New-York tribune., 1907-07-18
THE FISHERY DISPUTE.
Approach of Herring Season Causes
Concern at State Department.

Washington. July 1.-THE approach of August 7.
marking the beginning OF the new herring fishing
season On the coast Of Newfoundland IS matter
Of Great concern % the state Department, for il
finds the fisheries controversy between America
ard Great Britain in a most confused and unsatis-
factory form The rnodus vivendi entered into last
year, b. jAe terms Of which. greatly against the
wishes Of the Newfoun FLANDERS. American fisher
men were permitted 70 ply their vocation
noIested OF the shores of that island. expired with
the close OF the fishing season
II the expectation OF the American and
British governments that before the opening Of the
next season some permanent arrangement could be
reached that would remove al future friction On
this score The Newfoundllnders, however IN
sisted thei- rlgEt to l~Eislate locally Tor tls
fisheries Ions t1ey did not IN terms dscElI-'-
nate against Americans asserting tndl N d-lis 50
thew were lor infringing the treaty rights Cr
Americans The British government has appar-
emily been driven finally 70 colcede the sOundneSs
OF this contention or least IL has been nes7tlat
ing with Ambassador I-eii on that basis
Indications ave that 2 VII BE- difficult 70 reach
any kind OF PerEsEenC settlement or the trouble
and the whole effort OF tie esoaIors Is apparently
concentrated for tho moment on the drafting cr
some form % rnod-s vivendi 10 guard against tAs
development of friction On the HSnlis sL9ses t11L
might in the end have serious results Thus, TOR
instance il IS said tae nssJsuce OF the Nev1ounc-
landers the right 20 pre-ent thlr rSterIeI rom
sigric, on the Gloucester smscks thar use purse
seines or The coast of the island would probably
prove fatal 10 the Industry Tar the Americans
are concerned, because the expense Of shipping
large n Massachusetts at high wages would
De prOEibitivc
tign OF the purse seine II is already forbidden TO
their own people they say that there Is no dis
Crt-nicati0n involved in making the Americans
abandon lis But the latter assert that " il
not possible operate fishing sInacks, with their
EXPENSIVE crews and OUTFITS. prottably without the
purse seine. and that as they have always enjoyed
the right 70 u. the attempt TO deprive them
now by legislation OF such right would be IN vtcs
Iatioa Of t1e privileges conveyed by treaty
The fact il that the affair calls for mutual cons
CeSstOps 7 there j. 10 Dc q new UOduS VIvendi,
and the Newf5undIanders are not anxious that
there should be until they have some sufficient
assurance that they have a satisfactory perrna
neut arrangement To that end they have sug-
gested reference of the whole subject OF conflicting
treaty ard legislative rights 10 the permanent
Hague tribunal The United States governments
is not averse 10 such proposition under
proper limitations as the scope OF the arOitra-
ton which must be carefully guarded, lest it see
a precedent which uisht have a dangerous tndu-
euce on the vexed question OF conflicting national
treaty and state rights in the United States. ;
involved in the San FranCtsco-Japanese affair
But It IS said AZ the state Department that up 20
the present moment there has been nothing 70 IN
dicate that the government Of Great Britain Is
willing TO accept the Newfoundland suggestion az
TO arbitration and II IS therefore giving most OF ia
attention 70 the subject OF the nOdus vtvendL