THE POLLUTION OF THE SEA 33 



surveys. The scheme was of course a highly desirable one, 

 and it is regrettable that it was not put into operation before 

 the war. It would have been easy — or at least it would have 

 been possible — to graft on to it the machinery for scientific 

 research into the rationale and perfection of methods of analysis. 

 But apparently the Local Government Board did not, at any 

 time, contemplate legislation designed to give effect to the 

 recommendations of the Commissioners. Pressure was brought 

 to bear upon the Board by the local fishery authorities, and the 

 British Science Guild lent its influence in the same direction, but 

 without any apparent result. Much happened between 1904 

 and 1 91 4. A series of " scares " followed upon local outbreaks 

 of illness attributed to polluted shellfish, and there was a 

 consequent depreciation of the industry. The late Dr. H. T. 

 Bulstrode made a very searching inquiry into the shellfish 

 layings on the coasts of England and Wales, and his report only 

 made things worse without leading towards remedial legislation . 

 We have seen that the existing local authorities had no power 

 to stop the fishing on obviously contaminated areas, but it was 

 found that a certain amount of power could be exercised by the 

 Fishmongers' Company and by the markets committees in the 

 provincial towns. The result was that analyses were made by 

 the Fishmongers' Company and inspections were carried out, 

 and as a result of these measures mussels and cockles from 

 undesirably polluted layings were prohibited from being sold at 

 Billingsgate and certain provincial fish-markets. In the case 

 of the latter these prohibitory measures are, perhaps, irregular, 

 and in any case nothing could prevent the sale of polluted 

 shellfish to retail shops if this were effected otherwise than 

 through the publicly controlled markets. It is doubtful if 

 this procedure did any real good, and in most cases the methods 

 of sampling and bacteriological analysis did not enable a dis- 

 tinction to be made between contamination acquired naturally 

 on the shellfish beds and that which may have been acquired 

 after removal of the molluscs from the fishery, perhaps as the 

 result of storage in insanitary premises. At any rate the net 

 result of the measures just indicated was to lead to a great 

 reduction in the produce of the shell-fisheries and much in- 

 convenience and hardship was doubtless caused locally. 



The result of all this confusion was finally the Shellfish 

 Regulations issued, under Order in Council, by the Local 

 3 



