in order to
procure bait, ice or certain other supplies
in Canadian ports, and this expense, added
to other burdens, deters many Canadian
fishermen from coming to Gloucester to
ship in American vessels. They find that
the necessary expense of this license in
duces smaller profits and smaller wages,
and that lobster and boat fishing at home
is more profitable than employment on
Gloucester craft. AS these Gloucester YES
sells depend in great part on Canadian crews
this failure ON the part of the Dominion
fishermen to appear for shipment effects
serious hindrance. Some vessels have been
hauled up IN Gloucester for several weeks
this season waiting the advent OF their for
mer Canadian masters and seamen, who,
nevertheless, fail to put in an appearance.
In consequence much valuable time has
been taken from the best fishing season
and large amount of capital has remained
Improbable.
AS to the monopoly which, unsatisfed
with large profits, is endeavoring to force
small competition from the market, it is
necessary to say only that in the past it has
shown itself favorable TO all the artificial
restrictions on Canadian impOrtatiOns to
which Government would consent, its great
est profits involving restricted market,
with itself in control of that market, and
the results proving disastrous to fish
ermen and to the general public, the
former finding it necessary to accept
prices lower than usual for their
catches, and the latter, afterward,
prices that were higher. Another result OF
restriction, as the merchants of Gloucester
are discovering to their sorrow, is the loss
of trade sustained because of the failure OF
Canadian fishermen to find market there.
Formerly Canadian vessel would run into
poIi, uispose VI us Gar ~ auu spouu Suou
share of the profits in the busy town. Now
this trade is thing of the past, and the
merchants mag sit in their deserted shops
with time in plenty to mediate on the
glories of this phase of encouragement to
American industry.
1t is coming to be the genera! opinion of
Gloucester business men that We should
have reciprocity with Canada; that fish
should be admitted free, and that then the
present monopoly system would give way
of necessity to more prosperous. because
unhampered, trade. When the Chinese
wall is torn away, and not before, GlOu-
cester may look for return of the prosper
ity she enjoyed generation ago. That is
what other people have been saying for
some time; but it is somewhat new for
Gloucester people to say so, though it was
inevitable, of course, that in due time they
should come to understand the truth of the
situatiOn.-Providence Journal.