1912 AND FISHERIES COMMISSION. 35 



Contract or no contract, however, the result is the same, namelj, 

 that the truh' independent fish company or fishermen cannot exist under 

 the present conditions of the fishery trade for any length of time, and 

 it must be clearly understood that the possession of a Canadian sound- 

 ing title by a fish company is no guarantee either of Canadian proprietor- 

 ship or independency.- In fact, the reverse is, as a rule, the case. 



It is plainl}' necessary, therefore, to examine carefully into what 

 available means present themselves of effecting such a radical alteration 

 in the situation as to place it on an economically sound basis, or, in 

 other words, of breaking the domination of the American fish trust, plac- 

 ing the control of the fish crop in the hands of the citizens of the Pro- 

 vince, and developing a proper fish market throughout Ontario, so that 

 the people at large may profit by their fisheries and. not be robbed of the 

 profit for the benefit of the United States, while at the same time endea- 

 voring to improve the general condition of the fisheries to the greatest 

 possible extent. ^ 



Markets cannot be created in a day, even though the advantage of 

 their establishment and rapid development were patent to everyone, 

 neither can a great vested interest be attacked and shorn of its power 

 without a considerable outcry being raised. The achievement of both 

 objectives in the case of the fisheries would obviously involve the formu- 

 lation of a strong, clear-cut policy, embracing the fundamental prin- 

 ciples of conservation, economic exploitation and distribution, and the 

 systematic and consistent execution of this policy over a period of 3'ears. 

 Such a policy can only be evolved by a consideration of all the problems 

 presented, without regard to the various authorities who may be con- 

 cerned in its initial or subsequent introduction. 



The control of the Canadian fisheries of the great lakes, however, is 

 divided between the Dominion and Provincial Governments in such a 

 way as to render impossible the adoption of a scheme, for the conserva- 

 tion and improvement of the fisheries and the development and regula- 

 tion of an Ontario fish market, at all adequate to the necessities of the 

 case, without considerable collaboration between them, and thus, even 

 though, in all probability, the co-operation of the Dominion Govern- 

 ment is to be anticipated in the event of a forceful fisheries policy being 

 adopted by the Provincial Government, it becomes necessary, not only 

 to inquire into the methods available for obtaining the desired results, 

 but also as to how far these fall within the scope of Provincial legisla- 

 tion, and as to where it will be necessary to invoke the aid of the Do- 

 minion Government. Consequently the various available measures will 

 first be discussed, and subsequently the relative powers of the two gov- 

 ernments in regard to their enactment. 



Prohibition of Export. 



It has been pointed out that the great bulk of the product of the 

 great lake fisheries at present finds its way into the markets of the 



