70 FISHERIES ARBITRATION AT THE HAGUE 



it seems they had had a meeting — 



"it is expedient and highly important that immediate steps should be taken 

 to prohibit American fishermen from obtaining supplies of bait fishes in the 

 harbors or upon the coast of Newfoundland, and that a copy of these resolu- 

 tions, bearing signatures, be forwarded forthwith to the Right Honorable 

 Sir Robert Bond." 



On the preceding page, 445, he quotes the Hon. Edgar Bowring, 

 of the firm of Bowring Brothers, Limited, as follows: 



"The Hon. Edgar Bowring, of the firm of Messrs. Bowring Brothers, 

 Limited, than whom there is no firm in the colony more largely interested in 

 the fisheries, addressed me a letter in reply, in which the following occurs: 



"'I have to say that I think it is of paramount importance that the gov- 

 ernment should take immediate steps to prevent, the Americans from obtaining 

 bait supplies.'" 



There are many other places in the record which show, that this 

 is a trade poUcy pursued as against the fishermen's interests, and 

 I beg you to bear in mind that that poUcy is a pohcy that cannot be 

 carried out except by both preventing the purchase and preventing 

 the taking of bait fish. Of course the great trading firms of New- 

 foundland do not want our competition with their source of supply. 

 Until the American fishing-vessels came to buy from those poor 

 fellows on the shore, the trading firms of Newfoundland had the 

 fishermen in their hands; they could dictate the price, they could 

 give as many gallons of molasses or as many rubber, boots or oilers 

 to the fisherman for every quintal of fish he brought in as they 

 pleased; but now, with the American competition, the fisherman 

 gets his opportunity of making his price.' If he can get a better 

 price from the Americans he sells to them instead of selling to the 

 Newfoundland firms; and we find in Captain Anstruther's report 

 a communication stating that some sell to the Newfoundland 

 traders and some to the Americans, not to accommodate the 

 Americans, but because they get a better price. It is for the 

 interest of the trader to prevent competition, it is for the inter- 

 est of the -fishermen to have competition; but the government 

 of Newfoundland, answering to the impulse of the trader, shows 

 its purpose not of fairly regulating the fisheries, but of preventing 

 the Americans from having bait for the bank fishery in order to 

 compel a commercial concession, and also shows that for that 



