The Dominion Royal Commission held meetings in St. John's and took evidence upon such subjects as "The Newfoundland fisheries," "Steam communication," "Possibilities of increasing the Colony's imports from other parts of the Empire," "Oil shale areas" and "Lumber exports." The Commission also visited Bell Island and Grand Falls and took evidence in relation to the mining and paper industries respectively of these two places. The seal fishery showed a decrease of nearly 40,000 seals, but the value was greater than in 1913 because of the greater size of the seals and the higher value of the oil and the skins. This industry was attended with two great disasters; the first occurred to the crew of the Newfoundland, who were caught in a blizzard some miles from the vessel, and seventy-eight were frozen to death, while others were maimed for life. The other disaster occurred to the Southern Cross, which was on her way home with a full load of seals when she was caught in the blizzard of March 31 and foundered. There were 174 persons on board and all perished. No traces have been found of either vessel or crew. The disasters attracted the attention of the whole civilised world and subscriptions came freely in from Canada and England, while the people of the Colony gave well. There is now a fund of $300,000 which is being faithfully administered and which will be sufficient to meet all cases of want.
The Herring fishery was large and on account of the high price of fish was well marketed.
At the ordinary session of the Colonial Parliament twenty-six Acts were passed all affecting the internal economy of the Colony; they included one giving power to borrow 400,000l. for the completion of the new branch railways and a second to raise a loan of $360,000 for the extension of the telegraph system, the erection of lighthouses and fog alarms, and for the construction and improvement of public buildings.
In September a special war session of the Legislature was called and twelve measures were passed. These measures provided for the raising of a volunteer force of 1,000 men, for increasing the number of the Naval Reserve from 600 to 1,000 men, and for raising a loan, which was afterwards provided by the Imperial Government, for fitting out and keeping up the contingents. To meet the extra cost of maintaining these men, some new duties were imposed, and Acts imposing stamp duties and death duties were passed.
In the same session a Wireless Telegraphy Act was passed, requiring steamers engaged in the seal fishing to be fitted with wireless telegraphs. It was felt that, had the Newfoundland had wireless on board, no one would have been lost.
The call of the Empire was well answered in "the loyal and ancient colony"; 750 men were sent to the Army and 500 more would be sent early in 1915. The full number of the Naval Reserve was easily made up, and already forty-nine have given their lives in the Viknor and the Clan McNaughton (in 1915). There were fully 200 Newfoundlanders in the Canadian contingent.
Archbishop Howley, Roman Catholic Bishop of St. Johns, died in October, and Monsignor Roche, a native of the Colony, was appointed in his place.
IV. MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA.
The new year in Mexico opened with President Huerta as Dictator, a Bank Moratorium, and furious fighting at Ojinaga, the issue for several days being in doubt. On January 11 it was reported that the Federal Army, which numbered 4,000 but had sustained heavy loss, had abandoned the town, crossed the Rio Grande and been disarmed by the United States authorities. General Villa took possession of Ojinaga, and his star was in the ascendant. The Government defaulted in the payments of the National Debt, and the Moratorium was extended to March 31. A plot against the Government was discovered in the capital and there were many arrests of prominent citizens. On February 4 President Wilson issued a Proclamation raising the embargo on the exportation of arms and ammunition to Mexico. Keen resentment was exhibited by the Huerta party, and General Villa, who had been inactive after Ojinaga except for the execution of "bandits," resumed his campaign. British marines and machine guns were sent from Vera Cruz to guard the Legation. On February 20 news came that an Englishman, Mr. William A. Benton, an extensive ranch-owner in the North, had been shot at El Paso by order of General Villa. He had lived in Mexico for twenty-five years and knew Villa personally. It was stated that damage having been done by Villa's men to his property, he had gone to Villa and had remonstrated with him. There was an altercation between the two. By Villa's orders Benton was tried by court martial and shot out of hand. The United States, having undertaken the obligation of protecting British subjects in places where we had no Consular representative, pressed for an inquiry. The "official" record of the court martial alleged that Mr. Benton was condemned for attempting armed violence against General Villa, and for assisting General Huerta; but the friends of the murdered man alleged that he did not carry arms and had none when he entered Villa's quarters. Sir Edward Grey sent Mr. Perceval, the British Consul at Galveston, to El Paso to investigate the crime. Yielding to United States representations, Villa allowed the body to be exhumed. Sir Edward Grey had meanwhile made a statement (1) reserving the right to secure reparation "whenever there is an opportunity" should United States action fail or not be proceeded with further; (2) dismissing the idea of a British punitive expedition to Mexico, on the ground that it would be worse than futile, seeing that it would "positively help those from whom we demand reparation, simply for the sake of appearing to do something"; and, (3) the matter would not be allowed to rest, "and as soon as, by any change of circumstances, it is in our power to carry the matter further we shall take whatever steps may be practicable." Villa telegraphed that "Benton was tried by Council of War and found guilty and shot for having tried to assassinate me." Mr. Consul Percival arrived at El Paso and an Anglo-American Commission met to investigate the crime. General Carranza also appointed a Commission of his own. But by this time Benton had been buried three weeks. Mr. Percival and the Anglo-American Commission were refused facilities to cross the frontier, and Sir Edward Grey therefore found it necessary, on Mr. Percival's advice, to drop the question of an examination of the body. There the matter had to be left, nor had any reparation been obtained by the end of the year.