420 



NEWFOUNDLAND. 



and produced a catch of 113,841 quintals of cod- 

 fish. The seal fisheries for the same season had 

 19 steam-vessels engaged, with a tonnage of 5,998 

 and crews numbering 3,830. The seals taken 

 numbered 291,217, valued at $425,355. The in- 

 creased value of the catch in 1902 was due to the 

 better price that the men secured as a result of 

 their strike before the fishery began. They 

 had been receiving $3.25 a quintal (112 pounds) 

 for their share of the catch, with a deduction 

 of $3 a man for equipping the ship, locally 

 known as " berth money." They demanded 

 and were conceded $3.50 a quintal, and the 

 abrogation of the " berth-money " charge. The 

 sealing voyage occupied 20 steamers and 4,000 

 men less than eight weeks. 



Lobster fishing is a decaying interest here. 

 There were 1,440 factories on the coast in 1901, 

 and for their protection against the illegal sell- 

 ing of bait to French fishermen the colony main- 

 tained 50 wardens, 2 steamers, and several smaller 

 vessels. The staple product of Newfoundland is 

 cod, and it concerns three-quarters of the popula- 

 tion and constitutes five-eighths of the exports. 

 With certain products of the cod, the total value 

 of the industry was $5,570,756. Other fish ex- 

 ports included haddock to the value of $252,508; 

 herring, $171,501; lobsters, $448,501; salmon, 

 $146,OU6; whale-oil, etc., $67,785. 



Education. The system of education in New- 

 foundland includes a Council of Education made 

 up of various denominational head masters of 

 schools and clergymen as superintendents, with 

 the Rev. Canon Pilot as president. There is a 

 Church of England college, and Roman Catholic, 

 Methodist, and Presbyterian colleges, and various 

 denominational boards of education in each dis- 

 trict. Each denomination has its own schools 

 and scholastic machinery, and receives a per 

 capita grant from the state for their mainte- 

 nance. After every census there is a readjust- 

 ment, and the moneys are appropriated in ac- 

 cordance with the population statistics then 

 shown. The state interferes in no way except 

 to provide for an inspection of the schools, and 

 even the practical management of this matter is 

 left to the heads of the religious bodies. The an- 

 nual vote for education is $160,000, or 75 cents a 

 head of the total population. It costs $3.80 a year 

 for every pupil enrolled, and in the smaller settle- 

 ments there are no schools. The subdivision of 

 the grants among the denominations is largely 

 responsible for this. 



Each of the three principal denominations is al- 

 lowed a superintendent and an assistant, and the 

 salary of the chiefs is $1,600, and of the aides 

 $600. In that of the Catholics, however, they 

 have been permitted to have one superintendent 

 for the diocese of St. Grace and a second for the 

 dioceses of St. John's and St. George's. The 

 former gets $1,000 and the latter $1,500. The 

 Anglican and Methodist chiefs inspect the schools 

 of the minor Protestant denominations each year, 

 alternately, for which they receive a special allow- 

 ance, or else the work is done by the ministers of 

 those churches, who receive that sum instead. 

 The school boards of each creed have jurisdiction 

 over the harbor or settlement for which they are 

 appointed, and they determine all matters relat- 

 ing to education therein, the clergyman usually 

 enjoying practically autocratic powers. The to- 

 tal expenditure for education in 1899-1900 was 

 $155,621, and in 1900-'01 it was $158,238. A 

 measure was presented to the Legislature during 

 the session changing certain details of the system. 

 In the Council, on April 9, the Hon. Mr. Knowl- 

 ing gave the following explanation of its terms: 



" This bill is intended to place the education grant 

 in proportionate ratio to the increase of popula- 

 tion. It amends the former act so as to include 

 the Salvation Army in its provisions, and in or- 

 der to make a pro ratio division of the grant. 

 Having regard to the allocation of $25,297.87, an 

 alteration of the act was necessary in order to 

 apportion the amount equitably among the teach- 

 ers of certain services." 



Union with Canada. This question was 

 widely discussed in Newfoundland, with mixed 

 feelings; in Canada with almost unmixed ap- 

 proval. Speaking at Halifax on March 25, the 

 Hon. A. M. McKay, one of the four Opposition 

 members of the Assembly, made the following 

 statement as to the feeling on the island : " I 

 think it is not nearly as hostile as in times past. 

 In 1896, when federation was a live question, the 

 people of Newfoundland felt that if they entered 

 the confederation they would be a subordinate 

 colony, and the loss of their autonomy and self- 

 government would lessen their importance as a 

 colony. That probably is the opinion to-day in 

 a lesser degree. It is of course the sentimental 

 aspect, but that is the view that weighs with the 

 mass of the people. It is not a party question." 



At the end of April Mr. Justice Morrison re- 

 signed from the bench and contested the elections 

 as leader of a party in favor of confederation. 

 He and Judge Seymour, of St. Johns, visited Ot- 

 tawa and other Canadian cities, and were very 

 clear in their advocacy of union. On his return 

 Mr. Morrison told the St. John News (June 16) 

 that the question would have to be settled at the 

 polls. " As you know* I have always been in fa- 

 vor of closer political and commercial relations 

 with Canada, if satisfactory terms could be ar- 

 ranged. Both countries have something to gain 

 from a fair bargain, and, so far as I can see, noth- 

 ing to lose. Every year the arguments for union 

 grow stronger, and it seems to me only a question 

 of time when the two countries must come togeth- 

 er." Sir R. Bond, the Premier, meanwhile took 

 ground against confederation, and proceeded to 

 negotiate his reciprocity treaty at Washington. 



The Reciprocity Treaty. In the summer and 

 autumn, with Mr. Chamberlain's consent and the 

 support of the British ambassador at Washington, 

 Sir R. Bond negotiated with Secretary Hay a 

 treaty of reciprocity somewhat according to his 

 old arrangement. The chief difference was the 

 absence of the preferential clause, so obnoxious 

 to Canada and imperial ideas, in the one that 

 was disallowed in 1895. The following were the 

 terms of the new treaty: Article I provided that 

 American fishing-vessels entering Newfoundland 

 waters could buy bait on the same terms as New- 

 foundland vessels. They could also touch and 

 trade, buy and sell fish and oil, and procure sup- 

 plies without other charge than the payment of 

 the light, harbor, and customs dues levied mi 

 Newfoundland fishing-vessels. Under Article II 

 salted codfish, cod, seal, and whale oil, unmanu- 

 factured whalebones, sealskins, herrings, salm<m. 

 trout, salmon-trout, lobsters, cod roes, tongues 

 and sounds, the produce of fisheries carried on 1>\ 

 fishermen of Newfoundland, metallic ores, tin 

 product of Newfoundland mines, and unt rimmed 

 slates were to be admitted into the United Static 

 free of duty. Unsalted or fresh codfish were n<>t 

 included. On the other hand, Newfoundland wa- 

 to admit free of duty from the United States a 

 long list of articles. Newfoundland was to give 

 to the United States as low duties on any article 

 as she gave to any other country. The treaty, if 

 ratified, was to remain in force five years. The 

 arrangement was opposed by the Maine Senators 



