CORRESPONDENCE 429 



"II. The privilege of procuring bail and supplies, refilling, drying, 

 Iransshipping, elc. 



"Apart from the immense value to United States fishermen of participation in- 

 the Newfoundland inshore fisheries, must be estimated the important privilege of 

 procuring bait for the prosecution of the bank and deep-sea fisheries, which are capable 

 of unlimited expansion. With Newfoundland as a basis of operations, the right of 

 procuring bait, refitting their vessels, drying and curing fish, procuring ice in abundance 

 for the preservation of bait, liberty of transshipping their cargoes, etc., an almost 

 continuous prosecution of the bank fishery is secured to them. By means of these 

 advantages, United States fishermen have acquired, by the Treaty of Washington, 

 all the requisite facilities for increasing their fishing operations to such an extent as 

 to enable them to supply the demand for fish food in the United States markets, and 

 largely to furnish the other fish markets of the world, and thereby exercise a compe- 

 tition which must inevitably prejudice Newfoundland exporters. It must be remem- 

 bered, in contrast with the foregoing, that United States fishing craft, before the 

 conclusion of the Treaty of Washington, could only avail themselves of the coast of 

 Newfoundland, for obtaining a supply of wood and water, for shelter and for necessary 

 repairs in case of accident, and for no other purpose whatever; they therefore prose- 

 cuted the bank fishery under great disadvantages, notwithstanding which, owing to 

 the failure of the United States local fisheries, and the consequent necessity of pro- 

 viding new fishing grounds, the bank fisheries have developed into a lucrative source 

 of employment to the fishermen of the United States. 



" That this position is appreciated by those actively engaged in the bank fishery 

 is attested by the statements of competent witnesses, whose evidence will be laid be- 

 fore the Commission." 



And in the reply of the British Government, referring to the same Newfoundland 

 fisheiries, is the following declaration: 



"As regards the herring fishery on the coast of Newfoundland, it is availed of to 

 a considerable extent by the United States fishermen, and evidence will be adduced 

 of large exportations of them in American vessels, particularly from Fortune Bay and 

 the neighborhood, both to European and their own markets. 



"The presence of United States fishermen upon the coast of Newfoundland, so 

 far from being an advantage, as is assumed in the answer, operates most prejudicially 

 to Newfoundland fishermen. Bait is not thrown overboard to attract the fish, as 

 asserted, but the United States bank fishing vessels, visiting the coast in such large 

 numbers as they do for the purpose of obtaining bait, sweep the coast, creeks, and 

 inlets, thereby diminishing the supply of bait for local catch and scaring it from the 

 grounds, where it would otherwise be an attraction for cod." 



In support of these views, the most abundant testimony was produced by the 

 British Government showing the extent of the United States herring fishery, the 

 character and construction of the seines used, the time when the vessels came and 

 left, and the employment of the native fishermen by the United States vessels. And 

 it follows unanswerably that upon the existence of that fishery between the months 

 of October and April (the very time prohibited by the colonial law), and upon the use 

 of just such seines as were used by the complainants in this case (the very seines 

 forbidden by the colonial law), and because the increasing direct fishery of the United 

 States vessels was interfering with native methods and native profits, the British 

 Government demanded and received compensation for the damages thus alleged to 



