The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-09-30
THE ARBITRATORS
Brief Joint Session Of the Commis-
sioners in Canada.
4 BRITISH COLUMBIA PROTEST.

Attorney General Martin Urges the
Canadian Commissioners, In Very
Emphatic Manner, Not to Make Too
Great Concessions to the Americans.
Quebec, Sept. 3o.-The Joint session
of the international conference was
very brief yesterday, but the sub
committees were hard at work all
day. Arrangements now have been
made for banquet to be given by the
American commissioners Oct. 6. 1t is
likely the conference will adjourn soon
after that date, to meet later in Wash
ington.
Attorney General Joseph Martin, of
British Columbia arrived here yester-
day, and Is urging the Canadian COM
missioners In very emphatic manner
not to make too great concessions to
the Americans in the settlement of the
various questions Mr.. Martin is the
author of the famous Manitoba school
law, which a few years ago was SO
bitterly opposed by the Catholic people
of the Dominion.
Mr. Martin says the Canadians should
not surrender the British national right
to the seal fisheries in the Behring sea.
1t has been rumored that the Ameri-
can government would purchase the
ships which the Canadian seal fisheries
in the Behring sea now own, and that
all British rights to Behring sea would
be given up In return for the grant
Of certain United States territory
which would enable the Canadians to
hay 10 ha vrL ri iuar
and the interior of Alaska. Mr.. Martin
thinks no such concessions should be
made. He Is also interested in the
question of reciprocal trade relations,
and desires that the American duty
now imposed upon Canadian lead ores
be removed.
Otto j. Klotz, who has been in st.
Petersburg for several months, eX-
amining the old maps and records rela-
tive to the Alaskan boundaries. Is now
here assisting the Canadian commits
sioners upon the subject.
The lumber question is still in con-
troversy. The representatives Of the
American lumbermen are now prepar-
ing a document embodying the exact
terms Of the proposition which will be
made to the Canadian commissioners.
The principal feature Of the document
is demarcation of the grades of lumber
which the Americans may offer to ad-
init at the reduced rate. During the
past "a hours some of the Canadian
lumbermen have declared that the
proposition on the part of the Ameri-
cans to admit free, or at reduced
rate, the higher grades of Canadian
pine for the privilege of having Can
adlan saw logs brought in free will
not be accepted by the Canadians.
They say there is no high grade pine
to spare in Canada, and that the Can
adams would gain nothing by the pro-
posed adjustment of the question. AS
usual, the commissioners on both sides
decline to say what the true situationis
About the only tangible fact con-
nected with the work of the commits
sion so far is the certainty that no one
outside Of the commissioners knows
exactly what has been done or what
the terms of adjustment of any one Of
the questions will be. The Canadian
newspapers print columns of specula-
tive matter each day, and the COM
Inissioners say that, concerning all the
questions so far considered, the news
paper talk has been based upon wrong
conclusions and unreliable information.
Concerning the seal question it is safe
to say that 1t is not regarded by the
American commissioners as being Of
the greatest Importance, and probably
no very great concessions or sacrifices
on the part Of the United States will
be made in adjusting It,