New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-28
A BRITISH CONSULATE.
Established at st. Pierre, MiqueJon,
rith French Consent.

Installed there on Nay IS, with ceremonial salutes
e., TIE British warship Latona, which conveyed
~, 70 the port, and the French warship Fronda
..,h received him there, is one Of the rnost a.,
,-soraina-y Incidents in lattsr-day diplomacy For
,nbody eonYersant with the circumstances oan
S,rbt that the presence Of this official in the I,,1
rrsnch outpost ana the enforcement OF consular
-sV,,stious there, means the destruction ~ -.bo
,sYes,iag traffic for which St Pierre has haooo
s,-aous and which, by its ramifications win NJ
England, Maritime Canada, and Newfoundland has
eaIo archipelago in The evl times YbicS T U1 ene
failures II Is nsheries have brought about
bo.nly refused 10 accept a British representatives.
s. a 9Id When Engs1gs o. s5 Paris in 1888 It
France as shelter port, that 1t was not TO he
:Stsasa nor larger garrison han fifty men nSaiD
tsrsa ay buildings exceIt for the convenIence
n ne fsae-y erected; while supplementary coXe
sSSrs ana The British naval cornr1andAr 70 ts1s
lie plaos annually 10 see that these regulations
i:isr p8aI ana though in every Subsequent en- enc
6sETg e se.9e me main question this was one OF
sITzyS refused until now, when the rafntenance
svs- bsto-s On a consul being exoinseS oie 'han
Tie un5eniab.e fact is that ST. Pierre is now al
q NeFlounelend's Bait act has crippled its fish
ess sho eo4ce4 Us catch Of cod by IS per cent in
ring which the Presence Of a British consul win
k-gsly olInin.sh The prevailing view there now IS
S-sigaI Abandonment Of the place becausa its iD
,SS7 cess!on OF the block Of teTritory n Fn1Isnd
- he United States in return for an eouivaIent
elsewhere St Pierre IS 10 France what Gloucester
= Johns 70 Newfoundland and 65rinsbv to Great
p-tsin-the national fishery Observation-Disclosures
witch the NiqUelol isles, OF which St Pierre is
.hs capital are the last remnant Of the vast ap-
5snzge once held by France IN the Western Henii-
sDhere. The isles have area Of ninety square
niles and q population OF 6590 nine-tenths Of whom
ss industry Of the group is fishing and St Pierre
settled around is waterfront. So barren IS the
group that al farlnstufts, and hrewood, have
70 be procured from Newfoundland, fishery prod
ucs being the sole exports. Yet 50 important are
thse sterile locks 70 the French fishery interests
f-eatv for SIX months last year, hoping 20 secure
anen6uents II Il which would lessen its disastrous
elects upon $ Pierre. and berating the govern
-s1t for sacrificing the welfare OF the whole Bis
csvan coast in order 10 secure 2 few leagues of
ard SAID = West Africa where civilized man could
scarcely exist
FOR FRENCH NAVAL RESERVE
The archipelago IS not a colony so much as an
advanced base for the Grand Bank and French
Eors fisheries which are themselves viewed chiefly
Is naval nursery. For fifty years France has
.ee1 suasi-lz-lg these oversee fisheries that she
night therein POSSESS q reserve of thousands Of
mariners thoroughly trained In sailOrly arts for
shs has spent less than go 100 francs Sl20
~ Ter NV c5a-i-eerts Of hardened, competent
arc e-ire--v adaptable sea-uer. There IS proba-
.y 70 ether s-ch example Of government paternal-
,sn II Jte word 1o-day IS St Pierre Every
aspect q lis industrial existence IS shaped by
bcla-es, every phase q Its fishery campaign gov
efred by reFl.atio-s- Z receives an annual vote
a Ts-salles and tie influential Norman and Breton
akin 70 those q thei- constituents. and frequently
hey are themselves owners OF fishing craft and
Two large fot.lEs-the metropolitan and the colo
!ound.aad Banks The former comes from France
:tselt crossing the Atlantic every spring from ST,
consists % some TWO hundred square rugged YES
tels. much larger and carrying many more men
af.a- h-- ~ frA saaT~ al 1--
compose The colonial deet which halls from ST.
Until lgsl almost all the cod taken by the French
fishermen on ;he Newfoundland coast and banks
her colonies but the French fishermen we're tken
encouraged, by larger 0OultIes granted SO 70
large The feet considerably in consequence Of
greater naval needs to export their catch 10 SDar
G-a 4la-y. ad AIDED oy these subsidies. they spoed-
had no s1ch aids. BY 1856 they were forcing the
:atler our OF The markets Of Southern Europe,
WAere most OF the 1sh goes. and Newfoundland
then retC-ted with her Bait act retaliatory meas
= I5--'---s ne frs1c4 y ne ba5t so necessary
3ee7 allowed 10 obtain n unlimited quantity in
OF that law unswervingly ever since ana the
EI9le opposition 10 the new treaty ia the Chamber
tsW IN frances failure 10 secure the abolition OF
us law deadly menace 10 the future OF 81 Pierre
tlo ne Breton hsheries oversee
years have however, found that while theoretical
y these rights % their country on the west coast
and that, despite ali EFFORTS to boom the Grand
Bank fishery il has been steadily falling Of
charges for bounties are becoming b5e nov 5-r1
them 17 --oPe1 i oIi4
HOW sEAMEN COULD BE TRAINED.
The French catch Of cod in these waters annual
y Is about 10000 Quntals. Of which 5000 Quin-
ias are exported The bounttes equal about 800
man. or one-third OF their total earnings during
L fortunate season, standing between them and
a5ssTy, moreover, when as has happened the last
-ee summers. the catch has been almost failure
~, -s-a - -yy saeT-llen IN this pursuit, who
ssga-7 Il .---is ana serve about ten years IN the
si5.el44 branches Of tee business, France retiTes
- -. 3Ie thousand men each year for naval work.
rle-siE ~ ~ one q "hoIIl N salIoT!y arts
- 80 s.l.1 9e secured for like outlay on proper
G-s---Lg s-ps where lads would be made proficient
- -4O-eIn Warshp technics as well as in seaman
-9E endeavor.ug 70 combat the mistaken senti-
-e maintenance Of this Grand Bank fishery de-
PMS ne future Of tbs French navy.
IN the hope OF making 81. Pierre great and
Swing fishery base. and possibly with an eye
- Strategic utilization in time. France has
;--2lsy preserved the place Until from the
t-aHg eyes q English officials and has never al
- - a b5-tish. consul or agent there, and dis
,- cs, Pc visits Of British gunboats and it
~ me least significant confession Of the failure
. :, LET dreams that she has agreed in the new
80 10 recognize a consul there and thus put
s- ~eck On her own mysterious activities In the
It.-ofy II ne Last twenty years The presence Of
a-esg-lz tratf5c e which S.. Pierre 9as been the
Lle and which extended from New England
-sr-s te MARITIME provinces ana up the 81 Law
a-le 10 Quebec around the whole coast Of New
1910 10 10 LABRADOR 4ASeil, lls ulL!I-H-
.s being literally colossal seeing that the value
= s-e imports 81 Pierre. was nearly i've times
q large head as that Of those Of Canada or
rE5Hto-nd-ald. The shatterilg blow TO this traftc
t--cl ihe locating cf British consul at St Pierre
~ the enforcement OF British shipping laws there
~ Represent must De another Circumstance 10 &C
ieiate The decline Of 81. Pierre, ALREADY stIIk-
--sy manifested and 10 bring nearer the day when
lance Viii re prepared 10 rade the AlqueIon isles
- RoEse territory elsewhere, a she surrendered
t-e west shore Of Newfoundland for slice OF the
--ler-anC West Africa
S
paTr kcr pooHFrpArE