344 MISCELLANEOUS 



Extract from the Montreal Star, October 10, 1906. 



Honourable A. B. Morine, former leader of the Newfoundland 

 Opposition, was seen at his residence here to-day by the " Montreal 

 Star " representative and asked for an expression of his views regard- 

 ing the modus vivendi just agreed upon between the British and 

 United States Governments. Mr. Morine said: 



" The use of purse-seines is bound to be injurious to the fisheries, 

 and if, in addition, Newfoundlanders can be employed by Americans 

 to use these seines, it will have the effect of destroying the Colony's 

 legislation long in force against the use of such seines. Therefore, 

 even the concession of their use under the modus vivendi for one year 

 is regrettable, and likely to be followed by bad results. 



"ADOPTED PUKSE-SEINES. 



" To understand the situation, it must be remembered that in ports 

 on the west coast of Newfoundland, Americans have the right under 

 the Treaty of 1818 to catch fish of all kinds. It has heretofore been 

 the practice for the Newfoundlanders to engage in the fall and winter 

 fishing for herring, and the"n sell their catch to the Americans at the 

 price of 1 dol. 25 c. per barrel, as fixed by a Regulation of the Colo- 

 nial Legislature. 



" This fall and winter fishery should be distinguished from the 

 ordinary taking of herring for bait, because pursued at a different 

 season, and the catch goes into food consumption. 



" This fall and winter fishery was naturally very profitable to the 

 Newfoundlanders, but it was interfered with last autumn by the 

 Colonial Government, an action protested against by the Newfound- 

 landers interested. The reason for this interference was the bring- 

 ing of pressure to bear on the United States' Congress, because of its 

 rejection of the Bond-Hay Convention. That rejection had greatly 

 annoyed the Premier, Sir Robert Bond, and his interference with 

 the herring fishery of the west coast was due apparently more to a 

 desire for retaliation than to any good reasons of State. 



"ADOPTED PURSE- SEINES. 



"Personally, I opposed that legislation on the grounds that such 

 interference would drive the American fishermen to the use of purse- 

 seines and other methods which they now threaten to adopt. When 

 the American fishermen came last fall, they found great difficulty 

 in obtaining their supply of herring, because having always relied on 

 the Newfoundlanders, they lacked the necessary fishing equipment. 

 They were thus forced to adopt purse-seines and power launches, 

 when they would probably prefer to go back to the old way of pur- 

 chasing from the Newfoundland fishermen. 



"The Americans claim that their rights of fishery, under Treaty 

 of 1818, may be carried on in any manner, and that they are justified 

 in the use of purse-seines. They contend that they are not liable 

 to interference by any Regulation of the Colonial Government 

 passed since 1818, on the ground that the Colonial Legislature has 

 authority only over its own people and not over citizens of a foreign 

 country enjoying Treaty rights. Therefore, the legislation of the 



