711.428/543
The Secretary of Commerce (Redfield) to the Secretary of State
Sir: Referring to that portion of my letter to you of June 30, 1919, relating to the matter of the removal by Canada of the duty on fresh and frozen fresh fish, to be covered in the proposed port privileges treaty with Great Britain, as recommended in the official report of the American-Canadian Fisheries Conference, I am pleased to state that the Honorable Sir John Douglas Hazen, who was chairman of the Canadian delegation of the Conference, called on me yesterday afternoon and directed my attention to a certified copy of a Minute of Council, approved by the Governor General of Canada on September 27, 1919,22 containing an approval of the recommendation of the Conference for the removal of the duty on fresh and frozen fish. This is very gratifying to the American members of the Conference, who will be pleased to have included in the proposed treaty a provision that no customs duties will be assessed or collected on shipments of fresh fish, frozen fresh fish, fresh fish in ice, landed or sold in the ports of either Canada or the United States, or on shipments of such fish across the land boundary of either country.
In this connection I have to state that as the port privileges now enjoyed by Canada and the United States were granted to cover the period of the war only, it is important that the treaty be submitted [Page 258] to the Senate at an early date. The Honorable Sir John Douglas Hazen has been authorized on behalf of the Government of Canada to sign this treaty and he advises me that the Canadian Government is extremely anxious to have the treaty concluded as soon as possible.
Respectfully,