QUESTION SIX. 251 



The right of American vessels sailing under fishing license was not 

 called in question and the discussion arose from an attempt by subordi- 

 nate Newfoundland officials to make a distinction " between registered 

 and licensed vessels." As to this Mr. Root desired that they " be 

 advised that they are entitled to make no such distinction." Although 

 Premier Bond advanced his theory concerning the exclusion of Amer- 

 ican vessels from the " bays " of the treaty coast in April, 1905, no 

 word of it appears in the voluminous correspondence between Great 

 Britain and the United States during the three years following. 



After the visit of Sir Robert Bond to Great Britain in 1907, and 

 after the full discussion, which the colonial office had with him at 

 that time, the failure of Great Britain to assert his theory amounts 

 to a demonstration that the Government of Great Britain did not 

 regard it as of any value. 



Nor was Premier Bond able to convince his own associates in the 

 Government of Newfoundland. During the years following Sir 

 Robert Bond's invention, while the Government of Newfoundland 

 was in controversy with the British Government concerning Ameri- 

 can rights under this treaty, they did not urge or even refer to this 

 theory. 6 



Undoubtedly it was a matter of discussion between Sir Robert Bond 

 and his associates in the Government, but he did not secure their as- 

 sent to putting it forward until September, 1907, and then it was 

 mentioned by Governor McGregor as a contention of his prime 

 minister. 



Governor McGregor's telegram of September 8, 1906, to Lord 

 Elgin is significant: 



Chief desire of my responsible advisers is to prevent our fishermen 

 from selling fish to or working for Americans. They earnestly urge 

 proclamation of Act No. I of 1906 and undertake to apply it only to 

 our own people and to leave in abeyance questions of the light house 

 dues, customs entrance, nationality of American crews, purse seines, 

 and undertake preservation of peace and without your sanction to 

 enter into no case against Americans.* 



If there was any real ground for the present contention, it was 

 far the most important that Newfoundland could advance, and all 

 others faded into insignificance. But it was not considered by Gov- 



TJ. S. Case, Appendix, 971. 



* U. S. Case, Appendix, 986 et seq. ; TJ. S. Counter Case, Appendix, 341 et seq. 

 U. S. Case, Appendix, 1013, 1014. 



* U. S. Case, Appendix, 991. 



-S. Doc. 870, 61-3, vol 8 17 



