The Daily Alaska empire., 1929-09-21
The Salmon Treaty Again.
Vancouver. B. c province, ,

O.
 Some of the opponents of the Fraser River
 Salmon Treaty between Canada and the United States have not been any too scrupuous in their
 statement of its provisions. On the one hand they have made great deal of play out of the fact that the waters of the Puget Sound. properly SC Icalled, are not included in the provisions of the treaty On the other hand they persistently ignore the fact that Canadian and American representa- tion on the International Fisheries Commission to be created under the treaty--will be equal in numbers and authority.
 It is important that the real facts ahout the treaty shall be widely known and to this end it IS necessary that such misstatements should be countered The treaty is described on it's face as for the rehabilitation and protection of the sock eye salmon of the Fraser River system" It has been endorsed with the strong approval of inc Provincial Government. It has been signed at
 Wasmngton It waits the approval of the Parlia- ment of Canada, and as we believe, for the sake of great industry, it ought to receive it at the next session at Ottawa. Let examine it in these par- ticulars ~ The answer to the quibble-for that is what if lis-tflat the Puget Sound is not specifically men, tloneo m the treaty, is that the sockeye salmon or the Fraser do not frequent, they taken Tn the waters of the Sound, and there is conse- quently no reason for including it by specific men, tion
 The treaty is explicit to include all those wat Iers, Canadian and American, in which Fraser River sockeye salmon have ever been caught The inten Con or the opponents of the treaty is not hard to seek 1n this matter It is the vernacular custom ol the salmon fishermen to refer all those waters Just south of the boundary line, and where the American fishermen, in the last twenty years caught
 o per cent of all the sockeyes seeking the Fraser as the Puget Sound. As a matter of strict defini
 ton as It IS to be seen on all the maps and charts ana as It IS properly recognized by the treaty these IsocKeye-frequented waters are not part of the Puget Sound at all But to tell the Canadian salmon ilshermen, what is literally true that the new treaty does not touch the Sound, virtually to tell nm that the treaty dscriminaes to the dsadvantape ol canada, and in favor of the United States And thls IS to tell him something that is not true at al' ana that creates unfair prejudice against the treaty in his mind
 AS to the other point the constitution of tho commission which is to work the treaty the treaty seem to be as fair to each the contracting nations as the warmest patriot of either could reasonablv ask The commission is always to consist of an equal number Of Canadians and Americans three oi eacn The Canadian members may be anvbodv at all, appointed by the Governor -Cieneral-in. Councn The American members, to be appointed py the President of the United States must include the commissioner of Fisheries of the United States
 mere IS to be no casting vote. Nothing can he oone oy the commission if the Canadian members are against it. Unless, therefore the C;overnment ol Canada IS going to nominate men who eitb.r h osnonesty or nefficency, will conniye at inc preJuolce or Canadian interests there is no reaso to rear that Canada will suffer by the u,orLin of this treaty. "o Aines