New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-14
ENFORCING BAIT ACT.
NesUfoundIand'S Ans7cer to the Ac-
tion of the United States Senate.

action of the United States Ser ate in amending to
, death" the Bond-Hay treaty, providing for fish
cries reciprocity. This act is a potent weapon as
the Observation-Disclosures have already proved by using
It with destructive effect against the French at st.
Pierre-Miquelon They have brought that place
the verge of financial disaster and they are con-
hdent that they destroy the solvent existence
Of Gloucester in the same manner.
In the deep fisheries of the Grand Banks
bait is absolute necessity. The cod paddock.
halibut and mackerel are too wary to bite naked
hook. the instrument has to be baited. In win
ter and spring herring the best bait; after them
come caplin. and in the later months squid. All
these are inshore fishes and found in greatest
abundance in the Newfoundland ttoral within the
three-mie limit where their quest and capture
under the exclusive control Of the colonial govern
ment The French, Americans and Canadians all
| depended on this bait supply for their annual off
shore fishery operations, until 1887. when Newfound
land passed act prohibiting the sale export of
bait to the French because these, by the aid of the
tounties granted them by the national treasury
with an eye to using them naval reserve. were
under selling in the markets of Southern Europe,
their catch being procured by means of bait OBJ
tained here and Newfoundland being unable to
grant our hshermen corresponding bounties. She
had therefore to adopt the only other policy OPEN
that of refusing them bait. and it illustrates the
spirit OF our people that sturdy fisherman in
| haTbor printed with pencil on brown paper and
afhXed to his door the following emphatic declara-
ton: The man who wood sci bate to the French
WOOD steIe the kOppeTs off his ded mothers
| eyes,
At first the enforcement Of this measure was q
difficult task The catching of bait was a recog-
nized employment for hundreds of coastfoz. and
! these naturally bitterly resented the law which
struck at their livelihood The business a huge
| gamble. The first bait smacks which reached ST
Pierre obtained big prices, but those following were
glad TO take any figures for their cargoes, the
Pitrrats authorities would often throw overheard
from four hundred to five hundred barrels Of her
| rings which they would allege be rotting, 10
force down the price by threat Of similar proceed
ings all around. But the fish were teeming in the
home creeks, and cost little nothing TO get, 50
| the Newfoundlanders continued to carry them 10
St Pierre, one man making big profits one year
and another the next though valuable colonial
asset was being rapidly destroyed.
| The first step taken the inauguration of
preventive service. with cruisers at and coast
| guards on shore. The seaboard to be patrolled
was long and intricate countless boats and smacks
located there, and by night in fogs daring
mariners could smUggle loads Of bait to st. Pierre
| in few hours. But tugs hired and manned
with revenue police, magistrates were put board
and sixty coast stations established. The
penalty for smuggling bait imprisonment with
confiscation OF boats and gear. and all the
jails filled and hotillas of smacks lay at an
Choir, seized for the Crown" The French fisher
men, crippled for want of bait. tried every device
to secure it. and sometimes into local waters
hoping to secure a stock. Once cruiser chased
6uCn a craft ana, as SDe IalteO 10 uedF0 10 WHICH
a blank cartridge was fired from small saluting
| gun. the master of the tug the trcolor being
| Haunted at him, showed poker into the cannon
and fired this at the astonished Frenchman, who
seeing this strange proiectIle sailing through the
air. backed his topsais and submitted to be
searched. though his complaints at St. Pierre later
provoked a strong protest from the French gov
| eminent
| BATTING PRIVILEGE ABUSED
In the early days of the Bait act the worst Of
| Tenders were the American fishermen, who grossly
abused the batting privileges extended to them.
They allowed barrel of bait ship ton
which in their larger craft excessive, so they
had fifty or sixty barrels to sell to the Perrais
each trip. Once fifteen Yankee trawlers baited as
many Frenchnen, and later the Americans began
smuggling bait wholesale. The Daizley. a twelve
knot Gloucester vessel with eight hundred barrels
Of bait board. OUTRAGED the tug that chased
her, and the skipper stood at the stern geefully
shaking a fstful OF herring before the mortified
| coast guards as She went seaward. The Rapid
| Transit belied her name for she was captured
with six hundred barrels hned 500 and her cargo
cOnfscated. The Antelope, with four hundred bar
rels, rounded up in a cove and subjected to a
similar fine. The Howard Jolbrook, with eleven
hundred barrels, the biggest capture made.
! She had most OF the stock concealed in her hold
under thin coating of salt. but the cruisers cap
tain bored down through this with rod and, find
ing fish scales 1t when he drew it up, the salt
| was stripped off and the fraud exposed. AS this
| q glaring case, the ship and cargo were con-
| hscated The Bounding Billow's skipper with the
guile Of the serpent dcugged the coast guard sta
] toned her, loaded hundred barrels of her
ring and sailed for St. Pierre. where he sold them
! well But, being damaged by storms soon aft r
and forced into waters again, he was captured
and fined $500 for drugging the officer and $500 for
smuggling bait. The Aconda hoisted the American
flag and deed seizure but the bluff did not work:
/ on the contrary her skipper fined an extra
hundred for interfering with the colonial authori-
! ties in the discharge Of their duty
! The reckless daring Of these Yankee fishermen
got them into constant trouble with the Newfound-
| land and st. Pierre authorities When the Alliance
ran a cargo Of bait into St. Pierre, her crew went
on a spree for the place has a reputation Of SELL
| ing greater variety Of liquors than any other
seaport in North America. While one of the tipsy
! crew asleep, a Chum BACKED his face. and on
awakening after nightfaIl the man did not discover
it. but. proceeding to the cabin called the skinner
! who likewise asleep and seeing a sable parsonage
! bending him as he awoke, reached out Of his
| bunk, grabbed a stove lid from the range and
struck the unfortunate seaman on the head, CASH
ing his skull ard knocking him senseless. The poor
wretch taken 10 the hospital, and the skipper
who explained that he thought twas the devil .
! put TO sea at once fearing arrest and a gale
| springtng up lost her on the Newfoundland shore
the crew barely escaping with their lives.
! Another time the skipper of the Champion being
! caught with Struggled bait, was taken before the
local justice Of the peace. some OF whom in New
! foundland can barely read and write and nrnt
their names in capital letters as signatures This
! justice was altogether unlearned in the law and
| not knowing the procedure, turned to the poIce-
| man. asking: What shall I DOR Fine him " re-
piled the officer I'm fine you" he declared IN thu
! accused: then TO the policeman How rnrot -,
| 'One hundred dollars suggested the officer ord
| the worthy justice declared: TN fine Won 500 -.
! Then he found that the Yankee had no nerson -
| so security for him. SO undertook that obligation