The Calumet news., 1910-05-28
SETTLE DISPUTES
OVER FISHERIES
Oral Arguments Will be Given
Before International Ar
bitrati0n Court.
PROVISIONS OF The TREATY
Distinguished Legal Authorities to
Represent Both Great Britain and
United States in Contest Over
Newfoundland Rights.

The Hague, May 2S.-An array of IL
lmstrious counsel engaged to conduc5
the oral arguments in the Newfound-
land fishieries dispute before the To-
ternatlonal Arbitration Court next
week Is beginning to put In an appear
ance here. The diplomats and lawyers
are accompanied by host of secret
aries, techanical experts and attaches,
together with a number of newspaper
correspondents, and the lazy old Dutch
capital is beginning to buzz with an
animation such as has not ben wit
messed since the last worlds peace con-
ference.
The personnel of the arbitration
court is to be the most distinguished
ever chosen To preside at the triad OF
a special case before the grand peace
tribunal. The presiding officer will be
DIR. Heinrich Lammasch, the noted
Austrian authority on international
law. The other members of the court
will be Sir Charles Fitzpatrick. Chief
Justice OF the Supreme Court of Can
ada Judge George Gray of the United
States Circuit Court: Jonkheer A. f.
De Savornin Lohmano, of the Neither
lands, and Luis NJ. Drago, of the Ar
gentine Republic.
Legal Talent Represented.
The legal representatives of Great
Britain, including Canada and New
foundland, will include the Hon. A. b.
Ayleswortih, Minister of Justice of Can
ada; tho Hon. Sir Edward Morris, X.
c., Premier of Newfoundland; the
Right Hon. Sir William Robinson X.
c., Attorney General of England; ID.
Morrison. X. c., Attorney General of
Ne, 'oundland: the Right Hon. Sir
Robert Finlay, former Attorney Gen
eral of England; Sir II. Erie Richards.
r. c., who was counsel for Great Brit
ain in the Samoa and Venezuela ar
bitratons; John s. Ewart, X. c.. and
GcorSe Shepley X. c. distinguished
Canadian lawyers. Messrs. Blake and
Rc1den are the British solicitors.
Equally distinguished. though not
quito so numerous, will be the repres
cntatives of tho United States SEN
ator Flihu Root of New York heads the
list of counsel among the other mem
bc7s Charles p. Anderson. who acts
as agent; former Senator George
Turner Of washington, who represent
cd the United States on the Alasl0a
Boundary Tribunals Satnuel J. Elder,
DISTINGUISHED lawyer of Boston. and
James Brown Scott. solicitor for the
4 Department OF State
The Question Involved.
The Newfoundland :isheries case is
regarded as one of the most imoortant
disputes that has arisen between Great
Britain and the United States I'm the
last century and H. the first case to
come before the International Atbitra-
ton Court under the agreeemnt of the
Powers as signed by the Peace Con-
vention held at The Hague in 1907.
1'he dispute dates back most one
hundred years and durine much &C
that time 1t has bocn q fruitful
source OF irritation and Of volumin-
Gus dirlcrnatic corrcSpon6ence. Nat
urally IL willAbo matter of congratul-
alton for both nations when tho con-
trovcrsy is at last laid to rest as II
will be by the award of the tribunal
about to convene.
The controversy had it's origin in the
treaty signed by the United States and
Great Britain IN 1918 by which certain
rights of fishery in common with Brit
ish fishermen, which had been claimed
by the United States for its people
under the treaty of peace of 1888, were
recognized by Great Britain. while
others were renuonced by the United
States. By this remuneration American
fishing vessels were not alllowed to
take, cry or cured fish "within three
marine miles Of the coast. hays. har-
bor' and creeks" of the British pos
sergions except certain specified coasts
and except i'm certain cases OF emer-
gcncy. Some twenty-five years after
the treaty was signed the colonial gov
crDments declared that the word
bays" uesd in the treay meant any
bay so named on the maps. irrespect-
i've of It's width. and some American
vessels were seized at distances great
er than three miles from land.
Tho U. S. Interpretation.
The United States Genied this inter-
probation OF the treaty provisions, as
serting that only inlets OF the sea, not
over six miles wide, were Intended.
From that time forward the interpreta-
tion has been in dispute. At much
later period the Newfoundland govern
ment adopted regulations as to the
coast Fisheries of that island. which the
american fishermen have the right to
participate in "in common" with Brit
ish fishermen. Certain CT these regul-
ations were thought to be directed
AGAINST Americans and also to dis
criminate In favor OF the local fisher
men. The United States protested
against this action as being limita
ton OF the rights of their people. Other
questions Of a minor character. oil