654 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [12] 



" It does not require much reflection to cod elude that fish dealt with 

 in this way are more likely to reach London in good order than those 

 which are removed from the boat to the quay, from the quay to the rail- 

 way van, from the railway van to the street, and from the street to the 

 market. In fact I believe I am right in saying that no fish coming by 

 water would be condemned if it were not for two reasons : (1.) It occa- 

 sionally hapi^ens that the fleet has moved its position before the steam- 

 ers arrive, and the steamers in consequence fail to find it. (2.) It also 

 occasionally happens that the catch is so large that the steamers are 

 unable to store the whole of it in their holds, and are forced to carry 

 some portion of it on deck. 



" It is obvious then that, except from accidental circumstances, there 

 is and there need bo no loss among the fish which reach London by 

 water. Water-carriage is cheaper than land-carriage. A box of fish 

 carried direct by water to Billingsgate costs 2s. Id. for carriage. The 

 same box carried by land costs 3s. 9^d., viz. Is. Id., its carriage to 

 Grimsby, and 2s. 2^d., its carriage to London. It is not surprising, 

 therefore, that as the cost by water is less and as the fish arrive in 

 better condition, the London salesmen should prefer water-borne fish, 

 and should look for the solution of every difficulty by a further develop- 

 ment of the water traffic/' 



Mr. Walpole proceeds to give his reasons for thinking that, despite 

 its superior cheapness, water-carriage will never entirely supersede the 

 land-carriage of fish. He states that with a view to discouraging the 

 land-carriage of fish some of the merchants who came before him as 

 witnesses went so far as to propose that single-boat fishing should be 

 prohibited by Government, and the men forced to fish in fleets. This 

 suggestion seemed, in Mr. Walpole's eyes, to be impracticable. Fisher- 

 men are influenced by the same motives as other men. They naturally 

 object to a system of fishing which keeps them away from their families 

 for weeks at a time, and prefer to it a system which enables them to re- 

 turn home once in every twenty-four hours, even though the result may 

 be that their fish cost a little more for carriage to London and arrive 

 there in rather worse order. Is it possible, asks Mr. Walpole, to pro- 

 vide that railway-borne fish shall reach London so that a very smaU 

 proportion shall be in a condition to necessitate condemnation *? The 

 witnesses who appeared before him at Billingsgate were of opinion that 

 if inspectors were appointed at the various ports to prevent the sending 

 forward of fish which were already bad this highly desirable consumma- 

 tion might be attained. But where are these inspectors to reside? If 

 at the principal ports the fishermen would certainly resort to other ports 

 where there are no inspectors. If, however, inspectors were established 

 at every port and village where boats can land the expense would be 

 out of all proportion to the end aimed at. Nor could it be expected that 

 the Government would consent to bear the charge of a duty which 

 would primarily be of advantage to the metropolis alone. It would be 



