On the other hand, it was evident that the fishery on the French Shore 

 was declining more and more rapidly while the bank fishery was prospering. 

 In 1894, only 15 vessels outfitted for the coast fishery; by 1904 it was re- 

 duced to six. Under these conditions it became difficult, in strict fairness, 

 to forbid the Newfoundlanders, in the name of an exclusive fishery, the use 

 of some of the 60 fishing places reserved to the French by virtue of the text 

 of the treaties, of which only a very few were being used. 



In this situation, the two governments, rather than engaging in endless 

 sterile discussion without any possible agreement, wished to take advantage 

 of this occasion permitting them to settle, once and for all, in the interests 

 of both parties, the thorny question of the French Shore. 



This occasion came about at the beginning of the 20th century, and ne- 

 gotiations were undertaken resulting in the signing, under the entente cor- 

 diale, of the convention of April 8, 1904, by which France renounced its an- 

 cient rights on the French Shore in exchange for the ceding of the Los islands, 

 near Konakry, some slight rectification of the frontiers to the advantage of 

 its colonies in west and equatorial Africa, certain unimportant concessions 

 concerning jurisdiction in litigations in Siam, Madagascar, and the New Heb- 

 rides, and also freedom of action in Morocco. 



The articles of this convention applying to Newfoundland are as follows: 



Article 1. France renounces the privilege established for her profit by arti- 

 cle 3 of the Treaty of Utrecht and confirmed and modified by later dispositions. 



Article 2. France reserves for its jurisdiction, on an equal footing with the 

 British subjects, fishery rights in the territorial waters on the part of the 

 coast of Newfoundland between Cape Saint- Jean and Cape Raye. This right 

 will be exercised during the customary fishing season ending for everyone 

 October 20 of each year. 



"The French will be able then to catch all species of fish, bait as well 

 as crustaceans. They will be able to enter all ports and harbors of this coast 

 to procure provisions or bait and to take shelter under the same conditions 

 as the inhabitants of Newfoundland, staying under the local regulations in 

 force; they will also be able to fish at the mouths of rivers, without, however, 

 passing beyond a right line drawn from one to the other of the extreme points 



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