The Portland daily press., 1895-01-12
PEOPLE WHO SEE HARD TIMES.
Conditions of Life in Newfoundland
and Labrador.

for Employment in the Sealing In
dnstry-Brief Notes of the People Who
Have Been Rioting.
The riots in Newfoundland during the
week lust passed.. call attention TO the hard
lives of dwelers in the North Atlant tic, In
tie waters and on the shores of Newfound-
land and Labrador. Upon reaching New
foundland. the ordinary tourist finds him
self in a new world. Though the island has
an area of 10000 square miles, its popula-
tion of 2Co. 900 is limited to the coast, being
almost wholly dependent upon the sea for
Il livelihood. Tho bustlng centre of this
new world is ST. Johns, a city OF 10000
inhabitants. whose Importance is well
shown in the fact that, though twice during
the century it has been almost completely
consumed by fire, yet, pnoenix-like, it has
each time arisen from the desolation more
prosperous than before. Projecting far out
into the Atlantic, this commodiuus harbor
affords for ships of every class conven-
lent refuge, and abundant facilities for
repairs of every sort in case of accident.
Nominally Labrador is part of Canada
But so many of the inhabitants are from
Newfoundland and are in Labrador for
temporary purposes, that the government
is turned over TO the doughty little island
province, which SO far has refused to join
the Dominion. In Labrador, too, as in
Newfoundland, the population is limited
to the sea shore, and is wholly devoted 10
fishing, writes G Frederick Wright to the
New York Post. Only about 5000 can be
reekoned permanent residents. These,
in little hamlets. are scattered along the
coast for several hundred miles, in condi-
tons of life that seem to the outsider for
bidding enough, but which ara accepted
without complaint by the inhabitants
themselves. They are nearly all Protest
ants, and sreak the English language with
purity. Everywhere the aspect of the coast
is barren in the extreme. No timber is in
sight one sails along the shore, and in
the interior what little timber there is in
the river valleys has little or no CONNER,
cial value. Snow fingers throughout the
entire summer in protected places, even
down TO the waters edge, while long even
line of water-washed rocks bears enduring
testimony 10 the great height and violence
of the waves that beat upon the shore dur
ing the freauenJ periods of stormy weather.
The scanty permanent population of Lab
rador is reinf6rc ed during summer by $4,000
or $4,000 fishermen from Newfoundland.
For the most part these come Id families;
the father t8hd sometimes the r16tiief) and
the older children. both boys aRfd girls, 1
manage to combine pleasure Wifi profit, /
and 10 make tie fishing season 4 Kind of I
summer vacation. The houss occupied is
rude and has scanty furniture, yet is mot
much less comfortable than one finds at
many Of the +'Chautauqua assemblies in
the United States. Still, everything shows
that he main purpose is business, and not
pleasure. The girls do the cooking and
keep the house; being ready, however. to
devote several hours OF the day to assist
in cleaning the fish which the male men,
bers of the household bringin to harbor.
The government of Newfoundland and
the religious and charitable organizations,
to both province of the mother country,
look as well as they can after interests of
this temporary population. line of mail
steamers is maintained and. running once
in two or three weeks from st. Johns as
far up the coast as the ice will permit.
Temporary post-ofaces are established at
every landing place, but one will not find
item always supplied with postage-stamps.
Usually he will pay his postage, and trust
the isherman's daughter to purchase the
stamps when the steamer comes along. in
winter season, when all the inlets and bays
ale frozen over, and the population has
shrunk TO its minimum number, the mail is
carried at infrequent intervals on dog
sledges, and. strange as it ray seem, is
distributed from house to house. This,
however, is not. so difficult as might be sup
posed. since nearly everybody lives. either |
along the shore or some miles BACK in tenn
porary- Laasesanade in the timber. $50
Refersnce to the ice which encumbers |
the coastaef Labrador unit i latein tie sum-
mer introdHessps to the most isaprassise Of
all the ,phenQmela affecting ahasaaas life in |
the North AtlaRtio Though in the latitude |
of London. the southeastern sportfon of |
Labrador has the climate OF the North Cape |
in Lapland, several degrees above the arctic |
circle. This is caused by the cold current |
OF water which comes down from Baein |
Bay, laden with innumerable icebergs of |
immense size and with endless fields of |
pack-ice. The presence of SO much ice in SO
low a latitude is both cause and an effect;
for while to some extent the ice lowers the
of the water, the low initial |
of the current is a principal |
reason why the ice floats so far south with
out melting. Two important services are
to the nhabitants by this ice-la-
den current. From the far. north it brings
down vast numbers of seals and few polar
bears, affording livelihood to great num-
bers of adventurous seamen who come up |
from St. Johns in the spring months before
the fishing season begins, and venture out |
upon the floating ice to capture these valu-
able animals, and secure their pelts and
their abundant supplies of valuable oil. |
Yet it is easy TO see that the present in
creased activities in this direction are a
sure precursor of serious ultimate disap-
pointment. While the number of sealers is, |
to the Malthusian law. tending
to increase with great rapidity, the number
of seals is diminishing. According TO all |
reports. there is such pressure for employ. /
ment in st. Johns that all the sealing-yes-
sells in the spring are over crowded, SO that
none of them obtain adequate compensa
ton for their labor and risk. The great |
abundance of baby seals'' on sale for Or
naments in the shops of St. Johns has an
ominous look for the future of the species, |
even in the far north; for it is sure evil
dence that the small profit to the people |
from each animal is obtained only at the |
expense of the death of both the mother |