El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-06-06

TT is hoped that two pending questions
with reference to the international
- fisheries dispute between the Unit
ed States and Canada will be settled
during the present year. One question
relates to the century-long agitation
with reference to the rights Of citizens
OF the United States 70 fish in Cana
dian waters. The other deals entirely
with the regulation of the fishing in
dustry in the international waters COM
mon to the United States and Canada
Arbitration at The Hague.
The controversy with reference to
the fishing rights of the inhabitants
of the United States in Canadian
waters Will be carried to The Hague
for arbitration. The United States
has prepared it's case on the issues
/ involved, and it fills some four or five
| good sized volumes. congress apprO-
Priated 100000 last year for expenses
incident to the reparatiOn and presen
| tation of the case, and this year
, like amount has been asked for.
| There are seven propositions which
will be taken by the TWO countries TO
| The Hague tribunal The first of
/ these is whether or not Great Britain
and her colonies have any right to
make regulations affecting the rights
of the United States fishermen, without
/
| government. 1t is cOntended by the
! United States that the Treaty of 1918
| between the United States and Eng
! land expressly provided that the Amer
! leans should have the fishing rights
| forever. The Canadians contend, on the
other hand, that these rights are sub
| ject to limitations that may be placed
upon them in the exercise of police
power.
The Three-n,ile Law Involved.
The next question al issue Is wheth-
er the inhabitants of the United States
| have a right to employ other nation
alities in their fishing operations IN
der these concessions. The Americans
while England holds the contrary
| view The third issue at stake con-
Germs the three -from-shore limit
| within which the inhabitants of the
| United States are denied the right Of
| free fishing. The United States con
| tends that this three mile line shall
be drawn parallel with the coast line
| at all points. England declares that
this line must follow che general con-
tour of the shore line and not the va
! riOus intentions.
In other worls, the British claim that
| all bays. creeks and other indentatiOns
| shall be considered as lying within
the three-miIe limit. If this contention
on the part of the British government
is supported by the conclusions of The
| Hague tribunal, the United States
will lose the right to fish in some of
the best fishing grounds in all nc-th
Atlantic waters. Under the treaty of
1918, the Washgton government de-
| clares that the three-mile line within
which it cannot go shall be drawn at
low water mark, following every in
dentation of the coast.
New FOuRdIaHd Interested.
Another question to be submitted
has to dc with the right of the Can
adam government to tax the boats of
the United States fishermen The
question of whether the UNITED States
has a right to fish freely along the
southern and western coasts CT New
Foundland also VIII be considered.
about five years ago New FOundland
enacted a law denying such right to
the inhabitants of the United States.
In submitting its case to The Hague
the government at Washington asserts
that for more than three quarters of a
| century this right was recognized and
| exercised. The English case sets forth
| that New FOundland acted clearly
| within its rights when it enacted this
law.
England Fights Sunday Fishing.
For some years. Dcnding a final set
, element Of the questions at issue. the
two governments have operated under
: an annual agreement The British have
been very much opposed to purse sein-
II ing and also to Sunday fishing. The
Americans assert that purse SEEMING
. does no more injury to the fish sup
. ply than the use of gill nets, through
the use of which millions of fish die
: and become unfit to be taken into the
, vessels. As to Sunday fishing, it is
asserted that at best the season is
, short and that if the American fisher
men were denied the right of fishing
on Sunday, the business would cease tC
be profitable.
Many Treaties Governing Fishing
The English at one time agreed tC
give the United States every concession
it asked with reference to the Atlantic
fishing grounds, if, on the other hand
the United States would agree to admit
; Canadian fish supplies into the United
States free of duty. \ treaty TO thi:
effect was negotiated and agreed Il
: | by the two countries, becoming eff
, fective in 1871 and continuing until
1885, when it was abrOgated by the
United States.
In 1888 another treaty along the
same lines was entered into, but tn,
United States senate rejected it. Two
/, years later another similar treaty wa:
English government. In 1902 the Hay.
Bond treaty was negotiated, but wa.
killed by the American senate. In tine