AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 2937 



years. The mackerel has been poor in the bay, poorer than it used to 

 be, for the last four, five, or six years. 



Q. What effect in your judgment would the imposition of a duty of 

 .$2 a barrel ou all grades of mackerel imported from the provinces have 

 upon the market in the United States! A. Well, I suppose it would 

 have the effect of lowering them some. It is pretty hard to determine. 

 I don't know that I should say. Ot course you put so many more mack- 

 erel into the market they would not fetch so much. 



Q. Who would have to pay the duty ? Would it come out of the 

 people that eat it or out of the provincial sellers ? A. I should say out 

 of the provincial sellers. 



(). \\hy what makes you think so ? A. We take the most mack- 

 erel, and our mackerel determines the price. 



Q. Don't you think they could raise the price of theirs and yours all 

 around ? A. No ; I don't think it could be done, because we have the 

 most n'sh. 



< v >. Well, if a duty of a dollar a barrel were imposed on herring, do 

 you think it could be imported? A. Xo; I don't think it could. It is 

 a low-priced fish. 



Q. Have you ever known mixed trips of cod and mackerel where a 

 vessel went out to catch whichever it could and brought back part of a 

 cargo of each kind ? A. Well, I don't know that I ever knew. I have 

 heard of so'me tell about going some years half and half, but 1 guess it 

 never amounted to much. 



Q. Has any such thing happened from Gloucester? A. I haven't 

 heard of one for a great many years. 



Q. What has been the course of their fishing down in Massachusetts 

 <x>oipared with Gloucester; have they increased or decreased ? A. They 

 have decreased. 



Q. The business has concentrated in Gloucester ? A. Yes. 



By Mr. Davies : 



Q. Are you a protectionist or free-trader in principle ? A. A free- 

 trader. 



Q. Do you believe in free trade? A. I do. I think there ought to 

 be free trade all over the world. 



Q. You think so ? A. Yes ; I would like to see it so. 



Q. In your own country are you a free-trader or a protectionist? A. 

 Well, as far as fish goes ? 



Q. Xo; generally. A. Well, I am a protectionist, if that is the case, 

 unless it would be all over the whole world. 



Q. I notice in your statement that the prices of the mackerel seem to 

 fluctuate a great deal. Last year it was $7. This year it was 812 for 

 Xo. 1*. In explaining that you said it was on account of the catch being 

 very small this year ? A. Yes. 



Q. I suppose the price is governed by the catch, whatever the catch 

 is? A. That is it. 



<,>. Well, for this year, I saw a statement in the Monetary Times yes- 

 terday morning that the whole catch this year did not amount to 50,000 

 barrels on your coast. Is that correct ? A. I have no way of knowing, 

 but I should not think.it was that much, if I was goiug to guess ou it; 

 ' but the vessels have been coming in since. 



Q. Well, that is a very small catch, indeed ? A. Yes ; that is small 

 for late years. 



Q. Now, I suppose if a large catch was made in the bay, and if your 

 vessels were excluded altogether from the best fishing-grounds in the 



