14 Tliirli/scrciilli Aniiiiiil Mrrliini 



bordering- nu tlic ,i:i-c;it lakes, rc(|ii('stiii,i:- tliciii td appoint dele- 

 gates to an iiirorinnl iiilei'iiatioiial con fei-eiice for the purpose of 

 suggesting uiiiroi-m legislation i-egai'ding the lishei'ies of the 

 great lakes. 'J'he second resolution directed the eonimiltee to 

 enter into correspondence with the governors ol' states horilei-iiig 

 on the gi'cat lakes to endeavor to induce them to assist in lia\ ing 

 the \arious legislatures cede to the federal government state con- 

 trol of the great lakes, in confornuty with these resolutions, the 

 committee approved a lettt'r on awh subject and I for\\arde(l 

 them. The Minister of Marine at Ottawa, the Governor General 

 of Canada, and all the states responded affirmatively in regard 

 to the a])])ointment of delegates to the proposed informal inter- 

 national conference. Nearly all the governors responded favor- 

 ably concerning federal control. The secretary of state of the 

 national government was the only one corresponded with who 

 declined to appoint a delegate. a])parently misunderstanding the 

 pur])ort of tlie letter, l)ecause he gave as his reason for refusing 

 that previous efforts to secure uniform legislation liad been 

 futile. 



As chairman of the executive committee, I then made ar- 

 rangements for a personal interview with the secretary of state, 

 but an illness intervened. On my recovery I was officially noti- 

 fied that a treaty had been signed between Great Britain and the 

 United States by which the two governments would take control 

 of the great lakes, and I was informally informed that state ac- 

 tion would not be necessary, that a commission representing the 

 (*anadian govt'rnment and the Ignited States government had 

 been fornu'd for the ])urpose of examining conditions on the 

 great lakes and suggesting a hill to be introduced into congress 

 and the Caiuidian ])arliament simultaneously with the 7-atifica- 

 tion of the treaty to regulate the fisheries. Under the circum- 

 stances I did not pursue the matter any further with either th" 

 governors or the secretai-y of state at Washington. 



Subsequently, in June of this year, 1 was w 

 mitional Fisheries ( 'onunission, referre(l to in tl 

 graph, to meet them at Krie. 1 did so and at tl 

 Ibem the conditions which pi'i'xailed in 1' 

 part 



