New-York tribune., 1903-01-06
NEw-ENGLAND AND NEwFoUNDLANI
& Gloucester Fisherman's Protest Against
the Hay-Bond Treaty.
To the Editor OF The Tribune.

Sir: In your editorial of December 90 on the Hay
Bond Treaty and the effect its ratification woulo
have the New-Engand fisheries. think you
accepted true some se-called facts that nave
been given by those favoring the treaty which
think 1 can show you are far from correct.
First let us see what benefit is to be derived oy
the New-England fishermen. You say;
1t gives them free bait in Newfoundland waters .s
Our fishermen like the Canadians and FrenchTnen
out last YEAR scores Of American fishing schoon-
got their bait from Newfoundland, and, IN
thousand barrels of frozen and saited bait were
taken from that country by Americans herring
bait being in winter obtafna bic nowhere else; 80
our fishermen are practically dependent on New
foundland for bait.
It is natural you should assume the above to be
true the advocates of the treaty have made
this claim in the most positive manner, and 1 am
not surprised that, believing it TO be true you
should think the advantages of the treaty were
so considerable that it was dorbttul question
whether the New-England fishermen were to be
much damaged. especially as think I can show
that you underrate the damage much as you
overrate the advantages
It is true that large Quantities of herring, both
salted and frozen, brought every winter from
Newfoundland by American vessels. but practically
all of these herring now taken on the wess
coast of Newfoundland, where, under the treaty
of 1918, American vessels allowed to fish. The
fishermen from the southern and western coast OF
Newfoundland all 90 to the Bay of Islands and
income from this fishing is their main support;
without it they could not exist, and they would
resist by force any attempt on our part to take
down nets and sufficiently large crew
to catch own cargoes. Accepting the position
as 1t is, hire them to catch the fish for us.
These herring, however, used for food and not
for bait None of the salt herring are used for
bait. and very few of the frozen. The latter few
years ago were used freely for bait but it is not
practicable to use them now, owing to their high
INST TO IA kP
| have been built on the New-England coast, and
will be added. to utilize the herring and squld
that come TO our own shores in the fall; and the
business of supplying this bait is an addition TO
| the income of the New England fishermen
Our Grand Bank trawlers have, to some extent
! thought it profitable to take couple of baitngS
! of fresh herring caplin from Newfoundland in
the late spring early summer; later in the sea-
son they squd caught the fishing grounds
| I do not know just the number that hava availed
themselves of this privilege the last season, but
| probably from thirty-fve TO forty vessels, paying
the license fec of 81 50 net ton, about SO YES
| sel only vessel outside the Gloucester fleet
| taking a license as the Cape Cod and Maine bank
fleet all use salt CLANS taken from home. The re-
| mission of this tax, say about $500 is the only
| benefit to be derived by the New England fisher
by the Hay-Bond Treaty.
! The writer has a fleet of sixteen vessels, all en-
gagged in the ofshore fisheries, and only one took
a Newfoundland license for the year 1902 1t is a
! privilege would prefer TO have at the present
| price. but if need be easily arrange to
do without it. Notwithstanding the fact that the
| French codfishng fleet the Grand Bank has
| been absolutely prohibited from obtaining bait
| from Newfoundland for years, 1t has evidently
| found some substitute. it still prosecutes the
| fisheries in undiminished numbers
| You are not quite clear in stating our position as
| to the damage of competition. Sailed Goldfish is
| the leading product of the New-England fisheries
| MackereI used to be Of equal Importance, but for
| some unknown reason they have not frequented
our coast in sufficient numbers lately to warrant
| the employment of large fleet.
| The fresh fish business is increasing, and where
the small shore boats few years ago were able
| to supply the demand a number of our large
vessels called the onshore heeD bring their fish
| iced for the market; but these vessels could not
be used proftably If salt Goldfish should rule very
| low in price, as whenever the fresh fish market
| is overstocked their catch has TO be SOLD TO the
| saIters and also at certain seasons Of the year
| when the demand for fresh salt water fish is light
| they have to make salt trips.
1t is that to-day nearly all the Newfound-
land catch of goldfish is what we call hard cured
| while the bulk of the New-England catch is what
| we call pickle cured: the fish are salted the same
! on board the vessels but when we take ours from
/ the vessel we put them in butts of pickle taking
| them needed and drying them couple or
/ days on the flakes
| The catch OF the Newfoundland fleet Is not put
| in pickle when from the vessel but is dried
very hard the reason for the difference in curing
| being that the Newfoundland eaten IS nearly all
! exported to Brazil. the Mediterranean ports and
| other warm countries, where pickle cured fish
| would get heated and spoil. while the trade in the
| United States prefers pickle cured fish
| The Newfoundland fishermen do not want our
| market for their hard cured fish; they know well
enough that that would not benefit them; but you
can readily see how easy it would be for them TO
| cure for the United States market in the same
| manner we do, and practically their whole
population is engaged in fishing. their production
is very large, and would completely dominate our
| market Any one who has ever been in New
| foundland and seen the primitive way in which
| the people along the coast live would admit at
once the trnpossibiity of competing with them
| on terms
Free fish from Canada Newfoundland could
only have one result; that is, the practical ex-
| tinction Of the New-England fisheries. As the
whole population of Newfoundland is less than
two hundred thousand and the people are very
poor it hardly seems as if the United States would
receive sufficient recompense in few triding trade
! concessions. SYLVESTER CUNN1NGAAM'
President OF the Gloucester Board of Trade.
Gloucester Mass. Jan 3, 1893.