98 



liiul lii'eii rci)rt'MeiilL>(l ; for liu kiiinv timt fivi|uniitly Aiiioriciui lialiiM'iiiuii Itifl our const, iind rcsortcj to 

 tlii'ir own wiitcrs, wlicni tlicy ivciMVi'il n viiluixlile ivcomiicnso for clifiiij.'iiif,' tlu-ir vt^niin iiiul luiso of 

 ojicmtioiiH. I'ly lliu Trciity of 1818, Aiiii'ririiii lisliiii^ vcssrls worn not |u'Miiitti'il to enter our linrlidurs, 

 t'Xc'e|it for tlie |iur|iiisu of olitaininj,' wood, ■wiiler, and nlielter. Tliia liniitiition Imd iirodneed a ^ri-'at 

 deid of (lissiitiMliU'tion, iind did injusliee to our n)ioru |"midntion. Purine,' tlie reeijiroeity, tlione vessids 

 were eon^iiinlly in our waters, eni,'ii^'ed in u niutuidly ndviintiii,'eouH liu.sineMs willi tli<! iiierelmnts 

 wild livecl (in slinre. I'.otli ]i;olies desired ii renewal of tlint relation, wliieli would decidedly lie to llio 

 advantaj;e of Nova .Seolia. It was because ]u' desired to restore to tlie )ieo]ile of Nova Scotia tlio 

 advanlai,'es of tliat reii]irocal trade, llait li. \vas anicnily anxious for the ralilication of this Treaty. 

 'I'll use a ]ilirase that had lieeu eniiiloyed on lioth sides of the House, his constituents had 'set their 

 hearts nimn it ;' and, as far as his voice and vote went, they would surely have it." 



Mr. INIacilonald, ol' Nova Scotia, remarked : — 



" The Tlonoundile Mendier for Ilidifax, who addressed the House a few days a^n (Mr. Power), haa 

 told wlijt ellect the hiL,'h duty on mackerel in the Slates has had on this hook-anddine tisliin^. Tho 

 niMulicr iif vessi'ls lilted out for it from I.unenliur^' County has decreased from si.xly to seventy under 

 the Iteciiiriiiily Treaty. I'ntil last year, not more than half-a-dozen ventured to en.L,'af;e in it, finding 

 the hi^rh duties made it un)iriililal)le. Last year, neaily all that tine tlcet of vessels, after ret iirnin<,' 

 frnni l.alirador, instead nf ,1,'oinj,' out aj,'ain for mackerel, were couiiiclled to lay for tl«' remainder of tho 

 .season idly swin'.'in^' at their anchors in the harbours and coves around tlie coast ; «hile tlie younj^ 

 men who sliiiidd have formed their lishin;,' crews were cither coiii|ielled to ri'inain at hnme, <ir seek 

 other im|iliiyiiicnl elsewhere, — some of them, ]ierhii]is, on board Anu'rican vessels, where the lish they 

 eani,dit were worth more than if taken on boaid their own vessels, because they would be free of duty 

 under tla' American llai;. It was thus of vital im]iorlance to the fishing iieoplc! of that, country tliat 

 tlie tisheiy .\rticlcs of the Tiiatv should be ratified ; because they believed, and he judui d lliey rif,'hlly 

 believed, they would then be |ilaced on a much better fnotinj,' than they occu]iied at the iirescnl time. 

 Nut only Were his cunstitucnts dcc|ily interested, but (he whole ]ieo|de of Nova Scotia were imme- 

 diately concerned. He read from statistics to show the iii,ij,'nilude and ini]iortancc of the lisliin;^ 

 interest, the number of men it emplnyed, and the value of the ]iroduets. In LSo:!, the yi'ur before the 

 Commencement of the IIcci|irocity Treaty, the total value of the jimducts of the fisheries in N'ova Scotin 

 was sonicihini; less than two millions of dollars, of which only idmut thirty jier ceiil., or less than 

 f)8L',ii."iS dollars' worth, found a market in the United Stales. In KSli," the total yield of the fishei'ies 

 had risen, with various fluctuations, to an a;,',i,'i('j;ale of n(^arly three and a half millions ; and it wa.s 

 fiiuiid that the eximrt to the States hail not oidy kc)it ]iace with that atrin'c^ate increase, but had 

 lai'.'i ly exceeded it, the ex]iorts to the .'States in that year bein;,' about forty-three )iercent. of the af,'i,'re- 

 pite catch, or near a million and a half of dollars. Thus it wnuld seem that, under the nld l!eci|ir(icity 

 Treaty, our fishernu'ii lost nothing,' liy allowing,' their American ncij^hboins to lish in our waters. (Ju 

 the ( iiiitrary, they had :,'ained in every way. The inllueuce of a I'ri'c market had acted as a stimulant on 

 their t'nert;ies,sotlial,allhon;;!j I heir lisliini,' ^'iminds were shared by American iislu'rmen, their total catcli 

 had increased lifty jicr cent. ; ami so beiiclicial was that free market found to be, tliat the ex)iorts to tho 

 Stales had increased over a humlred and fifty jierceiit. in the twelve years. Nothing; could more <learly 

 establish the two iniportant fads, that our fishermen have nothinj,' to fear from fair conipetilion with 

 American fishermen in onr ow ii waters, and that the free access to the markets of that country is of 

 the Lireatest jiossilile ini)iortance to us. A coni|iarison of the last three years of the ];eci]irocity Treaty 

 with three years since its abrou'otiiui shows that the exports of lish to the States have fallen olV .seven 

 per cent, since the Treaty was aliroj^aled, — another proof nf the \alu(! <if that Treaty to (uir lisliernieii. 

 (livi' us this Treaty, and what happened b' fine will lia))]icn attain. (Jive lis a free market in the 

 Stales, and the ener:.'ies of our lishermcn will be slimulaled anew into life and activity, and an 

 iiicieased a^'^Miu'ate yield, toj;ether with a larj;ely increased cx]iort to the States, would show that 

 our ])eo])le were fully eipial to com]ietin;,', on fair terms in our own waters, with their American 

 iieiuhbiairs," 



"There was one iniiiortant consideration, which had been overlooked in weii;hin<i the advantaf^es 

 find di.sadvaiitav'es of the Treaty, and that was that the admission of IJritish vessels to fish in American 

 waters would eualilc Americans In purilia.se vessels in ]irovincial ports, wdiere the cost of construction 

 was much less than in the I'nited Slates. It was true the}' wouhl be unable to obtain American 

 rcuistel's, but they ciiuld lake out British re;;i.slers." 



"Tlie )iiivileee uiven by the new Treaty tn vessels carryiriLj the 15ritish flaj;, to lish in the United 

 States' waters, it would be found, was no baiien privilege, as had been asserted; for, be.sidi'S the jirivi- 

 le^'e of fisliiii;; there, which our jicojile mi^dit avail themselves of if they choo.se, we should now build 

 lishiiij.'-ve.ssels for our nei;,dibours. The fishing; masters of Maine and Massachusett.s, when they find 

 that tlu'y can j;et as j,'ood a vessel built in l.iiiienbur;,' or Shelbourne or Y.armonth for .'i,ll(lll dollars as 

 they can in (lloiicester for 8,0110 dollars, will not be shiw to avail themselves of tho advantai^'e thus 

 jdaccil within their reach : they will not throw away the extra cost of the vesstd on any 7iier(! senti- 

 ment about the fla;,', when the less costly vc.ssid will suit their jiurjiose as well, and the flai; of their 

 own nation does not .secure to them any special advantnijes. He considered tliis a very material point; 

 and he believed that Americans would lar,L;ely avail themselves of the opportunity which would thus 

 be oH'ered of obtaiuilif,' vessids at much less cost than they now paid." 



" 77/1' hniKnirnhli'. i/fnflriiKdi liioirs that for t/i>- hed hrdiuh (if mavherel, No. 1 and Ni>. '1, ve liail 

 litimlli/ i\ti iiiiirlrt, e.m-jit the. Cnlti;! S/alia ; while for the iliferior fish, No. 3, wc had also a market 

 there, as well as further south." 



" Itemove the duty, as it is jirojiosed by the AV'iishiTiyton Treaty, and our fishermen will have these 

 vidnable lields of industry restored to them. He justified the statement nnide by the President of tho 

 (jiuncil, to the effect that the duty on jiickled fish in the United States waa eq^ual to a tax of (JIUJ.OUO 



