BRITISH, COLONIAL AND OTHER CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 417 



" New England schooners visit the southern coast of Newfoundland 

 during the winter months, from October to March, for the purpose of 

 obtaining frozen herring. As you correctly observe, ' these vessels 

 carry a small complement of men ;' sometimes they carry a seine and 

 seine boat, but this is the exception ; in fact, it is but seldom that they 

 have either. The bulk of herring obtained by them is purchased from 

 Newfoundlanders in a frozen state, for cash; a limited quantity by 

 barter, the commodities supplied being for the most part oil clothes, 

 rubber boots, cheap ready-made goods, flour, sugar, and salt beef. On 

 these articles duty is usually paid. 



" I am informed, however, by the receiver-general, that there have 

 been instances of attempts to evade the payment of customs duties, 

 and he is of opinion that smuggling is still carried on, notwithstand- 

 ing the great care taken to protect the revenue. It seems that a 

 plea is made that ' owing to the nature of the voyage an extra allow- 

 ance of oil clothes, rubber boots, flannels, ship's stores (including 

 spirits) , is made the crew and ship,' and there is grave suspicion that 

 this surplus stock is bartered for herring without duty being paid 

 on it. The price paid for the herring varies from 25 cents per basket 

 to 40 cents per pasket, and depends on the catch. As a rule, the fish 

 is frozen on shore by Newfoundlanders ; in some instances it is caught, 

 frozen, and held in store awaiting the arrival of American vessels, 

 when it is sold to the highest bidder for cash. In no case is gear 

 supplied to Newfoundlanders to take fish, except by actual sale of 

 the article, i. e., herring nets or secondhand mackerel seines, the 

 latter of which are too much worn to be of use for the purpose for 

 which they were originally intended. Newfoundlanders are some- 

 times engaged by American skippers to assist as stevedores, but 

 never for the purpose of catching herring. There is one case on 

 record in which natives of this colony were hired to take fish out of 

 a seine. It occurred in St. Mary's Bay in the spring of 1893. One 

 Solomon Jacobs, master of the schooner Ethel B. Jacobs, shot his 

 seine in Newfoundland waters; a large haul was made, and New- 

 foundlanders were hired to take the fish out and place it on board the 

 schooner. 



" To my general statement, made above, to the effect that c as a 

 rule the fish is frozen on shore,' there is one exception. Occasionally 

 the poorer class of fishermen who require an immediate supply of 

 provisions bring their unfrozen fish alongside and barter them. 

 These herring are subsequently frozen on scaffolds on board, and, 

 for the most part, by natives hired for that purpose. 



" To sum up : Herring is never taken by Americans themselves. 

 They are purchased in exchange for cash, and in a lesser degree for 

 merchandise, from Newfoundlanders, who catch and freeze them. 

 Newfoundlanders are never hired to catch herring for the Americans. 

 ^ " Care must be taken to distinguish between United States vessels 

 visiting this coast for the purpose of purchasing bait, supplies, etc., 

 for the codfishery, in fact those making Newfoundland ports a base 

 from which to carry on fishing operations, and those who engage in 

 the frozen -herring trade. To the former licenses (copy of which is 

 inclosed) are issued, for which $1.50 per ton is charged ; to the latter 

 no charge is made, except the usual ones, equally chargeable to New- 

 foundlanders, of light and customs dues." 



