The Committee of the Privy Council have had before them a report dated 14^th March 1950, from the Secretary of State for External Affairs, representing:

That, for the purpose of furthering the well being of Canadian and United States fishermen engaged in the halibut fishery of the North Pacific Ocean, provision has been made by Order in Council year by year over a period of time for granting United States halibut fishing vessels the privilege of landing catches and obtaining supplies, repairs and equipment in Canadian Pacific ports, in return for the same privilege being granted to Canadian halibut fishing vessels in Alaska by United States public law approved annually by Congress;

That the United States Government proposed in July 1949 that the two Governments should sign a Convention providing for a formal exchange of these port privileges to overcome the difficulty and uncertainty involved in such frequent action by Congress;

That such a Convention would be to the advantage of the Canadian fishing industry which would be assured in advance of the fishing season of the privileges that would be available;

That this Convention would grant halibut fisherman of the United States of America and Canada, in the ports of entry of each other country on the Pacific Coast, the following privileges:

(1) To land their catches of halibut and sable fish without the payment of duties and

(a) sell them locally on payment of the applicable customs duty;

(b) trans ship them in bond under customs supervision to any part of either

country; or

(c) sell them in bond for export; and

(2) to obtain supplies, repairs and equipment, subject to compliance with applicable customs and navigation laws of either country;

That this proposed Convention, a copy of which is hereto annexed,^† would differ from the present practice only in that it proposes the extension of the reciprocal privileges to Canadian halibut vessels in ports of the United States proper as well as of Alaska, this addition being to the advantage of Canadian fishermen;

That the United States Government has agreed to the said annexed draft Convention; and

That the Minister of Fisheries and the Minister of National Revenue have concurred that it is in the Canadian interest that such a Convention be entered into by Canada as soon as possible.

The Committee, therefore, on the recommendation of the Secretary of State for External Affairs, advise that Your Excellency may be pleased to authorize the Honourable Lester B. Pearson, M.P., and the Honourable R.W. Mayhew, M.P., or either of them to negotiate and sign on behalf of Canada the annexed Convention or one in substantially the same terms $a

LOUIS S. ST. LAURENT