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I do not know what Dr. MacCallum, our Chairman, would have said had he 
been here to-day, in answer to the questions which Mr. Amsden has so carefully 
prepared ; and as I was only telegraphed to come here at the eleventh hour, [ 
have hardly given them sufficient thought, perhaps, to warrant my saying much 
on the matter; but I have no hesitation in saying this, that the people of On- 
tario and the government of Ontario are determined that the loose state of affairs 
which has prevailed in the past has got to end, and that something has got to be 
done with a firm hand towards protecting the fish industry, and taking such steps 
as may be necessary to give the people cheaper food in the way of fish, and also 
continuing the large revenue which has always accrued on account of the visits of 
the American and English sportsmen who come to the country. 
We are very much surprised, gentlemen, to learn that you have not got in this 
State, so far as we can learn, any close season for whitefish. 
We have got a close season, and it is supposed to be vigorously enforced. 
And your not having a close season we think must arise from one of these causes, 
either that you fear the supply will never be exhausted, or that you think that 
the fish being common property should be fished for and taken when the people 
wish. We donot know from which of these causes you have no protection, but 
we think it would be well if you had aclose season the same as we have. It 
would stop a great deal of grumbling and discontent on the border, from fishermen 
who complain there is a close season on one side and none on the other side of the 
water. And we think that taking fish during the spawning season, is a matter to 
be regretted, because undoubtedly thousands of spawn are destroyed every year ; 
and fish taken then are unpalatable for food. We think that this should be 
stopped, and as far as our Commissioners are concerned, we hope to see something 
done at this meeting, as to a close season for whitefish. 
I may tell you, gentlemen, that in Canada we are cursed with too much 
government. We have a large federal government, and every Province under that 
has its local government, and the present state of things is somewhat unfortunate. 
Our Dominion Government has laid claim to the waters of the Provinces and has 
insisted that it should control and legislate for these waters. Last year the Pre- 
mier of the Ontario Government, contended that the Province had a right to ad- 
minister and have control of its own inland waters, and I may tell you that a 
friendly case is now being argued, or being prepared to be argued, in the courts, 
dealing with this matter. We think the courts will allow the claim which our 
Premier has made, and that we shall soon control our own waters. When this is 
the case it will be easier to deal with this matter than in the past. The work is 
popular, and considerable good is done, but we hope that even more can be done 
in the future. We hope that the courts will allow the claim made by our Premier, 
and that we will soon have a permanent Commission appointed, because, as I 
told you, the present one is only temporary, and that our Commission will do the 
good work that yours are doing in the different States. This is the present con- 
dition of the affairs in Ontario. We think as far as possible uniform laws should 
be passed between Canada and the States ; especially between the Provinces of 
Ontario and Quebec and the States bordering on them. We think the more closely 
the laws can resemble each other in these neighboring States and Provinces the 
better, and we are here to urge that such a recommendation should be made at 
this meeting. 
Our Commissioners very strongly pronounce against the pound net. The 
destruction of fish, gentlemen, in the waters of Ontario is something enormous, and 
I tell you that thousands and thousands of tons of good fish and good spawn have 
been allowed to rot along our shores. We think that the pound nets are a source of 
great destruction, and we are endeavouring, so far as possible, to put a stop to them. 
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