1720 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



ideas will be suggested to them, and wherever there appears to be a 

 profitable field for the investment of capital, it will find its way in that 

 direction, and to those places which may hitherto have been unknown 

 or unappreciated by them. 



I have only now to deal with the privileges conferred upon Newfound- 

 land by the'Uuited States, and their value. As to the value of the 

 United States fishing to us, that question has been summarily disposed 

 of by learned friend Mr. Dana, as of not much account. It has not been 

 deemed worthy of consideration by any of the learned counsel on the 

 opposite side, nor has it been attempted to set it forth as of any worth 

 to us. Therefore, it is unnecessary that I should further comment upon 

 it, beyond calling your attention to the mass of unanimous testimony 

 that Newfoundland vessels never have or can make profitable use of it. 



The question of free market in the United States for fish and fish-oil 

 I may also dispose of in a short space. It will be fully dealt with by 

 my learned friend Mr. Thomson. I will merely draw attention to cer- 

 tain tacts in evidence in order that his arguments hereafter may be 

 more easily applied to the Newfoundland branch of this case. The 

 principal markets for Newfoundland cured codfish are the Brazils, West 

 Indies, and Europe. The American market is very limited. By a 

 return filed in this case (Appendix I), headed "Return showing the 

 value of fish and products of fish imported from the United States of 

 America, and exported to the United States an-.i other countries from 

 the colony of Newfoundland during each year from 1851 to 1876 inclu- 

 sive," it appears that during these 26 >,ears, which, of course, include 

 12 years under the Reciprocity Treaty, the average annual export from 

 Newfoundland to the United States amounted to $323,728 as against 

 $6,043,961, exports to other countries. It appears also that the United 

 States market is decreasing, for the average annual export to that coun- 

 try for the 7 years between the Reciprocity Treaty and the Washington 

 Treaty was 348,281 as against $6,S76,08(Ho other countries, whilst the 

 average annual export for the three years under the Treaty of Wash- 

 ington, viz, 1874, 1875, 1876, was $222,112 to the United States as 

 against $7,792,859 to other countries, and further that there has been a 

 steady falling off in the exports to the United States from $285,250 in 

 1874 to 8155,447 in 1876. To what cause this is attributable it is diffi- 

 cult to say, but it may be to some extent accounted for by the increased 

 facilities which the United States now possess and use under the Treaty 

 of Washington, and by means of which they are enabled to supply their 

 own wants in codfish. On the other hand it has been proved' that a 

 very considerable market for small codfish has been opened up in New- 

 foundland to United States banking vessels; that fish which was here- 

 tofore thrown overboard as unsuitable for the American market is now 

 ran-ied to Newfoundland and sold at remunerative prices. Captain 

 illoy, a master of a United States banker, Mr. Charles Barnet, and 

 tiers state as follows: The former, at page 51, British Affidavits, says: 



Tin- quantity df Hiuall codfish caught by each banker during the season will be fully 



itty quintals upon an average of every two loads of codfish caught 



[be uuiuber of United States vessels prosecuting the cod-fishery ou 



fffonndland each season from the port of Gloucester is about three 



e an- vessels fitted out from other ports in the United States besides 



' > large an extent. The average catch per vessel on the Banks 



iiHan.l live hundred quintals codfish, the value of which will be about 



twelve thousand dollars to the owner. 



. 



Prior to 1*74, United Stati-s hankers threw away all fish less than 22 inches split, or 

 tj-elgbt inch a caught ; now the small'fish is brought into Newfoundland 

 there Bold, slightly salted, to advantage. I, last year, sold one hundred ami 

 y qniutalH of such tish at nine shillings and sixpence per quintal. The privilege of 



