The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-18
CANADA'S NAVAL PROJECT
The Present Fola Of Fishery Cruisers to Be Utilized Nucleus
Deepsea Fishermen the Main Dependence Sailors to Man
That 1t Will Be Traing United
States Navy. ~. .t.
st. Johns, N: F., Correspondence Ne
York Times. .'

ST. Johns, N: F.. Correspondence New
p. York Times. g.. .'
Canada is about to create a colonial,
navy, and as the first step toward this end
will establish a naval militia on the At
lantic seaboard, where there are thousands
Of men engaged in the off-shore and Grand
Banks fisheries. To provide the requisite
machinery for the founding of this organ
ization, the government has dispatched
the British naval commander in charge of
her fisheries protection squadron to this
port to examine into the workings of the
Newfoundland naval reserve, with a view
to modelling the proposed Canadian bat
talon upon this highly successful little
brigade in the island colony. -.... ....
The Newfoundland reserve is an i'm
perial body, a branch of that trained
around the coast line of the British isles.
It. is recruited among the young fisher
men, and regulations as to enlistment,
training, payment and service are lden-
tical with those in vogue in, England.
There is permanent drillship, the dis
classed cruiser Calypso, stationed in st.
Johns. the: officers of which "lick into
shape the raw material, and this is then
drafted aboard regular warships for term
of sea service. A. detachment of eighty
men from Newfoundland is now serving
aboard the cruiser Charybdis, Commodore
Montgomerie, flagship Of the allied fleet
recently blockading the Venezuelan coast,
and $50 are now being trained at st. Johns
to Join her and the battleship Ariadne; at
the end of October next, when they finish
their summer patrol Of the French shore
of this island.
| With the similarity in conditions along
the Atlantic foreshore, both in Canada
and Newfoundland, the former country has
naturally looked to the latter's naval force
| as the model for her own. The legisla-
Il; to to &c tn IA
coming session Of the Ottawa parliament
and the officer now at st. Johns will for
mulate the details Of the scheme. 1t Will
not, however, be an imperial force, like
Newfoundland's, but a purely domestic
organization, like Canada's militia, though
it may be used for imperial defense IN al
emergency, as Canada enlisted her severa
contingents for service in South Africa
! during the recent Boer war.
The Available Nucleus. ~.
Canada has already the nucleus Of :
! navy in her foti1la of fishery cruisers, six
1 teen in all, of which twelve are stationed
1 on the Atlantic, two on the lakes and tW
/ on the Pacific. They are stout and ser
/ viceable steamers, armed with machin
guns and the latest additions strengthene'
to carry quick-firer if desired. The eff
/ fective personnel is 80 officers and 68
4 men, and, these are all grounded in tn
/ rudiments of drill The twelve on tn
/ Atlantic patrol the coast line from Fund
bay to Belle Isle strait, a stretch of $50
4 miles, and enforce the fishery laws, pre-
J, vent smuggling and supply the light
J. houses. Their period Of service is usual
from May until November, and they are
i with one or two exceptions laid up for tn
winter and their crews discharged. Thi
| causes many breaks in the personnel froI
; season to season, and the idea of the nave
enlist ment would be to train them for thi
Il service during winter months, so that
substantial backbone will be provided per
manently around which the casual fore
enlisted from year to year could
grouped.
There are 10000 deep-sea fishermen !
t the maritime provinces, besides some 20,
j 900 other men employed in the coast fish
cries, and this makes total considerabl
larger than that of the operatives in th
{ New England fisheries. From this tots
: it is estimated that 900 young men ca
, be obtained to enlist in the naval reserv,
{ the period of training being arranged *
! the winter, as in Newfoundland, becaus
much of the seaboard being then block
i AIDED by ice, fishing on a large scale is I'm
i possible, and the greater portion Of tt
T trawling fleet is laid up in the coast hal
Z bors until the spring, while the men see
: other employments in the mines and tt
lumber camps until the season reopens.
q | has been found possible, in Newfoundlar
( Ito enlist hundreds of young men of I'll
finest class Of mariners for service al
drill during that period, whereas durir
the fishing months it would be impossib
\ to procure them without seriously disl,
: eating the ordinary Industrial condition
of the island and interfering with the SUI
cessful prosecution of the cod fisheries.
! !, "A Formidable Trained Force.
: The Newfoundlanders have proved TO /
3 admirable recruits, their seamanship b
: ing exceptional. Bred to their martin
: pursuits from early youth, they are pr,