New-York tribune., 1905-04-10
NEWFOUNDLAND'S POLICY
Ne5C One TO BE Pursued T'O1CGrd
american Fishermen.

St Johns. n F.. April (speciaD. Newfoundland
has wasted no time in answering the United States
senates action in stultfying the BOnd-Hay treaty
by a series OF amendments impossible for this col
ony to accept. The colonial government has put
the Bait act in operation against American fisher
men. abrogating the modus vivendi under which
they have secured batting and other privileges
in these ports since 1885, excluding them from our
territorial waters and curtaillng their Opportuni-
ties, the western seaboard. where they
actually possess fishery rights under the treaty Of
1915 while Premier Bond has announced his inten-
ton to bring down at early date legislation to
regulate the winter herring fishery, TO deal
them still harder blow and the colonial tariff
Is also to be amended to discriminate against
American imports.
It is expected that the result of this ant-Ameri-
can will be speedily to bring to terms the
Gloucester fishermen who so bitterly opposed the
Bond-Hay treaty by crippling them. as the French
have already been crippled. in respect to bait and
to prove to the statesmen at Washington that
Newfoundland Is factor not to be ignored In the
determining Of this fishery problem That the
issue will still more Importance Is hardly
to be disputed. for in the near future England
and Canada must be drawn into it also. and prob
ably it will compel the negotiating of new treaty
covering the whole Atlantic fisheries question. as
the root facts of the matter are those which have
been underlying that complication for nearly one
hundred years. The problem involves some or the
most delicate and vexatious points of diplomatic
disputatiOn and legal argument that could be I'M
agined. and the statesmen of the two nations are
likely to be occupied busily henceforth in dealing
with these as they crop up, which they must IN
evitaby do if the American fishermen continue TO
prosecute their vocation in this vicinity
One OF the gravest OF these is whether the Amer
ican fishing vessels ply their calling in our
west coast waters with partly or wholly for
eign board The treaty of 1875 already
stated governs them in our waters now. On our
southern eastern and northern coasts they have
right of entry whatever save for wood, water.
shelter and repairs. and thus. to all intents and
purposes, excluded entirely, rendering them
selves liable to seizure and conascation IL found
there otherwise. On the southwest coast. from
Rance Island to Cape Ray. and on the west coast.
from Cape Ray to Belle Isle Strait they have the
right to fish inshore. in with the cOlonsts,
and on the former strip had the right also to land
and their catch its unsettled areas. though.
it is wholly settled, this right has lapsed.
But the liberty of fishing within the 'thTee-mile
limit is extended to ''the inhabitants of the
United States by that treaty, for it framed at
d time when none but American citizens served on
these vessels, and such state of things
exists was never contemplated Not even in the
periods of previous difficulty did it exist for it is
within the last twenty years that the native
born American has abandoned the Atlantic fish
cries and allowed his vessels TO be filled with
NewfoundlandeTs. Nova ScOtians. Scandinavians
and Portuguese. until these form over 30 per
cent of the personnel Of the crews OF the Glou-
cester feet.
The Observation-Disclosures and Nova Seotians who
proceed to Gloucester every spring join the vessels
for the fishing and return to their homes
again every fall certainly cannot be claimed
'inha bitants' of the United States, and, there
fore. ineligible. according to the construction
here of the treaty of 1915 fish there in American
vessels. They would have such right II fishing in
their own craft and would then be amenabIe to
the colonial laws. but they sacrifice that right by
joining American vessels, or. rather. such members
of the crews of American vessels are not inhabi-
tants of the United states cannot engage in fishing
there The right is vested, not in the vessels, but
in the inhabitants" and thus ENHANCEMENT of
no ordinary complexty presents itself at once.
especially men of other nationalities also
board United States fishing vessels would be sub
ject 10 the same prohibition.
GREAT GROWTH OF HERRING INDUSTRY.
The next difficulty which will face American fish
ermen. Is that of carrying the herring industry
In winter the west coast. in Bay of Islands and
Bonne Bay two of the chief resorts of this fish
that season. and where the Americans now obtain
the bulk OF their supplies. BY the treaty of ISIS
they have the right to catch, or take, these fish
there. but right TO land for the purpose of dry
ing curing them. The modern prosecution of
the industry requires the landing of the FISH that
they may be salted frozen cleaned and barrelled
these operations being impossible on the deck of
a small schooner. for the capture of the fish on
such an enormous scale in vogue was never
winter eighty cargoes totalling 1895 barrels
herring. were taken home from Newfoundland by
the Gloucester fleet, the largest quantity ever
cured in any In addition four vessels were
total losses and four others frozen in at Bay
Of Islands, their eight cargoeS aggregating about
ten thousand barrels Newfoundland ex-
poets render it impossible for the Americans
prosecute this fishery hencefOrth on their
account from TWO causes. first, their inability TO
land the soil to cure the fish, and. second, their
not being able to carry enough to load each
vessel and therefore being obliged TO depend
the residents for their assistance. which these Will
be forbidden give under the Bait act. because
herring are bait fish and this enactment was
framed especially TO prevent the French from
availing of herring bait
To what extent they used bait is Illustrated
by the fact that out of tho enormous total Slready
mentioned it is estimated that one-fourth was de-
voted to tins purpose. being kept in cold )rage
and issued late in March to the trawlers proceed
ing 10 the Grand Banks. Tie Canadilns also OBJ
tanned much of tAeIr bait in the way. OF the
Lunenburg (NOva Scotia) fishing fleet than
twenty vessels were deprived of bait. They were