1796 NORTH ATLANTIC COAST FISHERIES ARBITRATION. 



very little there is between the parties. We do not want a report 

 made where a report is practically impossible. What we do want is 

 that when vessels come into places where there are custom-houses in 

 the neighbourhood or district and where they, with a little reasonable 

 deviation, can make their report, they shall so report. For instance, 

 in the Bay of Islands, it is a very trifling matter to deviate to the 

 custom-house there from the fishing ground; it is all in the same 

 neighbourhood; and, in the same way, supposing they were fishing 

 outside of the Bay of Islands, it would not be an unreasonable 

 demand to ask that before beginning operations they shall report 

 themselves, because, afterwards, if they remain outside the Bay of 

 Islands, hovering, of course, fishing, but being in the position of 

 hovering vessels, you cannot keep them under observation and you 

 cannot tell whether they may have been running supplies ashore 

 because they would be visited by people who would try to sell them 

 goods. So, we think that not only in the bay, but outside the bay, 

 anywhere within reasonable distance of a custom-house, it is right 

 that they should be compelled to report. 



Now, what is reporting? Mr. Elder, as far as I understood his 

 remarks, and perhaps I misunderstood him although I listened to him 

 and have since seen the note, said that he did not object to the mere 

 report but that what he objected to was entry, because entry, if I 

 have correctly understood him, involved a clearance. I really do not 

 see his distinction. What is report, what is entry, and what is 

 1086 clearance? Entry and report are substantially the same thing. 

 I have no doubt that Sir Charles Fitzpatrick, who, in all 

 probability, has some admiralty jurisdiction, and Mr. Justice Gray, 

 will be able to keep the Tribunal straight on this if my own descrip- 

 tion is inaccurate, for I have not familiarised myself with the local 

 conditions in Newfoundland, but a report is exactly what its name 

 imports. The master must go to the custom-house, and there is a 

 little printed form, the simplest form possible, giving the name of 

 the vessel; he must fill in his own name, where he comes from and 

 some slight description of the vessel. It is very slight because every 

 vessel is registered and the registry is known. He puts in the name 

 of the vessel, where it is from, perhaps its tonnage and then he siy> 

 whether or not he has anything on board. Some one sent me a copy 

 of this entry document and I had hoped to have had it here, but I have 

 not got it unfortunately; it can easily be produced. But, after ail, 

 its contents are easily stated. Of course, if it is a trading-vessel, he 

 shows his manifest which is a document which contains a complete 

 account of his cargo, stores, and supplies. He says : There is my mani- 

 fest, there is a statement of what I have on board and I declare that 

 I have nothing else on board of course, nothing else of importance, 



