972 NORTH ATLANTIC COAST FISHERIES ARBITRATION. 



583 Evidently referring to the convenience which was sought 

 for at that time for the purpose of curing and drying their 

 fish, and which they stipulated for most anxiously, and which they 

 afterwards obtained, so far as Labrador was concerned, and Cape 

 Ray to Rameau was concerned. 



It appeared to be a strong desire on both sides, or at least on the 

 side of the Americans at that time, that they should have these 

 facilities for curing and drying their fish. They stipulated for that 

 right through; but I will come to that afterwards. That was the 

 explanation which I offered of that phrase, that sentence. 



THE PRESIDENT : Please, Sir, if the Americans are excluded from 

 the bays of the southern coast from Rameau to Cape Ray, can one 

 say that they have the full benefit of these coasts. " His Royal High- 

 ness will be willing that the citizens of the United States should 

 have the full benefit of both of them." 



SIR JAMES WINTER: According to my contention, yes; for the 

 reason that the full benefit, all that they wanted, and all they can 

 have, they have got. They have got the coasts to fish on and the bays, 

 harbours, and creeks to dry. And that is all they have sought for, 

 or ever thought of, and all that they require. And that is fully 

 covered by those words. Because they catch no fish in the bays, 

 creeks, and harbours of that part of the coast. Their fishery is out- 

 side of the bays, creeks, and harbours. It may be occasionally but 

 to a very small and very limited extent on the coasts at all. And that 

 part of the coast, outside there, was really of no value to them at 

 that time, and is of no value whatever now except for curing and 

 drying fish which they were catching in the deep water just outside 

 of that coast, and out on the Banks of Newfoundland. 



I may here observe, as perhaps it may be of assistance in this case, 

 that this privilege of curing and drying, which appeared at that time 

 to be so important, has really not been exercised by the fishermen of 

 the United States at all. They never have cured and dried their 

 fish on any part of the coast. They are differently situated, alto- 

 gether, in that respect, from both the British fishermen and the 

 French fishermen. The French fishermen and the British fishermen 

 both used the bays, creeks and harbours, did use them and still do 

 use them for the purpose of curing and drying their fish. The 

 coasts, the shores, are their bases of operations. Both British and 

 French are settled on the coast, on the land. The French come out 

 from France in the spring and settle down for the summer, and they 

 go into certain harbours and have their establishments, their fixed 

 establishments there, and from those establishments they send out 

 their vessels to catch fish. Vessels go out and catch fish, and 

 bring it into the bays, creeks and harbours, where it is dried and 

 cured. They do the same thing exactly on the islands of St. Pierre 



