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. ters in the vicinity of our island, are attested by the fact that the 
tipulation in the Washington Treaty most valued by the Americans 
s the privilege of taking that bait. 
. . we present there does not appear to be any law on our Statute Book 
sufficiently safeguarding these valuable bait fisheries. The recent action 
" of the French banking fleet in coming into the harbours of our south- 
: frost coast, where they have no fishery privileges, and evading the 
ect of our laws, heretofore found sufficient to prevent the exportation 
f bait before the 18th day of April, shows that, so far as that nation is 
rhea, we have no means at present of limiting or restricting the 
‘supply to them. 
Our other rivals, the United States, stand on a different footing. 
‘The Treaty of 1818 forbids them entering our ports for the purpose of 
Being bait, and the Imperial Act of 59 George III., cap. 38, makes 
it unlawful, under severe penalties, for them to do so, but up to the 
sent moment the means of strictly enforcing the observance of that 
sy, and punishing the violation of the statute referred to, have not 
‘been provided, and American fishermen declare their intention of vio- 
lating the treaty by obtaining bait in our ports. 
_ The question then arises—Shall we permit the present position of 
fairs to continue, or shall we assert our undoubted and inalienable 
rights with regard to our inshore fisheries? To arrive at a just con- 
_ clusion on this matter, it.is necessary for us to examine the relations in 
which the two nations desirous of obtaining this bait supply from us 
= to this colony. 
_ The French fishery, in relation to ours, has undergone considerable 
change in recent years—seriously speaking, to our disadvantage. In the 
_ first place, to fish exported from St. Pierre to countries outside France, 
_ that is to say, to markets where it competes with ours, an average bounty 
of 10 frances per quintal (112 Ibs. English) is at present paid by the 
I ench Government. Formerly this did not conflict with our interests, 
as the French bankers were equipped in France, and brought most of 
their produce back to France to be consumed there, leaving only a small 
a Pe rtion for exportation from St. Pierre to the French West Indies. 
Consequently, Newfoundland rarely, if ever, found France a competitor 
those markets to which we exported our fish. 
q Now, however, St. Pierre has become an extensive port of trade and 
of export for traders from other countries; and there is a large fleet of 
French bankers, and also a fleet sailing under the French flag, managed 
y French agents at St. Pierre, and owned to some extent by English 
find American subjects, employed in catching fish to compete with us in 
all the European markets. This increasing fleet of Bank fishers has an 
enormous advantage over our fishermen, from the fact that, in addition 
; 
a 
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