79 



Superintendent for their fishery operations, there was not 

 a man in the department who could be put in, and candi- 

 dates had to be invited by advertisement ; the candidate 

 selected is said to be exceptionally well qualified (" very 

 few have the general knowledge of so many different 

 branches of the fish trade that he has " says a notice in 

 the " Fish Trades Gazette "), having been cooper, fishery 

 clerk, salesman, and manager to a trading Company, etc., 

 and it is hoped that he will fill the position. The fact is 

 that the post is a most difficult one to fill requiring not 

 only much varied yet highly accurate knowledge, but 

 many other qualities. In Ireland the Congested Districts 

 Board enjoys the extraordinary good fortune of having 

 the Rev. W. S. Green, c.b., as its adviser and practical 

 head, an ofificer who, a born fisherman, is deeply versed 

 in both science and practice, can skipper a steam trawler 

 on a three months' voyage, take his place in the labora- 

 tory, organize and direct the whole series of difficult 

 operations involved in developing a backward or even 

 non-existent industry from the building of the boats, sup- 

 plying the crews with such boats on reasonable terms, 

 and teaching the crews, down to marketing the fresh or 

 cured fish, and so forth. Hence the personal qualifica- 

 tions of the Superintendent are less material in Ireland 

 than they will be in Madras where, since a Commissioner 

 in the Board cannot possibly have the unusual qualifica- 

 tions of Mr. Green, it will be necessary to try and obtain 

 such qualifications in the marine Superintendent. The 

 difficulty will be more clearly brought out when I discuss 

 my plans for immediate work, based as they will partly 

 be on proved Irish methods. I hope, however, that by 

 advertisement we may obtain a man who will unite com- 

 parative youth with large experience, wide and accurate 

 knowledge, scientific and industrial, with an open and 

 adaptive mind, thoroughly up to date in modern methods 

 yet ready to go slow in applying his knowledge to a 

 backward and poor community.* 



19. The mere industrial experts — such as foremen 

 canners, curers, etc. — will be mentioned in my detailed 

 letter on the experimental station and its needs. 



* By a fortunate concurrence of circumstances the services of Mr. James Hornell, 

 F.L.S., became available in the middle of 1908, and he was appointed as Marine 

 Assistant temporarily in 190S, and more permanently in I909, when he also became 

 Superintendent of Pearl and Chank fisheries, 



